Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration continued to call the Chicago Bears’ $4.7 billion proposal to build a domed stadium on a reimagined lakefront a “non-starter” following a Wednesday meeting between team executives and top Pritzker aides, the first since last week’s unveiling of the plan.
The message echoed much of last week’s rhetoric from Pritzker and other state leaders after the Bears proposed building the project with help from the public, including $900 million in new debt to cover costs for the stadium plus up to $1.5 billion in infrastructure funding to deconstruct Soldier Field and convert it for park space and youth athletic programming.
“As the Governor has said, the current proposal is a non-starter for the state,” Pritzker spokesperson Alex Gough said in an email after aides to the governor held the 90-minute remote meeting with Bears President Kevin Warren and Executive Vice President Karen Murphy. “In order to subsidize a brand new stadium for a privately owned sports team, the Governor would need to see a demonstrable and tangible benefit to the taxpayers of Illinois.”
The statement after the meeting reflected all of the same skepticism Pritzker projected
on the proposal last week, when he indicated the Bears’ pitch could be a poor deal for taxpayers. It also reflected his stated attitude for years that Illinois should be wary of using public funds to build private stadiums.
The Bears, for their part, called the initial conversation “productive.”
“We share a commitment to protecting the taxpayers of Illinois and look forward to further discussions,” the team said in a brief statement.
The meeting was the first tangible move by the Bears since last Wednesday when the team, alongside a supportive Mayor Brandon Johnson, publicly laid out plans for a $3.2 billion domed stadium development
plus anywhere from $325 million to $1.5 billion in infrastructure costs around the stadium area.
As part of the deal, the state agency for stadium development projects, the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, would borrow at least $900 million in new cash as well as refinance an existing $430 million in debt that remains from building and renovating Soldier Field and Guaranteed Rate Field where the White Sox play. In addition, a $160 million liquidity fund would be established. Long-term costs and interest on the initial state borrowing would add up to at least $4.8 billion, not counting $325 million to $1.5 billion in infrastructure spending.
Warren insisted last week that the team wanted to get a deal done by the end of the current legislative session, which is scheduled to adjourn in a little more than three weeks on May 24.
In addition to Pritzker, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch of Hillside and Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park also expressed skepticism about the Bears’ plan, even though the team has offered $2.3 billion in private funding.
The pitching of pictures and renderings is “behind us now,” Pritzker told reporters Wednesday. “We’re just talking about numbers.”
The governor’s office, represented at the meeting by Deputy Gov. Andy Manar and chief of staff Anne Caprara, appreciated the opportunity to discuss the proposal with the Bears, Gough said. The office did not respond to a question about whether Pritzker had any upcoming plans to meet with the team.
Legislative sources said lawmakers are scheduled to be briefed Thursday about unanswered questions regarding the stadium plan.
The initial reluctance by Pritzker and the Democratic legislative leaders last week sets up up challenging negotiations for the team over the next month. The team will have to convince not only legislative leaders but rank-and-file lawmakers within and outside Chicago.
So far, the Bears have “talked to an awful lot of folks” in Springfield and are “doing a fine job,” Pritzker said Wednesday.
While the Bears try to pitch the Chicago lakefront plan, there’s also the Arlington Heights factor. The team previously spent $197 million to purchase a tract of land in the suburb for a possible stadium, making a Chicago stadium potentially an even tougher sell to some suburban lawmakers.
The Bears have said a new stadium would generate jobs and $64 million annually in additional amusement, hotel, income and sales taxes.
“There’s a lot of questions about whether the deal could get done,” Pritzker said. “I’m very hopeful that they could put something on the table. But you’ve got to remember that we have a lot of priorities.”
Gorner reported from Springfield. The Tribune’s Dan Petrella and Bob McCoppin contributed.
The Chicago White Sox suffered one-run losses in each of the first two games
of their series against the Minnesota Twins at Guaranteed Rate Field.
They were in another tight game Wednesday, leading by two runs in the sixth inning.
Reliever Steven Wilson issued a one-out walk. And after the second out, he surrendered two more walks.
The Sox made a pitching change, and Dominic Leone got Willi Castro to hit a grounder to Paul DeJong. The ball got away from the shortstop, and two runs scored on the error.
