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2023 in review: Life in and around Chicago, as told through Tribune editorials

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:39:28 GMT

It was a year in which the city elected its 57th mayor, struggled to welcome thousands of migrants, opened its first (legal) gambling casino and hosted its first NASCAR race in a place few would have associated with auto racing — the heart of the downtown lakefront.Here’s a look back at 2023, as seen through excerpts from the Tribune Editorial Board’s Chicagoland-focused editorials.Jan. 23: Beloved local radio personality Lin Brehmer has died.Radio personalities are supposed to be abrasive and controversial. Not so Lin Brehmer of WXRT-FM, whose death at 68 years old over this past weekend was the occasion for much sadness among his regular listeners, many of whom felt like they had lost the most simpatico of friends.That sense of sudden loss, even though Brehmer had been public about his prostate cancer, was also true of many Chicagoans who did not regularly tune in. Brehmer’s intersecting spheres of interest and influence included the Chicago Cubs, City Hall...

Patriots-Broncos film review: How Bailey Zappe is changing the offense

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:39:28 GMT

At the end of the Mac Jones era, opponents could reliably bank on three things when preparing for the Patriots.Jones would respond poorly to pressure.His receivers wouldn’t break free often enough from man coverage to hurt them.And even if those receivers did spring free, their defense wouldn’t get beat deep. Because since Oct. 8, Jones had completed one deep ball, meaning in every midseason Patriots game, there might as well have been a brick wall 20 yards downfield that ran parallel to the line of scrimmage, boxing play in.Well, Bailey Zappe has knocked that wall down.In four starts, Zappe has unlocked a deep passing game that generated the explosive plays which powered all four Patriots scoring drives Sunday. The Pats’ once steady-eddy, speed-limit-abiding, on-schedule attack disappeared in Denver and has slowly been fading to black. Not that they’re world-beaters now, but this is a different offense.With Zappe, the Patriots have posted three of their five...

A Greek police officer shot with a flare during an attack by sports fans has died in a hospital

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:39:28 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A Greek riot police officer who was shot with a flare during fan violence in Athens three weeks ago has died in a hospital of his injuries, health authorities said Wednesday.On Dec. 7, a group of fans left a volleyball match to attack riot police stationed outside the arena with flares and gasoline bombs. Organized soccer fan groups are believed to have been involved. Police officer Giorgos Lyggeridis, 31, was shot in the thigh, suffering severe arterial damage. The clash prompted a government crackdown on sports violence. An 18-year-old man has been arrested and charged with firing the flare.Greece’s minister for the police, Giannis Economou, expressed his condolences to the police officer’s family and called for a “steadfast social alliance against violence.” He pledged that police efforts would continue “until we identify those who organized, coordinated and armed” participants in the Dec. 7 attack.The center-right government has ordered al...

Edmunds: The best plug-in hybrids for driving without filling up on gas

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:39:28 GMT

Buying a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is a great way to try living with an electric vehicle without giving up the convenience of using gasoline for longer trips. They’re perfect for driving shorter commutes, shuttling kids to school, and running local errands on electricity. But when your plans call for a longer trip, a plug-in hybrid’s gasoline engine takes over and makes it possible to drive across the city or the entire country without recharging the battery.The latest plug-in vehicles offer more electric driving range than in the past. Edmunds researched current range estimates and chose five models in different vehicle classes that can travel an impressive distance using nothing but electricity. They are listed below by lowest to highest base price.SMALL CAR: 2024 TOYOTA PRIUS PRIMEMost people know what a Toyota Prius is. The Prius Prime is the plug-in hybrid version of the iconic hybrid car. It’s able to travel up to an EPA-estimated 45 miles on nothing but electricity. Aft...

The Eiffel Tower is closed while workers strike on the 100th anniversary of its founder’s death

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:39:28 GMT

PARIS (AP) — The Eiffel Tower was shut down to visitors Wednesday because of a strike over contract negotiations, the day the Paris monument marks 100 years since the death of its creator, Gustave Eiffel.Tourists can still access the glass-enclosed esplanade beneath the tower, but access to the 300-meter (984-foot) landmark itself is closed until further notice, according to an Eiffel Tower spokesperson.The strike was declared ahead of contract negotiations with the city of Paris, which owns the 134-year-old monument, the spokesperson said. Union representatives did not immediately respond for comment, and it was unclear how long the strike would last.One of the world’s most-visited sites, the Eiffel Tower is typically open 365 days a year — though it sees occasional strikes — and is expected to play a central role in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The attraction normally sees about 20,000 visitors per day this time of year, said the spokesperson, who was not authorized to be publicly nam...

