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A Cook County judge is expected to determine members of the Calumet City electoral board after the city clerk, who is challenging Mayor Thaddeus Jones’ eligibility, objected to its makeup. Clerk Nyota Figgs is objecting to Jones’ bid for reelection, saying the mayor’s principal residence is not in the city and that a referendum passed in 2020 prohibits a Calumet City official from also being a state legislator. Jones has been a state representative since 2011. A municipal electoral board normally includes the mayor, clerk and longest serving alderman. However, because both the mayor and clerk are involved in the objection, the electoral board created for these objections has been attorney Tom Jaconetty, as chair, and the two longest serving aldermen, Ramonde Williams and Anthony Smith. Figgs and her attorney, Burt Odelson of Odelson, Murphey, Frazier and McGrath, said both Williams and Smith are biased in their support for Jones, having close political ties to the mayor. Williams, Smith and Jones are among those whose campaigns have received funding raised by the Calumet City Democrats United political party , according to filings on the Illinois State Board of Elections website. “You can’t get a fair and impartial hearing because they raise money with him,” Odelson said Tuesday. “The two aldermen will vote any way that they’re told to vote — it’s as simple as that.” Odelson said he believes Jones will be knocked off the ballot despite an unsuccessful challenge to his candidacy when he first ran for the mayor’s seat in 2021. Odelson said the referendum passed to prohibit candidates from running for mayor if they also hold an elected, paid office created by the state constitution had not been certified when Jones filed his petition for that election. Jones’ attorney, Ed Mullen of Bucktown Law in Chicago, said the Illinois General Assembly passed a bill prohibiting such a restriction on who is allowed to seek local office. “If the state legislature passes a law, it supersedes the referendum,” Mullen said. Ted Slowik / Daily Southtown City Clerk Nyota Figgs, left, and Mayor Thaddeus Jones discuss an item during a Calumet City City Council session Sept. 21, 2021, at Calumet City City Hall. (Ted Slowik/Daily Southtown) But Odelson said the legislature does not have the authority to reverse action taken in a direct vote, and that Jones prompted the change state law. “They can’t retroactively go back and undo the votes of the people,” Odelson said. Figgs, who also is running for reelection, faces a candidacy challenge from city auditor Alyssia Benford. Benford claims Figgs does not reside in Calumet City, but at an address in North Chicago. Figgs also objects to the makeup of the electoral board, and Cook County Judge Maureen Ward Kirby is to rule next week. If she determines Williams and Smith cannot serve on the board, she will appoint new members, Odelson said. The next electoral board meeting with a potentially different board is scheduled for Dec. 6 at City Hall, 204 Pulaski Road, Calumet City. ostevens@chicagotribune.comderby cockfighting 。

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 23, 2024-- SMArtX Advisory Solutions (“SMArtX”), a leading innovator in managed accounts technology, proudly announces the latest update to its Select List. This meticulously curated list represents the pinnacle of investment strategies currently available on the SMArtX platform, identified through an extensive screening process overseen by Chief Investment Officer, Dan Phillips, and Chief Investment Strategist Pascal Roduit. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Stocks rose in afternoon trading on Wall Street Friday, keeping the market on track for its fifth gain in a row. The S&P 500 was up 0.3% and was solidly on track for a weekly gain that will erase most of last week's loss. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 352 points, or 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.1% as of 2:05 p.m. Eastern. Markets have been volatile over the last few weeks, losing ground in the runup to elections in November, then surging following Donald Trump's victory, before falling again. The S&P 500 has been steadily rising throughout this week to within close range of its record. “Overall, market behavior has normalized following an intense few weeks,” said Mark Hackett, chief of investment research at Nationwide, in a statement. Several retailers jumped after giving Wall Street encouraging financial updates. Gap soared 10.8% after handily beating analysts' third-quarter earnings and revenue expectations, while raising its own revenue forecast for the year. Discount retailer Ross Stores