Category: News
Cold temps don’t deter 2,000 from attending anti-ICE rally in South Elgin
An estimated 2,000 people attended a South Elgin rally Sunday to protest ICE actions in the wake of the second fatal shooting of an American citizen at a protest event in Minneapolis.
Organized less than 24 hours after the death of Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti, the Fox Valley-based group We Can Lead Change held the event on Randall Road, east of the Silver Glen Crossing Mall — the same place where they held a similar event two weeks ago following the fatal shooting of Renee Good on Jan. 7.
And similar events were orchestrated all over the country, including one in downtown Chicago that drew thousands of angry opponents of ICE actions in Minnesota and elsewhere.
A headcount done by officials from the We Can Lead Change showed the rally drew far more than the initial 200 who were there at the start.
“We had 2,000 people — it was the most amazing number is so short a time we’ve ever seen,” Miki Powell, a member the steering committee for We Can Lead Change, said after the rally. “There were also more people driving by honking their horns with signs in their cars than we’ve seen in a while.”
The group began putting the event together Saturday and credited the networking done with other local groups, an alert system and a newsletter for getting the word out “and (letting interested people) know what’s happening in a heartbeat.”
Facebook response was so strong, she said, that “I put out a call for marshals because we have to have security for our people.”
“In less than 12 hours, I had 18 marshals sign up,” Powell said. “As far the weather, it’s a case of the cold weather be damned. Enough is enough and we are at the point where we are living privileged lives whereas the people being attacked do not have the same rights. People are angry and we’re going to be out there making noise for Minneapolis.”
Some of the protesters who attended an anti-ICE rally Sunday in South Elgin gathered on the overpass at Silver Glen and Randall Roads. The event was held the day after the Saturday fatal shooting of ICE protester Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (David Sharos/The Courier-News)
Among those who attended were U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, R-Schaumburg, who’s running for the U.S. Senate; U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, and Dan Tully, a Democrat running for Krishnamoorthi’s 8th District Congessional seat.
St. Charles resident Joy Duerr said she “was very discouraged that (the death of citizens) keeps happening.”
“This is not the country I thought I lived in,” she said. “Despite just having been here already this month, I don’t feel there is any protest weariness settling in. If anything, people are getting more energized. They thought that it would just quit and it’s getting worse and our politicians are not doing anything. In terms of being here today, it’s cold, but you manage the elements or you don’t have a country.”
Wilma Van Arragon, of Batavia, said she “has attended nearly all of (anti-ICE rallies in the area).”
“We’re all so discouraged that we’re here again already and have to do this after just being here a few weeks ago. It’s heartbreaking that we need to do this,” she said. “I think regardless of the turnout it’s sending a message to our leaders, to our elected officials, and I think it’s also sending a message to our vulnerable neighbors that we stand with them.”
Wilma Van Arragon, of Batavia, was among the hundreds who came to South Elgin for a Sunday anti-ICE rally organized by the Fox Valley We Can Lead Change group. It was held in response to the Saturday shooting of a nurse in Minneapolis by ICE agents. (David Sharos/The Courier-News)
That said, Scott Powell, Miki’s husband, said it was heartening to see such a large number of people turn out.
“There’s a great spirit and it’s good to see so many other people that are caring about our country this way,” he said. “This is a crazy group that is in charge right now and we must respond. We cannot sit back, we can not let authoritarianism take over this country and run amok.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/26/south-elgin-protest-rally-ice-pretti/
A Year After Pardons, Freed January 6 Prisoners Tell Their Stories
A Year After Pardons, Freed January 6 Prisoners Tell Their Stories
Authored by Janice Hisle via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
A year ago, President Donald Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 people for “offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.”
That decision to issue the blanket pardon, in one of his first official acts as the 47th president, ignited controversy. It covered not only people who strolled through open doors of the U.S. Capitol, unaware they were trespassing, but also rioters who damaged property and assaulted police.
After the initial public backlash subsided, the pardoned—many of them newly freed from prison—began rebuilding their lives.
The Epoch Times interviewed five of those former Jan. 6 prisoners. Their consensus: Jan. 6 is one of the most-mischaracterized events in U.S. history, largely because records—and personal stories like theirs—have been ignored by most media outlets. They say the pardon was not a panacea. Some are still ostracized from friends and family. Others are still recovering from the financial setbacks.
All five believe they’ve been unjustly prosecuted and none say they regret their actions. Rather, the pardoned said they were proud to have stood up for the integrity of U.S. elections, Trump, and American values on that fateful day—despite the great cost.
Twists of Fate
As Dan Leyden, 58, struggles to regroup after his wife died of cancer late last year, he remains in disbelief over the life-changing events that preceded that horrible loss.
Circumstances lined up and thrust him—a low-profile union electrician from Chicago—into the forefront of the Jan. 6 conflict in 2021.
At the last minute, he had decided to join his brother in Washington to watch “our favorite president” speak, possibly delivering his final big public speech as the 45th president.
But the brothers got separated from each other.
“Then I don’t see that speech, because the man next to me says, ‘Dan, would you walk with me to the Capitol?’ So I walked to the Capitol,” Leyden said, “And, from there, my life has turned upside-down.”
While he doesn’t want pity, Leyden—who injects many of his remarks with wry humor—used the word, “heartbroken,” to describe losses he has suffered.
First, his prosecution cost him the Chicago Park District job he had worked without a single complaint for 24 years.
Also, while beginning to serve a prison sentence that would have spanned three years, Leyden missed the birth of his first grandchild—“a gorgeous baby girl” who he now enjoys visiting.
Days after an overjoyed Leyden was pardoned and freed, he plunged into sorrow over the shooting death of Matt Huttle, 42, a Jan. 6 prisoner who became his friend while they served time in prison together. Stopped for speeding in rural Indiana, Huttle threatened to kill himself rather than face life behind bars again. As Huttle resisted arrest, an officer fatally shot him.
Worst of all, Leyden lost his wife of 27 years to cancer on Dec. 29 last year. That illness, which stress has been known to trigger, hit Linda Leyden shortly after her husband was freed. His incarceration had kept them apart for 15 months.
Leyden said his wife was known for her compassion. It was her idea to adopt two daughters from a Russian orphanage; they are now grown.
A lively woman, his wife ran marathons in major cities across the United States and as far away as South Africa before she died at 62.
