Growing up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Lansing Mayor Patty Eidam said she knew from a young age that she wanted to become a police officer.
“My Uncle Wayne, my mother’s brother, was a local police officer, and I just worshipped that man,” Eidam said. “I just thought that was the coolest thing, that he helped people and always seemed to be so happy and went out of the way to do extra things for our little town. I never wanted to be anything else.”
By 1966, Eidam had graduated high school and planned to enroll in a community college to study law enforcement.
But during a time when female officers were few and far between, she was forced to put her plans on hold.
“My dad told me, in the most gentle way that he could, that he had four boys behind me to put through college and that I wasn’t going to go to college,” Eidam said.
Instead, Eidam entered the United States Army, which helped her achieve her dream at age 31, becoming Lansing’s first female police officer. Her service paved the way for her election as the first female mayor of the village in 2017, a role she will step out of this year due to term limits.
Eidam said she is proud of her work for the community of a little under 30,000 people, including ushering in repairs of aging infrastructure and pouring resources into public safety. She said stepping into the mayor’s seat after serving as both village trustee and clerk, she inherited a village that lacked a street resurfacing program and struggled with an understaffed police force.
She quickly began replacing unelected leaders including the village administrator, village attorney and director of communications, and eventually the police chief, fire chief, public works director and building commissioner.
“That administration that I was fortunate enough to bring together makes the village the best that it’s been in decades,” Eidam said.
Lansing Mayor Patty Eidam with Trustee Jerry Zeldenrust. Both served on Lansing’s police force before joining the VIllage Board. (Village of Lansing)
Police Chief Alfred Phillips, who was sworn in in 2021, commended Eidam for her dedication to improving the Police Department amid mass retirements and backlash following police killings, including the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“When I was named chief, we were down to as low as 47 officers. We are up to 63 now — my focus has been hiring people,” Phillips said.
He said Eidam supported developing a program to recruit officers from other departments.
“Some of them wanting to leave for good reasons, some for bad reasons. But we really screen them out — we have nothing but great officers coming here,” Phillips said.
Eidam also launched a street resurfacing program and repairs and replacement of decrepit sidewalks and sewers. She also focused on financial stability and economic development, overseeing the arrival of businesses including Cerro Grande & La Rosita, Starbucks, Taco Bell, Chipotle, two wine bars and, most recently, Chick-Fil-A.
Ken Reynolds joined the village as Eidam’s executve assistant and later communications director, but eventually moved up to venue operations director following the 2018 opening of the Fox Pointe music venue.
“To me as a resident here, what stands out is you can see the actual tangible signs of progress,” Reynolds said. “You can touch them, you can literally see them, as opposed to just an idea.”
Patty Eidam takes the oath of office next to her husband, Bud, to begin her second term as Lansing mayor in 2021. (Village of Lansing)Mayor Patty Eidam supports Lansing’s beautification committee by helping plant flowers downtown. (Village of Lansing)
Eidam said as she leaves office, she stands tall knowing she her successor, Trustee Brian Hardy, will be in a strong position to build on the village’s growth. Hardy ran uncontested in the April 1 election.
“There are things that we can always do wrong, and there are some things I didn’t get to finish up of course,” Eidam said. “Although I never made promises, I did set goals, and for the most part, those goals have been met.”
While achieving female firsts were not among those goals, Eidam said she is happy to report Lansing is more inclusive and diverse than when she first arrived on the police force in 1979. But the work isn’t finished.
“I think we have five or six female officers right now, and of course our department is so diverse in so many other ways,” Eidam said. “But this is still a man’s world, there’s no doubt about it.”
BUENOS AIRES (AP) — La Confederación General del Trabajo, la principal central sindical argentina, se movilizaba el miércoles en Buenos Aires en protesta por las políticas de ajuste del presidente Javier Milei
en el preludio de una huelga general de 24 horas convocada para el día siguiente en todo el país.
Los distintos gremios que conforman la CGT comenzaron a manifestarse al mediodía en las calles de la capital y acompañarán a diversas agrupaciones de jubilados en la protesta semanal que realizan en reclamo de un aumento de sus mermados ingresos.
A la misma manifestación se sumarán agrupaciones políticas y sociales, grupos universitarios e hinchas de un club de fútbol. La protesta culminará por la tarde en la plaza situada frente al Congreso.
Alejandro Gramajo, secretario general de la Unión de Trabajadores y Trabajadoras de la Economía Popular —una de las organizaciones sociales de izquierda más combativas — manifestó su solidaridad con los jubilados.
“Esta es una marcha especial, previa a un paro general que será contundente y tendrá una adhesión importante de los trabajadores. Más allá de que el gobierno intenta establecer un relato económico, los trabajadores no llegan a fin de mes, no pueden darle de comer a sus hijos”, afirmó Gramajo.
Jubilados y pensionados marchan cada miércoles en repudio a las medidas de ajuste de Milei reclamando un aumento de haberes y la restitución del 100% de los medicamentos que recibían gratis del Estado y que cesó en diciembre.
Las jubilación mínima en abril se fijó en algo más de 285.000 pesos (unos 260 dólares), insuficiente para cubrir las necesidades básicas, denuncian las agrupaciones de jubilados.
