In this image taken from video by Taiwan’s EBC, firefighters battle a blaze at a building in Kaohsiung, in southern Taiwan on Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021. The fire engulfed a 13-story building overnight in southern Taiwan, the island’s semi-official Central News Agency reported Thursday. | AP

Neighborhood residents said the 13-story building was home to many poor, elderly and disabled people and it wasn’t clear how many of the 120 units were occupied.

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan — At least 46 people were killed and another 41 injured after a fire broke out early Thursday in a decades-old mixed commercial and residential building in the Taiwanese port city of Kaohsiung, officials said.

Neighborhood residents said the 13-story building was home to many poor, elderly and disabled people and it wasn’t clear how many of the 120 units were occupied.

Witnesses said they heard something that sounded like an explosion at about 3 a.m. when the blaze erupted in the building’s lower floors, which housed a closed movie theater, abandoned restaurants and karaoke clubs.

Lin Chie-ying said she was awoken in her home across from the fire by the sounds of ambulances and fire trucks.

“I thought our home would burn up too,” she said.

The apartment building is one of many in the Yancheng district, an older part of Kaohsiung, a city of some 2.8 million people in southwestern Taiwan.

“For the families and Yancheng, I feel incomparable pain and I blame myself deeply,” Mayor Chen Chi Mai said at a news conference, bowing in apology. “Here I want to express my deepest sorrow to all the wounded and those who died, as well as their families and all the residents.”

It took firefighters until after 7 a.m. to extinguish the blaze. Many of the upper floors appeared not to have been damaged directly.

Late in the day, the smell of smoke still lingered throughout the area and the sound of shattering glass rang. Construction workers were raised on a crane to break out the remaining glass from window frames with a crowbar to remove further hazard.

Throughout Thursday, first responders pored through the wreckage and recovered dozens of bodies. Another 14 of 55 taken initially to the hospital were confirmed dead on arrival or shortly after.

The building’s age and piles of debris blocking access to many areas complicated search and rescue efforts, officials said, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency.

It appears the fire broke out on the ground floor but it was not immediately clear exactly where and the cause was still under investigation.

The United Daily News said that investigators were focusing on a first-floor tea shop where the fire had started, and police were looking into a resident who reportedly fought with his girlfriend earlier on Wednesday. They had not ruled out arson, the newspaper said.

Fire extinguishers had been installed last month, but only three per floor because the residents could not afford to pay more, the United Daily News, a major newspaper, reported.

A 1995 fire at a nightclub in Taichung, Taiwan’s third-largest city, killed 64 people in the country’s deadliest such disaster in recent times.

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A file photo of an earlier chance to visit the Urban Stream Research Center, which has a rare public tour on Saturday. | Provided

A rare chance for the public to tour the Urban Stream Research Center leads this Go & Show; plus a weekend gathering on the backwards river, along with several activities of the season.

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County is holding a rare public tour of its Urban Stream Research Center at Blackwell Forest Preserve on Saturday, Oct. 16. As somebody who has had a couple chances to the center up close, I highly recommend it for a look at key scientific work on mussels and other aquatic life.

Tours leave every 30 minutes from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and are for all ages (under 18 with an adult). Tours are $5 per person. Register at apm.activecommunities.com/fpddc/Activity_Search/15302 or (630) 933-7248.

CHICAGO RIVER, DEEP THOUGHTS: The Backward River Festival: Reclaiming the Chicago River is this weekend. It really sounds like the kind of thing I should attend, but can’t. The two-day outdoor event, presented by the University of Illinois Chicago’s Freshwater LabThe festival, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. It features water-related activities, music, panel discussions, art, food and a community expo outside of the Eleanor Street Boathouse at Park 571, 2828 S. Eleanor St. It’s free.

Here are details:

From new parks and riverwalks to large warehouses and residential developments, many changes are taking place along the Chicago River.

What do these transformations mean for Chicago’s communities? Who bears the burden and who benefits? In Chicago, a resident’s experience with the river can often depend on where they live.