Despite mourning her death, Leyden jokes about their contrasting lifestyles: “I don’t run unless somebody’s chasing me—and the FBI hasn’t been chasing me lately.”
With sarcasm, he disputes a label he and other defendants were given. “I was a very poorly trained ‘domestic terrorist,’” Leyden says, noting he showed up for the wintertime protest wearing a lightweight green flannel shirt over a T-shirt, and “cheap mittens from Walmart.”
Trump was scheduled to speak at The Ellipse, a park about two miles from Capitol Hill, following a series of other presenters.
But the speeches were hard to hear above the din of the crowd, broadcast over poor-quality loudspeakers.
And Leyden was shivering. It was windy; temperatures hovered in the 30s.
Unable to find his brother, Leyden headed toward the U.S. Capitol, hoping the walk would help him feel warmer.
After arriving at the U.S. Capitol, Leyden noted insufficient security; he ended up near a bike rack that functioned as a barricade. Photos show that Leyden was “pushing the barricade,” prosecutors said in a court record.
That’s a misrepresentation, Leyden said: “Did I lean on a bicycle rack? Yeah, I’m guilty.”
About 17 months later, the FBI descended upon his Illinois home. His wife was home alone with the family pets; she was terrified.
Leyden soon surrendered. He faced 29 years in prison, even though he never went inside the U.S. Capitol; neither did his brother, Joe, who was sentenced to six months.
Leyden’s wife urged him to take a plea, saying, “Can we get this nightmare over with?” His legal battle had cost $30,000, wiping out his savings, though he is not in debt.
Now after a year of freedom, he is awash in grief. He doesn’t know what direction his life will take. “I just wanna go walk my dog at the park; my best friend of 29 years is gone,” he said.
Spiritually, he has never given up. Leyden said he was “just knocked to the curb [and] got back up.” He is beginning to feel less ostracized and hopes to go back to union electrical work.
Many people’s lives have been devastated, too, he said, “all because of one day” that remains shrouded in questions.
“The American people deserve the truth,” he said. And that, he said, is worth fighting for.
Grateful, But Wants More Action
Like many former Jan. 6 defendants, Alexander Sheppard hoped that being pardoned would go a long way toward clearing his name.
It didn’t.
Many people still treat the ex-defendants “like we are totally inhuman,” Sheppard, an Ohioan, said.
Another once-maligned group has consistently shown respect. “I’ve had Vietnam veterans tell me: ‘Thank you for your service.’ It’s mind-blowing,” Sheppard said.
Also, people of faith have demonstrated compassion. “A lot of Christians have been praying for the Jan. 6 people,” Sheppard said. “I appreciate that more than anything.”
With those notable exceptions, Sheppard still feels ostracized. He blames “the mainstream media” for falsely labeling nonviolent people like him “insurrectionists.”
On Jan. 6, 2021, Sheppard was 21 and had just started his own company. His prosecution forced him to return to restaurant work; he shares living expenses with his brother. He recently quit the restaurant job in search of a better opportunity.
Sheppard made a last-minute decision to attend the Jan. 6 rally, mostly because he opposed COVID-19 restrictions and believed that the 2020 election was stolen.
He was among many who entered the U.S. Capitol through open doors—unaware that they were trespassing.
Fatefully, Sheppard happened to be nearby when a police officer fatally shot Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt—unwittingly making him far more noticeable.
Sheppard would like to put Jan. 6 behind him. But “another part of me is saying, ‘We can’t move on because the people who did this to me are the criminals,’” who should be held to account.
Sheppard believes the FBI and Justice Department should apologize and pay restitution, calling for federal trials to be televised to prevent unjust tactics from being used without scrutiny.
People would be stunned to learn what really happened during trials like his, he said. Not a single Republican sat on his jury in Democrat-dominated Washington, D.C.
Prosecutors presented five witnesses against him, and “every single one of them said they didn’t know me,” except for the FBI agent who tracked him down after Jan. 6, he said.
“There’s no victim to my ‘crime’ and there’s no witnesses—and somehow, I get convicted.”
Investigators never asked him about the fatal shooting of Babbitt—which Sheppard witnessed from about 10 feet away. U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd fired the fatal shot and faced no criminal charges.
Babbitt, a stranger to Sheppard, was shot as she attempted to climb through the broken window in a doorframe.
Although the presidential pardon didn’t produce the reputational boost Sheppard had hoped for, “I’m so grateful for the pardon; I’m so grateful that President Trump included every January Sixer.”
Because of a court ruling involving Jan. 6 prosecutions, a judge reduced Sheppard’s 19-month prison term to six months. Thus, he was released in May 2024. Still, he benefited from the pardon in January 2025; it restored his unblemished criminal record and removed restrictions he had faced.
Although he was represented by a public defender, Sheppard took a financial hit after the arrest and the ensuing prosecution.
“I am not completely broke because I have been working a job and keeping expenses relatively low, but I would have a lot more money if I didn’t endure four years of persecution from the federal government,” Shepard said.
He feels there is much unfinished business about Jan. 6.
“We need accountability for FBI agents and prosecutors and judges who let this go down, because, in my opinion, what they did to us January Sixers is … one of the worst human rights abuses and biggest stains on our country’s history,” Sheppard said.
Curiosity Drove Him
On an early February morning in 2021, in Tampa, Florida, Paul Hodgkins III awakened to the sound he had been dreading: an insistent, loud banging on his front door.
He knew the FBI had caught up with him for entering the Senate chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, six weeks prior.
Wearing only a towel around his waist, Hodgkins opened the door. An officer yelled for him to put his hands up. Hodgkins tried to comply while also attempting to keep the towel in place with his elbows.
“But he handcuffed me behind my back, and left me standing naked in my living room when they all came barreling in,” Hodgkins said, describing the humiliating circumstances of his arrest at his duplex.
At that moment, Hodgkins felt the weight of the federal government crushing him—later reinforced when he saw the words, “The United States of America vs. Paul Hodgkins” on legal paperwork.
Hodgkins, who had no prior criminal record, also gained unwanted notoriety that summer when he became “the very, very first person who was sentenced to prison” for the events of Jan. 6.
At a lawyer’s urging, he pleaded guilty to a single charge and was sentenced to eight months in prison.
