Here’s a journey back through the tears, tantrums and togetherness that propelled the “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” clan to superstardom.

NEW YORK — It’s almost time for all those famous Kardashians to shuffle off to Hulu and new projects as their 20-season reality TV mainstay comes to an end. The series finale airs Thursday night on E!

But before they do, here’s a journey back through the tears, tantrums and togetherness that propelled the “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” clan to superstardom:

THE MEN & THE MARRIAGES

With five sisters and a brother, along with the Kris and Caitlyn drama, the years have taken us through many a man, a woman or two, and a myriad of love tangles. And the action started at the get-go. The very first episode references the sex tape with Brandy brother Ray J that launched the show and their mega-careers.

Before that, there was Kim’s first husband, music producer Damon Thomas, followed by a 72-day marriage to second husband, basketball player Kris Humphries, and a third trip to the altar with Kanye West. All three unions ended in divorce.

Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

Kim’s divorce from Humphries dragged on far longer than the marriage, threatening to keep her legally tethered to Humphries at the birth of her first child, with West. That didn’t happen. North West was born two months after mom’s second divorce was finalized in 2013.

And that’s just one sister!

There’s Kourtney’s on-again, off-again relationship and three kids with Scott Disick, who makes his first appearance in Kardashian TV land on Episode One. The two never married amid his alcohol and drug abuse scandals, but they co-parent and he’s a die-hard on the series. Disick has become a fan favorite to some as the K family has embraced him as one of their own.

Sister Khloe married basketballer Lamar Odom in 2009 and filed for divorce in 2013, but she withdrew the papers after Odom suffered a drug overdose and went into a coma for several days. He was found slumped on the floor of a Nevada brothel. The divorce was finalized in late 2016.

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Khloe never married the father of her child — another basketball player, Tristan Thompson. He cheated on her while she was pregnant — and again with her younger half-sister Kylie Jenner’s best friend, Jordyn Woods. But Khloe and Tristan are now more than a little friendly and co-parenting 3-year-old True, even quarantining together during the pandemic.

Are you keeping up?

Let’s not forget Kylie’s relationship with rapper Travis Scott. They never married but also have a child together. And there was Kylie’s romance with Tyga, who just happens to have a child with Blac Chyna, who just happens to have a child with Kardashian bro Rob.

Does your head hurt yet?

Chyna and Rob had a tailspin of their own, leading him to post revenge porn on Instagram that got him banned from the platform.

Kardashian stepparent Caitlyn Jenner is OG “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and continued to appear after her divorce from Kris. She’s the parent with Kris of Kylie and Kendall. Kris filed for divorce before Caitlyn became Caitlyn.

Caitlyn publicly came out as transgender in a Diane Sawyer interview in April 2015.

NAME THOSE CHILDREN

The Kardashian-Jenner clan has oh so many kids, and they’re creative name-pickers.

Caitlyn has six children with three successive wives, including Kylie and Kendall with Kris. Kris had four children with her first husband, the late O.J. Simpson attorney Robert Kardashian before she divorced him, too: Kourtney, Kim, Khloe and Rob.

Kim had three kids following North: Saint, Chicago and Psalm. Oldest sister Kourtney has her three with Scott: Mason, Penelope and Reign. There’s also Khloe’s True, Kylie’s Stormi and Rob’s Dream.

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Some of the Kardashians brought viewers along while giving birth, and we’ve been treated over the years to home movies showing Kris bringing children into the world. A 12-year-old Kendall watched herself being born. Recently, during the final season, 11-year-old Mason watched his mom pull him into the world herself.

SPIN-OFFS OF SPIN-OFFS

They’re in LA. They’re in Miami. They’re in New York. No, wait, the Hamptons.

Part of keeping up has been chasing all the spin-offs. Is there a record number? It depends on how spin-off, franchise and canon are defined.

But it certainly is a lot in the reality TV genre, and several had various sisters “taking” various cities. In all, there were 11 spin-offs on TV — many short-lived. Like the show, they were driven by Ryan Seacrest Productions and the E! network.

The first was “Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami” in 2009. It morphed into “Kourtney & Kim Take Miami” after Khloe spun herself back into real life to do other work. There was a plethora of bikinis and big boats as the ladies sought to broaden the reach of their boutique Dash with new locations.

