Summary List PlacementFirst lady Melania Trump lashed out at her critics on Monday in a typo-ridden statement, her first public remarks since last Wednesday's violent siege of the Capitol building by her husband's loyalists.  Trump expressed sympathy for the five people who died during or from injuries sustained amid last Wednesday's riot, including the rioters, and named each of the individuals. She misspelled the name of 35-year-old Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by Capitol Police as she and others attempted to break through a door inside the Capitol building.  The first lady vaguely condemned the attempted coup, saying she was "disappointed and disheartened with what happened last week." She had much harsher words for those she accused of spreading "salaciou...

A student’s temperature is checked as he walks into Dawes Elementary School on Monday. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-TimesSome 6,000 preschool and special education students and 4,300 teachers and staff are expected to be in classrooms to start the week. Young kids bundled in winter coats, hats and gloves held their parents’ hands as they walked into school for the first time this year. For a few moments Monday morning, Chicago Public Schools resembled normal times at a handful of buildings around the city. But as thousands of students went back to their classrooms for the first time during the pandemic, a step that could begin a return to normalcy for many, another reality met them on the inside. Some 6,000 preschoolers and special education students with complex disabilities are expected to be in c

Zendaya’s career is skyrocketing after her Emmy win for “Euphoria” in September and rave first reactions over the weekend for “Malcolm & Marie,” for which she’s being touted as a major Oscar contender for Best Actress. The Netflix-backed “Malcolm & Marie” is the brainchild of Zendaya and her “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson. When production on “Euphoria” Season 2 was delayed in March on account of the pandemic, the two started brainstorming ideas for a project that could be pulled off safely in quarantine. Levinson’s first thought was “a twisty meta-Disney thriller,” as revealed in Zendaya’s new GQ magazine cover story. “I was just on the pavement outside in my backyard because I didn’t have outdoor furniture yet, talking to Sam,” Zendaya told the magazine. “He’s like, ‘What if we

» On Sunday night, city officials announced that Dodger Stadium—currently the largest COVID-19 testing site in the country—will stop administering tests on Monday so it can flip to become a vaccine distribution site. The move will reduce testing capacity in the area, but more than triple the number of vaccinations that can be administered on a daily basis. [Los Angeles Times] » California has now surpassed 30,000 deaths from COVID-19. The pace of deaths has increased considerably amid the current surge. [Los Angeles Times] » Right wing social network Parler has been banned from the Apple and Google app stores, had its web services cut off by Amazon, and seen several other vendors decide they no longer want to do business with them. Even the company’s lawyer reportedly fired them as a cli...

A full closure of Interstate-25 in Northern Colorado will begin Monday night. As construction continues near Loveland, I-25 will be closed northbound between Colorado Highway 402 and U.S. 34 from 9 p.m. Monday until 5 a.m. on Tuesday. The detour onto County Road 13 in Weld County will take travelers on an approximately five-mile reroute. On Wednesday, I-25 will remain open in each direction, but Colorado Highway 60 will be closed between midnight and 4 a.m. as crews do work on the bridge. The I-25 North project aims to make the highway three general-purpose lanes and one tolled express lane wide in each direction on the entire corridor from Denver to Wyoming by 2075. ...read more Source:: The Denver Post...

File photo/Getty ImagesWilliams Tee Ervin was hit Sunday in the 600 block of West 35th Avenue. A 58-year-old man died after being hit by a car Sunday evening in Gary, Indiana. Williams Tee Ervin was struck about 6:10 p.m. in the 600 block of West 35th Avenue, according to the Lake County coroner’s office. The 23-year-old driver of a Chevy Malibu told investigators he didn’t see the pedestrian “until it was too late,” police said. Ervin, of Merrillville, was outside of a crosswalk when he was hit, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver was cooperative with investigators, according to police, who didn’t say citations or charges were filed. Ervin is the second pedestrian to be hit and killed by a vehicle this month in Gary. On Jan. 5, Brenda Doby, 71, was fatally struck...