Being the first-sentenced defendant “put all eyes on me,” Hodgkins said, describing “a lot of paparazzi” taking his photo at a Washington courthouse. Photographers from a publication based in the U.K. also staked out his neighborhood and snapped pictures of him.
Hodgkins made a last-minute decision to catch a chartered bus trip to Washington for Trump’s rally on Jan. 6, 2021, spurred by fellow Trump supporters.
After hearing Trump’s speech, Hodgkins followed the crowd to the U.S. Capitol.
Curiosity drove him around to the rear of the Capitol building, and before he knew what had happened, he was inside the Senate Chamber, thinking he might be able to see some of the senators and “encourage them to audit this election.” He didn’t know they had been evacuated because the U.S. Capitol was breached.
At the time, he realized he might be “crossing somewhat of a line,” but thought that, at most, he could face a minor charge such as disorderly conduct.
“I didn’t think I would be getting slapped with felonies and prison time, right?” As he left the Capitol building, an uneasy feeling stalked him, especially after he learned about the shooting death of Babbitt.
Now 43, Hodgkins was among those who paid respects to Babbitt at a memorial service on the anniversary of Jan. 6 this year. He has gotten to know Babbitt’s mother, and still has a hard time watching any footage of the shooting.
Besides losing his freedom, Hodgkins’ prosecution cost him his job, but he has been able to find another good job at a machine-motor service shop. He has “plenty of haters” online and has lost friendships over his Jan. 6 involvement.
“And, financially, yes, I was set back a lot by case, but I got back to work, recovered, and marched on. I work, and live comfortably on my own,” Hodgkins said. “I didn’t like my life being so damaged from it all, but I also take pride in how I survived and built my life back.”
Still, he says, “I do not regret that I stood up for President Trump at that time. I don’t regret standing up for my country when I know we were being wronged. I still to this day, I know for myself that the 2020 election was compromised, and I don’t regret confronting that.”
When Hodgkins briefly met Trump at a 2023 dinner, he got the notion that a pardon might follow if Trump won a second term in office. “It was a prayer answered” when the pardon came, clearing Hodgkins’ conviction. It is now framed and on display in his home alongside other Trump memorabilia.
He thinks the pardon will help his career aspirations. “And I’m hoping, you know, before I’m too old to do it, that I might find a wife and start a family. … Whether that does happen for me or not, you know, I have a very, I have a very blessed life.”
Ex-New York Officer Conflicted
Being pardoned delivered sweet freedom. But for Sara Carpenter, it also left a bitter aftertaste. She believes the pardon signifies that she was absolved of crimes that she didn’t commit.
“My pardon looks great on paper,” Carpenter said. “And then I say, ‘Wait a minute. It should never have happened to begin with.’”
While she is grateful that the pardon led to her release about midway through a 22-month prison term, Carpenter had filed an appeal. She was hoping to have her convictions overturned, and “that’s why I didn’t want the pardon, in a sense,” she said.
She knows of other pardoned defendants who feel similarly conflicted. Like many of the pardoned, Carpenter alleges she was convicted in an unfair trial based largely on falsehoods.
“I didn’t get tried by a judge and jury,” she said. “I got tried by political activists.”
Carpenter was convicted of two felonies—civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding—and five misdemeanors.
As a retired New York City police officer, Carpenter was particularly offended when the Justice Department alleged she “slapped” officers’ arms.
She has publicly challenged anyone to produce a video proving that claim; none has surfaced, she said.
Carpenter, 56, admits she got riled up; she perceived police were stoking unrest, not quelling it. But she says her actions weren’t criminal.
“I don’t regret what I did,” she said. “I yelled. I raised my voice.”
As an officer who responded to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City, Carpenter suffered lingering trauma that led to her retirement. It also affected her reactions on Jan. 6, she said; a suspected provocateur inflamed her when he compared Jan. 6 to 9/11.
Investigators initially treated Carpenter with some deference, she said. Dozens of Jan. 6 defendants worked in law enforcement, government, or military roles.
However, professional courtesies soon evaporated, Carpenter said. In March 2021, authorities raided her New York home, with a helicopter circling above.
Post-pardon, Carpenter, a college-educated artist, is producing artwork “that brings out hope.” With encouragement from others who share “America First” beliefs, Carpenter also does public speaking about Jan. 6.
“The reason I keep talking is so they won’t get away with it,” Carpenter said, alleging unjust persecution of Jan. 6 defendants and coverups of evidence. “The truth is there. People are choosing not to see it.”
She would like to see history courses teach a balanced view of Jan. 6, so children become critical thinkers and evaluate “both sides of a story, not just one.”
Carpenter said her side of the story wasn’t adequately told in court. While prosecutors showed images of her yelling, they didn’t show her praying at the U.S. Capitol, said Carpenter, who comes from a devout Irish Catholic family.
An item of religious significance was used as evidence against her: A trio of wise men figurines. “The three wise men are still being held hostage,” said Carpenter, who has made multiple requests for her personal property to be returned.
The figurines are antiques from her childhood Christmas displays, but where they are now is a mystery. Prosecutors presented them on the witness stand during her 2023 trial—an odd sight that dumbfounded her.
Carpenter says she likely took the figurines to the U.S. Capitol because Jan. 6 is the traditional date that the Vatican celebrates the Epiphany, the three kings’ adoration of the newborn Jesus.
The government’s use and retention of the figurines serve as a metaphor for many things about Jan. 6 that “make no sense,” she said.
“God was with me all the way and still is, because of my relationship with the Good Lord Jesus I have hope in the future,” Carpenter said. “My prayers are with those who did this to us and for Americans to speak up more to not accept being lied to by the past administrations, almost all of whom still hold positions in our government.”
The Lego Model
The FBI unwittingly created an internet sensation when agents seized an odd piece of evidence from the Pennsylvania home of Robert Morss: a Lego model of the U.S. Capitol.
Last June, on the four-year anniversary of his arrest, Morss received the Lego box back—empty.
“I think someone has a trophy on their desk somewhere in some federal building, perhaps … but, yeah, the legend continues, you know?” Morss said.
Even though the Lego set remains missing, Morss has embraced his internet-birthed nickname, “Lego Man.” For him, it has become symbolic of his rebuilt, post-Jan. 6 life.