Las marchas de los jubilados tomaron notoriedad después de que en marzo hinchas de clubes de fútbol y otras agrupaciones opositoras al gobierno las acompañaron y derivaron en violentos enfrentamientos con las fuerzas de seguridad. El 12 de marzo
un fotógrafo resultó gravemente herido y fue internado en terapia intensiva debido a las heridas en la cabeza causadas por una lata de gas lacrimógeno lanzada por un miembro de las fuerzas de seguridad.
Sobre el paro previsto para el jueves —el tercero que enfrenta Milei desde el inicio de su gobierno en diciembre de 2023— Rodolfo Aguiar, titular de la Asociación de Trabajadores del Estado, dijo que busca “apagar la motosierra contra el Estado argentino”.
“Los trabajadores estatales no damos más, el nivel de consenso de la medida es total…. el Estado no soporta un recorte más”, dijo Aguiar.
El jefe de Gabinete, Guillermo Francos, señaló que al gobierno no le preocupa la huelga. “Después la sociedad juzgará si los dirigentes sindicales tienen representatividad o no”, cuestionó.
La huelga promete dejar paralizados los vuelos en los aeropuertos del país, la recolección de basura, los trenes de pasajeros, el metro y la actividad bancaria.
Un juez ha desestimado los cargos de conspiración y secuestro contra cinco estudiantes universitarios de Massachusetts que fueron acusados de planear atraer a un hombre a su campus a través de una aplicación de citas y luego capturarlo como parte de una tendencia en redes sociales llamada To Catch a Predator (Atrapar a un depredador).
Los estudiantes de la Universidad de la Asunción, todos adolescentes, fueron procesados en enero y se declararon no culpables. Desde entonces, sus abogados habían presentado mociones para desestimar los cargos, argumentando que las autoridades carecían de causa probable para creer que cometieron delitos.
Tras una audiencia el mes pasado, un juez del tribunal de distrito de Worcester desestimó el martes los cargos de conspiración y secuestro contra Kelsy Brainard, Easton Randall, Kevin Carroll, Isabella Trudeau y Joaquin Smith. De momento no se sabe si aún hay cargos pendientes contra un sexto estudiante, cuyo caso estaba siendo manejado en un tribunal de menores.
La policía dice que la cuenta de Tinder de Brainard fue utilizada para atraer al hombre a la universidad católica privada en Worcester el pasado octubre y que el encuentro fue captado en video.
Brainard aún enfrenta un cargo de intimidación de testigos y Carroll enfrenta un cargo de asalto y agresión con un arma peligrosa.
“Estamos agradecidos de que el tribunal, después de una audiencia justa y una debida consideración, aplicó la ley correctamente”, afirmó el abogado de Brainard, Christopher Todd, en un correo electrónico el miércoles. “No se han tomado decisiones sobre nuestro camino hacia la resolución del cargo restante”.
Un mensaje en que se solicitaban comentarios fue enviado por correo electrónico el miércoles al abogado de Carroll.
El departamento de policía de la Universidad de la Asunción “cumplió con su deber como autoridad correspondente acreditada al presentar cargos que describen los hechos del incidente y los elementos de un delito según la ley de Massachusetts”, dijo el portavoz de la universidad, Matt McDermott, en un correo electrónico el miércoles. “El fiscal del distrito aceptó y procesó esos cargos. Todos los cargos en el caso, incluidos aquellos que permanecen, están dentro del ámbito del sistema judicial para resolver”.
Las reglas de conducta profesional de la oficina del fiscal del distrito le impiden comentar, “ya que todavía hay casos pendientes en este asunto”, dijo la portavoz Lindsay Corcoran en un correo electrónico.
Un informe presentado por la policía del campus indicó que un miembro del servicio militar activo de 22 años se conectó con una mujer en Tinder en octubre y fue invitado a un salón en el sótano. En cuestión de minutos, “un grupo de personas apareció de la nada y comenzó a llamarlo pedófilo”, acusándolo de querer tener relaciones sexuales con chicas de 17 años, según el informe.
El hombre dijo a la policía que logró liberarse y fue perseguido por al menos 25 personas hasta su coche, donde fue golpeado en la cabeza y la puerta de su coche fue cerrada sobre él antes de que lograra huir.
El video de vigilancia del campus muestra a un gran grupo de estudiantes, incluida la mujer, “todos con sus teléfonos móviles en lo que parece ser una grabación de todo el episodio”, decía la declaración policial. Se les ve “riendo y chocando las manos entre ellos” en lo que parecía ser “un evento deliberadamente planeado”, y no había evidencia que indicara que el hombre buscaba relaciones sexuales con chicas, según el informe policial.
La moción de desestimación de Todd afirmó que el video no muestra a nadie haciendo un esfuerzo activo para retener al hombre y que Brainard se queda en el sofá del salón después de que éste se va. Dijo que eran pruebas insuficientes para demostrar “que ella estaba dispuesta a ayudar en este ‘secuestro’”. Todd también dijo que no había pruebas de un plan para retener al hombre contra su voluntad.
Todd dijo que una revisión de la conversación en la aplicación Tinder muestra que la mujer dice que tiene 17 años, pronto cumplirá 18. El hombre dice “está bien, estás en la universidad”.
Randall había dicho a los oficiales que se inspiraron en la tendencia “atrapa a un depredador”, que dijo “es fuerte en TikTok”. Dijo que su grupo compartió ideas de qué decirle al hombre a través de la aplicación Tinder para atraerlo al campus, y luego difundieron la palabra a través de un grupo de chat del dormitorio de que un “depredador” estaba en el edificio, según el informe.
