Twenty-four hours in Hong Kong, sub-zero temperatures in Chicago and wildfires in L.A.
plus, remembering José 'Cha Cha' Jiménez
Welcome back to ‘In the Loop’! It’s your newsletter team Lauren, Varun, Ellie, Isabella, Kiki, Annabelle and Noёl. We’ve got a good one for you today.
To start, we have a feature about one of our writer’s 24-hour-long layover in Hong Kong. Then, we have information on a new Theater School scholarship, ShotSpotter’s replacement and the beginning of the Senate approval process for Trump’s cabinet nominees. To wrap up, we have an obituary to Puerto Rican activist José 'Cha Cha' Jiménez and a recommendation for a Max reality show.
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With that, let’s get into it!
A Few Hours Lost in Hong Kong
By Varun Khushalani
Traveling is scary, I get that. The foreign smells attack you unrelentingly, the people look at you funny and speak funky. The first few hours in a city across the world can be confusing and disjointed. My first hour in Hong Kong was spent outside of the airport blindly running around, trapped in a multi-level, labyrinth-style mall/train station. It was nearly 11 p.m. by the time I got to my hotel in Kowloon.
A friendly woman greeted me, checked me in, and reminded me to close the door when I shower, and not to smoke or eat Durian indoors. When I got to my room, my ears were still buzzing. I chucked my backpack anywhere but the small bed, upon which I immediately collapsed. I scroll on my phone a little. I take a shower, call my parents, who are in India, to tell them I’ve arrived – I’ll be there tomorrow. For tonight, we’re still half a continent away. I scroll on my phone some more. A few hours later, I woke up, charged with adrenaline. It's 4:30 a.m. and as dark out my window as it was when I walked in. I go downstairs to the lobby. The woman is still there, confused to see me. I smiled like a fool and told her I was just going for a walk. I didn't even know what I was doing. I paced a few blocks around my hotel as 4:30 a.m. turns to 5 a.m. The city hadn’t begun to wake, no restaurants or stalls were open. I go back to my room to scroll on my phone some more. 5 a.m. turns to 6 a.m. Surely 6 a.m. is late enough.
As the sun rose, I found myself in a hilltop park/gym with a bunch of old people who were working out. The smells from Hong Kong rose up alongside the steep slopes; animal fat and street refuse waking up with the rising crowd. After getting enough strange looks from the usuals, I coasted down the very tall flight of stairs to the main road. My stomach, still unsure of itself after the long journey over the Pacific, didn’t look kindly on the early morning options. I had a simpler option, a Filet-O-Fish from McDonalds, the Hong Kong version far superior to its American counterpart. Appetite satiated, I packed my things and headed out for the journey of the day. It was 11 in the morning or so when I left. After an hour, I realized I was walking the wrong way. I planned to walk down the same main road, which would inevitably get me to the train station I needed to reach. I still had five hours (and change) to get to the airport, so I just turned around and began to walk the other way. I stopped in a Chinese mall for Chinese goods. Nothing fit me, but I did spend a long time contemplating a watch I didn’t end up buying. Further down the road, I stopped at a church and was greeted with open doors. I think it was just past lunch. I sat during one of their regular Sunday services, presented in English, a language widely used in Hong Kong. It reminded me of many services I’d seen in the U.S., and after a 90-minute program, I felt closer to God than I had before.
When I walked out the door again, back out into the bustling city I only got to see for a short time. People rushed around, on calls, late for something or another; families struggled to band together in the bustling traffic on the sidewalks. People smoked, others sobbed, some right in front of me. After a few hours, it’s just life, happening right in front of you, all the time, alive. I walked around another mall, one with many floors underground. On the ground floor, there was an entire IKEA condensed into a small/medium-sized mattress store with all the other things IKEA had. I walked around another mall, the one connected to the train station, the one I had been so helplessly lost in all those hours before. I nearly fell asleep on the 26-minute ride.
I woke from a nap in the airport, waiting in a still-empty gate for my flight out of Hong Kong. The sun was setting in the most beautiful way. The people around me looked up and pointed. A few took photos. I looked around to see if there was anything to eat. Not hungry, I walked back, still tired, ready to scroll on my phone some more.
All photos by Varun Khushalani.
