by | Jan 7, 2025 | The Hill
(NEXSTAR) — You can skip your trip to the mailbox and your check-in on the stock market on Thursday: Various services nationwide will be paused in honor of the National Day of Mourning established for President Jimmy Carter.
at his Georgia home on Dec. 29.
To pay tribute to the longest-living American president, and in accordance with federal law, President Joe Biden previously declared Jan. 9, 2025, as a National Day of Mourning.
“I call on the American people to assemble on that day in their respective places of worship, there to pay homage to the memory of President James Earl Carter, Jr.,” Biden said in his Dec. 29
.
Here’s what you will — and won’t — see on Thursday.
What is a National Day of Mourning?
Not to be confused with the
, Thursday’s National Day of Mourning is meant to give people space to pay their respects to Carter.
Carter’s funeral will be held on the same day at Washington National Cathedral.
As part of his
, Biden has ordered “all executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed on January 9, 2025, as a mark of respect for James Earl Carter, Jr.” For federal employees, Thursday will be a paid day off.
Will the mail be delivered on Thursday?
As with other federal holidays, U.S. Postal Services will largely be unavailable on Thursday.
The
all post offices will be closed and regular mail will not be delivered. There will, however, be “limited package delivery service” on Jan. 9.
Will anything else be closed?
Yes, the
and
will close U.S. markets in observance of the National Day of Mourning.
The Supreme Court, federal courts, and the Library of Congress will also be closed, the New York Times
.
The National Park Service says its parks and visitor centers will “generally be open and available, but administrative offices will be closed.” If you are planning to visit a national park site on Thursday, NPS recommends checking that park’s website for any additional impacts.
All sites within Jimmy Carter National Historical Park in Plains, Georgia, will have extended hours through Thursday, according to
.
What about banks?
Unlike other federal holidays, banks and other businesses are not required to close for Thursday’s National Day of Mourning. If you are concerned about a bank’s or business’s hours, you may want to call ahead or check online.
Will flags still fly at half-staff?
Yes, and they won’t return to full staff for some time.
Flags fly at
under a 1954 proclamation signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. For Carter, flags will fly at half-staff until Jan. 28.
That also means the flags will still be at half-staff during President-elect Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration.
“Nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it,”
. “Let’s see how it plays out.”
As The Hill previously reported, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the White House would not consider reversing or reevaluating the half-staff plans.
Trump previously
he will attend Carter’s funeral.
by dap | Jan 7, 2025 | Chicago Tribune
In a stunning and risky move, ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan is planning to take the stand in his own public corruption trial, his lawyers said in court Tuesday.
The decision by a defendant to testify on his own behalf is an unusual strategy in any case, let alone a high-profile federal corruption trial. But Madigan, the so-called “Velvet Hammer,” is known for his quick mind and his mastery of delicate political situations – and apparently calculated that the risk of cross-examination was a manageable one.
Madigan, who reigned over Illinois politics for decades, is charged with a yearslong scheme to use his public clout for his own private benefit and run his political operation like a criminal enterprise. He could face significant prison time if convicted, even at his advanced age, and any time behind bars could be augmented if the judge were to find he lied on the witness stand.
His testimony would be the most significant of its kind in Chicago’s federal court since former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich unsuccessfully tried to convince a jury of his innocence more than a decade ago. But it may be a bigger surprise, given that Blagojevich is known for talking to anyone who will listen to him about his own legal travails while Madigan is known for saying little at all.
Madigan would testify around midday Tuesday, his lawyer Dan Collins told the judge overseeing the case. At issue is whether he would have to waive his right to stay silent for any future forfeiture hearing if he were convicted.
Madigan’s co-defendant and longtime confidant Michael McClain chose not to testify in the current case. So did ex-Ald. Ed Burke at his trial. Burke was convicted of racketeering in late 2022 and is currently
.
Madigan’s decision to testify comes nearly two years after two defendants in the Madigan-related “ComEd Four” trial —
and
— took the witness stand on their own behalf in that trial.
The gamble did not pay off for Pramaggiore or Hooker, who were both convicted of every count against them. Also convicted at that trial were McClain and consultant and former City Club of Chicago President Jay Doherty, who opted not to testify.
A judge is currently weighing a request to
based on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year.
Madigan, 82, a Southwest Side Democrat, and McClain, 77, of downstate Quincy, are charged in a 23-count indictment alleging that Madigan’s vaunted state and political operations were run like a criminal enterprise to amass and increase his power and enrich himself and his associates.