Tras la agresión, Brainard denunció al hombre a la policía como depredador sexual, según la policía, que determinó que era falso.
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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.
For more than four decades, Rory Spears was a ubiquitous presence on Chicago sports radio, covering all kinds of professional sports as an on-air reporter and behind-the-scenes producer — with an extra emphasis on the sport about which he was most passionate, golf.
“He worked hard and hustled to get many freelance sports gigs, covering every Chicago professional sports team in town,” said longtime Chicago-area sports broadcaster Steve Kashul, who hosts “The Golf Scene” TV show. “However, his real passion was golf, and over the past 10 years, no one covered the local golf scene as thoroughly or as well as Rory.”
Spears, 65, died April 2 at his Arlington Heights home, said his brother, Reid. Spears recently had been feeling ill, his brother said, and he had been very open about his battle with severe diabetes, which had been diagnosed last summer.
Born in Waukegan, Spears grew up in Prospect Heights and graduated from Hersey High School in Arlington Heights. Spears first attended Aurora College — now known as Aurora University — before transferring to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1982.
While growing up, Spears worked at Rob Roy Golf Course in Prospect Heights for eight years in such decidedly unglamorous jobs as a golf ball washer, and he worked for another two years at Chevy Chase Country Club in Wheeling.
Once he finished college, he decided to make sports journalism his career, and early on he built a reputation as a dependable freelancer for news sources far and wide, including providing radio feeds for out-of-town stations, his brother said.
In the mid-1980s, Spears reported sports for west suburban radio station WKDC-AM 1530 — later WJJG-AM 1530 and now WCKG-AM 1530 — among other outlets. Then in 1992, Spears was part of the first staff of WSCR-AM 670, Chicago’s first all-sports station, which initially was located down the dial at 820.
At The Score, Spears did some sports reporting — including on golf — some in-studio producing and occasionally picked up a fill-in on-air shift, his brother said.
Spears left The Score after about five years but continued working for other stations, including teaming up in 1996 with the late longtime Chicago-area sports journalist Jerry Kuc
on northwest suburban WCBR-FM 92.7 to rate the best local public golf courses. In 2001, Spears and Kuc began hosting a weekly one-hour sports talk show on WJJG titled “Sports Watch.”
In 2003, Spears branched off on his own, hosting a weekly sports talk show on WJJG called “Spears on Sports.”
One important part of Spears’ broadcasting career was cohosting the weekly in-season golf talk show “Golfers on Golf,” which initially aired on WJJG before moving to WSBC-AM 1240 and then to WNDZ-AM 750. Spears also enjoyed writing for Chicagoland Golf magazine and the Chicago District Golf Association’s magazine, and he produced all content for the “Golfers on Golf” website, which offers local and national golf information year-round.
“Rory loved being a journalist with a passion for sports, and he especially enjoyed sharing the game of golf with others,” said “Golfers on Golf” cohost Ed Stevenson, who as an executive adviser to the DuPage County Forest Preserve District’s executive director oversees the district’s three golf courses. “He was one of the last few reporters putting a spotlight on the Chicagoland golf community.
“In an increasingly remote world, you could count on Rory to show up in person to get the story. He took pride in breaking news and being the go-to source for the latest stories. Simply put, if industry professionals and media peers wanted to know what’s going on with golf in Illinois and beyond, they’d go ask Rory.”
Former Chicago Tribune golf writer Ed Sherman said that at sporting events, “Rory was one of those guys who always was there.”
“If there was a game in Chicago, and especially a golf tournament, you could count on seeing Rory,” Sherman said. “And he always would be happy to see you. When I heard of his passing, the first thing I thought was how strange it will feel to no longer see Rory at a game or tournament. I am sure the other sports media people in town will feel the same way.”
Spears’ love for golf extended beyond covering it as a reporter. He prided himself on having played more than 400 courses in 32 states — including recording a hole-in-one years ago at one of the Pinehurst golf courses in North Carolina — and he provided golf course management and communications consulting.
That meant bringing his knowledge to golf course clients about how to manage their departments and operations, including everything from preparing courses for public use to presenting their pro shops, his brother said.
“It is an understatement to say that Rory had a passion for golf,” Sherman said. “He loved everything about the game, and it went beyond playing. And make no mistake, Rory played everywhere and anywhere all over the country.
“He would enthusiastically talk about equipment or a new course somewhere or the latest development in the industry. More than anything else, he just loved being around golf and the people in golf.”
Most recently, Spears had been working at Heritage Oaks Golf Club in Northbrook and at Medinah Country Club.
“He was the epitome of somebody who was able to take his passion and make a career out of it,” Reid Spears said.
In addition to his brother, Spears is survived by his parents, Ralph and Geraldine. Services were held.
The following items were taken from police and court reports and news releases. An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt.
Burbank
AGGRAVATED BATTERY: Levell C. Bess, 45, Chicago, was arrested March 17 and accused of aggravated battery, aggravated assault, resisting arrest and trespassing after kicking and attempting to punch a paramedic at Speedway, 7859 Harlem Ave., police said.
MOB ACTION: Bella Ramos, 18, 7700 block of Beloit Avenue, Bridgeview, and Sirenity Galvez, 18, Chicago, were arrested March 24 and charged with mob action and contributing to the deliquency of a minor in the 5100 block of 80th Place, police said.
