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This June 2, 2016 file photo shows Exelon Corporation’s Clinton Power Station in Clinton, Illinois. We must invest in nuclear energy, the largest source of carbon-free power. Sen. Dick Durbin writes. | John Dixon, AP Photos

Nuclear power once seemed like science fiction, but Illinoisans made it a reality. If we want to safeguard the planet for our children and grandchildren, there are few tools as powerful as nuclear.

Illinois depends on nuclear power. In fact, roughly 50 percent of our electricity — the most of any state — comes from nuclear plants. Nuclear energy generation emits no carbon into the atmosphere and for millions of Illinoisans that means the lights stay on without contributing to climate change.

If we want to stave off the worst impacts of the climate crisis, then we must ensure the nuclear fleet remains safe and economical, and that we manage it responsibly.

As we saw at the climate conference in Glasgow, the world is newly committed to carbon- free power. President Joe Biden set the goal of a carbon-free electricity sector by 2035, and Illinois has set a similar goal for 2045. These goals are ambitious, yet achievable. But only if we are willing to invest responsibly in what is already the largest source of carbon-free power in America: nuclear energy.

When Gov. J. B. Pritzker signed the Clean Energy Jobs Act in September, he signaled that Illinois was prepared to lead the fight against climate change, and that nuclear energy would be a key tool in our arsenal. The bill includes more than $690 million to upgrade and support Illinois’ nuclear fleet as it continues to provide affordable, zero-carbon power and tens of thousands of jobs.

And with passage of the INVEST in America Act, Congress provided $6 billion to further assist nuclear plants at risk of closure throughout the country. These bills will guide the U.S. on the path to de-carbonization while we build out renewable energy and develop a more sustainable economy.

But our work remains. Congress must now pass the Build Back Better Act in order to help the nuclear fleet remain economical and support the growth of renewable energy sources until we meet our climate goals.

Act responsibly on storing nuclear waste

If we want to reap the rewards of this powerful source of carbon-free energy, we must do so responsibly. It is past time for Congress to step up and develop a comprehensive, consent-based plan to store our nuclear waste. In the meantime, we must support communities already tasked with storing spent fuel, especially those impacted economically by the closure of nuclear plants.

Illinois has led the way on nuclear. In 1942, the world’s first nuclear reactor was constructed on a squash court beneath the University of Chicago’s football field. Today, you can look to Argonne National Laboratory or the University of Illinois, where brilliant Illinoisans work at the cutting edge of cleaner, safer, and more efficient nuclear energy.

Nuclear power once seemed like science fiction, but Illinoisans made it a reality. At times, the threat of climate change can feel similarly insurmountable, but if we want to safeguard the planet for our children and grandchildren, there are few tools as powerful as nuclear and no state better suited to lead than Illinois.

Sen. Dick Durbin is a Democrat from Illinois. Follow him on Twitter @SenatorDurbin

Send letters to [email protected]

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Kyle Rittenhouse, center, looks over to his attorneys as the jury is dismissed for the day during his trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wis., on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021. | AP

Rittenhouse, 18, is on trial for killing two men and wounding a third with a rifle during a turbulent night of protests that erupted in Kenosha in the summer of 2020 after a Black man, Jacob Blake, was shot by a white police officer.

KENOSHA, Wis. — The jury at Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder trial began deliberating for a fourth day Friday, as prosecutors argued against a defense request for a mistrial, saying there was “no factual or legal basis” for the judge to grant it.

Rittenhouse, 18, is on trial for killing two men and wounding a third with a rifle during a turbulent night of protests that erupted in Kenosha in the summer of 2020 after a Black man, Jacob Blake, was shot by a white police officer. Rittenhouse said he acted in self-defense, while the prosecution argued he instigated the bloodshed.

Even as the jury weighed the evidence, two mistrial requests from the defense hung over the case, with the potential to upend the verdict if the panel were to convict Rittenhouse. One of those requests asks the judge to go even further and bar prosecutors from retrying him.

In their mistrial bid, Rittenhouse’s lawyers complained that they were given an inferior copy of a potentially crucial video and that a prosecutor asked Rittenhouse improper questions during cross-examination about material not admitted into evidence and about his exercising of his constitutional right to remain silent.

