Chicago Marathon winner dies at 24, misogyny in film, and Chiefs win 2024 Super Bowl
Plus, Beyoncé announces new album release
Welcome back to ‘In the Loop’! We’ve got a good one for you today. It’s your newsletter team — Alexandra, Audrey, Asia, Chinyere, Sam, Emily, Elizabeth and Gia — back with another exciting Monday night newsletter to start off your week!
First, a new 14 East podcast special is out tonight! In this episode, 14 E Contributor Juliet Aquino talks to an adjunct film professor and the DePaul Film Fatales club about experiences with Misogyny on set and in the film industry. Listen now on Spotify or Substack!
In other news, Kenya’s Kelvin Keptum, last year’s Chicago Marathon winner, died late Sunday at the age of 24 from a tragic car crash. Keptum died in the crash alongside his coach, Gervais Hakizimana, as the car veered off the road and hit a tree. Also, last night was the 2024 Super Bowl game, where the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25-22. The Niners were leading 19-16 and the end of the fourth quarter until the Chiefs scored a field goal and the game went into overtime, where Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a three-yard touchdown pass to win the game.
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With that, let’s get into the news!
14 East Podcast Special: Misogyny in Film
By Juliet Aquino, Audrey Leib and Andrew Vucsko-Cameron
14 East Contributor Juliet Aquino talks to adjunct film professor Olivia Lilley on her career combating misogyny on set. DePaul's Film Fatales club President Paloma Colon Rosa and Treasurer Miranda Rodriguez share their experiences with misogyny on student film sets and how their club works to create a safe environment for everyone. This episode contains some profanity. Listener discretion advised.
Story by Juliet Aquino
Produced by Audrey Leib
Music by Andrew Vucsko-Cameron
DePaul News
By Asia Thomas
DePaul men’s basketball interim head coach looks to build the program back up
The former special assistant to Coach Stubblefield, Matt Brady, has become interim head coach of DePaul’s men’s basketball team. This comes after Tony Stubblefield was relieved of his duties as head coach on January 22. Coach Brady entered DePaul’s program with 12 years of coaching experience and successful seasons at James Madison University and Marist University. DePaul’s team currently holds a 3-20 record, and this trend continued with a loss to St. John's on February 6. While Brady may not be able to fix this streak in the remainder of the season he is appointed for, he hopes to build up the team’s confidence before a full-time head coach is instated. Read more on The DePaulia here.
DePaul Art School professor displays sculpture in Chicago Cultural Center
The Chicago Cultural Center had a little piece of DePaul in their recent Chicago Architecture Biennial. DePaul Art School professor and multi-media artist Jeff Carter had his sculpture “Urban Fill” displayed in the exhibition until it ended on February 11. The sculpture was created with funds from DePaul’s University Research Council grant and is made up of a blue dumpster that sits underneath tiered construction materials. It is representative of the last remaining structure of the Michael Reese Hospital and is one part of Carter’s “The Singer Pavilion Project.” Carter even brought a student along– DePaul alumni Jaxanna Fink– to build the sculpture. Read more about Carter and the process behind the art on DePaul Newsline here.
Student Government Association hosts internal election for new senator
Political science major Reilly Shuff is officially the Student Government Association’s (SGA) newest senator for third-year students. Shuff was elected on January 31 in an internal election at an SGA general body meeting. Shuff is the first person to fill this role since Spring 2023 and ran a campaign to improve the health and safety of female-identifying students. Other key goals for Shuff are emphasizing body positivity and safety at the Ray Meyer Fitness and Recreation Center “The Ray” and getting more commuter student representation in SGA. Learn more about Reilly Shuff’s plans for the term on The DePaulia here.
Innovation Day showcases commitment to social good
On January 26, over 45 students, faculty and staff gathered to present their research and creative work at the fifth annual Innovation Day. These DePaul community members were a part of the Innovation showcase that focused on new ways to ignite social good and covered subjects from artificial intelligence to poverty. Over 175 more attendees watched the panels, listened to keynote speakers and participated in interactive parts of the presentations. To learn more about the projects featured and DePaul’s commitment to social good, read the DePaul Newsline here.