The Backward River Festival: Reclaiming the Chicago River, a two-day outdoor event presented by the University of Illinois Chicago’s Freshwater Lab, will bring together artists, environmental justice advocates, local residents and community organizers to examine these questions and reflect on the river’s current condition and future.

a two-day outdoor event presented by the University of Illinois Chicago’s Freshwater LabThe festival, scheduled Oct. 16-17 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., will feature water-related activities, music, panel discussions, art, food and a community expo outside of the Eleanor Street Boathouse at Park 571, 2828 S. Eleanor St. Admission is free and open to the public.

Family-friendly festival activities include canoeing with Friends of the Chicago River; catch and release fishing, aquatic ecosystem and urban river education with Shedd Aquarium; making seed bombs, which are native plant seeds and mushroom compost packed in clay, with Urban Rivers; a participatory mapping workshop; and panel discussions and live performances on the mainstage hosted by Ricardo Gamboa of The Hoodoisie, an online news program focused on Chicago community activism.

More information and the full schedule of festival events are available online.

The festival is an opportunity for the public, particularly residents in communities surrounding the South Branch and the Sanitary and Ship Canal, to connect to the river and each other through curated activities and engaging art installations, according to Rachel Havrelock, founder and director of The Freshwater Lab, a humanities and social science initiative focused on environmental justice and water issues in the Great Lakes region.

“Chicago waterfronts are key sites of change. For the most part, decisions on investment and development are being made outside the community, but the impacts are significant. We’re convening this festival for people to engage in these changes and have it reflect what they want in their river and their city in the future,” Havrelock said.

The festival’s name is inspired by “The Backward River,” the lab’s multimedia project featuring UIC student-created narratives, visuals, podcasts and audio vignettes that examine the history, issues, and future of the Chicago River. Many of these contributions can be experienced at the festival.

Like the festival, Havrelock said, the “The Backward River” project amplifies local social and environmental issues in creative and accessible ways.

“All Chicagoans are impacted by climate change and water issues, so the festival, in tandem with the project, is an excellent opportunity and fun approach to present and engage in culture and environmental matters with the general public. They also help to amplify the local voices that aren’t always heard from, particularly as it relates to the environment,” she said.

Support for the festival is provided by a University of Illinois Presidential Initiative Grant in the Arts and Humanities.

TROUT: Regular fall trout season opens Saturday, Oct. 16. Daily bag is five; those 16 and older need a fishing license and an inland trout stamp. Nearby sites include in Cook County (Axehead, Belleau, Busse North, Green, Horsetail, Sag Quarry East, Wolf), DuPage (Grove, Pickerel, Silver); Kankakee (Bird Park Quarry, Rock Creek); Kendall (Big Lake at Silver Springs SFWA); Lake (Sand Lake at Illinois Beach SP); McHenry (Spring Grove Hatchery Pond); Will (Lake Strini, Van Horn Woods).

Click here for the statewide release.

FALL MUSHROOMS: I plan to get out for an excursion for fall mushrooms in the Rock River area this weekend. I might be spending the night outside beforehand, we’ll see.

This is a chance for me to learn much more about mushrooms. Unlike morels in the spring, which I am confident people can ID on their own, I truly seek out advice from those with expert knowledge when it comes to fall mushrooms and strongly advice others to do the same. In the fall, I either check with people who know or literally go with people in the know.

Very good help is available from the Illinois Mycological Association on their Facebook page.

ARCHERY SEASON: Archery season is open for deer (well, and turkey, too) in Illinois. I need to get out before the rut is in full swing.

SNAGGING: Snagging for Chinook and coho–allowed only at the Lincoln Park Lagoon south of Fullerton, Waukegan North Harbor, Winnetka Power Plant or Jackson Harbor (Inner and Outer Harbors)–appears to be going relatively successfully.