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT: Armando J. Maldonado, 37, Chicago, was arrested and accused of aggravated assault March 24 in the 4800 block of 85th Place after threatening an individual with a knife at a structured-living facility, police said.
Chicago Ridge
AGGRAVATED BATTERY: Anthony Kernats, 40, Chicag
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o Ridge, was arrested March 29 and accused of aggravated battery to a police officer and aggravated assault to a police officer after attempting to stab an officer and later hitting two officers with a thrown knife in an apartment building in the10200 block of Southwest Highway, police said. Officers responding to noise complaints used a Taser on Kernats, a tenant, after he exited a utility closet and threw the knife, police said.
Evergreen Park
BURGLARY: Lashawn J. Rankine, 26, East Chicago, Indiana, was arrested March 21 and accused of residential burglary at a vacant house in the 9400 block of Springfield Avenue after officers encountered him on the property with a leased moving van, police said.
IDENTITY THEFT: Aisha D. Conley, 37, Marion, Iowa, and Brandon D. Loving, 35, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, were arrested and accused of identity theft March 23 after officers recovered Illinois assistance benefits cards registered to other people and a credit card processor, police said.
Homewood
IDENTITY THEFT: Grace McMurtry, 45, 3200 block of Charlemagne Avenue, Hazel Crest, was arrested March 10 and subsequently charged with aggravated identity theft/victim at least 60 after using the victim’s bank account to make credit card payments totaling $7,867.62, police said.
Midlothian
MAN SHOT: Two masked gun-wielding individuals wounded a man at about 1 a.m. April 6 outside a bar in the 14600 block of Waverly Avenue, police said. The victim was taken to an medical facility for a neck wound, police said.
New Lenox
TRAILER THEFT: A semi-trailer transporting merchandise valued at $125,000 from a warehouse in the 2200 block of Berens Drive to California was reported missing March 31 after failing to reach its destination.
TOOLS STOLEN: Tools valued at $14,700 were reported missing April 3 from three trailers in the 2400 block of Laraway Road.
Oak Lawn
SCHOOL LOCKDOWNS: Area schools were placed on lockdown at about 10:15 a.m. April 3 after a resident in the 9400 block of Parkside Avenue reported encountering an armed individual in his backyard. An area search resulted in the arrest of Ryan Dace, 36, 24200 block of Timberline Trail, Crete, police said. Dace is scheduled to appear in Cook County court, Bridgeview, May 21, charged with assault and trespassing, police said.
AGGRAVATED BATTERY: Police say one man slashed another in the face with a knife during an early morning March 23 argument over a $9 bag of marijuana at an undisclosed residential location.
DEALING ALLEGED: Hamed E. Taha, 26, block of Keeler Avenue, Oak Lawn, was arrested March 30 and subsequently charged with possession of more than 5,000 grams of cannabis with intent to distribute after officers recovered 27.4 pounds of marijuana in 28 vacuum-sealed bags, $516 cash and a 9 mm pistol at 87th Street and Lamon Avenue and determined he lacked gun permits, police said.
Orland Park
WEAPON POSSESSION: Darnell D. Stevenson, 24, 4600 block of Blarney Drive, Matteson, and Dekwan A. Turner, 23, 500 block of Oglesby Avenue, Calumet City, were arrested March 10 outside of Orland Square mall after officers recovered a .40 caliber firearm with attached laser sight and loaded magazine, two additional magazines, 7½ ounces of cannabis in 58 bags, 33 black market opiate-based pain pills, $377 cash and a digital scale, and determined neither had a gun permit, police said. Stevenson was subsequently charged with being an armed habitual criminal, possessing up to 499 grams of cannabis with intent to deliver and possessing a controlled substance and Turner was charged with possessing up to 499 grams of cannabis with intent to deliver, police said.
Park Forest
BURGLARY: Security cameras at the former Rich East High School building on March 20 show several individuals stripping copper wire and removing ceiling tile before spraying the camera lenses, police said.
DUI CRASH: Kameesha A. Vazquez, 21, Merrillville, Indiana, was arrested and accused of driving under the influence of drugs, failing to reduce speed to avoid a collision and driving without proof of insurance after an officer determined she had been smoking marijuana during a March 23 crash investigation on Westwood Drive near Well Street, police said.
Steger
ARMED ROBBERY: Cash and cigarettes were taken at gunpoint at 1:02 a.m. April 6 at a gas station in the 3500 block of Chicago Road, police said. No one was harmed and the cash, with dye pack, was recovered at a truck weigh station in Sauk Village on Lincoln Highway, police said.
Tinley Park
BURGLARY CHARGED: Jeremy D. Bartel, 40, Chicago, was charged April 5 with burglary, criminal property damage and resisting arrest 4½ hours after breaking into a tabletop gaming retail store in the 8000 block of 171st Street, police said. Bartel was taken into custody 20 minutes after an officer saw him smash the glass front door and enter the building, police said.
University Park
STABBING: Larry J. Gray, 44, 700 block of Red Oak Lane, was arrested March 29 and charged with aggravated domestic battery, according to court records online.
Dan Kurland strolled out of the Rivian entertainment center in Laguna Beach, California, wearing a baseball cap reading, “Canada is not for sale.”