Chicago Headlines
By Chinyere Ibeh
Owner of soul food restaurant soft launching a new Italian restaurant in Chatham - Mark Walker, the restaurateur behind Oooh Wee! It Is!, will have a soft launch of his new restaurant, Maxine’s, on Wednesday. Walker named his new restaurant after his mother, Rev. Maxine Walker, who helped bring all denominations together. Walker’s mother hosted dinner parties where she’d serve up to 10 courses to preachers and first ladies in her Chatham home. Everything Walker knew about fine dining and entertaining guests began with his mother. He continued his mother’s tradition by hiring new staff from the Chatham community and training training them in the art of fine dining — essentially creating a space for neighbors to “experience quality dining.” For more about the story behind Maxine’s, read Atavia Reed’s story for Block Club Chicago.
Tim Mapes, ex-aide to Michael Madigan, receives more than two years in jail - The chief of staff for the former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for lying to a grand jury as investigators began closing in on Madigan. Before he learned of his sentence, Mapes stood before the judge and said that he tried to live his life as a good man. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Schwartz insisted that Mapes made a choice to protect his friends — Madigan and Michael McClain — rather than tell the truth. Mapes is one of the nine people convicted in relation to public corruption investigations, though his sentencing is the most notable so far. Jon Seidel of the Chicago Sun-Times has more information.
A century-old house saved from demolition by Arlington Heights trustees - The “architectural gem” was saved from demolition after trustees rejected a builder’s appeal to tear down the historic home. The property is one of the only three Italianate architectural homes in the village and it has stood as a historic landmark for more than 140 years. Elizabeth Owens-Schiele details the situation in her latest story for the Chicago Tribune.
Shockwaves sent through the racing world as the 2023 Chicago Marathon winner died at 24 - Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum, last year’s winner of the 2023 Chicago Marathon, died in a tragic accident late Sunday. Kiptum died in a car crash alongside his coach, Gervais Hakizimana, as the car veered off the road into a ditch and ultimately hit a tree. Kiptum was a top contender for gold at the Olympics in Paris this year. For the entire story on the tragedy, read NBC Chicago’s latest story.
National Headlines
By Sam Freeman
Woman killed after she opened fire in Joel Osteen’s megachurch – A woman in a trenchcoat opened fire at celebrity pastor Joel Osteen’s megachurch in Houston, Texas, just as the rest of the country was getting ready to watch the Super Bowl. Two off-duty officers confronted and killed the woman. She entered the enormous church with a 7-year-old boy who was shot in the crossfire and remains in critical condition. A 57-year-old man was also wounded. Osteen’s megachurch is regularly attended by 45,000 people every week, making it the third largest megachurch in the United States, according to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research. A shooting earlier, busier part of the day would have been worse, says Osteen. Authorities say the motive for the shooting is still unknown. In a statement issued on Sunday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said “our hearts are with those impacted by today’s tragic shooting and the entire Lakewood Church community in Houston. Places of worship are sacred.” Juan A. Lozano of the Associated Press has more information.
Kansas City Chiefs win back-to-back Super Bowls – The Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl 25-22 in overtime, becoming the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowl games since the New England Patriots almost two decades ago. The San Francisco 49ers controlled the game until the second half. The Niners were leading 19-16 at the end of the fourth quarter until the Chiefs scored a field goal. The game went into overtime and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a three-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. to win the game. The NFL changed its rules in 2022 so that both teams have a chance to possess the ball. Before, the first team to score would win. Mahomes was named Super Bowl MVP; he’s been named MVP each of the Chief’s Super Bowl wins over the past five years. Emma Bowman and Ayana Archie of NPR have the story.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is hospitalized again – On Sunday afternoon, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was rushed to a hospital for “symptoms suggesting an emergent bladder issue,” according to the Pentagon. In early December, Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer and hospitalized on December 22 for a related procedure. President Biden didn’t know that he had been hospitalized until January 4, and members of Congress blasted Austin for concealing the diagnosis. Yesterday, Austin transferred his duties to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks. In a statement that afternoon, trauma medical director Dr. John Maddox and Center for Prostate Disease Research of the Murtha Cancer Center director Dr. Gregory Chestnut said it’s uncertain how long Austin would be hospitalized. Joe Hernandez from NPR has more information.