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Southern Illinois guard Lance Jones, center, passes the ball through Loyola defenders. | AP Photos

Here are seven local players who will likely be heard from in a big way this college basketball season after glimpses of impact a year ago.

College basketball practices are in full swing and full schedules with actual games featuring rowdy student sections and packed arenas begin in a few weeks.

There were few if any fans in the stands a year ago and Covid protocols wreaked havoc with the college basketball experience. But several former Illinois prep basketball products either got their first real taste of college basketball or made positive strides in their development as players in what was a once-in-a-lifetime type of season.

Those players are set to take a significant step this season and several are primed for a breakout year. Here are seven local players who will likely be heard from in a big way this college basketball season after glimpses of impact a year ago.

Dante Maddox, Bloom (Cal-State Fullerton)

The 6-3 guard was a major contributor as a freshman. He played 24 minutes a game and averaged an impressive 11.7 points. The shooting percentage from three — he shot 43 percent from the three-point line — is another indicator the physical and athletic Maddox is set to become one of the best players in the Big West Conference.

Connor Kochera, St. Viator (William & Mary)

Without a lot of fanfare playing in the Colonial Athletic Association, Kuchera was one of the most productive college players from Illinois’ Class of 2020.

The 6-5 shooter had games of 26, 23, 30 and 20 as a freshman en route to averaging 13.4 points and 4.8 rebounds a game. He was named the CAA’s Rookie of the Year while leading all freshmen in scoring, rebounds and three-pointers, as well as three-point percentage and free-throw percentage.

Darius Burford, Bolingbrook (Elon)

An impactful freshman year for Burford included 8.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals a game last season. That propelled the dynamic 6-0 guard to All-Rookie Team status in the Colonial Athletic Association.

With speed to burn in a conference that doesn’t boast Burford’s type of athletic gifts, look for a significant jump that puts him in all-league conversation sooner than later.

Trey Calvin, St. Viator (Wright State)

After doubling his scoring average from his freshman year (4.8 ppg) to his sophomore year (9.7 ppg) last season — and raising his three-point shooting by seven percentage points while making 40 threes — expect the 6-0 point guard to continue to rise. He should become one of the top players in the Horizon League this season.

Jeremiah Williams, Simeon (Temple)

The tremendous versatility Williams showed as a prep player at St. Laurence and Simeon continued as a freshman in college. The Swiss Army knife filled a stat sheet in his first college season, averaging 9.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists as a freshman while playing nearly 33 minutes a game for the Owls.

Lance Jones, Evanston (Southern Illinois)

With two productive years under his belt, which included a third-team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection as a sophomore last season, the talented 6-1 guard is headed for a big junior year.

Last year he averaged 13.4 points a game with four 20-point scoring games. He led the league in three-point field goal percentage while leading the Salukis in scoring, assists and steals.

RayJ Dennis, Oswego East (Toledo)

After two years playing in the loaded Mountain West Conference at Boise State, where he averaged 8.6 points and 2.9 assists a game this past season as a sophomore, Dennis transferred to Toledo.

The smooth 6-2 scoring lead guard will have even more opportunities with the Rockets, and there is a hole to fill in the backcourt where Marreon Jackson, who transferred from Toledo to Arizona State, scored over 18 points a game last season.

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A Trump supporter wraps herself in the American flag during a rally at the Michigan State Capitol, on Oct. 12, 2021, in Lansing, Michigan. | AP Photos

Fearful of being relegated to second-class status, many “Real Americans,” as they’re styled on Fox News, appear eager to embrace minority rule. So long as they’re the ones wielding power.

Driving home from the dog park, I was surprised to hear the (Dixie) Chicks’ terrific song “Wide Open Spaces” on the country oldies station. The group had been banished from country radio since 2003 after saying George W. Bush made them embarrassed to be Texans.

Now that Bush has made Donald Trump’s unofficial Enemies List, the Chicks are evidently forgiven after 18 years. Meanwhile, most of my friends in Texas are embarrassed, but not because of Dubya, the make-believe rancher who’s given up brush-clearing to paint portraits of lap dogs and his own feet.

