Author: Living Legends
A new Chicago-area casino is getting ready to open this summer — months ahead of schedule. Hollywood Casino Joliet, which is leaving its longtime riverboat home, announced Wednesday it is planning to move into its new land-based facility Aug. 11, pending regulatory approval. “The countdown to the opening of our newest casino begins today,” Jay Snowden, Penn Entertainment’s CEO and president, said in a news release. “The move from our existing riverboat significantly improves our offerings in the highly attractive Chicagoland market, and both our existing customers and new guests will be able to enjoy premier gaming, dining, and entertainment…
The Chicago Bears completed their second week of organized team activities Thursday at Halas Hall and will transition into a three-day, full-team minicamp next week. Under first-year coach Ben Johnson, the building process has been gradual but intense. And with only one week of the offseason program remaining for veterans, time is of the essence to continue down the runway toward the season. All three minicamp practices will be open to reporters. After Wednesday’s open OTA session in Lake Forest, here are five observations about the team’s evolution. 1. Ozzy Trapilo is making his case for the left tackle job.…
During his recent trip to the Middle East, President Donald Trump made the surprise announcement that he would lift sanctions against Syria “in order to give them a chance at greatness.” This news was received with enthusiasm across the region, since the wide-ranging sanctions make it nearly impossible to attract the investment and aid essential to rebuild after more than a decade of civil war. If the transitional government can’t kick-start the economy, generate revenue, rebuild critical infrastructure and provide jobs for its people, a return to conflict is far more likely — an outcome most of Syria’s neighbors and…
Elon Musk’s effort to dramatically cut government spending is expected to fall far short of his grand early pronouncements, and perhaps even his most modest goals. It didn’t have to be that way. According to experts across the ideological spectrum, a major problem was a failure to deploy people who understood the inner workings of government to work alongside his team of software engineers and other high-wattage technology talent. Even that might not have achieved Musk’s original target of $2 trillion, which is roughly the size of the entire federal deficit. Musk, whose last day spearheading the Department of Government…
SPRINGFIELD — With only hours remaining before their midnight deadline, Democratic state lawmakers on Saturday still were finalizing various components of a more than $55 billion budget balanced with a combination of cuts and tax increases. The spending portion of the plan was unveiled late Friday, but a package of tax increases and other revenue measures had yet to surface by early Saturday afternoon. Heeding Gov. JB Pritzker’s warning that he would veto a plan that relied on increases to the state’s sales or income taxes, legislators produced a package that employed one-time tactics, such as an amnesty for delinquent…
U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan promised to fight President Donald Trump’s “authoritarian approach” as he spoke Thursday of how drastic budget cuts could affect people in Indiana’s 1st congressional district. “I, as a member of Congress, will continue to fight for things that unify us,” Mrvan told a largely friendly crowd of about 150 at the Memorial Opera House in downtown Valparaiso at a town hall meeting that had been postponed due to illness. The “community conversation,” as Mrvan’s office called it, was one of several held throughout the region Thursday. “The authoritarian approach will be stopped by the courts, and…
In the campaign to keep discussions about race and identity out of classrooms, there’s a common refrain: Schools should stick to the basics. “Teach ABCs + 123s, not CRTs & LGBTs,” campaign signs read in one Texas school board race. (CRT refers to critical race theory, a catchall phrase for lessons that explore how race has shaped America’s systems and policies.) “They’re focused more on the LGBTs than the ABCs,” Corey DeAngelis, American Federation for Children senior fellow, said on a Fox Business segment last summer. “I want our kids to learn about A-E-I-O-U instead of L-G-B-T-Q,” South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace wrote on X in…
One Pittsburgh-based industry expert said he can’t think of any concerns people should have about a deal between U.S. Steel and Japan-based Nippon Steel. “It’s a massive investment,” said Josh Spoores, head of Steel Americas Analysis at CRU Group. “If we as a country want to restore manufacturing, we need to have competitively priced and plentiful inputs, such as labor, energy, materials, and this allows more steel to be ready for future manufacturing growth.” The United Steelworkers Union still remains concerned about what Nippon’s involvement in U.S. Steel means, saying much is still up in the air. “Our core concerns…
For a city with hundreds of shootings each year, the work that Pha’Tal Perkins does with kids in Chicago is quiet but significant. Perkins, 41, remembers that after a bullet went through a window and into the neck of an 11-year-old girl last year in the West Englewood neighborhood, for example, he spent long hours bringing food and making sure her mother and 16-year-old brother felt safe leaving the house. He talked through her treatment with them as she recovered, and as the girl’s brother had been out of school, he helped him re-enroll. Perkins coaches his team of outreach…
Stephanie Leigh Bloss (Ravel), aged 44, of Shillington, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Born in Reading, Pennsylvania, Stephanie was the beloved daughter of Thomas C. Ravel and Julie M. (Storm) White, and the cherished wife of Steven L. White of Shillington. She was also the devoted ex-wife and lifelong best friend of Robert S. Bloss, who stood by her side with unwavering support and companionship for the past 23 years. Stephanie’s career as an eighth-grade English teacher in the Reading School District was marked by passion, dedication, and an enduring commitment to her students, many of whom…