DePaul men’s basketball coach relieved of duties, Chicago sued, and Ron Desantis drops out of presidential race
Plus, a new B-Side episode
Welcome back to ‘In the Loop’! We’ve got a good one for you today. It’s your newsletter team — Alexandra, Audrey, Elizabeth, Cary, Isabella, Sam, Annabelle and Emily — back with a new and exciting Monday night edition to start off your week!
DePaul men’s basketball coach, Tony Stubblefield, has been relieved of his duties as head coach according to a press release released today. This is Stubblefields third season coaching the men’s basketball team where he went 28-54 (.341) in his two-plus seasons with the team. Also, Chicago was sued by a Texas bus company after Chicago banned unannounced migrant drop-offs and Ron Desantis dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Donald Trump.
A new episode of 14 East’s podcast The B-Side produced by Senior Associate Editor Audrey Leib drops tonight so make sure to go listen either on Spotify or on Substack! For this week’s episode, Staff Writer Elizabeth Gregerson details how she came to cover Chelsea-Carters Sanders, a Project Runway alum, who showcased her sustainable fashion collection during the Chicago Humanities Festival.
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With that, let’s get into tonight's news!
The B-Side: Chelsea Carter-Sanders: A Sustainable Fashion Force
By Elizabeth Gregerson, Audrey Leib and Andrew Vucsko-Cameron
Chelsey Carter-Sanders, a Project Runway alum, showcased a sustainable fashion collection during the Chicago Humanities Festival in October. 14 East Staff Writer Elizabeth Gregerson covered her fashion event and the impact Chicago has made on Carter-Sanders.
Story by Elizabeth Gregerson
Music by Andrew Vucsko-Cameron
Produced by Audrey Leib
DePaul News
By Cary Robbins
DePaul men’s head basketball coach is relieved of his duties
Tony Stubblefield, the former head coach of DePaul men’s basketball team, has been relieved of his duties after his third season of coaching, according to a press release that came out today. DePaul vice president and Director of Athletics DeWayne Peevy said that the university “did not meet their goals” of bringing the men’s basketball team through a new era. Matt Brady, who is the special assistant to the head coach, will be taking over as interim head coach. Read more about the announcement here.
Information about DePaul’s emergency protocols
DePaul Newsline recently wrote about how students can take precaution on campus. Through this link, you can see how to barricade doors, what actions to take in case of a fire and more about DPU alerts. The Public Safety number for DePaul’s Loop Campus is 312-362-8400, and the phone number for DePaul’s Lincoln Park Campus is 773-325-7777. The university encourages students to save both numbers in their phone in case of emergencies.
Learn more about the new dean for DePaul’s School of Music
In July 2023, John Milbauer took over as the new dean for the School of Music. He has 20 years of experience teaching piano and has worked in other schools in California and Arizona as associate dean. Milbauer said he wants to hopefully break through the barriers of inclusion in music. He also said that his favorite part of working in Chicago is being able to see a wide variety of music, like jazz one night and watching his student perform that next. DePaul Newsline interviewed Milbauer about what brought him to DePaul. You can read more about Milbauer and his new role here.
Chicago Headlines
By Isabella Salinas
Chicago being sued by a Texas bus company - Chicago has banned unannounced migrant drop-offs, and a charter bus company hired by the state of Texas to transport migrants to Chicago is suing over the new restrictions. The restrictions were enacted on December 8 in order to slow the number of migrants entering Chicago and required unscheduled buses to get approval from the city to drop people off. The Texas bus charter is said to have broken the law by ignoring the new restrictions. Wynne Transportation LLC is suing the city by stating Chicago intends to limit the flow of immigrants and infringes on the right of the federal government to set immigration policy. Alisha Ebrahimji and Andy Rose of CNN have more on the story here.
Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot launches nonprofit - Former Mayor Lori Lighfoot launches nonprofit called The Chicago Vibrant Neighborhoods Collective that aims to boost Chicago community groups. The organization will offer services to help community-based organizations, the organizations that they will work with are yet to be announced. The services that will be offered include budgeting and fundraising help, board development and marketing and communications resources. The focus of support will be on smaller homegrown organizations. Lightfoot is going to be the group’s board chair and senior advisor. Violet Miller of the Chicago Sun Times has more on the story.
Eviction notices cause panic amongst migrants - Thousands of migrants were met with eviction notices with little to no guidance of where they should go next. Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration has decided that February 1 will be the new date to start evicting migrants from city shelters. The city does not plan on creating new shelters or adding new beds to the shelters, and are instead trying to work with churches and other groups to transition migrants to a more stable living environment. The eviction notices have created panic as they were handed out a day or two before deadlines were up and some even had outdated notices. Migrants are concerned that they will still have to worry about the weather when the eviction date comes. Block Club Chicago’s Mack Liederman, Alex V. Hernandez and Madison Savedra have more on the story.