In a reply filed with the court, prosecutor James Kraus said that the state did not intentionally provide the defense with a lesser-quality video and that Rittenhouse’s lawyers also were supplied with a copy of the original, higher-quality footage played in court.

Kraus said in his reply that the file was compressed by the Kenosha Police Department’s email program. He had earlier argued in court that the compression was the fault of the defense attorneys’ email program.

Prosecutors contend the video shows Rittenhouse pointing his gun at protesters just before the shooting erupted.

The defense has also accused prosecutors of deliberately trying to provoke a mistrial because their case was going poorly and they wanted a do-over trial. But Kraus denied that, saying the state “has never had any intention to create a mistrial” so that it could retry Rittenhouse.

If Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder grants the mistrial request based on the video, Rittenhouse could be retried. If he grants the other mistrial bid, based on the prosecutor’s questions, he could not be put on trial again.

The jury resumed deliberations the morning after the judge raised eyebrows among lawyers when he agreed to let a juror take home a copy of the detailed legal instructions he gave to the panel. The instructions consisted of some 36 pages of explanation of the charges and the laws of self-defense.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I watch a little TV, in the morning, in the evening. And some of the greatest legal minds in the country, I’m delighted to say, agree with us that the instructions are very confusing,” Schroeder said in granting the juror’s request Thursday.

After the jury departed, Rittenhouse attorney Mark Richards told the judge he feared such a move would lead to jurors looking things up in the dictionary or doing their own research at home.

Tom Grieve, a Milwaukee lawyer and former prosecutor not involved in the case, called the move “definitely unusual in my experience.”

“The natural issue is that it will precipitate armchair research and table discussion,” he said.

Rittenhouse was a 17-year-old former police youth cadet when he went to Kenosha in what he said was an effort to protect property after rioters set fires and ransacked businesses on previous nights.

He shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, now 28. Rittenhouse is white, as were those he shot.

The case has exposed deep divides among Americans over guns, racial injustice, vigilantism and self-defense in the U.S.

Rittenhouse could get life in prison if convicted of the most serious charge against him.

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Forliti reported from Minneapolis, Bauer from Madison, Wisconsin. Associated Press writers Tammy Webber in Fenton, Michigan, and Todd Richmond in Madison contributed to this story.

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“Bears On Parade” by Felix Maldonado Jr. near the CTA’s Paulina Street Brown Line stop in the 3400 block of North Ashland Avenue. | Zack Miller / Sun-Times

His mural ‘Bears On Parade’ on the North Side is a tribute to Chicago’s wilderness past and to his mother, who died of COVID last year.

As a kid, Felix Maldonado Jr. remembers being scolded for drawing on walls. Now, he’s paid to decorate them with his murals.

Among his work: “Bears On Parade,” a mural in the 3400 block of North Ashland Avenue that he completed in October 2020 with the help of assistants Lisa Jones and Omar Marin after more than a year of delays due to construction nearby and the coronavirus pandemic.

Maldonado, 50, of East Chicago, Ind., was one of six artists chosen from 200 applicants to help beautify the “Low Line” — a small park and pathway beneath the CTA’s Paulina Street Brown Line L stop.

Maldonado — who sometimes works under the name “Flex” — says he chose bears for the nearly 1,300-square-feet-wide project in part as a nod to the Bears and the Cubs but also because he was looking to represent what the area was like in pre-colonial days, when black bears could be found around Chicago.

But he made his bears red because he wanted to feature only the colors you’ll find on Chicago’s city flag — blue, white and red.

The spray-painted mural was Maldonado’s first after his mother Teresa Fuentes Maldonado died of COVID-19, and he sees it as inextricably linked to her memory.

Maldonado remembers first trying his hand at art when he was 5. He liked to draw on the walls. He says his mother had another idea of what makes a proper canvas and got him art supplies including a sketchbook.

After getting an advertising degree from the American Academy of Art in Chicago, he worked for several years in the industry until getting laid off in 2001 — which he now calls a “miracle” because it brought him back to his real art.

“I had this God-given talent that I didn’t even use,” he says.