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True fans, especially Scott watchers, will remember the 2013 web series “Lord Disick: Lifestyles of a Lord” that was shown weekly in the third season of all that Miami taking. Scott bought himself the royal title in 2012 while on a trip to London and showed off his high-life trappings like fleets of fancy cars while offering tips on how we, too, can live like lords.

In 2011, “Khloe & Lamar” began as the two tried to figure out married life. And there were three seasons of the fitness fest “Revenge Body with Khloe Kardashian” after the marriage didn’t work out. Khloe also had a short-lived talk show, “Kocktails with Khloe.”

Kris briefly had an eponymous talk show in 2013, culminating in an appearance by Kanye West and his reveal of the first photos of North. The Fox network did not offer her a second season.

After Caitlyn came out, she got her own show: “I Am Cait.” It was a serious dive into her transition and whether she was up to being a role model as new friends educated her on issues facing the trans community. It was canceled after two seasons amid low ratings.

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ROBBERY, NUDITY & MORE MOMENTS

Perhaps the scariest of all developments was Kim’s 2016 armed robbery in a luxury Paris flat during fashion week. Season 13 of the series took on the case and the emotional aftermath. She has openly discussed her terror at being tied up at gunpoint and robbed of her jewels. Kim said she thought she was going to die.

Among their far happier moments: All those over-the-top birthday bashes, lavish weddings and baby showers, let alone the weddings themselves.

Two of Kim’s weddings were on air and in the news. Khloe’s 2009 wedding with Odom a month after they met was featured on Season 4. After the Khloe-Lamar nuptials, the two bought a dream house while Kim was still in a condo. Just sayin’. Mansion is now Kim’s middle name.

The sisters are also fond of posing for photos sans clothing, though Kim wasn’t always comfortable with the idea.

Soon after turning that sex tape into gold, an up-and-coming Kim had a Playboy magazine moment, appearing on the cover of the December 2007 celebrity issue. After an initial photo shoot, Playboy’s Hugh Hefner came back for more.

“Does she have to take her clothes off,” Kris asks Hef in the show’s first season.

“Oh yes,” he responds.

They compromised: Kim posed naked, strategically draped in long strands of pearls.

Kylie also landed on the cover of Playboy, in 2019 wearing nothing more than a cowboy hat with a shirtless Travis in jeans.

PR Newswire/Rowan Daly/Harper Smith

And then there’s Kendall. The supermodel — along with an entire world of other celebrities — has taken her share of nudes and has weathered a few scandals of her own, though her love life has been on the down-low in comparison to her siblings.

There was her ill-fated Pepsi commercial in 2017, when she hands a frontline lawman a can of soda during a protest. The imagery was bashed as stolen from the Black Lives Matter movement. It was pulled and Kendall sobbed an apology on air.

Kylie and Kendall were accused of exploitation the same year for superimposing their faces onto images of Tupac, Notorious B.I.G. and a host of other music icons for a line of $125 T-shirts. They pulled the merch.

Fans need not worry. The series is ending, but this famous family isn’t going anywhere.

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The addition of San Diego will bring the league to 12 teams. Angel City in Los Angeles is also set to start play in 2022. 

Former U.S. national team coach Jill Ellis will serve as president of a National Women’s Soccer League expansion team in San Diego.

The new team, owned by investor Ron Burkle, will be launched next season.

“We aim to become a significant team globally, led by influential women, with the ability to attract the best talent throughout the world,” Ellis said in a statement Tuesday. “I am eager to begin this project and look forward to leading this club as we build towards the future.”

Ellis quit as coach of the national team in 2019 after the United States won its second straight World Cup. She was hired as coach in 2014 and led it the U.S. to eight tournament titles. Over the course of her tenure, the United States lost just seven matches.

Burkle is a co-owner of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. In February, he backed out of plans for a Major League Soccer expansion team in Sacramento, California, that was scheduled to start play in 2023.

Burkle’s business associate Matt Alvarez will lead the NWSL team. Alvarez had been announced as part of the withdrawn Sacramento MLS ownership group.

“We believe in Jill and will provide the necessary investment to build a club that all of San Diego will be proud to support,” Burkle said in a statement. “Jill’s expertise and history within the sport is unrivalled and we are incredibly excited to continue to work with Commissioner (Lisa) Baird to bring a world-class team to San Diego as we continue to grow the sport and women’s soccer.”