Authorities accused Morss of interfering with police and assisting others in doing so, among other actions on Jan. 6.
Had he not been pardoned in 2025, Morss would have spent five-and-a-half years in prison.
He chronicles his three-and-a-half years behind bars in a new, 565-page book, “Still There: A Story of Survival and Penance in Prison Through the Eyes of a J6 Political Prisoner.”
Besides writing and publishing two books, Morss quit drinking alcohol. He strengthened his Christian faith. He became a public speaker. During one speaking engagement in Florida, he met the woman he intends to marry in April, Olivia Pollock, a fellow former Jan. 6 defendant.
“We realize just how profound it is to have a connection with somebody that has also suffered in a very similar way,” Morss, 32, said. “You know, who else could I be with that could relate to what I’ve gone through?”
It’s essential for people to continue speaking out about what happened on Jan. 6, he said, because “justice dies in the quiet.”
Using a variant of his “Lego Man” nickname, Morss has launched his own film production company in Texas.
LeggoMan Productions aims to create “movies that reinvigorate the next generation to want to keep this Republic,” Morss said. Although the films will be “gritty,” the stories will be told from a Christian perspective, he said.
Noting that the word, “Lego,” means “I assemble” in Latin, Morss says that sums up what he wants to do: “Assemble” people into a cohesive group. His company is growing, and he expects to hire additional staff—opportunities he wants to provide first to Jan. 6 defendants and veterans.
He is a former Army Ranger who served three deployments to Afghanistan. In addition to the Lego model, authorities seized military-related items and notes, along with clothing Morss wore to the Jan. 6 protest.
In court records, prosecutors described the Lego model as “fully constructed” when the FBI seized it. The government later corrected the record, blaming a “miscommunication” for the inaccurate description.
By listing the model of the U.S. Capitol as evidence, that suggests it could have played a role in Morss’s alleged Jan. 6 planning. Morss and internet commenters savaged that notion as preposterous.
Morss explains why a former girlfriend bought him the U.S. Capitol model: “She knew I was a history buff, and she knew I wanted to be a teacher, and she also knew that I loved Legos.” He propped up the box as a “decoration” at his home, until it was seized.
At a recent fundraising gala, Morss auctioned off other Lego U.S. Capitol models to benefit his production company. “Everybody wants one,” he said; and purchasers asked him to autograph the boxes.
Yet some of the pieces of his life can’t be put back together. His father and brother turned their backs on him. His uncle worked with private investigators to help turn him in to the FBI.
And despite the book sales and speaking engagements, he is still struggling financially.
None of the positive changes in his life would have happened without his faith, he said.
“The only way that I’ve been successful at any of this stuff is because I continue to give glory to God,” Morss said. “It’s like a secret recipe: The more you want to honor God with what you’re doing, the more you incorporate God into your life … things just seem to work out.”
He advises his Jan. 6 brethren: “Find a new mission that honors God and saves your country, and you’ll be okay.”
Tyler Durden
Mon, 01/26/2026 – 17:00
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/year-after-pardons-freed-january-6-prisoners-tell-their-stories
Mercado de EEUU suben mientras el oro alcanza récord y el dólar cae nuevamente
Por STAN CHOE
NUEVA YORK (AP) — Los precios de las acciones en la Bolsa de Valores de Nueva York subieron el lunes, mientras que otros mercados hicieron movimientos más ruidosos, incluyendo otro récord para el precio del oro.
El S&P 500 subió 34,62 puntos, o 0,5%, para quedar en 6.950,23, con lo que se recuperó de las pérdidas que sufrió la semana pasada. El promedio industrial Dow Jones ganó 313,69 unidades, o 0,6%, y se ubicó en 49.412,40, mientras que el compuesto Nasdaq avanzó 100,11 puntos, o 0,4%, y cerró en 23.601,36.
Baker Hughes subió 4,4% después de reportar utilidades más fuertes para el último trimestre de lo que los analistas esperaban. La empresa de tecnología energética indicó que se está beneficiando de un fuerte impulso en la demanda de gas natural licuado, entre otras cosas.
CoreWeave subió 5,7% después de que Nvidia anunció que invirtió 2.000 millones de dólares en la emisora y que ayudará a acelerar la construcción de las fábricas de inteligencia artificial de CoreWeave, que utilizan chips de Nvidia, para impulsar la adopción de la IA. Nvidia bajó 0,6%.
USA Rare Earth se disparó 7,9% después de decir que el gobierno de Estados Unidos acordó proporcionar 277 millones de dólares en financiamiento para ayudar a la empresa a producir tierras raras pesadas, minerales e imanes. El gobierno estadounidense también acordó un préstamo propuesto de 1.300 millones de dólares, mientras que la empresa recaudó por separado 1.500 millones de dólares a través de inversores privados.
El resto de Wall Street estuvo relativamente tranquilo. Eso incluyó desempeños mixtos para las aerolíneas, que tuvieron que cancelar miles de vuelos debido a la tormenta invernal que cubrió gran parte de Estados Unidos durante el fin de semana. Delta Air Lines bajó 0,7%, mientras que Southwest Airlines subió 0,2%.
Hubo más acción en el mercado del oro, donde el precio del metal subió 2,1% y superó brevemente los 5.100 dólares por onza por primera vez para establecer otro récord. La plata se disparó aún más y se cotizó 14% más alta.
Los precios de los metales preciosos han estado subiendo debido a que los inversores buscan lugares más seguros para invertir su dinero en medio de amenazas de aranceles, inflación aún alta, conflictos políticos y montañas de deuda para los gobiernos de todo el mundo.
La última preocupación que se sumó a la creciente lista fue la amenaza del presidente estadounidense de imponer un arancel del 100% a los bienes de Canadá si firma un acuerdo de libre comercio con China.
El valor del dólar estadounidense también continuó con su reciente caída. La semana pasada, fueron las amenazas arancelarias de Estados Unidos relacionadas con Groenlandia las que alejaron a algunos inversores del dólar. Esta vez, fue el yen japonés el que saltó bruscamente debido a las expectativas de que los funcionarios tanto en Japón como en Estados Unidos puedan intervenir en el mercado para apuntalar el valor de la moneda japonesa.
Podría haber más oscilaciones en los mercados financieros en los próximos días.