Rat-hole was filled and quickly restored by the community - The story of the infamous unofficial landmark dubbed the Rat-Hole in Roscoe Village near 1918 W. Roscoe St. was filled with what seemed to be white concrete on Friday. However, Lakeview neighbor Johnathan Howell grabbed his license plate to begin digging out the substance and restoring the rat shaped hole, and was even joined by other neighbors. The rat-hole was mostly restored except for the melted snow and slush. Block Club Chicago’s Alex V. Hernandez has the story here.
National Headlines
By Sam Freeman
Ron DeSantis drops out of the presidential race – On Sunday, Ron DeSantis ended his presidential campaign and endorsed Donald Trump. DeSantis announced the end to his campaign in a video posted to X two days before New Hampshire’s primary election. In the video, DeSantis acknowledges that he signed a pledge to support Donald Trump, and he will uphold that pledge. After previously attacking DeSantis and calling him “DeSantimonious” and “DeSanctus,” Trump thanked the governor for his support at a rally in New Hampshire: “I just want to thank Ron and congratulate him on doing a very good job. He was very gracious, and he endorsed me. I appreciate that, and I also look forward to working with Ron.” Bill Barrow and Michelle L. Price of the Associated Press have more information.
California and Oregon ease up on isolation restrictions against C.D.C. guidelines – Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) has advised that individuals who test positive, regardless of whether they do or do not have symptoms, should self-isolate. However, in recent months, two of the most cautious states have lessened their restrictions. California and Oregon have said that infected workers and students, if asymptomatic, can resume going about their lives. With the increase of vaccinations, antiviral treatments and natural immunity, state officials are weighing the societal costs, such as the cost of missing school and lost income. Both states advise that individuals who’ve tested positive for COVID wear a mask around high-risk individuals. But if they are without a fever for at least 24 hours, then they are free to be in public spaces. Shawn Hubler and Adeel Hassan from The New York Times have the story.
Much of the U.S. continues to suffer from severe cold – Temperatures below freezing have contributed to 72 deaths this month in the U.S. Most of the deaths involve hypothermia and road accidents. In Memphis, Tennessee, crews worked to find and fix broken pipes causing low water pressure. The president and CEO of Memphis Light, Gas and Water expects most of the 700,000 people affected to have services within the 24 hours. So far, the company said it’s found and repaired 41 broken water mains and located more than 4,000 leaks in homes and businesses. The severe weather is supposed to subside in the coming days. "Stay safe out there over the next several days as our region tries to thaw out," the National Weather Service said. "Chunks of falling ice will remain a hazard as well." Travis Loller from the Associated Press has the story.
14 East Pueblo: José Ochoa Named President and CEO of National Museum of Mexican Art
By Annabelle Rivera
José Ochoa was announced as the new President and CEO of the National Museum of Mexican Art last Tuesday. This announcement comes two weeks after the retirement of President and CEO Carlos Tortolero, who founded the Museum over 40 years ago.
“This is the honor of a lifetime and a full-circle moment in my life, to return to my roots but with a wealth of knowledge and experience to lead this marvelous institution into its next chapter,” Ochoa said in a statement.
Ochoa served as the President of the ChiArts Foundation of the Chicago High School for the Arts for three years. Previously, he served as the founding Executive and Artistic Director of ChiArts and the Superintendent of Cultural Arts for Nashville, Tennessee.
“José’s energy and empathy, his success in engaging young people and in creating opportunities all combine to make him the perfect person to lead the Museum at this exciting time in its journey,” said Tortolero.
Tortolero will remain in a consulting role until March 31. According to the official statement, Ochoa will help to enhance the Museum’s presence on a national level and elevate creative programming. The Museum is located at 1852 W 19th St, Chicago. They are open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is always free.
Hey, Check This Out!
With Featured Columnist Elizabeth Gregerson
This week’s recommendation is a true crime, docu-series that has quickly captured the fascination of Netflix audiences but it is not for the faint of heart.
American Nightmare, currently listed as Netflix’s most popular show, covers the real life story of a California woman’s 2015 kidnapping and the subsequent media firestorm that followed.
Viewers may vaguely remember headlines of a “real life Gone Girl” from that time, referencing the 2014 film and 2012 novel of the same name where a woman plots twisted revenge on her cheating husband. American Nightmare attempts to pull back the curtain on what really happened, how the Gone Girl narrative was established and who was actually behind it.
The series is directed by Bernadette Higgins and Felicity Morris, known for The Tinder Swindler documentary. Higgins and Morris set up the mystery and sensationalism of the crime with respect for the victims, unraveling details without any exploitative motivations.
As the story unfolds, viewers see real footage from police body cameras and recorded interviews with investigators interspersed between insight from those most closely involved in the story. There are moments of confusion, outrage, disgust and heartbreak throughout each of the series’ three episodes, which total in just over two hours of run time.
Easy to watch in one sitting, viewers should take care to heed the series’ content warnings. Some of the first hand experiences discussed may be deeply unsettling to hear.
If you are searching for an unbelievable true story with compelling characters dedicated to uncovering the deeply hidden truth, be sure to watch American Nightmare streaming on Netflix.
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