Two more walks in the next inning led to two more runs for the Twins, who went on to beat the Sox 10-5 in front of 12,216.
Any momentum from sweeping three games over the weekend
against the Tampa Bay Rays disappeared for the Sox, who were in turn swept in three games by the Twins.
The Sox are 6-25, their worst record through the first 31 games of a season in franchise history. They are 2-18 against the American League Central
, their worst start in that category since the three-division format began in 1994. Eleven of those 18 losses have come by one or two runs.
Wednesday’s game was a one-run deficit until the Twins broke it open with four in the ninth.
Chicago White Sox’s Robbie Grossman hits a one-run double during the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Guaranteed Rate Field on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
“There’s no margin for error,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “Championship teams don’t care about those margins, they just get it done and find a way to get it done.
“Look at (the Twins). They’re playing good baseball right now (winning 10 straight). But they’re also playing good fundamental baseball.”
Control was a major culprit Wednesday. The Sox issued seven walks. As of the conclusion of their game Wednesday afternoon, the Sox led the American League allowing 126 walks this season.
“Free passes are hard to overcome,” Grifol said. “They’re hard to overcome in this league, especially with a team that puts the ball in the seats and slugs the ball. If you’re going to allow free passes to these guys, we’re going to get our ass kicked.
“When you’re talking about leading the league in walks, obviously we’re not happy about that. We talk about it, we work on it, we’ve got to execute.”
The Sox jumped ahead early with Tommy Pham playing a big role. The center fielder drove in Robbie Grossman with a double in the first and hit a solo home run in the third.
The Sox led 4-2 in the sixth when Wilson surrendered the three walks.
Leone induced the grounder the Sox needed, but the ball went under DeJong’s glove and through his legs.
“Ball’s spinning like crazy and (Trevor) Larnach did a good job at second base blocking my view,” DeJong said. “Ball just kind of took off sideways on me and I whiffed and unfortunately it costs us two runs.
“It was to my right off a lefty. Little changeup off the end of the bat kind of spinning. He did a good job of blocking my view until I couldn’t quite get a good view of it and just missed it. Unfortunately, that’s not a play that I want to see go through my legs. It’s a tough break for us.”
Leone walked two of three batters he faced in the seventh inning. Max Kepler put the Twins ahead 5-4 with an RBI single against Tim Hill. Jose Miranda followed with another RBI single.
“We’ve just got to be ready and fighting and willing to win a close game,” DeJong said. “We’ve been losing a lot of close games. This one got out of hand for us at the end there. But for a while, we were in control. Just got to be able to put teams away.
“We’ve been scoring early lately and that’s been good. Our offense is looking a lot better. It’s just a matter of lining up offense, pitching, defense together and playing a good team game. We couldn’t quite do that all today.”
The Sox — whose .194 winning percentage is the worst in the majors — have been swept in six of their 10 series.
“It’s the little things, the little details that just add up during the course of a game,” Grifol said. “It’s an 0-2 pitch, it’s moving a runner over. Whatever the case may be. I’m not saying today, I’m just saying that over time, in 11 ballgames that are one run, we can go back and look at something small that became something big.
“We’ve got to clean it up. If not, we’re going to get our ass kicked every night.”
Parkview Christian Church, 1100 Orland Parkway: Sisterhood evening from 6 to 8:30 p.m. May 8. The evening is designed for women to gather with friends, enjoy appetizers, engage in games and uplifting worship and hear an inspirational message from Amy Max. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the event begins at 7 p.m. Dessert will be served afterward. It’s open to any woman in high school and older. Child care will be provided. Tickets cost $15 per person, and registration is required. Information: parkviewchurch.com or 708-478-7477.
Presbyterian Church in Orland Park, 13401 Wolf Road: Gardener’s Flea Market & Plant Sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 11. Garden-related arts and crafts with vendors will be available both inside and outside the church. A master gardener will be on hand to answer questions and to provide brochures. Flats of annuals and pots with vegetables and herbs will be sold. Light refreshments such as popcorn, cookies and bottled water can be purchased. Information: 708-448-8142.