La Reserva Federal anunciará su última decisión sobre las tasas de interés el miércoles. Ha estado bajando su tasa de interés principal y ha indicado que podrían venir más recortes en 2026 para ayudar a apuntalar el mercado laboral y dar un impulso a la economía.
La mayoría de los economistas esperan que se mantenga estable el miércoles, en parte porque la inflación sigue obstinadamente por encima del objetivo del 2% de la Fed y bajar más las tasas podría empeorarla. Cualquiera que sea la decisión de la Fed, los comentarios de su presidente, Jerome Powell, después de la decisión podrían influir en los mercados de acciones y bonos.
En tanto, el rendimiento del bono del Tesoro a 10 años bajó de 4,24% a 4,21%.
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Los periodistas de The Associated Press Yuri Kageyama y Matt Ott contribuyeron a este despacho.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Cleveland Browns QB Shedeur Sanders will be added to the AFC roster for the Pro Bowl Games
Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders has been selected as a replacement on the AFC roster for next week’s Pro Bowl Games, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the NFL has not announced roster changes. Yahoo Sports was the first to report on Sanders’ addition.
Sanders was a fifth-round pick after many thought he would go earlier in the draft. He played in eight games and started the Browns’ final seven games, going 3-4. He had a 56.6% completion rate and 68.1 passer rating with 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
The New England Patriots’ Drake Maye, Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert and Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen were on the original AFC roster when the selections were announced Dec. 23.
Maye is unable to participate because of the Patriots advancing to the Super Bowl, while Herbert and Allen dealt with injuries at the end of their seasons.
Other AFC quarterbacks, including the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, Indianapolis Colts’ Daniel Jones and Denver Broncos’ Bo Nix also suffered season-ending injuries. The Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence was one of the top alternates but opted not to play in the event.
Sanders was not selected as one of the four alternates at quarterback when the rosters were first announced.
Finding players to fill out Pro Bowl rosters because of injuries always has been a challenge, and it has increased since the NFL did away with the exhibition full-contact all-star game format and went to a weeklong skills competition and flag football game beginning with the 2022 season.
Tyler Huntley made it as an alternate three years ago after throwing two touchdown passes and three interceptions in four starts for the Baltimore Ravens.
The Pro Bowl Games will take place in San Francisco ahead of the Super Bowl. Pro Football Hall of Famers Jerry Rice (NFC) and Steve Young (AFC) are the coaches for the flag football showdown Feb. 3.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/26/cleveland-browns-shedeur-sanders-pro-bowl/
California Post brings brash New York-style tabloid news to the West Coast
LOS ANGELES — Aiming to shake up the Golden State’s media landscape, the California Post launched on Monday with a new tabloid newspaper and news site that brings a brash, cheeky and conservative-friendly fixture of the Big Apple to the West Coast.
The Los Angeles outpost of the New York Post will be “digital first” — with social media accounts and video and audio pieces — but for $3.75 readers can also purchase a daily print publication featuring the paper’s famously splashy front-page headlines. Perhaps most memorably: 1983’s “Headless Body in Topless Bar.”
“The most iconic thing about the New York Post, and now the California Post, is that front page,” said Nick Papps, editor-in-chief of the LA newsroom. “It has a unique wit, and is our calling card, if you like.”
Monday’s inaugural edition goes straight at Hollywood during awards season with the full-page headline: “Oscar Wild – Shocking truth behind director Safdie brothers’ mystery split.”
Page Six gets a Hollywood edition
Papps declined last week to reveal what stories his reporters were chasing and what bombs the political columnists will throw in its first editions. But he promised the growing staff of between 80 and 100 will focus on issues important to “everyday, hardworking” Californians, including homelessness, affordability, technology and “law and order.”
Of course, the Post’s infamous gossip column will get a Tinseltown version, Page Six Hollywood, that will keep a snarky eye on red carpets and celebrity culture. And sports fans can expect comprehensive coverage of the state’s major league teams, as well as the upcoming World Cup and Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Papps said.
“No matter what your politics are, sports is the great connector,” he said.
Adding another title to Rupert Murdoch ‘s media empire, the California Post will draw from and build on the venerable New York paper’s national coverage, which is known for its relentless and skewering approach to reporting and its facility with sensational or racy subject matter.
“There is no doubt that the Post will play a crucial role in engaging and enlightening readers, who are starved of serious reporting and puckish wit,” Robert Thomson, chief executive of Post corporate parent News Corp., said in a statement last year announcing the move. In typically punchy Post fashion, he portrayed California as plagued by ”jaundiced, jaded journalism.”
Journalism or clickbait?
The California Post could make an impact with its combative style and conservative stance, said Gabriel Kahn, professor at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, who added “our statewide press is boring as bathwater,” especially when it comes to politics. He expects a major target to be Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has possible presidential aspirations and has become a Republican boogeyman.
Readers shouldn’t anticipate that the new publication will become known for breaking big stories through old-fashioned journalism, Kahn said.
“There’s a crass cleverness in the way that tabloids present news that actually works well on social media,” he said. “It could be entertaining.”
Kahn doesn’t expect the California Post will turn a profit. He points out that the New York Post isn’t a big moneymaker for News Corp., but rather it serves another purpose, which is “to bludgeon its enemies” and curry favor with people in power on the right.
Nonetheless, the corporation’s New York Post Media Group, which includes several media properties, is a player in both local and national politics. It routinely pushes on culture-war pressure points, and it has broken such political stories as the Hunter Biden laptop saga. The Post has an avid reader in President Donald Trump, who gave its “Pod Force One” podcast an interview last summer.
It launches at a volatile moment for the industry
However bold its intentions, the venture is being launched into a turbulent atmosphere for the news business, particularly print papers. More than 3,200 of them have closed nationwide since 2005, according to figures kept by Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. The online world spawned new information sources and influencers, changed news consumers’ tastes and habits, and upended the advertising market on which newspapers relied.
California, with a population of nearly 40 million, still has dozens of newspapers, including dailies in and around Los Angeles and other major cities. But the nation’s second-most-populous city hasn’t had a dedicated tabloid focused on regional issues in recent memory. Meanwhile, venerable institutions like the Los Angeles Times have been hit with major layoffs.
The launch of a paper edition of the Post “defies logic” as news outlets in major metro areas are rapidly shrinking their print footprint, said Ted Johnson, a media and politics editor for Deadline in Washington, D.C., who reported in Los Angeles for 28 years.