Kurland and his wife, Sue, were kicking tires on a recent Saturday, looking to replace their Prius models. On this day, the couple was considering the R1S SUV built by Rivian, the electric-vehicle startup based in Irvine, California.
When asked if Elon Musk’s Teslas were under consideration, both shook their heads. “Since Elon went crazy when Trump became president, I wouldn’t touch one,” Dan Kurland said.
EV registrations and web searches to buy or lease Teslas have dipped since the world’s richest man took on a new role in Trump’s White House and began slashing federal government jobs, according to the auto analysts at Santa Monica-based Edmunds.
The Musk-Tesla backlash — with waves of protests targeting its facilities in the U.S. and Europe — is opening doors for EV automakers like Rivian to pick up market share.
On March 20, Musk reassured Tesla employees in an all-hands broadcast on X that the automaker was going through “a little bit of stormy weather.” The automaker’s shares have plunged nearly 50% since December, wiping out its post-election Trump bump.
Musk encouraged investors to hold their shares and joked that he can’t walk past a television without seeing a Tesla on fire, then said, “I understand if you don’t want to buy our product, but you don’t have to burn it down. That’s a bit unreasonable.”
Tesla owners have been turning in their cars at record levels since Musk launched the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, according to Edmunds.
From Jan. 1 to March 16, the automaker saw its highest share of trade-ins at auto dealerships, according to Jessica Caldwell, head of insights for Edmunds.
“These shifts in Tesla consumer sentiment could create an opportunity for legacy automakers and EV startups to gain ground,” Caldwell said. “As Tesla brand loyalty and interest wavers, those offering competitive pricing, new technology, or simply less controversy could capture defecting Tesla owners and first-time EV buyers.”
In February, the auto analysts noted that shopping for new Tesla models on the Edmunds’ website dipped to its lowest point since October 2022. “Tesla is seeing declining interest from shoppers who first consider competitor brands’ vehicles,” Caldwell said.
Protesters shout at a Tesla Cybertruck driver before a town hall with Elon Musk, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
Tesla owners exiting the brand are now the focus of smaller EV rivals.
In late March, the Swedish luxury EV-maker Polestar began offering a $5,000 incentive to lure Tesla owners to its Polestar 3.
While Rivian is a small speck in the EV market, its share is rising as the company led by RJ Scaringe gets production up at its Illinois plant and begins work on a second facility in Georgia. A $6.6 billion loan from the U.S. Energy Department and another $5 billion commitment from VW is helping push the new automaker off the assembly floor.
Tim Fallon, Rivian’s vice president of manufacturing, said last summer in an interview at Rivian’s Normal, Illinois, plant that the EV-maker had well over 100,000 pre-orders for its $45,000 R2 vehicle, which is due to market in 2026.
Rivian said it expects to complete a sprawling expansion of its Normal factory before the end of June. The new capacity will help the company boost its annual capacity to 215,000 vehicles.
In January, Rivian reported it built 49,476 EVs in 2024 after lowering its estimate from 57,000 a few months earlier. The company blamed a component shortage that has since been resolved.
Freshly assembled R1T trucks move toward the end of the assembly line on April 11, 2022 at the Rivian electric vehicle plant in Normal. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Tesla, which made 1.8 million cars in 2024, does not disclose pre-order numbers. In its 2024 fourth quarter results released Jan. 29, the company said it expects to grow production to 3 million vehicles or 60% over 2024 production.
Like many startup EV makers, Rivian doesn’t sell its cars through a traditional dealership, but rather through community events — where they let potential customers test drive a vehicle — or smaller showrooms.
“Given its lower production volumes, increasing brand awareness is a crucial move for this relatively new EV manufacturer, particularly as it aims to capture more of the mass market with the R2 expected next year,” Caldwell said. “Rivian is currently focused on building up brand awareness, particularly in markets where there’s an established and growing interest in electric vehicles. While these initiatives aren’t necessarily a direct response to Tesla’s shifts in customer base, the timing is undoubtedly advantageous.”
In December 2023 — long before Musk joined Trump in the White House — Rivian opened its first showroom in Orange County in Laguna Beach in a renovated Vaudeville-era theater built in 1935. Two Rivian vehicles were parked in the old theater on Saturday.
This is where the Kurlands and others stopped to get a close-up look.
Dmitriy Zagorodnyuk, executive manager of True North Heating and Air in Irvine, is looking at a Rivian SUV to replace his Tesla Model 3.
“I may trade it in if I can get a good deal,” said Zagorodnyuk, who crossed Tesla’s Cybertruck off his list, though he’s not a Tesla-hater. “It’s too expensive.”
In the nation’s largest EV market, Rivian is picking up market share in California.
The automaker ranked eighth in EV market share in the state in 2024 — still far behind No. 1 leader Tesla, which sold more than half of all EVs, according to data provided by the California New Car Dealers Association.
“Tesla’s market share has dropped five quarters in a row. So that precedes Mr. Musk’s current controversies,” said Brian Maas, president of the California New Car Dealers Association, a Sacramento-based trade group that represents 1,200 franchised new car dealers. “Tesla sales dropped in 2024 for the first time, ever.”
The anti-Musk movement has been building since the billionaire’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, now known as X, on Oct. 27, 2022. The world’s richest man has used the now privately held social media platform to ridicule critics and politicians while posting controversial tweets, memes and other tweets from X users.