DePaul News
By Ellie Shelton
DePaul’s Theater School receives $1 million gift — The Theater School has received a $1 million gift from retired DePaul professor, Kristen Hansen. Hansen served the DePaul community for more than 27 years before retiring in 2023. She is providing students with the opportunity to apply for the Christine A. Binder Endowed Scholarship in Lighting Design. Preference is given to students who belong to and are committed to expanding underrepresented populations in the performing arts. DePaul Newsline has more.
Endowed Chair position created for DePaul Visual Arts Program — DePaul’s visual arts education program has created a new endowed chair position for former DePaul professor Jim Duignan. The James P. Duignan Endowed Chair for Arts Education secured arts education as a keystone of the university's education program. Russell Dorn at DePaul Newsline has more.
Josh Shanhan named Associate Provost at DePaul — Following an internal search, John Shanahan has been announced as DePaul’s newest Associate Provost for Student Success and Accreditation. As Associate Provost, Shanahan will serve as the university’s liaison officer for the Higher Learning Commission. Shanahan will also oversee the annual assessment of student learning and the cycle of academic program review. Jessica Peterson at DePaul Newsline has more.
Chicago Headlines
By Isabella Salinas
Sub-Zero wind chills in the Chicago area — The Chicago area is expected to have sub-zero wind chills and extremely chilly temperatures early this week as a cold front moves through the city. Temperatures are expected to drop into the teens with wind chill values that could reach as low as -4 degrees, NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Pete Sack said. Meteorologists said to expect flurries on Tuesday as the brutal cold will continue Monday through Wednesday. Thursday and Friday should have warmer conditions that push the 40-degree mark. The NBC Chicago staff has more information on this week's weather. In the meantime, The City of Chicago offers six warming centers. Information can be found here.
New gunshot detection system in the city’s South Side — The new gunshot detection system will get a test run starting Monday on the city's South Side in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. This comes after the city’s contract with the previous gunshot detection system ShotSpotter ended last year. The pilot program is being tested with a company called Alarm.com which is said to help protect communities against gun violence. This program comes months after ShotSpotter was deactivated. ShotSpotter was argued to be unreliable by Mayor Brandon Johnson. Asal Rezaei, Andrew Ramos, and Megan Hickey from CBS have more.
Red Line extension secures federal funding — Federal transit officials have formally agreed to put nearly $2 billion toward extending the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line ahead of Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. The Red Line Extensions program would move the south end of the Red Line from 95th Street to 130th Street, building new stations at 103rd and 111th streets near Eggleston Avenue, at Michigan Avenue near 116th Street and 130th Street near the Altgeld Gardens public housing project. President Joe Biden has signed off on the Federal Transit Administration’s agreement to pay $1.97 billion toward the extension project, according to federal and local leaders. The extension is expected to save riders 30 minutes on their commute between the Loop and 130th Street. Construction on the project is set to begin within the next year and be completed by 2030, officials said. Dozens of properties were rezoned by the City Council near the project last month, and all affected residents living in homes near the project’s path have been moved into new housing except for a few remaining commercial and industrial properties, according to CTA spokesperson Tammy Chase. Maxwell Evans at Block Club Chicago has more.
Lies and omissions on family income forms found by CPS watchdog — The inspector general for Chicago Public Schools published its “Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Report” which details the investigations that the city schools’ independent oversight body conducted last year. CPS’s top watchdog found lies and omissions on family income forms that identify low-income households, which could affect how much funding district schools receive and whether some school fees are waived, according to a report released Wednesday. Some affluent families were found trying to receive low-income designations to gain fee waivers as well and district employees omitted their CPS salaries to gain eligibility. The form was previously used to identify students who should receive free or reduced-price school lunches, but since 2015, all CPS students have received free lunches. CPS employees weren’t the only ones found to have potentially lied about their income, however, the availability of information made analyzing their cases easier. In response to the investigation, CPS said it will no longer use the free- or reduced-lunch form in its school-funding formula, and the district will examine school fees and whether any changes need to be made, such as proof of income for fee waivers. Nader Issa at the Chicago Sun-Times has more information on the story.
National Headlines
By Kiki Dyball
At least 24 dead, dozens missing as firefighters battle L.A. wildfires — The Palisades Fire, which began Tuesday, has burned over 40,000 acres in Los Angeles. Strengthening Santa Ana winds — with gusts up to 55 mph — threaten to spread the flames or ignite new ones. Nearly eight million people are under critical fire weather alerts, according to the Storm Prediction Center. Chandelis Duster and Emma Bowman from NPR have more information.