Chicago
University of Chicago Divinity School and the Baptist Theological Union: “The Black Church in Chicago: Past, Present, and Future” at 6 p.m. May 10 at DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, 740 E. 56th Place. Attendees can explore the museum’s collection from 5 to 6 p.m. before the panel discussion begins. Speakers include Marshall Hatch Jr., executive director of MAAFA Redemption Project; the Rev. Marshall Hatch Sr., senior pastor at New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church; and the Rev. Otis Moss III, senior pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ. Christian Mitchell, vice president for civic engagement at the University of Chicago, will moderate the discussion. Street parking is available around the museum during the event. Make a reservation. Information: https://martycenter.org/events/the-black-church-in-chicago-past-present-and-future or email tannette@uchicago.edu.
Matteson
St. Paul Lutheran Church, 6201 Vollmer Road: Self-defense training for adults from 4:30 to 6 p.m. May 8. Trainers from the Cook County Sheriff’s Police will provide the training. It includes video training and hands-on practice. Children younger than 18 may attend with a parent or guardian. Register to ensure the program has enough participants to happen. Information: https://www.stpaulsonline.org/ or 708-720-0880.
Midlothian
St. Augustine Catholic Parish, 4130 147th St.: Mother’s Day celebration from 5 to 10 p.m. in the gym of St. Christopher School, 14611 Keeler Ave. Mexican food, a photo booth, raffles and live music will be featured. Information: staugustinemidlothian.org or 708-388-8190.
Oak Lawn
St. Paul Lutheran Church, 4660 W. 94th Ave.: St. Paul Food Pantry from 2 to 4 p.m. the first and third Wednesdays of the month. Donations of nonperishable items may be dropped off at the church office. Canned goods that don’t require an opener and low-salt items are especially needed. This is a mission of the Board of Social Ministry-Faith in Action to extend Christ’s love by offering emotional, social, financial and material support to those in need within the congregation and in the community. New members are welcome. The group meets at 6:45 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month from September through May. Information: stpauloaklawn.org or 708-423-1040.
What’s going on at your church? Let us know by sending us an email including time, date, place and public contact information at least two weeks before the event or reservation deadline at religion@southtownstar.com.
Sandburg senior earns area’s first Pharm Tech license
Grace Pierson, a senior at Sandburg High School in Orland Park, recently completed the Pharmacy Tech Boot Camp program, making her the first Eagle to complete the program and making Sandburg the first high school in the south suburbs to offer such a program.
The program consists of classroom hours as well as 20 clinical hours in a hospital for hands-on training. Pierson not only completed the program, she earned her Pharm Tech license and a job offer at Franciscan Health Olympia Fields, where she performed her in-person shadowing.
Pierson plans on attending North Central College and becoming a physician’s assistant to work with people with special needs.
“I am extremely grateful to have been exposed to the pharmaceutical environment,” she said. “And am very happy to have been a part of this program.”
Homewood’s Butler named Newcomer of the Year in college wrestling
Jermaine Butler, a entrepreneurship major and athlete on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater wrestling team, has been named the 2023-24 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year.
Butler battled to a runner-up finish in the WIAC Tournament, claimed bronze in the 2024 NCAA Upper Midwest Regional and qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships in his first year representing University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on the mat. The 157-pounder went 2-2 in his first NCAA Championship appearance.
He wrapped up the 2023-24 campaign with a 30-13 mark against Division III opponents. He registered four pins, including a fastest fall of 1:05 on the season, six technical falls and six major decisions. He shared team-high honors in extra-point victories this season with 16.
Franciscan Health Olympia Fields names new vice presidents
Franciscan Health Olympia Fields has added two new vice presidents to its ranks. Dr. Fulton Porter III is the new vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer and Michael Randall is the new vice president of strategy and business development.
Porter, who began in his current role in late January, came to Franciscan from Community Hospital in Munster, Indiana, where he was medical director of the hospitalist program. Prior to joining the Community Hospital staff, he served as chief hospitalist for WellGroup Health Partners in Chicago Heights. He’s also been a clinical instructor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine and Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and previously worked at Franciscan Health Olympia Fields from 2007 to 2013.
Randall, who assumed his new role in February, came to Franciscan from Duly Health and Care in Downers Grove, where he was vice president of medical specialties, leading multiple service lines including cardiology, cancer care and pulmonology and others. Prior to Duly, Randall worked in various leadership roles at Advocate Health and at Sg2 and The Camden Group as a healthcare consultant.