Chicago Police Officer John Catanzara’s initial comments on the Capitol riot sparked backlash. | Nader Issa/Sun-TimesThe resolution further demands that, if Catanzara refuses to step down, the board of directors of FOP Lodge 7 vote to request his resignation. Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara has already apologized — and been rebuked by the National FOP — for sympathizing with and defending the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol last week. But that’s not good enough for nearly three-fourths of the Chicago City Council. Thirty-six aldermen are demanding Catanzara’s resignation in a resolution championed by rookie Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th). The resolution further demands that, if Catanzara refuses to step down, the board of directors of FOP Lodge 7 vote to request his resign

Sun-Times file photoFirefighters were called to the second-story blaze Monday morning in the 1100 block of West Taylor Street. No one was hurt in an apartment fire Monday morning in the University Village neighborhood. Firefighters were called to the second-story blaze about 5:35 a.m. in the 1100 block of West Taylor Street, according to the Chicago Police Department. Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames, and reported no injuries or displacements. Authorities are investigating if the fire was caused by improperly stored fireworks or an electrical issue, police said. ...read more Source:: Chicago Sun Times...

Last week, a meat lover, a long-time vegetarian and two omnivores sat down to dinner and heartily agreed on what to eat: Baja-style Cauliflower Tacos, umami-filled Spaghetti and Meatless Meatballs and Green Shakshuka loaded with spinach and Swiss chard. While the eating labels are different, the people — America’s Test Kitchen creative director Jack Bishop and his wife and two daughters — are committed to eating more delicious, plant-based meals in 2021. Bishop’s family may sound like yours. Study after study reveals that whether we identify as vegans, carnivores or in-between flexitarians — short ribs one night, tofu stir-fry the next — Americans are eager to move vegetables, beans and legumes center-plate while minimizing their consumption of animal products. Hundreds of ways to eat bean

TOKYO — More than 80% of people in Japan who were surveyed in two polls in the last few days say the Tokyo Olympics should be canceled or postponed, or say they believe the Olympics will not take place. The polls were conducted by the Japanese news agency Kyodo and TBS — the Tokyo Broadcasting System. The results are bad news for Tokyo organizers and the International Olympic Committee as they continue to say the postponed Olympics will open on July 23. Tokyo is battling a surge of COVID-19 cases that prompted the national government last week to call a state of emergency. In declaring the emergency, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said he was confident the Olympics would be held. Japan has controlled the virus relatively well but the surge has heightened skepticism about the need for the O...

Summary List Placement Guggenheim's Scott Minerd said bitcoin's surge is unsustainable and investors should consider taking profits now. The global chief investment officer tweeted early Monday morning:  "Bitcoin's parabolic rise is unsustainable in the near term.  Vulnerable to a setback. The target technical upside of $35,000 has been exceeded.  Time to take some money off the table." Bitcoin plunged as much as 10% on Monday to $31,590. It's lost over $10,000 in value after hovering near $42,000 last week. Watch Bitcoin trade live here.  Bitcoin's recent record surge is unsustainable and investors should consider taking profits now, said Guggenheim's Scott Minerd. The global chief investment officer tweeted early Monday morning:  "Bitcoin's parabolic rise is unsustainable in the...

A passenger was killed and the driver severely injured in a crash Sunday night near Highway 17 in Santa Cruz County, the California Highway Patrol reported. A resident in the 1300 block of El Rancho Drive reported hearing a loud crash around 9:45 p.m. and went out to find a tree across the roadway and a “very mangled” Volkswagen on its roof, the CHP said. No other vehicles were involved. The passenger, a woman, was pronounced dead, and the male driver was taken to a hospital. The road remained closed for more than five hours as the tree was removed and PG&E worked to fix downed power lines. Related Articles San Jose: One dead in traffic accident Good Samaritan killed in early morning I-880 crash Wrong-way driver...