Baird announced earlier this year that the NWSL was adding a Sacramento team, but when the MLS expansion fell through, its future was uncertain until Tuesday’s announcement.

The addition of San Diego will bring the league to 12 teams. Angel City in Los Angeles is also set to start play in 2022.

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“Emerging from the pandemic is not a sprint,” Oak Park officials said in announcing their decision. Autumn, they said, will hopefully be a better time for community events.

It’s a double dud.

The Fourth of July parade and fireworks show aren’t happening this year in Oak Park.

Village leaders canceled the parade and cited a “cautious approach to large events” as COVID-19 restrictions ease, according to an announcement posted to the village’s website.

Though restrictions on capacity and social distancing are being lifted by the state Friday, leaders in Oak Park pointed to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that states anyone who is not fully vaccinated remains at risk of contracting and spreading the virus.

“Emerging from the pandemic is not a sprint … and taking precautions now hopefully will help ensure a safe return in the not-too-distant future to the types of large community events many have missed over the past year,” the announcement stated.

“The community fireworks display has never been a village-sponsored event but was presented by a local not-for-profit organization. The village board is required to approve a permit for such exhibitions. No applications for a permit were filed this year or in 2020,” the announcement stated.

Oak Park anticipates moving toward a full reopening later this month if local and state COVID-19 rates remain on track.

Residents should look forward to opportunities to plan for community events in the fall, Oak Park officials said.

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Authorities responded to the robbery about 12:30 p.m. at a TCF Bank branch at 6315 W. 55th Street, according to preliminary information from the FBI.

Shots were fired during a bank robbery Tuesday in Garfield Ridge on the Southwest Side.

Authorities responded to the robbery about 12:30 p.m. at a TCF Bank branch at 6315 W. 55th Street, according to preliminary information from the FBI.

The suspect discharged a firearm, but no injuries were reported, the FBI said.

He was described as a heavy-set male wearing all black.

Anyone with information is asked to call 312-421-6700.

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Marshawn Pierce allegedly shot 23-year-old Michael Cooper “without any provocation” last week, prosecutors said.

Mental health issues may have played a role in the allegedly unprovoked killing of an Austin man last week, the accused gunman’s lawyer said Tuesday.

Marshawn Pierce, 32, has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, Pierce’s defense attorney told Cook County Judge Arthur Wesley Willis.

“I do believe that may have played a role in this,” the attorney said after prosecutors detailed the allegations against Pierce.

Pierce told detectives he shot 23-year-old Michael Cooper because he was a “snake” who had “tried to set him up before,” Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said.

Cooper was hanging out at an apartment in the 5200 block of West Le Moyne Street with Pierce’s brother and two other people around 7:25 p.m. Friday when Pierce walked in, Murphy said.

“Without any provocation,” Pierce racked a .380-caliber handgun and shot Cooper once in the head as he sat on a rear stairway, Murphy said.

Cooper was pronounced dead at the scene and a shell casing was recovered.

Pierce was taken into custody during a traffic stop the following day and charged with first-degree murder.

Pierce told detectives he had been talking to his brother and that Cooper only said “what’s up?” to him before he fired the shot, Murphy said. Pierce also allegedly told detectives they could find the gun in his car’s glove box, where it was later recovered.

Pierce, works in construction and lives with his girlfriend, who gave birth to the couple’s child 10 days earlier, his defense attorney said.

Willis ordered Pierce held without bail.

He is expected back in court June 25.

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North Park Village Nature Center provides an ideal setting for Lyric’s Hansel and Gretel.

There’s no more perfect setting for Lyric Opera’s Hansel and Gretel in the Park than the North Park Village Nature Center, where—after two weeks of cancellations due to hideous weather—they were finally able to perform it this weekend.  The leafy, 46-acre preserve is so ideal for this tale of two siblings lost in the woods, nobody in the small, still-masked and COVID-limited audience on Friday even bothered to complain about the 90-degree temperature.  …Read More

Rodgers’ displeasure with the organization is no secret. For more than a month, he has remained quiet as reports of his rift with the franchise swirled.

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Aaron Rodgers failed to report to mandatory minicamp Tuesday, the strongest message sent so far to the Green Bay Packers that the quarterback is unhappy with the organization.