And more power to him, as the only Republican presidential candidate since 1988 to win an actual national majority. That was in 2004, with Bush still popular due to his ultimately disastrous invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. (I was myself removed from a college teaching job after a series of columns arguing that the Bush administration’s case for attacking Saddam Hussein was transparently fraudulent.)

But I digress. Never mind that Bush was the worst president in living memory, dragging the country into futile wars on false premises and presiding over the 2008 banking crisis. Before the roof fell in, he did achieve an actual majority.

And a big part of what’s going on in the United States today is that no Republican candidate — very much including Trump — has much chance of winning a national majority in the foreseeable future. This appears to have made an awful lot of Americans — particularly undereducated white ones, to be perfectly blunt — scared half to death.

Seemingly fearful of being relegated to second-class status, many “Real Americans,” as they’re styled on Fox News, appear eager to embrace minority rule. So long as they’re the ones wielding power, that is.

Tucker Carlson tells them that Democrats are scheming to “replace” them with aggrieved and undeserving voters of different races. Because they’re gullible and prone to apocalyptic thinking — “the rapture” was all the rage in evangelical circles not long ago — one result has been a succession of what can only be described as “moral panics” over largely imaginary threats such as “Sharia law,” “cancel culture” and “Critical Race Theory.” Since 2010, for example, several states have found it necessary to ban Islamic religious courts from exercising legal authority.

As if.

Those states are Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Dakota and Tennessee. Notice anything else about them?

Even the stuffiest Republican thinkers can get all worked up over the follies of campus leftists, of which there’s never any shortage. The Washington Post’s George Will wrote a stern column recently about a fracas involving a professor of management at UCLA, who unwisely engaged a student who worried that having to take a final exam would injure “the mental and physical health of our Black classmates” traumatized by George Floyd’s murder.

The professor replied with mild sarcasm, asking how he was supposed to identify Black students in an online course. Also, what about multiracial students, of which UCLA has many? For this, the poor dope got suspended from teaching, banned from campus and denounced by spineless administrators. (He’s been reinstated and has filed a lawsuit.)

Well, he should have known better. Although I’m prone to bickering and sarcasm myself, I’m also familiar with humorless campus leftists. My wife and I were once admonished by professorial guests for owning a Merle Haggard album. We thought “Okie from Muskogee” was funny; they thought it a fascist outrage. (Haggard himself was surprised so few got the joke.)

And speaking of “cancel culture,” public school teachers and administrators nationwide are being harassed and run out of their jobs for the largely imaginary crime of teaching “Critical Race Theory.”

In Grapevine, Texas, a Black high school principal got fired for the sin of writing a letter to colleagues expressing the anodyne view that “education is the key to stomping out ignorance, hate and systemic racism.” (Also for having posted a Facebook photo, 10 years ago, of himself kissing his white wife.) In Queen Anne’s County, Maryland, a highly successful Black school superintendent was hounded from the district for expressing polite concerns about racial injustice.

Activists calling themselves “conservative” are besieging school boards across the country, basically arguing that history lessons about slavery and Jim Crow teach white children to be ashamed of their race and country. At Boise State University, they have proposed eliminating whole academic departments — Global Studies, Sociology and History — to combat left-wing dogma.

In other news, Trumpist Republicans are working systematically to rig the electoral system to bring their champion back to power regardless of voters’ wishes. Never mind that Trump lost the popular vote to Joe Biden by more than 7 million, and lost the Electoral College 306 to 232. With GOP state legislators counting the votes, an identical outcome in 2024 would make Trump a big, big winner.

At least that’s the plan.

Gene Lyons is a columnist for the Arkansas Times.

Send letters to [email protected].