In addition to bribery schemes involving ComEd and AT&T Illinois, the indictment alleges Madigan pressured developers to hire the speaker’s law firm and tried to win business by secretly supporting legislation to transfer state-owned land in Chinatown to the city so developers could build a high-rise.
Both Madigan and McClain have denied wrongdoing.
The trial, which began Oct. 8 is inching toward a conclusion, with closing arguments possible as soon as next week.
by dap | Jan 7, 2025 | Chicago Tribune
A niche flower shop with exotic plants and flowers from New Zealand, Holland, South Africa, Mexico, and worldwide opened its doors in Downtown Skokie in December.
Botanik Culture has maintained an online presence since 2016, but the new brick-and-mortar store location on Lincoln Avenue is meant to cater to the business’s clientele who are looking for niche and novelty items, according to Botanik’s co-owner Dominic Esquibel, who runs the brand with his wife Amy Esquibel. The location is also rolling out its new subscription service, to allow clients who wish to have their plants taken care of by the Esquibels to maintain plants and flowers bought at the store.
“They bring a lot of happiness (and) vitality. It’s something to care for, it’s brought a lot of joy in my life,” Dominic Esquibel said of working with plants and flowers. “It’s given me direction. I can’t think of anything else that I’d rather be doing.”
“They’re my paint,” said Amy Esquibel, while putting together an arrangement of flowers from different regions of the world. “They mirror life. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end.”
Dominic Esquibel, a native of Santa Barbara, California, said his first job was in agriculture where he would pick oranges and lemons. Today, a lot of Botanik’s plants are also native to California, and Southern Florida as well, he said, which would make them exotic to Illinois. The plants go through an acclimation process to allow for them to be suited for an indoor environment, which is also a niche, compared to big box retailers who might sell the same plant but don’t have the same qualities as plants sold at Botanik.
“We don’t want people to feel intimidated by the product,” Dominic Esquibel said. “Everybody loves plants, but they don’t know how to grow plants. So we want to provide easy plants, and that’s why we also offer the (maintenance) service to take care of them,” he said.
Dominic Esquibel said Botanik provides a subscription service to help clients keep their plants healthy. Clients enrolled in the service will need to bring in their plants weekly, or sometimes biweekly, depending on the plant.
He dispelled a few myths plant owners might believe without the proper education.
Plant myth-busting
“There’s always a generic rule where people say, ‘Just water your plant once a week.’ I feel like that’s not really a good rule,” Dominic Esquibel said. He said overwatering plants can lead to rot out, mushroom growth, and attracting flies. He suggests people check the moistness of the plant’s soil to see if the plant needs water or not, which can be longer than a week.
“Put your finger in there (the soil). How does it feel? Is it moist? Is it cool? Is it bone-dry?” he said.
Another misconception is that people might believe the best way to water their orchids is to put ice cubes on them, to allow for the orchids to be watered slowly as the ice melts.
Orchids sold at Botanik, however, are native to warmer climates and are not going to respond well to the cold. “It could freeze the root and it could damage the leaf,” Dominic Esquibel said.
For orchids native to Mexico and Central America, he said a fine mist works well, and replicates how the orchids grow in nature.
Not every plant is watered the same way either, Dominic Esquibel said. For example, the Bromeliaceae plant doesn’t need to have wet soil but needs to have water placed on its leaves, which directs water to its roots.
Flower shops for the next generation
Before the Esquibels opened up their shop, another flower shop in Downtown Skokie, Marge’s Flowers, had closed its doors in May 2020, in part because of the dramatic drop in flower sales.
Dominic Esquibel, who managed the Marge’s Flowers account as a wholesaler, said that the shop’s co-owner, Gloria Kalmes, was well-known in the area.
“The neighborhood was kind of devastated when she left. Everybody was like, ‘We lost our flower shop. We lost Marge’s. We lost Gloria,’” Dominic Esquibel said.
“We take a lot of pride in the community,” he said. “And I would love it if I can tell Gloria like we want to be your successor … We want to carry on your legacy.”
Dominic Esquibel said while he wants to honor the legacy, Botanik is meant for a different generation and shoppers. Botanik doesn’t sell greeting cards or teddy bears that perhaps previous generations would have come to expect from a flower shop.
“She (Kalmes) had a very traditional flower shop … generations change … But our heavy focus is events. We’re event florists. We supply for weddings, parties, corporate events, you know, everyday flowers.”
Along with the shop’s retail services, Dominic Esquibel said the shop is also available to be rented for private events, such as lunches and small parties; a move that other flower shops typically don’t do.
Botanik Culture is located at 8112 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie. The store is closed on Mondays, open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Tuesday through Saturday, and open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays.