Tesla saw profit of $7.13 billion in 2024, a decline of 52.4% from 2023’s $14.99 billion. Profit in 2023 grew 19.2% from 2022’s $12.58 billion, which was up 127.8% from 2021.
Maas attributes Tesla’s market share decline to its stale product line, not its CEO. The EV maker hasn’t introduced new models other than the Cybertruck, which has been beset with recalls and production challenges, he said.
“With the Model 3 and Model Y, Tesla’s top-sellers, there haven’t really been any major changes in the last three or four years, and in the auto business, if you’re not refreshing your model every year or two, you’re going to be beat by your competitors. I think you’re starting to see that for Tesla.”
People walk past the Rivian Space showroom at Old Orchard in Skokie on Nov. 6, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Rivian, which makes R1S SUVs at a price tag of over $70,000, also plans to produce the R2, a smaller SUV, in Stanton Springs North, near the city of Social Circle, Georgia.
Spokespersons with Rivian and Tesla were not available to comment on their strategies in the market.
In 2024, California’s top-selling EV was the Tesla Model Y with 128,923 registrations, according to CNCDA. The Model 3 sedans were second with 53,056. The Cybertruck had 9,019 registrations.
Overall, Tesla had 52.5%, or 203,221 registrations, in California’s EV market in 2024, according to CNCDA. That represented a drop of 11.6% in registrations of 230,010 from 2023 when Tesla had a 60.1% share in California.
In comparison, Rivian had 12,020 registrations in 2024, a growth of 17% from the previous year’s 10,277 registrations, according to the CNCDA. Its market share grew from 2.7% in 2023 to 3.1% last year.
Tesla is feeling more competition — especially, with companies like Rivian beginning to finds its footing after struggling for years with financing, layoffs and other pressures since its founding in 2009.
“Tesla has way more competition than they’ve ever faced before, and it’s putting a strain on the company,” Maas said. “There’s a certain segment of the market that’s interested in climate change, new technology. But that’s not 100% of the market.”
In February, Rivian recorded its first-ever quarterly gross profit to close out 2024, achieving a long-held goal even as it warned that policy shifts in Washington may weigh on its electric-vehicle sales this year.
“External factors could impact Rivian’s 2025 expectations, including changes to government policies and regulations and a challenging demand environment,” Rivian said on Feb. 20 . “Rivian’s guidance represents management’s current view on potential adjustments to incentives, regulations, and tariff structures.”
Still, some drivers are staying ride or die Tesla.
Les Mustard, a Las Vegas resident, said that he’s owned three Teslas — including a Cybertruck that he currently drives — and has no plans to go with a Rivian vehicle.
“I’m 100% MAGA,” said Mustard, in late March, at the Rivian showroom in Laguna Beach.
“It’s the best car on the road, built by the smartest man on the planet.”
Owners of the Brassie Golf Club as early as next month could have Chesterton’s Advisory Plan Commission start the review of its residential development proposal.
The plan commission’s legal process — which starts with a concept review — would end with a recommendation and the Town Council making the final decision. It could be months before the council would vote.
This proposal follows a different path than past residential developments in Chesterton.
PMM Chesterton, which does business as Diamond Peak Homes, previously made a presentation in March to the Advisory Plan Commission on its idea for a 632-unit housing development spread over the 163 acres of the former golf course off Pearson Road.
The golf club owners had discussions for months beforehand with Rebecca Parker, the town’s economic development director. Councilwoman Jennifer Fisher, R-5th, has noted the town wants to take a less adversarial approach with developers.
On April 3 and again Tuesday, PMM Chesterton held sessions at Chesterton High School where they met with anyone who had questions. There were 40 who attended on April 3 and about a dozen Tuesday.
Michael Herbers, the managing partner for PMM Chesterton, said they plan to soon meet with the town’s economic development officials. He said they will take comments from residents and town officials into consideration and possibly make changes before the formal Advisory Plan Commission process starts.
“We can make changes to satisfy as much as we can with the project,” Herbers said.
The Brassie Golf Club property, at 163 acres, is one of the largest undeveloped areas left in Chesterton. PMM Chesterton would have to seek the annexation of 71 acres now in Liberty Township, bringing the land into Chesterton.
Proposed plat map for Brassie Development. (Town of Chesterton/provided)
David Uran of Game Plan Solutions, who is helping PMM Chesterton, at the Tuesday gathering noted that no prior developers of housing projects in Chesterton had asked the opinions of residents before the formal process started.
During the Tuesday session, Herbers fielded questions from the dozen or so potential neighbors gathered around him in a semicircle in the Chesterton High School cafeteria.
One resident said if there are two vehicles per household, that will mean 1,200 plus more vehicles in the neighborhood when the subdivision is fully built out.
Herbers promised that if the project goes forward, his company would be obligated to have a traffic study done.
Another resident raised the question about the impact on the schools.
Herbers noted that the Duneland School Corporation has lent its support for the project.
School Board President Brandon Kroft said in a statement that the school district’s enrollment has remained relatively flat due to a shortage of available housing. Kroft’s letter of support lauded the town’s “proactive approach” with this proposal.
Herbers said that regarding the schools and the roads, the impact would be gradual because he believes it will take 4 to 7 years for the project to be fully developed. Construction would likely start closest to the present clubhouse off Pearson Road.