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Before we completely thrust ourselves into Packers week, we hav to at least continue appreciating the Chicago Bears’ recent success. At 3-2, the Bears have now won two straight games and look to make a statement on Sunday against their biggest rival. Their last two wins have come in more unorthodox fashion, if we’re being […] Chicago Bears Stats: Unique numbers prove Bears among the elite – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & MoreRead More

Maine South’s Chris Petrucci (9) holds off Warren’s Benjamin McLaughlin (4). | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

A look at this weekend’s five best games.

Prospect at No. 14 Hersey, 7 p.m. Friday

With just two weeks left in the regular season, conference races are sorting themselves out. One is the Mid-Suburban East, where the winner here clinches a share of the title. Prospect (6-1, 3-0) has one of the league’s best defenders in end/linebacker Ben Sahakian and a productive junior quarterback in junior Frank Covey, who threw for 216 yards last week against Elk Grove. Hersey (7-0, 3-0) has had only one close game all season, a 31-24 victory over Palatine in Week 2. The Huskies have been dominant despite losing their best player, senior running back/receiver Ben Clawson, with a broken right ankle in Week 3. Quarterback Jimmy Makuh has stepped up to help keep the offense rolling along.

Evanston at No. 6 Maine South, 7 p.m. Friday

This is another game where the winner earns a share of a conference title. Maine South (7-1, 3-0) has ruled the Central Suburban South this century with 21 straight league titles and counting. The Hawks’ calling card has been a defense whose signature effort was holding fellow Class 8A state hopeful Warren without an offensive score in a 10-2 win. Northwestern-bound tight end Chris Petrucci, quarterback Rowan Keefe and running back Mike Sajenko also are capable playmakers on offense. Evanston (5-2, 3-0) had some hiccups en route to a 1-2 start but has been rolling since North Carolina-bound linebacker Sebastian Cheeks returned to the lineup after an injury layoff. The Wildkits’ next big-time recruit will be junior lineman Gabe Roseb, a 6-7, 340-pounder with a 6-11 wingspan.

No. 17 Lincoln-Way East at No. 15 Lockport, 6:30 p.m. Friday

Lockport (7-0, 3-0 Southwest Suburban Blue) has lost 16 straight in this series since a 38-14 win in 2004. But the Porters are having a breakout season. Lockport has four shutouts and has allowed just 33 points all season with a defensive line anchored by the Eastern Illinois-bound Silzer twins, Cody and Cole, and defending state wrestling champ Andrew Blackburn-Forest. Quarterback Hayden Timosciek, an imposing presence at 6-7 and 232 pounds, has passed for 1,382 yards and 14 touchdowns with no interceptions. Lincoln-Way East (5-2, 2-1) is younger than usual, but remains one of the state’s premier programs. Quarterback Brennan Stolarek threw for 198 yards and three touchdowns last week against Homewood-Flossmoor, with one of the scores going to Central Michigan recruit Jack Tremblay.

Oswego East at Oswego, 7 p.m. Friday

With losses to still-unbeaten Neuqua Valley and Batavia before a forfeit win over Joliet Central, Oswego (5-2, 3-0 Southwest Prairie West) didn’t get its first victory on the field till Week 4. But the Panthers have been rolling since and have one of the state’s top juniors in 6-6 tight end Deakon Tonielli, whose seven offers include Tennessee and Michigan. Tonielli stepped in at quarterback in last week’s win over West Aurora when the Panthers’ top two QBs were sidelined but should be back in his usua; spot this week. Oswego East (6-1, 2-1) won for the first time in this series during the pandemic spring season. Junior quarterback Tre Jones has an Arizona State offer.

Young at Taft, 7:30 p.m. Friday

Taft (5-2, 3-1 Illini Land of Lincoln) is one of the Public League’s elite programs, with a signature win this season over Morgan Park and two of the city’s top players in senior linebacker/running back Ryan Porebski and junior lineman Grzegorz Krupa. Young (6-1, 3-1) has come a long way since low numbers forced the suspension of the program in 2017 and its subsequent reboot in the lower-level Chicago division a year later. Now the Dolphins are in one of the top CPS conferences and have qualified for the IHSA playoffs for the first time since 2015. Senior quarterback Pat McHale is one of the city’s top players.