“But Rupert Murdoch, his first love is print,” Johnson said.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/26/california-post-tabloid-news/
Long Grove’s 9th Annual Cocoa Crawl prepping to help chase away winter blues on Feb. 7
You’re sure to lose the winter blues at the 9th Annual Cocoa Crawl in Historic Downtown Long Grove, noon-3 p.m. Feb. 7.
Visitors can sample free cocoa from six tents. “Each tent has its own signature hot cocoa flavor,” said Nikki Faul, event cochair of the Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association, which is presenting the event in partnership with the Long Grove Lions Club.
In addition, many businesses are selling cocoa-themed items; some are also offering free treats.
People of all ages will enjoy sweet treats for free at the 9th Annual Cocoa Crawl in Historic Downtown Long Grove, noon-3 p.m. Feb. 7. (Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association)
Another highlight of the day will be free carriage rides around the Historic Downtown area, and reservations are not needed.
Marian Ward is the events co-chair of the Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association and owner of Within Reach, a gift shop in Historic Downtown Long Grove since 1982.
“I sell all sorts of gifts for all occasions and home décor,” Ward said. “I kind of specialize in baby gifts and wedding gifts.”
Ward said that the Cocoa Crawl benefits Within Reach because there are “more eyes; more people coming in. It’s real great marketing, and it’s pure fun.”
Although Within Reach won’t have specifically cocoa-related items for sale that day, they will have a variety of fun mugs.
Long Grove Confectionery Co. has participated in the Cocoa Crawl “since the very beginning, from the very first one, we were onboard,” said Mary Prekop, Director of Retail and Brand Development.
Prekop described the event as “a real give-back. At a time of year when it’s our slowest season, even with Valentine’s Day, this is a real opportunity for us to remind our community that we appreciate them, since this is a free event. But also to say, we’re not just here at the holidays or the big festivals. We are here every day.”
This year, Long Grove Confectionery will be treating visitors to a sample chocolate-strawberry hot chocolate as a play off their popular chocolate-covered strawberries. “It will have chocolate and strawberry and a dash of magic,” Prekop declared.
Faul said the Cocoa Crawl was started “to bring visitors and community together during a quiet time of year. Everyone’s kind of been hibernated for January, and this will get everybody back out in the streets to share in a community experience.”
Ward added, “In a sleepy month like February, when there are not a lot of people walking around, it brings on average about 3,000 people.”
“After the event at 3, we encourage all the visitors to stay in town, shop the shops, dine at the restaurants,” Faul said.
To encourage that they offer a special promotion. Anyone who spends $100 or more at Historic Downtown Long Grove businesses that day can pick up a free Cocoa Crawl mug from the Long Grove Visitors Center, 145 Old McHenry Rd.
Each year, the mug is a different color. It’s teal for 2026.
“Every year, we make it a little better for our guests,” Ward said of the work that the Business Association does for the Cocoa Crawl. “We have a team of people that we sit and come up with new ideas or we use the ones from the past and perfect them.”
For more details, visit longgrove.org/festival/cocoa-crawl.
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/26/long-grove-9th-annual-cocoa-crawl/
Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino and some agents expected to leave Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS — A senior Border Patrol commander and some agents are expected to leave Minneapolis as early as Tuesday, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
The expected departure of Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino, who has been at the center of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement surge in cities nationwide, comes as President Donald Trump dispatched border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to take charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
A man shot and killed by federal officers in Minnesota worked as an ICU nurse, his parents say
The person familiar with the matter was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the operation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
Bovino’s departure marks a significant public shift in federal law enforcement posture amid mounting outrage over the fatal shooting of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents.
His leadership of highly visible federal crackdowns, including operations that sparked mass demonstrations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte and Minneapolis, has drawn fierce criticism from local officials, civil rights advocates and congressional Democrats.
Criticism has increased around Bovino in the last few days after his public defense of the Pretti shooting and disputed claims about the confrontation that led to his death.
In other developments, Trump declared that he was now on a “similar wavelength” as the governor following the second fatal shooting by federal immigration officers this month.
Trump has call with Minnesota governor
Trump and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz spoke in a phone call and later offered comments that were a marked change from the critical statements they have exchanged in the past. Their conversation happened on the same day a federal judge heard arguments in a lawsuit aimed at halting the federal immigration enforcement surge in the state.
“We, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength,” the president wrote in a social media post.
Walz, in a statement, said the call was “productive” and that impartial investigations into the shootings were needed. Trump said his administration was looking for “any and all” criminals the state has in their custody. Walz said the state Department of Corrections honors federal requests for people in its custody.
It was unclear whether the new tone would lead to changes. Attorneys for the administration, the state and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul appeared Monday before U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez, who is considering whether to grant requests to temporarily halt the immigration operation.
She said the case was a priority, though she issued no immediate ruling.
Lawyers for the state and the Twin Cities argued the situation on the street is so dire it requires the court to halt the federal government’s enforcement actions.
“If this is not stopped right here, right now, I don’t think anybody who is seriously looking at this problem can have much faith in how our republic is going to go in the future,” Minnesota Assistant Attorney General Brian Carter said.
Federal judge hears arguments on Minnesota’s immigration crackdown after fatal shootings
Judge questions government’s motives
The judge questioned the government’s motivation behind the crackdown and expressed skepticism about a letter recently sent by Attorney General Pam Bondi to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The letter asked the state to give the federal government access to voter rolls, to turn over state Medicaid and food assistance records, and to repeal sanctuary policies.
“I mean, is there no limit to what the executive can do under the guise of enforcing immigration law?” Menendez asked. She noted that the federal requests are the subject of litigation.
Brantley Mayers, a Justice Department attorney, said the government’s goal is to enforce federal law. Mayers said one lawful action should not be used to discredit another lawful action.
“I don’t see how the fact that we’re also doing additional things that we are allowed to do, that the Constitution has vested us with doing, would in any way negate another piece of the same operation, the same surge,” Mayers said.
Menendez questioned where the line was between violating the Constitution and the executive’s power to enforce the law. She also asked whether she was being asked to decide between state and federal policies.
“That begins to feel very much like I am deciding which policy approach is best,” she said.