The Brassie development has a range of housing including 214 single-family homes, 250 paired villas (duplexes) and 168 townhomes. Herbers said that the housing prices haven’t been set for the development.
One issue that is sure to surface is that 87 of the single-family homes would have 75-foot-wide lots and the remaining 127 houses would be on 50-foot-wide lots.
Chesterton’s town code, changed in 2022, stipulated that new single-family homes had to be on 100-foot-wide lots.
Herbers said the town code’s lot width requirement is for new houses built in an R-1 residential zone. He said the Planned Unit Development (PUD) agreement that would set rules for the development allows for more flexibility.
The Brassie development would have 70.5 acres of open space, which is 35.2% of the 163-acre property.
Park space and trails would also be developed inside the complex, and there would be a connecting trail to the nearby Prairie-Duneland Trail.
The housing density for the proposed project is also likely to be an issue for the Advisory Plan Commission.
Lennar Homes in November 2022 got a chilly reception from the Advisory Plan Commission to their proposal for residential development with 394 single-family homes. As a result, Lennar Homes decided against buying the property from PMM Chesterton.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Thousands of Lake Countians were on the march over the weekend to protest what’s been happening as the administration of President Donald Trump enters its fourth month. Most were ordinary Americans, not wild-eyed left-wingers as all the president’s men would have us believe.
Indeed, many hadn’t ever manned a picket line, but there they were, crowding around the busy intersection of Grand Avenue and Hunt Club Road in Gurnee, which is not exactly a hotbed of revolutionary fervor. The rally was one of several held in Lake County, across the U.S. and around the world on April 5.
Those assembled were voicing opposition to many of the wild moves coming from the White House in the early days of Trump’s second term: Aristocratic tariffs pasted on our trading partners; declining retirement savings; stripping heroic deeds of Black and Latino veterans from government museums and Websites; fears about the future of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid; the loss of federal workers at crucial agencies; curtailing free speech.
One of the cuts the Trump administration is eyeing is the elimination of the Institute of Museum & Library Services. IMLS, an independent government agency with a budget of around $295 million –.0046% of the federal budget — is the key source of federal support for the nation’s libraries, museums and educational institutions.
As of March 31, all staff at IMLS were placed on 90-day administrative leaves. The potential elimination of IMLS, which is up for reauthorization by Congress in September, will impact every library, including many in Lake County. Grant awards in 2024 included a $240,000 grant for the Chicago History Museum.
It’s ironic that the plans to gut the agency came just before National Library Week, which is marked through April 12 this year. Observed since 1958, the week highlights the value that libraries, or if you prefer learning resource centers, play in American lives and communities.
Paradoxically, the IMLS was established in 1996 by a Republican-led Congress and has a mission to, “advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development.”
Imagine what Waukegan’s favorite literary son Ray Bradbury would have become if not for the Carnegie Library in the city’s downtown. He was a frequent visitor at the edifice at Sheridan Road and Washington Street, gleaning much of his writing flair from the shelves of hardbounds the library offered him as a youngster. Despite modernization and the advent of electronic materials, there are future Ray Bradburys currently wandering the stacks of their neighborhood libraries.
Certainly, everyone supports responsible government spending and the reduction of duplicative and unnecessary bureaucracy. However, librarians and patrons across the U.S. see the IMLS as a model federal agency that delivers exceptional value to more than 1.2 billion in-person patron visits annually, according to one estimate.
“President Trump’s executive order to eliminate the IMLS might save a tiny fraction of the federal budget, but the costs to our communities would be enormous,” Ryan Livergood, executive director of the Warren-Newport Library in Gurnee, said in a statement. “IMLS funding is targeted where it’s needed most, especially in underserved communities. Libraries have an amazing track record of maximizing taxpayer dollars.”
Livergood notes that without IMLS funding, rural libraries may lose their ability to provide internet services to communities with no other options; smaller libraries won’t be able to afford digital collections like e-books and audiobooks; and library staffers will lose their jobs, further reducing services.
“Libraries are the institutions in our community that keep our democracy running,” he said. “The time to support them is now, before we lose an investment that pays dividends far beyond its modest cost.
“You would be hard-pressed to find a government agency that makes taxpayer dollars go further than your local library,” Livergood added, “and libraries accomplish all this with far less funding than other government entities. Taking more funds away from them isn’t just unfair, it’s shortsighted.”
The American Library Association feels the same. In a statement, the group condemned, “eliminating the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services. The Trump administration’s executive order is cutting off at the knees the most beloved and trusted of American institutions and the staff and services they offer.”
Trump, however, is adamant that he wants the agency dismantled, “to the maximum extent of the law.” Since taking office, the president has ordered nearly a dozen agencies, including the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Institute of Peace, shuttered or their operations drastically curtailed, according to The Associated Press.
Belt-tightening at the federal level certainly is long overdue. Yet targeting something as basic as library funding seems draconian at best.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor.
MÓNACO (AP) — El campeón defensor del Abierto de Francia, Carlos Alcaraz, comenzó su temporada en tierra batida remontando para vencer 3.6, 6-0, 6-1 al argentino Francisco Cerundolo el miércoles en la segunda ronda del Masters de Montecarlo.
Alcaraz, segundo cabeza de serie, venía de su sorpresiva derrota ante el veterano belga David Goffin en su primer partido del Abierto de Miami el mes pasado.