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Workers assemble a tractor at John Deere’s Waterloo, Iowa assembly plant in April 2019. | Zach Boyden-Holmes/Telegraph Herald via AP

The strike is the first major walkout at the agricultural machinery giant in more than three decades.

MOLINE, Ill. — More than 10,000 Deere & Co. workers went on strike Thursday, the first major walkout at the agricultural machinery giant in more than three decades.

The union had said its members would walk off the job if no deal has been reached by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday. The vast majority of the union rejected a contract offer earlier this week that would have delivered 5% raises to some workers and 6% raises to others at the Illinois company known for its green tractors.

Under the agreement that the workers rejected, a top scale Deere production worker would make just over $30 per hour, rising to $31.84 after five years, according to a summary of the proposal.

“The almost one million UAW retirees and active members stand in solidarity with the striking UAW members at John Deere,” UAW President Ray Curry said.

Brad Morris, vice president of labor relations for Deere, said in a statement that the company is “committed to a favorable outcome for our employees, our communities and everyone involved.” He said Deere wants an agreement that would improve the economic position of all employees.

“We will keep working day and night to understand our employees’ priorities and resolve this strike, while also keeping our operations running for the benefit of all those we serve,” Morris said.

Thirty-five years have passed since the last major Deere strike, but workers were emboldened to demand more this year after working long hours throughout the pandemic and because companies are facing worker shortages.

“Our members at John Deere strike for the ability to earn a decent living, retire with dignity and establish fair work rules,” said Chuck Browning, vice president and director of the UAW’s Agricultural Implement Department. “We stay committed to bargaining until our members’ goals are achieved.”

A handful of workers began forming a picket line outside the company’s plant in Milan, a town in western Illinois near the Iowa border, about 15 minutes after strike deadline.

The union dropped off a metal barrel and firewood to keep workers warm in preparation for a demonstration that is expected to continues for 24 hours a day, the Quad-City Times reported. At several other Deere plants workers planned to begin picketing Thursday morning when the first shift would normally arrive.

Chris Laursen, who works as a painter at Deere, told the Des Moines Register before the strike that it could make a significant difference.

“The whole nation’s going to be watching us,” Laursen said to the newspaper. “If we take a stand here for ourselves, our families, for basic human prosperity, it’s going to make a difference for the whole manufacturing industry. Let’s do it. Let’s not be intimidated.”

Earlier this year, another group of UAW-represented workers went on strike at a Volvo Trucks plant in Virginia and wound up with better pay and lower-cost health benefits after rejecting three tentative contract offers.

The contracts under negotiation covered 14 Deere plants across the United States, including seven in Iowa, four in Illinois and one each in Kansas, Colorado and Georgia.

The contract talks at the Moline, Illinois-based company were unfolding as Deere is expecting to report record profits between $5.7 billion and $5.9 billion this year. The company has been reporting strong sales of its agricultural and construction equipment this year.

The Deere production plants are important contributors to the economy, so local officials hope any strike will be short-lived.

“We definitely want to see our economy stabilize and grow after the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati said to the Quad-City Times. “Hopefully, these parties can come to a resolution soon.”

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Theaster Gates hopes his Kenwood Gardens project brings art, food, serenity, and love to the South Side.Read More

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A 20-year-old man was fatally shot Oct. 13, 2021, in Austin. | Sun-Times file photo

The 20-year-old was standing in the 4800 block of West Crystal Street when someone in a passing car fired shots, Chicago police said.

Authorities have released the name of a man killed Wednesday afternoon in a drive-by shooting in Austin on the West Side.

Laquan Jernigan, 20, was standing in the 4800 block of West Crystal Street when someone in a passing car fired shots about 4:20 p.m., Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

He was struck in the chest and driven to West Suburban Medical Center where he died, police said. Jernigan lived in the Galewood neighborhood.

Police reported no arrests.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

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