Rodgers was nowhere to be seen at Clark Hinkle Field when the Packers gathered at 11 a.m. CT to kick off the first of three minicamp sessions, officially making him a holdout.

Rodgers’ displeasure with the organization is no secret. For more than a month, he has remained quiet as reports of his rift with the franchise swirled. In his lone interview with ESPN’s Kenny Mayne a couple weeks ago, Rodgers declined to say whether he was demanding a trade, but also laid out his grievances with the Packers.

“My situation has never been about the draft pick, picking Jordan (Love),” Rodgers said about the Packers’ controversial decision to spend their No. 1 draft pick in 2020 on a young quarterback. “I love Jordan. He’s a great kid. A lot of fun to work together. I love the coaching staff, love my teammates, love the fan base in Green Bay. Incredible, incredible 16 years. It’s just kind of about a philosophy, and maybe forgetting it is about the people that make the thing go. It’s about character, it’s about culture, it’s about doing things the right way.

“A lot of this was put into motion last year, and the wrench was just kind of thrown into it when I won MVP and played the way I played last year. So this is just kind of a spill out of all that, but it is about the people. That’s the most important thing.”

Rodgers missed organized team activities for the first time in his career this spring, but those are voluntary. By skipping the start of minicamp, Rodgers failed to meet mandatory attendance for the first time in his career. He’s in danger of being fined $93,085 for his absence after forfeiting a $500,000 workout bonus for missing OTAs, though the Packers could excuse his absence and thus avoid the fine.

In his monthly Q&A with Packers fans Saturday, president/CEO Mark Murphy acknowledged the Rodgers “situation” has “divided our fan base,” but remained upbeat about an eventual agreement.

“As I wrote here last month, we remain committed to resolving things with Aaron and want him to be our quarterback in 2021 and beyond,” Murphy wrote. “We are working to resolve the situation and realize that the less both sides say publicly, the better.”

One possible benefit of Rodgers staying away from minicamp: It will provide Love with extended first-team repetitions, including opportunities to work with top wide receivers Davante Adams, Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

Read more at usatoday.com

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With the grilling season already underway, here’s our guide to grilling burgers to perfection.

The iconic hamburger might appear simple to make, but a lot of times we get it wrong.

Americans consume some 50 billion hamburgers a year. What’s so hard about shaping some ground meat into a patty and cooking it?

Plenty.

We use the wrong grind of beef. We handle the meat and shape them wrong. We cook them wrong.

With the grilling season already underway, here’s our guide to making and grilling burgers to perfection.

What kind of beef should I use?

Choose beef with fat in it. Most cookbooks and burger aficionados say the ideal choice is 80/20 beef chuck. This means it’s 80 percent lean and has 20 percent fat. You can go somewhat leaner if you like with ground beef labeled 85/15. Any leaner be sure to add some moisture like Worcestershire sauce or wine to prevent the burger from drying out. And if you can, grind your beef.

How do I grind my own meat if I don’t have a meat grinder?

You can come close using a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Choose the cut of meat you want — chuck, round, brisket, short rib, sirloin — and make sure it’s super cold. Cut it into 1-inch pieces. Add to the bowl of the food processor and pulse a few times to get chop into smaller pieces. Don’t process it too much or the meat will get mushy.

How should I mix the ground meat?

Make sure it’s cold, and always mix the meat gently so it just comes together. Do not over-mix. If you over-mix the meat (the same holds true when you make meatballs and meatloaf) the meat will be more compact and not as tender. You will go straight to burger hell if the burgers are too compact.

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Should I season the ground meat?

You can, but don’t let the seasoned meat sit too long. According to “Weber’s Ultimate Grilling: a Step-by-Step Guide to Barbecue Genius” by grill master Jamie Purviance (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $26.99), allow 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper for each 1½ pound of ground beef. You can mix it in the meat or sprinkle on the outside of the formed patties. If you do the latter, according to Purviance, refrigerate the patties for 30 minutes or less to allow the seasoning to distribute. If you let it sit longer the salt will draw moisture out of the meat, Purviance writes.

What’s an ideal amount of beef to use for each burger?

Plan on a burger that is 6-ounces before cooking. Use a scale if you have one make sure burgers are all equal size. That 6-ounce burger is an ample size for serving as your main dish. But you can make them any size.

What’s the best size shape for a burger?