Lemont’s Rivera named Cook County associate judge
Lemont’s Antara Nath Rivera was one of three new associate judges recently selected in a vote of Cook County Circuit Court judges.
Ballots listing the names of six finalists, chosen from 65 interviewed applicants, were distributed to 247 circuit judges. Rivera, 50, was admitted to the Bar in 2002. Rivera attended college at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and law school at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. Rivera’s current affiliation is the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, Chicago.
Orland Park’s Piko inducted into honor society
Orland Park’s Catherine Piko was recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. Piko was initiated at The University of Alabama.
A baby owl died from suspected rat poisoning Tuesday. (Annette Prince/Chicago Bird Collision Monitors)
Just three weeks after its father died, a young owl living near Lincoln Park’s North Pond was discovered unresponsive Tuesday. Experts say it is suspected to have died by the same means as the elder owl — rat poison.
Though the owl was sent to the Willowbrook Wildlife Center to determine a cause of death, Annette Prince, director of Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, said a lack of external injuries and the presence of blood around the bird’s mouth indicates that it died after consuming poison.
“He wasn’t found near a road, and there’s no sign of blunt force trauma,” Prince said. “It’s a devastating end for a little bird.”
After the owlet was discovered, Prince said onlookers found his mother, the final remaining member of the family, suffering from a bleeding foot. The bleeding restarted from a previously scabbed foot wound, according to the Chicago Ornithological Society, and could be a sign of rodent poisoning.
The society said the mother had not been seen as of Wednesday morning and asked neighbors to keep an eye out for the elder female bird.
“If she is dead, please pick her up and keep her if possible so someone else or a predator doesn’t get her,” Allison Lukens, a group representative said Wednesday on Facebook.
Prince said that more and more birds in the Chicago area are being killed by poisons typically used to kill rodents and other small mammals. At least once a month, she said, her group finds a hawk or an owl that has been tainted.
Owls typically feed on things such as rats and mice, Prince added. Humans need to find an alternative to poisons that disrupt the natural food chain, she said.
“People are organizing and galvanizing around the idea that this is an issue we need to resolve,” Prince said. “The (owl) family was a wonderful thing for people to get to see up close. Now there could be none of them left.”
Candace Ridlbauer runs Northern Illinois Raptor Rehab and Education. She said in the past couple years, her group has seen significantly more deaths from rodent poisoning than in years past.
She said deaths from poison are slow and extremely painful for birds. They start lethargic and slow, she said, before bleeding becomes hard to stop and can take over the whole body. Ridlbauer advised Chicago residents to avoid using toxic poisons, and instead to rely on the natural food chain.
“The hawk will eat the mouse, and then the hawk gets sick, and then the hawk dies,” Ridlbauer said. “So now you’ve just lost your natural predator to take care of animals. Poisons are not the answer. They’re definitely not the answer. And it’s heartbreaking to see these animals come in and suffer like they are.”
Prince asked Chicago residents to petition the city and municipal authorities to find alternatives to toxic poisons in the city.
“If we want to live with wildlife, we have to be better stewards and take some of these hazards out of the environment,” Prince said. “We want to be able to continue to enjoy wildlife, otherwise we will have a barren landscape that is toxic for other animals and ultimately will be toxic for us.”
The Aurora City Council recently approved an increase in fees to play golf at the municipal course at Phillips Park on Aurora’s East Side.
Jeff Schmidt, Golf Operations manager, has said the fees at the Phillips Park Golf Course were last adjusted in 2022.
He said the increase will absorb some of the increasing golf industry costs, but also keep the course competitive with similar golf courses. It also allows for continued investment in the course and its amenities, officials said.
The basic cost for 18 holes on weekdays will increase from $34 to $38, and for nine holes from $24 to $26. The rate for 18 holes on weekdays goes down to $32 and nine holes to $23 with an annual card.
An annual resident card costs $15, and allows a golfer to get the lower rates for the entire season. For a non-resident, the annual card is $25.