At one point, while discussing the prospect of federal officers entering residences without a warrant, the judge expressed reluctance to decide issues not yet raised in a lawsuit before her.
“I can’t be the global keeper of all things here. Like, presumably that will be litigated,” she said to the state’s attorney.
Menendez made it clear that she was struggling with how to rule because the case is so unusual, and there are few precedents.
“It’s because this is important that I’m doing everything I can to get it right,” she said.
The state of Minnesota and the cities sued the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month, five days after Renee Good was shot by an Immigration and Customs officer. The shooting of Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol officer on Saturday added urgency to the case.
Border czar to Minnesota
Trump posted Monday on social media that Homan would report directly to him.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Homan would be “the main point of contact on the ground in Minneapolis” during continued operations by federal immigration officers.
In court Monday, an attorney for the administration said about 2,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were on ground, along with at least 1,000 Border Patrol officers.
The lawsuit asks the judge to order a reduction in the number of federal law enforcement officers and agents in Minnesota back to the level before the surge and to limit the scope of the enforcement operation.
Other state implications
The case has implications for other states that have been or could become targets of ramped-up federal immigration enforcement operations. Attorneys general from 19 states plus the District of Columbia, led by California, filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting Minnesota.
“If left unchecked, the federal government will no doubt be emboldened to continue its unlawful conduct in Minnesota and to repeat it elsewhere,” the attorneys general wrote.
Menendez ruled in a separate case on Jan. 16 that federal officers in Minnesota cannot detain or tear gas peaceful protesters who are not obstructing authorities, including people who follow and observe agents.
An appeals court temporarily suspended that ruling three days before Saturday’s shooting. But the plaintiffs in that case, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, asked the appeals court late Saturday for an emergency order lifting the stay in light of Pretti’s killing.
The Justice Department argued in a reply filed Sunday that the stay should remain in place, calling the injunction unworkable and overly broad.
In yet another case, a different federal judge, Eric Tostrud, issued an order late Saturday blocking the Trump administration from “destroying or altering evidence” related to Saturday’s shooting. Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty asked for the order to try to preserve evidence collected by federal officials that state authorities have not yet been able to inspect.
A hearing in that case is scheduled for Monday afternoon in federal court in St. Paul.
Hotel where federal agents believed to be was targeted
On Sunday night, protesters targeted a Minneapolis hotel where federal agents were believed to be staying, blocking a major avenue on the edge of the University of Minnesota campus.
A freelance photographer working for The Associated Press saw smashed glass in the hotel lobby, as well as graffiti with obscenities and threats directed at ICE.
A Minneapolis police officer was inside the hotel and tried to provide aid to a federal agent who was injured. More officers from local and state agencies planned to move in to “deescalate the situation, and make arrests,” Minneapolis police said Monday in a statement.
But as they began to reach the scene and arrested two people, federal agents arrived and “deployed chemical munitions,” the police statement said. A DHS spokesperson said a statement on the situation would be provided later Monday.
Associated Press writers Jack Brook in Minneapolis and Mike Catlaini in Trenton, New Jersey, contributed to this report.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/26/trump-border-czar-minnesota/
In Secret Recordings, Ted Cruz Bashes Trump Tariffs, JD Vance, And Tucker Carlson
In Secret Recordings, Ted Cruz Bashes Trump Tariffs, JD Vance, And Tucker Carlson
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) took aim at President Trump’s tariff policy and Vice President JD Vance during closed-door donor meetings last year, according to recordings obtained by Axios. The recordings reveal deep rifts inside the GOP over trade and foreign policy.
The recordings, totaling nearly 10 minutes, were provided by a Republican source and were made during two donor sessions in early and mid-2025.
In the recordings, Cruz repeatedly singled out JD Vance and Tucker Carlson, accusing them of driving an anti-interventionist foreign policy inside the Trump administration. Cruz claimed the two were responsible for pushing out former national security adviser Mike Waltz because he supported military action against Iran, even though Trump later embraced that approach.
“Tucker created JD. JD is Tucker’s protégé, and they are one and the same,” Cruz told donors. He has been feuding publicly with Carlson on social media for months.
Cruz also said Vance and Carlson played a role in briefly installing Army veteran Daniel Davis in a senior intelligence position. Cruz described Davis as fiercely hostile to Israel and said their involvement triggered backlash that ultimately led to Davis being forced out.
In the second recording, Cruz recounted a tense late-night phone call with Trump after the president rolled out his tariff plan in early April 2025. Cruz and several other senators tried to persuade Trump to back off the policy. The call stretched past midnight and “did not go well,” Cruz said. Trump was “yelling” and “cursing” during the conversation.
“Trump was in a bad mood,” Cruz told donors. “I’ve been in conversations where he was very happy. This was not one of them.”
Cruz warned Trump that the tariffs could wreck the economy and imperil the GOP’s political standing.
“Mr. President, if we get to November and people’s 401(k)s are down 30% and prices are up 10–20% at the supermarket, we’re going to go into Election Day, face a bloodbath,” Cruz said he told Trump.
“You’re going to lose the House, you’re going to lose the Senate, you’re going to spend the next two years being impeached every single week.”
Trump’s response, according to Cruz, was blunt: “F**k you, Ted.”
According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the trade deficit shrank to $29.4 billion in October. That marks the smallest gap since June 2009 and a sharp 39% decline from September’s $48.1 billion. The economy also grew at an annualized rate of 4.4% in the third quarter — the fastest pace in two years.
When a donor brought up “Liberation Day,” Trump’s branding for the tariff rollout, Cruz mocked the phrase. He said he told his staff that anyone using it “will be terminated on the spot.” He added, “That is not language we use.”
Cruz also told donors he had been “battling” the White House to secure a trade agreement with India. When asked who inside the administration opposed such deals, Cruz pointed to economic adviser Peter Navarro, Vice President Vance, and “sometimes” Trump.
A Cruz spokesperson downplayed the recordings in a statement, insisting that Cruz is “the president’s greatest ally in the Senate and battles every day in the trenches to advance his agenda.”
“Those battles include fights over staffers who try to enter the administration despite disagreeing with the president and seeking to undermine his foreign policy,” the statement continued. “Sen. Cruz is proud of those fights, his accomplishments, and his close relationship with the president. These attempts at sowing division are pathetic and getting boring.”