After handling the meat as little as possible, this is another big rule. You want to match the size of the patty with the bun. Figure there will be shrinkage, so shape the patty about ½-inch larger than the bun. Generally, a 4-inch in diameter patty, with a dimple in the center, that is at least 3/4-inch thick will suffice.

Why should I make a dimple in the center of the formed patty?

If you don’t do this, the burgers will end up more of a round shape and puff up like a tennis ball. The burgers won’t fit the bun and you end up with a top bun that slides off. That also means that you’ll be eating more bun than burger with each bite.

How do you make the dimple?

This is easy and not to be skipped. Once the patty is formed, use the back of a soup or teaspoon or your thumb to make an indentation, about ⅓-inch deep and 1-inch wide in the center of the patty. When the burgers cook, the indentation slowly rise and you get a nice, flat even top.

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What’s the best way to grill?

Burgers like high heat. This helps form that exterior crust. Cook them on the non-dimpled side first over direct heat. Once a crust develops, flip them over and cook on the other side. Do not press down on the burger. When you do this, you’re beating up that poor burger and pressing all the juices out.

How long should burgers be grilled?

That depends on how you like them done. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) safe internal cooking temperature for ground beef is 160 degrees. That means it’s well done. And the cooking time will depend on the thickness of the burger — but generally at least 5 minutes per side. If you like it at less done than that and depending on the thickness, figure about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare or 130-135 degrees and 150-155 degrees for medium-well.

Here are a couple recipes to help you out:

Brie Burger with Caramelized Onions and Spicy Mayo

Brace yourself: this burger is a tasty keeper. The creamy and rich-tasting brie meets a spicy mayo.

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 to 1¼ pounds 90% lean ground sirloin or ground beef of choice

1½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

⅓ cup panko bread crumbs

2 tablespoons white wine, optional

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 jumbo onion, peeled, sliced into 1/4-inch slices

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce (see note)

⅓ cup reduced-fat or regular mayonnaise

3 ounces brie cut into 8 slices

4 thin sandwich buns or bun of choice

4 pieces green leaf lettuce

4 slices tomato

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, bread crumbs, wine, salt and pepper. Shape into four equal-size patties about 1/2-inch thick, making an indentation in the center of the patty; set aside.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion slices, sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté about 15 minutes or until just beginning to brown. Sprinkle with brown sugar and continue to cook until the onions become deep brown in color, about 15 minutes more. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, mix together the sweet chili sauce and mayonnaise; set aside.

4. Preheat the grill to medium-high and oil the grates when grill is hot. Or heat a skillet with a bit of olive oil over medium-high heat. Grill the burgers about 4 minutes one side, flip and move to a cooler part of the grill and continue cooking, about 5 minutes more or until they reach desired doneness. Or if using a skillet, turn and reduce the heat and finish the cooking. About 2 minutes before removing from the grill, place 2 pieces of brie on top of each burger and allow it to melt.

5. Build your burger: Toast the buns if desired. Spread one tablespoon of the spicy mayonnaise on each bun half. On the bottom half, place a lettuce leaf and top with tomato and a burger. Place a generous dollop of caramelized onions on top of the burger. Top with other bun and serve.

Cook’s note: Look for sweet chili sauce near the Asian ingredients in most grocery stores. You can also use it as a dipping sauce for spring rolls or egg rolls.

From and tested by Susan Selasky.

494 calories (42% from fat), 23 grams fat (9 grams sat. fat), 43 grams carbohydrates, 32 grams protein, 611 mg sodium, 97 mg cholesterol, 7 grams fiber.

Grilled Bacon Burgers with Caramelized Onions and Blue Cheese

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 slices bacon
• 1 large onion, halved and sliced thin
• ¼ teaspoon table salt
• 1½ pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled and chilled (1 cup) (optional)
• 4 hamburger buns, toasted if desired

DIRECTIONS:

1. Process bacon in food processor to smooth paste, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Cook bacon in 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking up pieces with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned in spots but still pink (do not cook until crisp), about 5 minutes. Drain bacon in fine-mesh strainer set over bowl. Transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate and let cool completely. Reserve bacon fat.

2. Add 2 tablespoons reserved fat to now-empty skillet and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and salt and cook until well browned, about 20 minutes. Transfer to bowl and set aside.