rose 2.2% after raising its earnings forecast for the year. EchoStar fell 3.3% after DirecTV called off its purchase of that company's Dish Network unit. Smaller company stocks had some of the biggest gains. The Russell 2000 index rose 1.7%. A majority of stocks in the S&P 500 were gaining ground, but those gains were kept in check by slumps for several big technology companies. Nvidia fell 3.2%. Its pricey valuation makes it among the heaviest influences on whether the broader market gains or loses ground. The company has grown into a nearly $3.6 trillion behemoth because of demand for its chips used in artificial-intelligence technology. Intuit, which makes TurboTax and other accounting software, fell 5.6%. It gave investors a quarterly earnings forecast that fell short of analysts’ expectations. Facebook owner Meta Platforms fell 0.8% following a decision by the Supreme Court to allow a multibillion-dollar class action investors’ lawsuit to proceed against the company. It stems from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm. European markets were mostly higher and Asian markets ended mixed. Crude oil prices rose. Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.40% from 4.42% late Thursday. In the crypto market, Bitcoin hovered around $99,000, according to CoinDesk. It has more than doubled this year and first surpassed the $99,000 level on Thursday. Retailers remained a big focus for investors this week amid close scrutiny on consumer spending habits headed into the holiday shopping season. Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, reported a quarter of strong sales and gave investors an encouraging financial forecast. Target, though, reported weaker earnings than analysts' expected and its forecast disappointed Wall Street. Consumer spending has fueled economic growth, despite a persistent squeeze from inflation and high borrowing costs. Inflation has been easing and the Federal Reserve has started trimming its benchmark interest rates. That is likely to help relieve pressure on consumers, but any major shift in spending could prompt the Fed to reassess its path ahead on interest rates. Also, any big reversals on the rate of inflation could curtail spending. Consumer sentiment remains strong, according to the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index. It revised its latest figure for November to 71.8 from an initial reading of 73 earlier this month, though economists expected a slight increase. It's still up from 70.5 in October. The survey also showed that consumers' inflation expectations for the year ahead fell slightly to 2.6%, which is the lowest reading since December of 2020. Wall Street will get another update on how consumers feel when the business group The Conference Board releases its monthly consumer confidence survey on Tuesday. A key inflation update will come on Wednesday when the U.S. releases its October personal consumption expenditures index. The PCE is the Fed's preferred measure of inflation and this will be the last PCE reading prior to the central bank's meeting in December.

No. 5 UCLA snaps No. 1 South Carolina's 43-game win streakHoney, a popular browser extension owned by , is the target of one YouTuber's investigation that was widely shared over the weekend—over 6 million views, as of Monday. accuses Honey of misrepresenting itself to consumers, ripping off influencers, and engaging in questionable practices like opening hidden tabs to simulate referral links, ensuring commission on any online sale. The video was posted by , a content creator from New Zealand who creates investigative videos about technology; he’s previously posted investigations into , the glasses built for color-blind folks, and . Jimmy “ ” Donaldson, Marques “ ” Brownlee, and Linus Sebastian of , three popular YouTubers who have previously promoted Honey in their own videos, did not immediately respond to ’s request for comment. MegaLag also did not immediately respond. A spokesperson for PayPal Honey provided the following statement: “Honey is free to use and provides millions of shoppers with additional savings on their purchases whenever possible. Honey helps merchants reduce cart abandonment and comparison shopping while increasing sales conversion. Honey follows industry rules and practices, including last-click attribution.” For some background: Honey was founded in November 2012 by a pair of entrepreneurs, Ryan Hudson and George Ruan. After a bug tester , the browser extension went viral; it had nearly a million organic users by March 2014. PayPal acquired Honey in 2020. Honey, for its part, off commissions when a user makes a transaction with one of its retail partners. Part of that commission gets shared