The Ukraine-Israel bill faces another test in the Senate after Republican resistance – Senators held a rare session on Sunday to hold a test vote for the emergency spending bill to provide military assistance to Ukraine and Israel. The package would spend $60.1 billion to Kyiv, $14.1 billion to Israel and $10 billion in humanitarian assistance to those in conflict zones. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York and majority leader said it’s been a while since Congress passed a bill “that so significantly impacts not just our national security, not just the security of our allies, but the very security of Western democracy and our ideals.” While the Senate may approve the bill as early as Wednesday, the bill still faces strong opposition in the Republican-led House. Republicans have maintained that the United States should secure its own border with Mexico before sending money to help Ukraine’s security. Former President Donald Trump encourages this resistance. Karoun Demirjian of The New York Times has more information.
14 East Pueblo: Instituto del Progreso Latino Charter Schools Reach a Tentative Agreement with Chicago Teachers Union
By Emily Figueroa
This past weekend the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) made progress at two Instituto del Progreso Latino charter schools for child education.
Instituto del Progreso is a nonprofit organization that supports immigrant families with education, training and employment.
The CTU management agreed on a tentative plan to expand resources in staffing employees that are bilingual and work in special education. Retaining and recruiting staff is a top priority of the agreement, but efforts to find a school nurse, librarian, counselors and social workers are also taken into account.
Union members at Instituto del Progreso Latino made it to day five of their strike until the agreement became an option, but a push for this change has been in action for the past two years.
Despite how long it took, the nonprofit made a rather positive statement towards the change to come.
“After thorough collaboration amongst both parties, we feel confident that we have presented a fair and comprehensive offer to our educators,” Instituto said. “We believe this offer reflects our firm commitment to providing quality education while addressing the various needs and concerns from our educators."
The students will be put first with the roll out of this deal, CTU said, and union members are reviewing the details before deciding on a vote. Read more about the tentative agreement in the Chicago Tribune here.
Hey, Check This Out!
With Featured Columnist Elizabeth Gregerson
Beyoncé is back!
Among the many memorable Super Bowl commercials last night (did anyone else catch that five second Duolingo ad?) there was only one that included Queen Bey.
In a Verizon commercial, Beyoncé worked alongside actor Tony Hale to try and break Verizon’s internet network with viral stunts. No matter what outlandish idea she came up with, Beyoncé is unable to shut the internet down. For her final effort Beyoncé decides, “Okay, they ready. Drop the new music.” And that is exactly what she did!
Soon after the commercial aired, Beyoncé dropped two new songs and announced that her next album, Renaissance Act II, will be released on March 29.
The announcement was not the biggest surprise of the night for Beyoncé fans. That surprise came when listeners heard the newly released songs and realized that Beyoncé’s Renaissance Act II is going to be a country music album! The songs, named “16 Carriages” and “Texas Hold ‘Em,” are both unmistakably influenced by country music.
As an artist who has always been proud of her Houston, Texas roots – perhaps entering the country music genre should not come as the biggest surprise. Beyoncé’s performances during the Renaissance World Tour, which she wrapped up at the end of 2023, often showed her atop a shimmery silver horse wearing a glittery silver cowboy hat, chaps and boots. Based on the newest album aesthetic seen in the visualizers uploaded to Beyoncé’s YouTube channel last night, maybe last year’s tour visuals were a glimpse of what was to come.
There are less than seven weeks until the album’s release on March 29. Until then, you can listen to “16 Carriages” and “Texas Hold ‘Em'' on all major music streaming platforms like Spotify and Amazon Music.
Resources
Need resources regarding warming centers, rental assistance, abortion access, COVID-19 testing and vaccines or mental health? Check out our complete list here.
That’s it for today! See you next Monday.
The 14 East Newsletter Team