3. Break ground beef into small pieces and spread into even layer on rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with bacon and gently toss to combine using 2 forks. Divide beef mixture into 4 equal portions, then gently shape each portion into ¾-inch-thick patty. Using your fingertips, press center of each patty down until about ½-inch thick, creating slight divot.

4. For a charcoal grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes. For a gas grill, turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.

5. Clean and oil cooking grate. Season patties with pepper. Place patties on grill, divot side up, and cook until well browned on first side, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip patties, top with blue cheese, if using, and continue to cook until well browned on second side and meat registers 120 to 125 degrees (for medium-rare) or 130 to 135 degrees (for medium), 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer burgers to platter and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve burgers on buns, topped with onions.

From “The Ultimate Burger” by America’s Test Kitchen (America’s Test Kitchen, $26.99).

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Criminal gangs divulged plans for moving drug shipments and carrying out killings on a secure messaging system secretly run by the FBI, law enforcement agencies said Tuesday, as they unveiled a global sting operation they said dealt an “unprecedented blow” to organized crime in countries around the world.

The operation known as Trojan Shield led to police raids in 16 nations. More than 800 suspects were arrested and more than 32 tons of drugs — including cocaine, cannabis, amphetamines and methamphetamines — were seized along with 250 firearms, 55 luxury cars and more than $148 million in cash and cryptocurrencies.

The seeds of the sting were sown in 2018 when law enforcement agencies took down a company called Phantom Secure that provided customized end-to-end encrypted devices to criminals, according to court papers. Unlike typical cell phones, the devices don’t make phone calls or browse the internet — but allow for secure messaging. As an outgrowth of the operation, the FBI also recruited a collaborator who was developing a next-generation secure-messaging platform for the criminal underworld called ANOM. The collaborator engineered the system to give the agency access to any messages being sent.

ANOM didn’t take off immediately. But once other secure platforms used by criminal gangs to organize drug trafficking underworld hits and money laundering were taken down by police, chiefly EncroChat and Sky ECC, gangs were in the market for a new one and the FBI’s platform was ready. Over the past 18 months, the agency provided phones via unsuspecting middlemen to more than 300 gangs operating in more than 100 countries.

Intelligence gathered and analyzed “enabled us to prevent murders. It led to the seizure of drugs that led to the seizure of weapons. And it helped prevent a number of crimes,” Calvin Shivers, assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, told a news conference in The Hague, Netherlands.

The operation — led by the FBI with the involvement of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the European Union police agency Europol and law enforcement agencies in several countries — dealt “an unprecedented blow to criminal networks, and this is worldwide,” said Dutch National Police Chief Constable Jannine van den Berg.

Australian Federal Police Commander Jennifer Hearst called it “a watershed moment in global law enforcement history.”

The ANOM app became popular in criminal circles as users told one another it was a safe platform. All the time, police were looking over the shoulders of criminals as they discussed hits, drug shipments and other crimes.

“There was a void that was created by a lack of these encrypted platforms,” Shivers said, of the initial move to take down apps previously used by gangs. “So that created an opportunity for collaboration with our international partners, to not only develop the specific tool but also to develop the process of gathering the intelligence and disseminating the intelligence.”

The FBI collaborator effectively created a “blind copy” channel so that every single message sent by ANOM users ended up on a server run by the agency, court documents say.

Since October 2019, the FBI has has cataloged more than 20 million messages from a total of 11,800 devices — with about 9,000 currently active, according to the documents, which cited Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Australia and Serbia as the most active countries.

They say the number of active ANOM users was only 3,000 until Sky, one of the platforms previously used by criminal gangs, was dismantled in March.

While primarily used in drug trafficking and money-laundering, an FBI agent quoted in the documents says “high-level public corruption cases (also were ) initiated as a result.” The agent said a goal of Trojan Shield was to “shake the confidence in this entire industry because the FBI is willing and able to enter this space and monitor messages.”

Law enforcement agencies from Sweden to New Zealand described the operation as having a significant impact.

Swedish police prevented a dozen planned killings and believe that they have arrested several “leading actors in criminal networks,” according to a statement from Linda Staaf, the head of Sweden’s national criminal intelligence unit.