To play 18 holes on a weekend or a holiday, the fees will increase from $42 to $46 ($40 with an annual card). The rates are lower for mid-day tee offs after 1 p.m., and for twilight after 4 p.m., both on weekdays and weekends.
A resident season pass will go up from $190 to $250, and a non-resident season pass from $350 to $420.
Cart rental will remain at $16 for 18 holes, and $9 for nine holes, or for twilight. Pull cart rental will increase from $4 to $5.
For the driving range, a small bucket of balls will go from $5 to $6, and a large bucket from $9 to $10. A 20-bucket card will go from $160 to $190.
MOUNT HOREB, Wis. — Witnesses described children fleeing after the sound of gunshots near a Wisconsin middle school where authorities said an active shooter who never got inside was “neutralized” outside the building Wednesday. There were no reported injuries to those inside the school.
But police remained on the scene hours later, and Mount Horeb Area School District had only announced plans to release younger students from a nearby elementary school. In a post on Facebook, the district said remaining students would stay in schools “while the police continue their investigation.”
For panicked kids and their parents, the initial incident and the wait to be reunited was terrifying. Parents described children hiding in closets, afraid to communicate on cell phones, and one middle schooler said his class initially fled the school gym on in-line skates.
The district used Facebook posts throughout the day to give updates, with the earliest coming around 11:30 a.m. and reporting that all district schools were on lockdown. Authorities in Mount Horeb said without giving details that the “alleged assailant” was harmed, and witnesses described hearing gunshots and seeing dozens of children running.
More than four hours later, school buses remained lined up for blocks outside the middle school and authorities had used police tape to surround the middle school, the nearby high school and playing fields between the two buildings.
“An initial search of the middle school has not yielded additional suspects,” a post around noon said. “As importantly, we have no reports of individuals being harmed, with the exception of the alleged assailant.”
Earlier, the district posted that “the threat has been neutralized outside of the building” but didn’t elaborate on what had happened at the school in Mount Horeb, some 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of the state capital of Madison.
Jeanne Keller said she heard about five gunshots while in her shop The Quilting Jeanne, just down the block from the campus that includes the middle school.
“It was maybe like pow-pow-pow-pow,” Keller told The Associated Press by phone. “I thought it was fireworks. I went outside and saw all the children running … I probably saw 200 children.”
One middle schooler said his class was in the school gym practicing in-line skating when they heard gunshots.
Max Kelly, 12, said his teacher told the class to get out of the school. He said they skated to a street, ditched their in-line skates and ran to a nearby convenience store and gas station and hid in a bathroom.
Kelly was reunited with his parents and sat on a hillside with them early Wednesday afternoon waiting for his younger siblings to be released from their own schools. He still wore socks, his shoes left behind.
“I don’t think anywhere is safe anymore,” said his mother, 32-year-old Alison Kelly.
Police in Mount Horeb said they could not immediately provide information. A person who answered the phone at the school district office declined comment. The Dane County Sheriff’s office directed reporters to a staging area but had not provided updates hours after the school district first alerted families about the incident.
The district had begun releasing some students of other schools by early afternoon and anxious parents gathered at a bus depot waiting for their kids.
Shannon Hurd, 44, and her former husband, Nathian Hurd, 39, sat in a car waiting for their 13-year-old son, Noah, who was still in the locked-down middle school.
Shannon Hurd said she first heard what happened via a text from Noah saying he loved her. She said she nearly fell down the stairs at her work as she ran to get to the school.
“I just want my kid,” she said. “They’re supposed to be safe at school.”
Stacy Smith, 42, was at the bank Wednesday when she saw police cars rush by and soon got a school district text warning of an active shooter.
She initially could not reach her two children — junior Abbi and seventh-grader Cole. Finally, she reached Abbi by phone but the girl whispered that she was hiding in a closet and couldn’t talk. She eventually connected with both children and learned they were OK.
“Not here,” she said in disbelief. “You hear about this everywhere else but not here.”
Schools nationwide have sought ways to prevent mass shootings inside their walls, from physical security measures and active shooter drills to technology including detailed digital maps
. Many also rely on teachers and administrators working to detect early signs of student mental health struggles.
The Mount Horeb Area School District’s security protocols were not immediately clear Wednesday and there was no information known about the alleged assailant’s identity or condition.