Tyler Durden
Mon, 01/26/2026 – 16:40
Blue Island man charged with leaving scene of fatal Robbins accident
A 38-year-old Blue Island man is charged in Robbins with aggravated drunken driving causing death and leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office.
David Avalos was ordered held in the Cook County Jail Jan. 22 following his initial court appearance at Markham courthouse.
Robbins police requested the sheriff’s police to look into a crash that occurred at 12:30 p.m. Jan. 9 near the intersection of 139th Street and Kedzie Avenue.
Sammy Simmons, a 63-year-old, was crossing the street in a mobility scooter when he was hit in the crosswalk. Simmons was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced deceased, according to a Cook County sheriff statement Jan. 23.
Simmons would regularly be in the street on Kedzie Avenue near 139th Street asking drivers for money, prosecutors said.
Cook County detectives said Avalos struck Simmons while driving through the intersection, causing Simmons to propel into the air and land a distance away. Simmons died from his injuries, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said a witness heard the impact and saw a Dodge minivan driving away, and detectives said debris from the minivan was left on the scene.
Detectives found a minivan with heavy front-end damage near the site, which they said Avalos was standing next to when officers arrived. The minivan was registered to his wife, prosecutors said.
Avalos was placed in custody, and detectives said he admitted to drinking five to six beers. He was taken to the hospital, where tests showed he had a high blood-alcohol content level, prosecutors said.
Detectives also said Avalos did not have a valid driver’s license at the time of the crash.
Avalos was assigned a public defender with the Cook County Law Office. Matthew Hendrickson, press secretary for the office, emphasized in a statement Monday that these charges are only allegations and have not been proven in a court of law.
The public should be reminded that this case is only at its earliest stage, and a lot can change between now and when the case is resolved,” Hendrickson said. “We look forward to reviewing the state’s evidence and making our arguments in court on behalf of our client.”
awright@chicagotribune.com
Former Munster school officials could get retrial in civil case
The case against two former Munster school administrators accused of engineering a scheme to overpay themselves $850,000 largely in retirement annuities may be headed for a civil trial.
In a 3-0 decision, Indiana Appeals Judge Nancy Vaidik wrote last week that former Superintendent William Pfister and Assistant Superintendent Richard Sopko’s contracts were “unambiguous” and didn’t “allow for compounding” — a practice where their annuity payments snowballed over time. State law allowed the Indiana Attorney General’s office to recover the money, she ruled.
There were “still questions of fact left for the fact-finder to decide, such as whether malfeasance, misfeasance, or nonfeasance has been committed and whether the funds were misappropriated, diverted, or unaccounted for,” Vaidik wrote.
Her decision reversed Judge Marissa McDermott’s ruling in July 2024 that dismissed the case. Vaidik ordered it back to a lower court for trial.
Dyer attorney Jeff Carroll — representing both men — said he would appeal.
Sopko died in October 2022. Pfister and Sopko’s estate are among those named in the suit.
Back in 2014, the School Town of Munster announced it was running an $8 million budget deficit — partly blaming then-Gov. Mitch Daniels’ changes to Indiana’s education funding formula.
Then, a Munster school lawyer contacted the Indiana State Board of Accounts in 2015 to do a formal audit after new school board officials discovered the alleged overpayments. During the time in question, the previous school board signed off on the financial vouchers — buried in a “43 to 72 page” Accounts Payable Voucher Register at board meetings — that included the compounded retirement pay.
Vaidik wrote that the Pfister and Sopko’s contracts had “provisions” that paid 4% and 3% worth of their salaries to annuities. Instead, they compounded and ended up worth 38% of Pfister’s and 36% of Sopko’s salaries.
In their 2016 audit report, the State Board of Accounts concluded Pfister and Sopko were improperly paid $463,000 and $377,000, respectively. They also asked the men to repay the money, plus $10,000 for the audit’s costs.
The audit period covered 1999 to 2014. Pfister retired in 2012. Sopko replaced him and retired in 2014.
After the audit report, former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill sued the men in 2017.
A representative from Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office was not immediately available. Munster Superintendent Matthew Hicks did not respond to a request for comment.
Munster School Board President Ingrid Schwarz Wolf said in an email she couldn’t comment on a pending lawsuit, but added the school district had “made significant strides in strengthening financial oversight and transparency.”
Carroll, the defense lawyer, denied the Attorney General Office’s accusations of the men’s wrongdoing, saying the school board approved the funds.
“In the early 2000s, my client William Pfister negotiated with then-School Board President Larry Kocal to modify the language in his and assistant superintendent Richard Sopko’s employment contracts to fund their retirement accounts precisely as occurred,” Carroll wrote in an email.
“Neither man is guilty of any wrongdoing, whatsoever,” he said. “In fact, the Office of the Attorney General, in briefing in this case, has basically acknowledged this — its position is that Mr. Pfister and Mr. Sopko simply violated a “duty” to ensure they were not overpaid, pursuant to their written contracts.”
“(E)mployees should not bear the burden of picking through their paychecks each period or else potentially face the wrath of the Office of the Attorney General, decades down the road,” he later added.
Today, Schwarz Wolf said, there is a “more robust system of checks and balances” at Munster that included more staffing in the district’s finance department “to ensure appropriate separation of duties,” she wrote.
The School Town of Munster has since hired a chief financial officer, Bill Melby, to “provide expert financial leadership” and a “detailed financial report” each school board meeting.
School board members get a “comprehensive monthly financial statements” before every meeting — for “thorough review and informed oversight,” she wrote. “Every dollar…is documented, tracked and available for review.”
The school district uses financial firm Baker Tilly “to support budget planning, debt issuance, risk management, and long-range financial planning.”
She also noted the district’s bond rating improved in 2023 to an A+.
Indiana School Boards Association Executive Director Terry Spradlin said their organization provides a range for training and materials to help school board members. Many are elected without deep knowledge of school finance.
Last year, his organization released an updated budgeting and financial oversight guide and partnered with IU Bloomington to create a “microcredential” school finance program for school board members, he said in an email.
“It is incumbent on each school board to avail themselves to consume these resources and ensure full capability to provide good fiscal stewardship of the finances of their school corporation,” he said. “If they are well prepared to govern, this will ensure situations like those involved in the court case you are examining can be avoided.”