Senate hearings for President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees begin this week — Former Georgia Rep. Douglas Collins for Veterans Affairs secretary and ex-Fox News host Pete Hegseth, Trump’s controversial defense secretary pick will be screened by the Senate tomorrow — the first of Trump’s cabinet picks to go under the microscope. Later this week, hearings include South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem for Secretary of Homeland Security, Sen. Marco Rubio for Secretary of State and Pam Bondi for Attorney General. Carle Huse of The New York Times has more.
TikTok is set to be banned in the U.S. next Sunday — As President Joe Biden enters his final week in office, TikTok faces a potential ban. In April, Congress passed a bill requiring that its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divest its stake due to security concerns. The app failed to overturn the law when the Supreme Court declined to intervene last week, clearing the way for the shutdown. Hannah Murphy and Stefania Palma at the Financial times have more information.
Insurance crisis exacerbated by L.A. wildfires, with losses expected to exceed $20 billion — Major insurers have already pulled out of the state due to wildfire risks, forcing many homeowners to rely on the costly FAIR Plan. Despite moratoriums on policy cancellations, rising claims and strict regulations continue to destabilize the market, coverage is still uncertain. Greg Allen of NPR has more.
14 East Pueblo: Young Lords founder José 'Cha Cha' Jiménez dies at 76
By Annabelle Rivera
José 'Cha Cha' Jiménez, a human rights activist and a founding member of the Young Lords and the Rainbow Coalition, passed away on Friday. He was 76.
Jiménez moved from Puerto Rico to Chicago as a child and joined the Young Lords — then a street gang. A brief stint in jail in 1968 introduced him to Illinois Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton and the works of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. The experience inspired him to reform the Young Lords as a human and civil rights group modeled after the Black Panthers.
The Young Lords gained traction in Lincoln Park as gentrification swept through the area, forcing Puerto Ricans out. The group offered programs like free day care and drug addiction support to the marginalized people in the neighborhood. They held protests and marches, one of the most notable being in protest against the 1969 shooting of member Manuel Ramos, who was killed by an off-duty police officer. The organization teamed up with the Black Panther Party and the leftist organization Young Patriots to create the Rainbow Coalition movement.
Since its creation, the Young Lords have opened branches in New York City as well, which act as a modern-day version of the group. Jiménez later moved to Grand Rapids, Mich., where he worked as a substance abuse counselor.
“Cha Cha never stopped working for ordinary people,” Bobby Rush, a former member of Congress and co-founder of the Illinois Black Panther Party, told the Sun-Times on Saturday. “He made an absolutely unalterable commitment to protect the Puerto Rican community. He refused to let them be gentrified ... He made our society and our world better. Cha Cha was a beacon for us all.”
He is survived by his sisters, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Visitation will take place 3 p.m. on Thursday at Pietryka Funeral Home, 5734 W. Diversey Ave. before being buried in Puerto Rico near his mother.
Hey, Check This Out!
With Featured Columnist Noёl Bentley
Hey guys, Noël’s back — just as it seemed my season (for those who don’t know, Noël translates to Christmas in French) was over, I’m back.
This week, I am back with another fashion show recommendation. This week, I will be talking about “The Hype” on (HBO) Max. In 2021, Max debuted the competition show where nine streetwear designers compete to win a $150,000 co-sign from one of the star judges. The show has two seasons and 16 episodes in total.
Hosted by internet personal Speedy Morman, and judged by fashion icons such as Marni Senofonte known for her work styling the queen herself Beyoncé for her infamous pregnancy photo shoot according to The Guardian, she is the stylist who turned internet culture into fashion. Alongside Senofonte is Beth "Bephie" Gibbs, another talented designer who is known for her work turning fashion looks into short videos. She is known for her streetwear looks and the Union x Jordan 2.0 Collaboration video from 2020. Last but not least, Kiari Kendrell Cephus, also known as Offset — the renowned rapper known for being one-third of the popular group Migos — is the final judge. Although this is a fashion competition, it is a streetwear competition and Offset has made himself known for his love for streetwear and his desire to help the next generation of greats.
Throughout each season, viewers see the god-given talent and the growth these designers go through. Each designer is dedicated to their craft and has great lore that gets the audience hooked. The show obviously got renewed for a second season — which debuted in 2022 — but since then there has been no communication from the producers, so the show technically has not been canceled.
Resources
Need resources regarding cooling 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