The village is home to around 7,600 people and the central office of outdoor gear retailer Duluth Trading Company. Mount Horeb markets itself as the “troll capital of the world,” a reference to carvings of trolls stationed throughout its downtown district as a tribute to a Scandinavian gift shop that was a landmark for passing long-haul truckers in the 1970s.
Heidy Lange, owner of Firefly Events Decor & Flowers, said she was in her florist shop about two blocks from the school when she looked out and saw children running and “probably 50 cop cars from everywhere.”
“All of a sudden there was a whole bunch of parents running behind them,” Lange said. “All our phones were beeping with all the alerts. It would devastate the town if something happened to a child here.”
___
Associated Press reporters Corey Williams in Detroit and Rick Callahan in Indianapolis contributed to this report.
The seventh annual Aurora Ukulele Festival will be inside this year.
The festival will be from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at Two Brothers Roundhouse, 205 N. Broadway.
As it has for the past six years as an outdoor festival, it will feature performing acts, open mics, workshops and vendors.
The main stage acts include, at 11 a.m., Aurora’s own Hix Brothers Ukulele Band; noon, Todd Lorenc; 1 p.m., Hoapili, an authentic Hawaiian band, with Hula ’O Puanani, a hula dancing group; 2 p.m., Abby Lyons; 3 p.m., Matt Griffo; 4 p.m., Aaron Baer; 5 p.m., Danielle Ate the Sandwich; and at 5:45 p.m., a performers jam session.
Workshops include, from noon to 12:45 p.m., Matt Griffo, with “Triple Strum and Using Muting in Rhythm,” in the Ale Porter room; from noon to 2 p.m., open mic, in the Pilsner Room; 1 p.m., Aaron Baer, with “Beginning Ukulele,” in the Ale Porter room; 2 p.m., Carl Hix, hosting “10 Songs, 12 Keys, Scary Chords Can Be Your Friend,” in the Ale Porter Room; 2:15 p.m., Aaron Baer, with “Intro to Bar Chords/Moveable Chords,” in the Pilsner Room; 3 p.m., Uncle Jon Strum Along, in the Ale Porter Room; 3:15 p.m., Danielle Ate the Sandwich, with “Easy Two-Finger Picking Pattern,” in the Pilsner Room; and at 4 p.m., Abby Lyons, with “Songwriting,” in the Ale Porter Room.
Sponsors of the 2024 Ukulele Festival include Aurora Alds. Mike Saville, 6th Ward, Juany Garza, 2nd Ward, and Emmanuel Llamas, 1st Ward; Ball Horticultural; the Hix Brothers Music School; Musical Expressions; the Aurora Area Convention and Visitors Bureau; and the city of Aurora.
The Aurora Ukulele Festival was the brainchild of Saville, who in 2018 saw many You Tube videos of people playing the ukulele, and discovered there are ukulele festivals all over the world.
He thought it would fit well with downtown Aurora’s growing arts and entertainment community.
He contacted Todd Von Ohlen, a music industry veteran who had worked with the city on other music festivals, and soon a committee was formed.
This year’s festival moves from August to May, and off the Water Street Mall and indoors, at the Roundhouse, where unpredictable weather will not be a factor.
The United States is being unceremoniously evicted from the African nation of Niger.
Meeting in Washington, D.C., Niger Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine informed Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell that all 1,000 U.S. special operations troops and other personnel must vacate the country.
This is a major setback during a time of general instability in that region. Last year, the leader of Gabon, Ali Bongo, was removed in a sudden military coup on Aug. 30.
On July 26, the government in Niger was overthrown. In August 2020, Mali experienced a military takeover. Coups have also taken place in recent years in Burkina Faso, Chad and Guinea.
France is most tied to these nations culturally and economically, but the entire international community has stakes in this worrisome trend.
Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group has been notably active in trying to establish lucrative contracts in Africa. The terrorist Islamic State is also actively seeking influence.
The United States is proactively involved in collaborative efforts to encourage elected governments and control terrorism. Selectively, direct U.S. action has been taken. In January 2023, U.S. and Somali troops carried out successful operations against terrorist groups, including those associated with al-Qaeda, which carried out the 9/11 attacks.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin emphasizes the crucial importance of intelligence professionals in making the successful operations possible.