with the customer through a cash-back program. According to MegaLag’s video, though, Honey also engages in deceptive and misleading business practices that hurt consumers, affiliates, and businesses. “Honey hasn’t just been scamming you, the consumer; they’ve also been stealing money from influencers, including the very ones they paid to promote their product,” MegaLag said in the video. According to MegaLag, Honey will prioritize coupon codes from its partnering stores, even if there are better discounts elsewhere, meaning it intentionally hides discounts of higher values. Furthermore, MegaLag claims Honey overrides affiliate links from influencers, replacing them with its own, to claim commission on sales. “PayPal didn’t refer the customer to the store. They didn’t promote any of the products. The influencer did that,” MegaLag said. “PayPal provided absolutely zero value to the customer, yet they were rewarded for the sale.” Linus Tech Tips, a popular YouTube channel about consumer technology, had promoted Honey extensively through more than 160 videos totaling nearly 200 million combined views. But once it was made aware of the browser extension replacing its affiliate links, . It did not, however, publicize the issue, instead relaying its concerns to the broader creator community. “Imagine being the influencers who promoted Honey, telling your audience—who, by the way, are the most likely to use your affiliate links—to download an app that poaches your affiliate sales. It’s crazy,” MegaLag said. On top of taking affiliate-link revenue from influencers and not showing consumers the best discounts, the MegaLag says Honey has hurt businesses with unauthorized codes, which leads to merchants reporting losses from invalid or excessive discounts. This, oftentimes, leads to price increases in order to offset the loss in revenue. “Honey is helping businesses prevent consumers from finding the best deals while pretending to do the opposite,” MegaLag said. According to MegaLag, Honey has sponsored around 5,000 YouTube videos across more than 1,000 different channels, gaining over 7.8 billion views. You can watch MegaLag’s video in its entirety below. This story was originally featured on

Western pressure drives Iran and Russia closerNew illegal parking law blasted by drivers facing $40 citations in weeks after city eliminated 300,000 spots

NoneGREG COTE’S NFL WEEK 13 THANKSGIVING DAY PICKS BEARS (4-7) at LIONS (10-1) Line: DET by 10. Cote’s pick: DET, 34-16. TV: 12:30 p.m. ET Thursday, CBS. The traditional roasted bird will just about be going into the Cote oven Thursday when the opener of the NFL Thanksgiving tripleheader kicks off. This is proving not to be the season to expect Detroit to revert to its old self. Because Dan Campbell has a monster going on. The Lions as double-digit favorites? Last two times that has happened. this season, Jared Goff and the lads have put up 52 points ... not total, in each game. Bears QB Caleb Williams has been better under new O-coordinator Thomas Brown. That and the rival/division factor could see the Bears hanging around as your Turkey Day digs in. But Detroit has turned into a juggernaut to be feared not doubted. At home and with America watching, I’d expect the Lions, especially that offense, to be in full preen mode. GIANTS (2-9) at COWBOYS (4-7) Line: DAL by 3 1/2. Cote’s pick: DAL, 24-17. TV: 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Fox. Dallas will be putting its 0-5 home record on national display right around the time the Cotes (and many of you) are sitting down at the banquet table Thursday. Cowboys have owned this NFC East rivalry, winning seven straight games, 14 of the past 15, and the and the past seven in a row at Jerry’s House. Now it’s the duel of break-glass-in-case-of-emergency QBs in Cooper Rush vs. Tommy DeVito. And two head coaches under fire, with the seat under Brian Dabol even hotter. Dallas Micah Parsons had two sacks in the upset win at Washington, and now faces an NYG squad that majors in giving up sacks. We’re praying for you, DeVito. Well, OK, not really. Because we’re rooting for our pick. Giants are 0-5 covering as a dog of four points or less. Let’s keep it that way. DOLPHINS (5-6) at PACKERS (8-3) Line: GB by 3 1/2. Cote’s pick: MIA, 27-23. TV: 8:20 p.m. Thursday, NBC/Peacock. Feast digested, tryptophan kicking in, dessert looking good but too full to eat. While the rest of us are feeling this on Thanksgiving night, the Dolphins are taking the field at Lambeau Field, with temperatures expected in the low 20s, with wind gusts but (mercifully) only a small chance of rain meaning snow. Oy! Brutal weather. Teams last met in 2022 (Tua Tagovailoa threw three picks), and Miami last