Otra sorpresa parecía posible cuando Cerundolo, 22mo clasificado del mundo, se llevó el primer set. Pero Alcaraz dominó el resto del partido y convirtió cinco de sus siete puntos de quiebre en el segundo y tercer set.
Alcaraz busca un segundo título de 2025 y afinar su juego en tierra batida antes de intentar retener su título en Roland Garros, que comienza el próximo mes.
Más tarde, Novak Djokovic inicia su camino para intentar ganar el título número 100 de su carrera cuando enfrente al chileno Alejandro Tabilo, quien sopresivamente venció al serbio campeón de 24 Grand Slams en el Abierto de Italia el año pasado.
Djokovic, quien recientemente perdió la final del Abierto de Miami ante Jakub Mensik, cumplirá 38 años el próximo mes, poco antes de que el Abierto de Francia comience el 25 de mayo.
Lorenzo Musetti, el decimotercer cabeza de serie, venció 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 a Jiri Lehecka para preparar un partido de octavos de final contra su compatriota italiano Matteo Berrettini, quien venció al primer cabeza de serie Alexander Zverev el martes.
Richard Gasquet y Gael Monfils, un par de franceses de 38 años, fueron eliminados por Daniel Altmaier y el séptimo cabeza de serie Andrey Rublev, respectivamente.
El Masters de Montecarlo es el primer gran torneo en tierra batida del año en el circuito ATP.
CABO CAÑAVERAL, Florida, EE.UU. (AP) — El nominado para el puesto más alto de la NASA, el multimillonario caminante espacial Jared Isaacman, expuso el miércoles su visión para la exploración espacial que prioriza el envío de astronautas a Marte.
El presidente Donald Trump nominó a Isaacman para convertirse en el 15º administrador de la NASA a finales del año pasado. Si se confirma, el empresario tecnológico se convertiría en la persona más joven en liderar la agencia espacial que está considerando regresar astronautas a la Luna y sería uno de los pocos administradores que realmente ha viajado al espacio.
El Comité de Comercio, Ciencia y Transporte del Senado se reunió en Washington para la audiencia de nominación.
“Como dijo el presidente, priorizaremos el envío de astronautas estadounidenses a Marte y, en el camino, inevitablemente tendremos las capacidades para regresar a la Luna”, afirmó Isaacman en sus comentarios iniciales.
Más tarde aseguró a los senadores que no renunciaría a la Luna y quiere que Estados Unidos supere a China en el aterrizaje de astronautas allí.
“No dije que no deberíamos ir a la Luna”, expresó. “¿Por qué está tardando tanto en regresar a la Luna y por qué cuesta tanto dinero? Absolutamente quiero que regresemos a la Luna”.
Las expediciones a La luna y Marte pueden desarrollarse en paralelo. “No creo que sean excluyentes”, añadió.
Isaacman, de 42 años, ya ha volado al espacio dos veces, comprando sus propios viajes con SpaceX, y realizó la primera caminata espacial privada del mundo en septiembre pasado. Piloto experimentado de aviones a reacción, hizo su fortuna con una empresa de procesamiento de pagos que comenzó en el sótano de sus padres, ahora llamada Shift4.
Reconoció en su testimonio que no es “un nominado típico para este puesto”.
“He sido relativamente apolítico; no soy científico y nunca trabajé en la NASA”, comentó. “No creo que estas sean debilidades”.
La agencia espacial y otros estaban ansiosos por escuchar la postura de Isaacman sobre la Luna y Marte para la exploración humana, dada su estrecha asociación con Elon Musk de SpaceX.
En la audiencia estaban los tres astronautas estadounidenses y un canadiense asignados al vuelo de la NASA a la Luna planeado para el próximo año, así como las seis personas que lanzaron al espacio con Isaacman.
El senador Ted Cruz, republicano de Texas y presidente del comité, instó a la necesidad de “mantener el rumbo” con los planes de la NASA para regresar astronautas a la Luna.
“Un cambio extremo en las prioridades en esta etapa casi con certeza significaría una luna roja, cediendo terreno a China por generaciones”, señaló Cruz.
La NASA ha estado promoviendo la Luna como el siguiente paso lógico para los astronautas durante años. El programa Artemis tiene como objetivo enviar una tripulación alrededor de la Luna el próximo año y aterrizar astronautas cerca del polo sur lunar tan pronto como en 2027. Esta vez se planean bases lunares, no solo visitas rápidas como las de las misiones Apolo de la NASA a finales de los años 60 y principios de los 70.
Artemis ha avanzado lentamente y ha sido costoso, especialmente para el cohete del Sistema de Lanzamiento Espacial de la NASA. Solo ha despegado una vez hasta ahora, en 2022 sin tripulación.
Musk favorece Marte como destino, mientras intensifica más vuelos de prueba desde Texas para Starship, el cohete más grande y poderoso del mundo. Al hacer que Starship sea reutilizable, pretende reducir drásticamente los costos de llevar personas y equipos al planeta rojo.
La NASA ha elegido Starship para sus dos primeros aterrizajes de astronautas en la Luna bajo Artemis, nombrado así por la hermana gemela de Apolo en la mitología griega.
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The Associated Press recibe apoyo para sus coberturas de salud y ciencia de parte del Departamento de Educación Científica del Instituto Médico Howard Hughes y la Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. La AP es la única responsable del contenido.
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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.