For the next 20 years, Maldonado worked as an independent artist, with exhibitions from San Francisco to Manhattan.

He also did murals, including a towering one of the Jackson 5 in their hometown of Gary — painted on a building that since has been demolished.

Provided
Felix Maldonado Jr.’s mural of the Jackson 5 in Gary lives on only in memory and photos. It was on a building that’s since been torn down.

During the pandemic, Maldonado says he has stayed afloat financially by painting murals in offices and restaurants whose operators used the time during COVID-related shutdowns for renovations.

“While everybody was locked down, I was redecorating and renovating restaurants and corporate offices,” he says.

In addition to his mother, he says he also lost an uncle and cousin to COVID-19, and got sick himself.

Maldonado says “Bears On Parade” is dedicated to his mother, who died in August 2020, not just because of the timing of her death but also because of the familial spirit he tried to show between the bear cubs and mothers.

Provided
Felix Maldonado Jr. with his mother Teresa Fuentes Maldonado, who died in August 2020 of COVID-19.

Jones says she could see that working on the mural was “very emotional” for Maldonado because his mom had been his “biggest fan.”

“You can’t help but somehow want to bring that love and connection that you have for someone that’s no longer here in body,” Jones says.

Maldonado says the mural not only reminds him of his mom, but also how far his art has come with her encouragement.

“When I finished, I just got so emotional,” he says. “Just knowing I had to keep going. That mural will always remind me of my mom.”

Zack Miller / Sun-Times
Lauren Asta’s mural “This Is Lakeview” is also part of the Low Line, a small park and pathway beneath the Paulina Street Brown Line L stop.

Click on the map below for a selection of Chicago-area murals

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The Chicago Bears have been without pass rusher Khalil Mack since their Week 7 tilt with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and things don’t look to be getting any better. Mack’s foot injury has kept him out of practice this week, yet again, and on Thursday the team took an additional measure which made fans […] Chicago Bears: Why the Khalil Mack era could be ending – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & MoreRead More

Kyle Rittenhouse, center, looks over to his attorneys as the jury is dismissed for the day during his trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wis., on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021. | AP

Rittenhouse, 18, is on trial for killing two men and wounding a third with a rifle during a turbulent night of protests that erupted in Kenosha in the summer of 2020 after a Black man, Jacob Blake, was shot by a white police officer.

KENOSHA, Wis. — The jury at Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder trial returned for a fourth day of deliberations Friday, the morning after the judge raised eyebrows among lawyers when he let a juror take home a copy of the detailed legal instructions he gave to the panel.

Rittenhouse, 18, is on trial for killing two men and wounding a third with a rifle during a turbulent night of protests that erupted in Kenosha in the summer of 2020 after a Black man, Jacob Blake, was shot by a white police officer. Rittenhouse said he acted in self-defense, while the prosecution argued he instigated the bloodshed.

As the third day of deliberations ended Thursday, a juror asked Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder if she could take the jury instructions home, and he said yes. Before deliberations, Schroeder read the jury some 36 pages of explanation of the charges and the laws of self-defense.

After the jury departed, Rittenhouse attorney Mark Richards told the judge he feared that letting members take home instructions would lead to jurors looking things up in the dictionary or doing their own research.

Tom Grieve, a Milwaukee lawyer and former prosecutor not involved in the case, called the move “definitely unusual in my experience.”

“The natural issue is that it will precipitate armchair research and table discussion,” he said.

Even as the jury weighed the evidence, two mistrial requests from the defense hung over the case, with the potential to upend the verdict if the panel were to convict Rittenhouse. One of those requests asks the judge to go even further and bar prosecutors from retrying him.

Rittenhouse’s lawyers have complained that they were given an inferior copy of a potentially crucial video and that the prosecution asked improper questions of the defendant during cross-examination.

Rittenhouse was a 17-year-old former police youth cadet when he went to Kenosha in what he said was an effort to protect property after rioters set fires and ransacked businesses on previous nights.

He shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, now 28. Rittenhouse is white, as were those he shot.

The case has exposed deep divides among Americans over guns, racial injustice, vigilantism and self-defense in the U.S.