won in Green Bay in 2010. But Miami has won three in a row entering this to hoist its season toward playoff hope, with Tua playing great. Yes, Tua in this kind of weather has not been a pretty sight. In fact he is 0-7 in games where the temperature is 40 or below, most recently in the playoff loss in Kansas City last January. Still, the Dolphins’ solid run defense will force Jordan Love to try to win in the air in conditions he can’t love, either. Yeah, yeah, I get it. There is every reason in the world to think pragmatically here, to think safely, to pick the Pack on the Frozen Tundra. But I’m feeling saucy. Maybe it’s the holiday? Blame my friend Jim Beam? Tua said this week, “I love killing narratives.” This one is: Miami can’t beat good teams, and can’t win in the freezing cold. So that makes this a two-for-one narrative-killing holiday special. And early Black Friday sale! I say the Dolphins, with a ton to prove, will stay hot in the freezing cold. Upset! ©2024 Miami Herald. Visit at miamiherald.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Ticket to Ride launched and won the Spiel de Jahres 20 years ago. Along with Catan and Carcassonne , it is widely considered to have helped push the popularity of modern board gaming. The original title is really easy to pick up, just as easy to teach , and it has enough direct competition for routes to keep it interesting. But, after 20 years, you’re probably a bit sick of trying to get routes into Miami and Las Vegas. Fortunately, since its launch, Ticket to Ride has spawned an absolute ton of map packs and variants, most of which bring new game mechanics as well as alternative maps. Below are the 10 that we feel are the best. Note that the map collection sets below do require you to have either the original Ticket to Ride or Ticket to Ride: Europe to play them as you need the train cards and trains from one of these games. 1. Ticket to Ride: Rails & Sails Ticket to Ride is a game all about trains. Except when it isn’t. As the name suggests, Rails & Sails combines trains with boats. First, you can choose from the Great Lakes or the whole world map on the double-sided board. Then, once you’ve picked your destination cards, you split your transportation stock between trains and ships, and you can’t change your mind later. Substantial bonuses and penalties are awarded in this game, and while the original can be considered a bit light, Rails & Sails ’ complexity may put some people off. It also lasts longer, with a game taking around 90 minutes. 2. Ticket to Ride: Europe Ticket to Ride: Europe was one of the first standalone variants of the game and it introduced ferries and tunnels as well as stations. The European map is excellent and the new mechanics do add an extra layer but without over-complicating matters. This is still easy enough for beginners to grasp, although the original title remains the best teaching game of the bunch, and you can always add the Europa 1912 expansion for even more depth. 3. Ticket to Ride Map Collection 7: Japan & Italy Map Collection 7: Japan & Italy includes a double-sided board. In Japan, certain routes are reserved for the Bullet Train. Once a single player claims the Bullet Train route, all players contribute to the shared project. At the end of the game, points are awarded to players according to how much they contributed. There is also a separate inlay for routes that involve the Tokyo subway system. Italy has regions with bonuses for connecting more regions. There are also ferry routes, which require the use of ferry cards as well as standard train cards. 4. Ticket to Ride Map Collection 5: UK & Pennsylvania The UK side of the UK & Pennsylvania map pack adds a whole new mechanic of technology. Initially, players won’t be able to build many routes but, as the game progresses and more technology is researched, many options open up. Pennsylvania is similar to the original titles except it incorporates stocks and shares for some light investment action. 5. Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries is a standalone game that is similar to the original but does add a couple of location-specific mechanics – tunnels and ferries. To use a tunnel, the player flips the top 3 train cards from the deck. If one of these trains matches the color of the tunnel, the player has to pay extra or forego building the route. Ferries require the payment of a set number of wild cards to establish the route. 6. Ticket to Ride Map Collection 6: France & Old West The France board doesn’t have routes between cities. Instead, players turn cards and the routes could benefit anybody at the table. It ramps up the luck element of the game, which some people will appreciate. The Old West map is the one we prefer here, with players having a starting city. Routes must be built outwards from that starting point rather than anywhere on the board. 