Finnish police said Tuesday that nearly 100 people have been detained and more than half a ton of drugs confiscated, along with dozens of guns and cash worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. In Germany, the general prosecutor’s office in Frankfurt said that more than 70 people were arrested Monday and drugs, cash and weapons were also seized.

In Australia, authorities said they arrested 224 people and seized more than four tons of drugs and $35 million. New Zealand police said they had arrested 35 people and seized drugs and assets worth millions of dollars.

“Today, the Australian government, as part of a global operation, has struck a heavy blow against organized crime,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters. “Not just in this country, but one that will echo around organized crime around the world.”

European police last year delivered a major blow to organized crime after cracking an encrypted communications network, known as EncroChat, used by criminal gangs across the continent.

In March, Belgian police arrested dozens of people after cracking another encrypted chat system and seizing more than 17 tons of cocaine.

The latest operation went even further.

“The success of Operation Trojan Shield is a result of tremendous innovation, dedication and unprecedented international collaboration,” Shivers said. “And the results are staggering.”

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Perry reported from Wellington, New Zealand. Associated Press writers Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin, Jari Tanner in Helsinki, and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Frank Bajak in Boston contributed to this report.

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Rich Zinanni was a year out of college when his alma mater, Bishop McNamara, had an opening for a physical education and business teacher with an opportunity to coach.

“Well, I thought I could try it and see if I liked it,” Zinanni said.

That was in 1970, and he’s still at McNamara, so it’s pretty clear he loved it.

Now, Zinanni is ready for a victory lap. The Fighting Irish’s head football coach since 1975, he will spend one more season on the sideline before handing the reins to coach-in-waiting Alan Rood.

Zinanni will retire with one of the greatest resumes in Illinois history. His 364 wins in 46 seasons rank third all-time behind Ken Leonard, who has 393 victories in 41 seasons at Gridley and Sacred Heart-Griffin, and Frank Lenti, who had 374 in 34 seasons at Mount Carmel.

The Irish won four state titles in the 1980s under Zinanni and another in 2015. They also had three runner-up finishes and 36 IHSA playoff berths.

Why retire now?

“I’ve been kind of looking at it the last couple years,” Zinanni said. “I have a great staff, a bunch of enthusiastic guys. I’ve been looking for a young guy to come in and take over.”

That guy is Rood, whose resume is strikingly similar to his mentor’s. Rood played at McNamara before going on to Northern Illinois, also Zinanni’s alma mater. Rood also coached at NIU and Eastern Illinois as well as at Morton and St. Viator.

In 2015, Rood started the football program at Von Steuben. After playing a JV schedule the first year, he led the Panthers to winning records in each of their first two varsity seasons.

So with the coaching transition settled, what’s next for Zinanni?

Among other things: travel with his wife Jane and spending more time with his eight grandchildren, including helping three of them in the businesses they’ve started.

Plus, Zinanni said. “I’ve got to get my golf game back.”

The state titles are among his career highlights. But there were many others, including playing golf with legendary Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian and spending time in the UCLA quarterback room with Troy Aikman.

The years have flown by, Zinanni said.

“(When) you have a good place to go to work at every day,” he said, “it’s not like a job.”

Change at Providence

Like Zinanni, Providence coach Mark Coglianese plans to step down after the 2021 fall season.

Coglianese has been on the Celtics staff for 35 years, first as an assistant to Matt Senffner and for the last 15 seasons as head coach. Providence is 103-64 during that span with the Class 7A title in 2014, a 6A runner-up finish in 2009 and 11 playoff berths.

“I’m ready to move on,” said Coglianese, who plans to remain as boys track coach.

“This is maybe a good time,” he said. “They’re both such long seasons. Track is January to June, football is never-ending with offseason lifting, morning workouts and summer practices.”

Zach Elder takes over at Taft

Zach Elder, Taft’s defensive coordinator the past five seasons, is the Eagles’ new head coach.

He takes over for John Tsarouchas, who resigned after five seasons to take a teaching and coaching position in Alabama.

“I’m excited and at the same point in time, I’m super nervous,” Elder said. “Generally, I’m the guy with butterflies in my stomach every game.”

But he also feels confident in taking over one of the city’s rising programs. The Eagles were 26-20 under Tsarouchas, with the school’s first Public League title in 46 years and multiple state playoff berths.

“There are little tweaks we’re going to make, but I think the foundation is really good,” Elder said.

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