Rittenhouse could get life in prison if convicted of the most serious charge against him.

Also Thursday, Schroeder banned MSNBC from the courthouse after police said they briefly detained a man who had followed the jury bus and may have tried to photograph jurors.

NBC News said in a statement that the man was a freelancer who received a citation for a traffic violation that took place near the jury vehicle, and he “never photographed or intended to photograph them.”

___

Forliti reported from Minneapolis, Bauer from Madison, Wisconsin. Associated Press writers Tammy Webber in Fenton, Michigan, and Todd Richmond in Madison contributed to this story.

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Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said Friday there was a “culture of behavior” at Marine Leadership Academy that is “not tolerated by our district.”

The Chicago Public Schools inspector general has substantiated allegations against 13 adults at the Marine Leadership Academy for either committing or covering up sexual misconduct dating back more than two years, district officials revealed Friday.

CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said in a morning news conference at the district’s downtown headquarters that he only found out about the investigation late last month and insisted other central office officials did not know the widespread nature of the allegations.

That’s even as the former principal of the school, Erin Galfer, was promoted to a district administrator position this June. She has since been fired, Martinez said.

CPS inspector general Will Fletcher didn’t immediately comment. His office’s findings are expected to be released later Friday.

Martinez said there was a “culture of behavior” at Marine Leadership Academy that is “not tolerated by our district.”

One allegation involved a teacher having a sexual relationship with a student once they turned 18 — conduct that led to that teacher’s removal but under Illinois law doesn’t constitute a crime because they were over the age of consent, Martinez said. He said he would lobby Illinois lawmakers to make it illegal for school workers to have sex with students no matter their age.

Another case had to do with a teacher grooming a student for sex after they graduated. Several more involved grooming or sexual harassment of students by staff members and one volunteer.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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Bears coach Matt Nagy has never won a game immediately after a bye week. | Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

The Ravens will be a measuring stick for the Bears.

Mark Potash and Patrick Finley discuss why Sunday’s game against the Ravens is a great test of the Bears’ coaching staff — and of quarterback Justin Fields, who is coming off two encouraging performances.

New episodes of “Halas Intrigue” will be published regularly with accompanying stories collected on the podcast’s hub page. You can also listen to “Halas Intrigue” wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Luminary, Spotify, and Stitcher.

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This combination of photos shows “Billy Joel — The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1,” a box set of Joel’s first six albums. | AP

Here are some outstanding record collections for lovers of rap, metal and pop, a pair of fascinating books.

Music-related gifts are an easy choice this holiday season. Everyone likes music, right? Here are some outstanding record collections for lovers of rap, metal and pop, a pair of fascinating books and some clothes that help musicians in need.

PIANO MAN: Billy Joel is celebrating 50 years of making music this year and he’s reminding us all how it started. “Billy Joel — The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1” contains nine LPs: His first six solo studio albums (“Cold Spring Harbor,” “Piano Man,” “Streetlife Serenade,” “Turnstiles,” “The Stranger,” “52nd Street”) with his first live album (“Songs in the Attic”) and “Live at The Great American Music Hall — 1975,” a previously unreleased concert recording available for the first time in the box set as a double vinyl album. The box also includes a 50-page booklet highlighting Joel’s early career through archival photos, his insights on his songs, and tributes from fellow musicians, artists and celebrities. Price: $250.

AP
This image released by Abrams Books shows “Music Is History” by Questlove.

BOOK NOTES: “Music Is History” by Questlove is both very personal and sweepingly grounded in the historical, one of the most fascinating music-based books of the year. The Roots’ five-time Grammy-winning producer and drummer picks one song per chapter from 1971-2001 and let’s his encyclopedic mind fly, explaining the tune in its context, reaching back to its influences, connecting it to its influencers, and exploring pop culture and U.S. history. It’s a tour de force. Take 1976, which highlights Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke,” then spotlights Duke Ellington and connects it all to Richard Nixon, the Republican Party and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Questlove also includes great lists, like the best E-minor songs or hip-hop deep cuts. Cost: $30.