7. Ticket to Ride Map Collection 4: Nederland Nederland is a unique Ticket to Ride map because it incorporates money into the game. When a bridge route is first claimed, the player pays a toll to the bank. If another player claims that route, the first player receives the toll fee. Bonuses are awarded according to how many toll tokens players have at the end of the game. 8. Ticket to Ride: London Ticket to Ride: London is a standalone variant of the game that is especially popular for its brevity with a single game taking around 20 minutes to complete. In London, players are building bus routes rather than train routes, to complete destination tickets, connect districts, and, of course, get the most points by the end of the game. 9. Ticket to Ride: First Journey Ticket to Ride: First Journey is almost identical to the original Ticket to Ride , except it scores differently. Rather than adding up routes and calculating the longest contiguous route lengths, the winner of Ticket to Ride: First Journey or Ticket to Ride: First Journey (Europe) is the first player to complete six destination tickets. It’s a simpler system and is designed to keep the attention of younger players. 10. Ticket to Ride There’s a reason so many variants and expansions of the original have launched, and that’s because Ticket to Ride was and still is a brilliant game. Despite having a collection comprising some of the latest, greatest, and meatiest board games available, we still reach for Ticket to Ride when we want a simple, enjoyable, chilled family game. If you want to get into titles with greater complexity or added mechanics, Ticket to Ride is the best place to start, and if you want to play the map packs you will need one of the base games so you can use the trains and other elements of the game. And, in a lot of cases, if you have Ticket to Ride , you likely won’t need the versions aimed at children, unless they are very young.Data engineering , as a profession and as a practice, is steadily evolving to meet the growing demands of businesses. Data engineering uses tools like SQL and Python to make data ready for data scientists and hence it is an essential part of the drive to accumulate and understand business data. By 2025, businesses can expect to see a surge in key trends that will shape the future of data management. Yet what are these trends and what should business leaders be on the look out for? Arnab Sen, VP of Data Engineering at Tredence , has outlined some of the most significant predictions for the coming year and discussed these with Digital Journal. Data Mesh Architecture Decentralization of data ownership will become more prevalent, allowing teams to manage their own data as products. This will be particularly beneficial for large organizations seeking independent, high-quality data exchange. DataOps and Automation The application of DevOps principles to data engineering will accelerate the deployment and maintenance of scalable data pipelines. Increased automation will streamline processes and reduce manual effort. Data Security and Privacy With stricter regulations in place, organizations will need to prioritize data security and privacy. Encryption, tokenization, and data masking will become essential components of data pipelines. AI/ML-Powered Data Engineering Artificial intelligence and machine learning will enhance automation in data pipelines, improving data quality and classification. This will enable faster, real-time insights and streamlined data management. Real-Time Analytics and Streaming Data The ability to process data in real-time will become increasingly important. Tools like Kafka will enable businesses to make faster decisions and deliver personalized customer experiences. Low-Code/No-Code Data Engineering The rise of low-code/no-code platforms will democratize data engineering, making it accessible to a wider range of users. This will reduce reliance on technical experts and accelerate the development of data pipelines. Sustainability and Green Data Engineering As organizations become more conscious of their environmental impact, sustainability will become a key consideration in data engineering. AI-driven frameworks can help manage costs while promoting green practices. Generative AI-Driven Data Management Generative AI will automate tasks like data cataloguing, anomaly detection, and data governance. This will improve data quality, increase accessibility, and enhance efficiency. Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news.Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.