Morant has quickly gotten the Memphis Grizzlies rolling, and oozing optimism

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:39:28 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ja Morant’s return to NBA play has the Memphis Grizzlies facing a new set of questions.Namely, could they have reasonably expected their All-Star guard to be so productive, so soon?Or, did they suspect that having Morant back in the lineup would make winning — and contending — look so achievable for a club that managed just six victories in its first 25 games?“You have a player like that, he makes everybody better, from our top guys to our role-playing guys,” Grizzlies shooting guard Desmond Bane said. “So you can’t overestimate how good he is and how much impact he has.”Morant has averaged 28.8 points through his first four games since returning from an NBA suspension that stemmed from his antics with guns on social media. Memphis has won all four of those games to improve to 10-19, leaving them just 4 1/2 games out of a Western Conference play-in spot with 53 games to play.“I don’t really look at where we’re at in the standings right now with all the...

Turkey hits 70 sites linked to Kurdish groups in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for soldiers’ deaths

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:39:28 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey has hit more than 70 sites allegedly linked to Kurdish groups in Syria and northern Iraq during airstrikes launched this week in retaliation for the deaths of 12 Turkish soldiers in Iraq, the defense minister said Wednesday.At least 59 Kurdish militants were killed in the strikes as well as in land clashes, Yasar Guler said in a video message to top military officials which was posted on X, formerly Twitter.“Our pain is great, but our determination is complete,” Guler said. “We avenged (the deaths) of our precious children and we will continue to do so.”There was no immediately statement from Kurdish groups and the 59 deaths could not be independently verified.On Friday, militants affiliated with the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, attempted to infiltrate a Turkish base in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, Turkish officials said. Six Turkish soldiers were killed in the ensuing firefight. The following day, six more Turkish so...

Police find woman shot dead after responding to auto accident on city's West Side

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:39:28 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago police found a woman shot dead after responding to an auto accident Tuesday night in the Austin neighborhood on the city's West Side.Officers arrived to the scene in the 4800 block of W. Thomas St. just before 9 p.m. Tuesday and found that a vehicle had struck two unoccupied parked vehicles. Officers also found an unidentified female victim, approximately 30 years old, in the driver's seat of the vehicle that struck the parked cars with a gunshot wound to the head.The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Two bodies found inside home in Avondale neighborhood; Chicago police investigating According to police, a witness told officers they observed an unidentified male and female flee from the vehicle after the crash occurred. Police say there is nobody in custody, and Area Four Detectives are investigating.

Wednesday Forecast: Temps in low 40s with mostly cloudy conditions

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:39:28 GMT

CHICAGO — It will be mostly cloudy, but dry Wednesday with warmer than average temperatures as highs reach the lower 40s.  Interactive Radar: Track showers and storms here Mostly cloudy tonight with a slight chance of rain or snow as lows fall into the low to mid-30s. THURSDAY FORECAST: Rain showers become likely Thursday and some snow is expected away from the city. Despite the wet weather, temperatures are expected to top out in the lower 40s once again.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Online retailer Zulily says it will go into liquidation, surprising customers

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:39:28 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — The U.S. online retailer Zulily is closing down, surprising customers and laying off hundreds of workers after efforts to salvage the business failed.The Seattle-based company said in a notice on its website that it had tried to fill all pending orders and expected to manage that within the coming two weeks. Zulily said it was trying to ensure that orders that could not be filled were cancelled and refunded and offered a contact for customers who did not get their orders or refunds.“This decision was not easy nor was it entered into lightly. However, given the challenging business environment in which Zulily operated, and the corresponding financial instability, Zulily decided to take immediate and swift action," said the notice, signed by Ryan C. Baker, vice president at management consultant Douglas Wilson Companies, which is handling the receivership for the company. Apple fights ban on Apple Watch imports: Here’s what happens next Founded in 2010 by Da...