AP
This cover image released by Rhino/Blackened Recordings shows “The Metallica Blacklist,” performed by various artists

HEAVY BOX: Metallica’s 1991 self-titled LP, generally known as the “Black Album,” is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and one way to join in is by listening to a whole lot of people who aren’t in Metallica. “The Metallica Blacklist” is a four-hour, 53-track behemoth of covers by artists including Phoebe Bridgers, Miley Cyrus, St. Vincent, Weezer and Elton John. They tackle legendary tracks from the album, including “Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Wherever I May Roam” and “Sad But True.” The seven-LP vinyl box set retails for $150, a 4-CD version is $30 and the digital download costs $50. All profits go to the charities of each contributing artist’s choice along with Metallica’s own foundation, All Within My Hands.

RAP THIS UP: Lil Wayne has dropped the vinyl box set “Tha Carter Singles Collection,” which features 19 of the rapper’s hit 45 rpm records, including “A Milli,” “Hustler Musik,” “How to Love” and the unreleased until now “Carter III”-era song “Ya Dig.” Two liner lithographs and a booklet filled with never-before-seen photos are included in the box, which is decorated with Lil Wayne’s tattoos. “Tha Carter” peaked at No. 5 in 2004 on the Billboard 200, “Tha Carter II” reached No. 2 a year later, and both “”Tha Carter III” “Tha Carter IV” and “Tha Carter V” all reached to top spots in 2008, 2011 and 2018, respectively. Cost: $200.

AP
This cover image released by Grand Central Publishing shows “Billie Eilish,” a collection of photos of the Grammy Award winning artist.

THE GIFT OF BILLIE: How did Billie Eilish become Billie Eilish? You can learn in her songs or the Apple+ doc “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry.” But there’s also the hundreds of photos of her growing up in Grand Central Publishing’s “Billie Eilish.” There’s one of her as an infant in a sling worn by her father as he plays the piano, and another of her and her brother, Finneas, looking mischievous as small children. “I just want you to see me and see my life, with your own eyes,” she writes in the introduction. “I want to give you a big pile of pictures that speak for themselves.” They are at the same time deeply intimate snaps of a future Grammy-winning artist and yet often just ordinary shots of a child growing up in what seems a loving home. Cost: $35

AP
This image released by Sweet Relief shows a T-shirt, one of many music-themed merch for sale by the nonprofit Sweet Relief Musicians Fund to benefit career musicians who are struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability or age-related problems

DO GOOD, LOOK GREAT: The nonprofit Sweet Relief Musicians Fund provides assistance to all types of career musicians who are struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability or age-related problems. One way to help Sweet Relief help others is to help yourself or your loved ones to some cool music-themed merch, from totes, T-shirts, tank tops, caps, mugs, bags, sweatshirts and more. Check out their “Music Heals” and “Music Is Love” lines. Proceeds from each purchase go to help those in need.

AP
This image released by Insight Editions shows “A Life in Focus: The Photography of Graham Nash,” by singer-songwriter Graham Nash.

CANDID CAMERA: Singer-songwriter Graham Nash has been taking photographs longer than he’s been making music. His collection of images over the years — “A Life in Focus: The Photography of Graham Nash,” out Nov. 30 — captures unguarded many fellow celebrities like Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Mama Cass Elliott, Twiggy and, of course, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. “I’ve been a very lucky man in some very strange places,” Nash writes in the introduction. Many of the images have a surreal flavor, some have a political vibe and some are just random subject he encountered on a street. Cost: $60.

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Early last season, the Chicago Bears lost shifty running back and return specialist Tarik Cohen to an ACL injury. After sitting out the remainder of the 2020 season, many believed he would be back for the start of this year. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. Cohen has yet to suit up, and 10 […] Chicago Bears: Tarik Cohen is angry, but questions still linger – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & MoreRead More

The Chicago Bears’ offensive line has gradually come on lately, with the offensive tackles being the highlight of the group. Rookie fifth-round draft pick Larry Borom has been solid, putting together a pair of good showings against a couple of the league’s top pass rushers (Nick Bosa and T.J. Watt). Borom has been somewhat of […] Chicago Bears: What should the Bears do with Teven Jenkins? – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & MoreRead More