Southern California jumped to No. 4 in The Associated Press women's college basketball poll on Monday after edging UConn. The Trojans moved up three spots in the AP Top 25 after beating the then-No. 4 Huskies 72-70 on Saturday night in a rematch of last season's Elite Eight game that UConn won. "It feels great to get the dub always," USC star JuJu Watkins said after the victory. "I think it hit a little different knowing the history of last year and how they sent us home." This was the Trojans' first win ever over UConn. "This is a really significant win, and it's a really significant win because of the stature of UConn's program and what Geno Auriemma has done for our sport," USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. "It doesn't matter to me that they haven't won a championship in a couple years. There's still a way that they prepare, a way that they play, that makes you better, and it made us better." UCLA, South Carolina and Notre Dame remained the top three teams. The Bruins received 30 of the 32 first-place votes from a national media panel. The Gamecocks and the Fighting Irish each got one first-place vote. UConn fell to seventh behind Texas and LSU. Maryland, Oklahoma and Ohio State rounded out the top 10 teams. Falling Blue Devils Duke dropped five spots to No. 14 after losing to South Florida on Saturday. The Blue Devils' other two losses this season were to Maryland and South Carolina. The Bulls are 7-6 on the season, with four of those losses coming against ranked opponents (UConn, Louisville, TCU and South Carolina). Welcome back Alabama jumped back into the poll at No. 20 two weeks after falling out. The Crimson Tide had an impressive 82-67 victory over Michigan State, handing the Spartans their first loss of the season. It was Alabama's first victory over a ranked opponent this year. Conference breakdown The Southeastern Conference has eight teams in the poll this week with Alabama's return. The Big Ten is next with seven. The ACC has six while the Big 12 has three and the Big East one. Game of the week No. 23 Michigan at No. 4 USC, Sunday. The Wolverines start Big Ten play with a trip to Los Angeles to face the Trojans on Sunday and then the Bruins a few days later. Coach Kim Barnes Arico's young team is off to a 10-2 start.

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Alexis Mac Allister and substitute Cody Gakpo got the goals as Liverpool beat Champions League holders Real Madrid 2-0 at Anfield to make it five wins from as many games in the league phase for Arne Slot’s men. The Reds took the lead when Mac Allister played a one-two with Conor Bradley and slotted past Thibaut Courtois seven minutes into the second half. Real had the chance to equalise with a penalty just past the hour, but Kylian Mbappe saw his strike saved by Caoimhin Kelleher. There was then an unsuccessful spot-kick from the hosts as Mohamed Salah missed from 12 yards, before Gakpo popped up with a 76th-minute header from Andy Robertson’s cross as the Merseysiders recorded a first win over Real in 15 years and gained some revenge for their defeats in the 2018 and 2022 finals. While Liverpool top the table, Carlo Ancelotti’s Real are down in 24th place – the final play-offs berth – with just six points from their five matches. Aston Villa are outside the top eight on goal difference after a 0-0 draw with Juventus in which Morgan Rogers had a stoppage-time finish for the hosts ruled out for a foul, with Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez having earlier made a fantastic save to deny Francisco Conceicao. Celtic, lying 20th, drew 1-1 at home with Club Brugge thanks to a curling Daizen Maeda strike that cancelled out a remarkable own goal by Cameron Carter-Vickers, who passed back without looking to send the ball into the net. Borussia Dortmund moved into the top eight with 3-0 win at Dinamo Zagreb, where Jamie Gittens, Ramy Bensebaini and Serhou Guirassy got on the scoresheet. Monaco dropped to eighth after suffering their first loss of the league phase, 3-2 at home to Benfica. Despite having Wilfried Singo sent off just prior to the hour mark, the French side took the lead for a second time via Soungoutou Magassa in the 67th minute, only for late goals from Arthur Cabral and Zeki Amdouni to give Benfica all three points. Lille, in 12th, have the same amount of points as Monaco and Villa thanks to a 2-1 win at Bologna, with Ngal’Ayel Mukau notching a brace. PSV Eindhoven, now 18th, produced a dramatic late turnaround to beat 10-man Shakhtar Donetsk 3-2 at home. The visitors led 2-0 through Danylo Sikan and Oleksandr Zubkov before having Pedrinho sent off in the 69th minute, and PSV then hit back with three goals in the closing stages, Malik Tilman scoring in the 87th and 90th and Ricardo Pepi then notching the winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Red Star Belgrade registered their first win of the league phase by thrashing Stuttgart 5-1, as did Sturm Graz, beating Girona 1-0.