For decades, Somalia has been generally regarded as a “failed state,” with the government unable to provide even elementary services or security. In 1993, a United States military mission to Somalia ended in frustration after the killing of 18 U.S. Army Rangers. The book and film “Blackhawk Down” describe this. Pirates operating off the coast of Somalia are a continuing, vexing challenge.
U.S. military challenges, initiatives and operations in Africa confirm the importance of special operations. Officers who specialize in unconventional warfare now reach top command positions, in some contrast to the institutional emphasis on conventional forces during the Vietnam War era and before.
Historically, Americans have been absent-minded about Africa. Past presidents generally focused on other parts of the world, with notable exceptions. Sen. John F. Kennedy was chairman of the African Affairs Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, extremely attentive to that task, and carried concern about Africa into the Oval Office.
President Jimmy Carter in office and afterward steadfastly worked with Africa. The Carter Center has devoted sustained emphasis to public health and related problems of that continent. One especially important achievement is the virtual eradication of guinea worm, a devastating agonizing disease. Carter effectively leveraged his center’s efforts into World Bank efforts targeting the disease.
Former President Bill Clinton achieved rock-star status in Africa, a popular stop in his travels on behalf of the Clinton Foundation. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama devoted at least periodic attention to the continent while in office, reflecting the changing times.
President John F. Kennedy deserves credit for establishing the Peace Corps, a concept promoted by former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Sen. Hubert Humphrey, D-Minnesota. The Peace Corps is remarkably durable, today involving selfless volunteers ranging widely in age.
Related, enormous growth in private investment, including philanthropy, provides unprecedented opportunities to raise living standards across Africa.
Terrorists generate continuing death, destruction and headlines, but have yet to demonstrate appeal to the average person in Africa – or elsewhere on the globe.
However, Niger may signal changes.
Learn: Mrs. Roosevelt talks with JFK: https://www.jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/JFKWHA/1961/JFKWHA-014/JFKWHA-014
Arthur I. Cyr is author of, “After the Cold War – American Foreign Policy, Europe and Asia” (NYU Press and Palgrave/Macmillan).
There will be no guise of competition for rookie Tory Taylor
, not from Trenton Gill anyway.
The Chicago Bears, who made Taylor their highest-drafted punter since Todd Sauerbrun was a second-round pick in 1995 when they selected him in Round 4 (No. 122) on Saturday, placed Gill on waivers Wednesday afternoon. The move has been expected since the weekend.
The move allows Gill to begin searching for a team that could provide him an opportunity to win a job and clears the way for Taylor, an Australian who won the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s top punter this past fall at Iowa, to take over.
The Bears drafted Gill, 25, in the seventh round in 2022 and he had a chance to become only the third Bears punter to complete a season with a net average above 40 yards before a final game in tough conditions at Soldier Field against the Minnesota Vikings. Gill finished his rookie season with a net average of 39.0 yards and landed 30.3% of his kicks inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
The punting game — reflective of the entire special teams unit — struggled this past season.
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jack Cochrane attempts to block a punt by Chicago Bears punter Trenton Gill on Sept. 24, 2023, at Arrowhead Stadium. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
The Bears ranked 31st in net punting (38.0), 25th in gross punting (46.1), 30th in touchback percentage (11.9%), 30th in punts inside the 20-yard line (26.9%) and 25th in return yards allowed (381). Those struggles led the team to consider options and the Bears made the rare move of using a mid-round selection on Taylor. The last time a punter went earlier in the draft was in 2019 when the San Francisco 49ers chose Mitch Wishnowsky, also an Aussie, in Round 4 at No. 110.
“I didn’t expect him to get much further,” Bears general manager Ryan Poles said of selecting Taylor where he did. “Definitely didn’t think I’d be able to pick him up when we got into the fifth round. And, really, the thought process there is to make anyone we’re playing really uncomfortable. I didn’t play much in the NFL but I know running onto the field and having the ball spotted inside the 10-yard line is a very uncomfortable feeling. It’s disheartening at times. And I love taking advantage of field position. And, really, that should help us with points as well.
“So, I think it’s going to add to our team and make it uncomfortable and difficult for any team we’re going against.”
