Chicago mayor releases 2023 tax returns
Argentina's Racing wins its first Copa Sudamericana championship by beating Brazil's Cruzeiro 3-1Charleston Southern’s disappointing football season ended on Saturday as the Bucs lost at Florida State, 41-7. CSU finishes the season with a 1-11 record, losing their final 10 games after a win over Furman in week two of the regular season. The Bucs hung tough early, trailing only 3-0 with five minutes left in the first half. The Seminoles, however, scored two touchdowns in the final 4:05 of the second quarter to take a 17-0 lead at the break. Charleston Southern wraps up season at Florida State “Really proud of the way our guys competed. The moment was not too big for them,” CSU coach Gabe Giardina said. “I thought we showed the right kind of character and I was impressed with how we competed. “It’s been a season of near misses, losing five games by five points or less, but this team has been a joy to coach because of how they came to work every day.” CSU’s lone touchdown came with 57 seconds left in the game when Kaleb Jackson and tight end Landon Sauers combined on a seven-yard pass. CSU loses in overtime to Eastern Illinois; fall to 1-10 Jackson finished the game with 221 passing yards, completing 22-of-32 passes. Chris Rhone had 60 yards on three receptions. The Bucs totaled 275 yards in offense for the game as the Seminoles limited CSU to only 57 yards rushing. Davion Williams led CSU’s defensive effort with eight tackles, a sack, and two tackles for loss. No-surrender Buccaneers face final 2 games on road “We gave up some big plays in the second half but I thought we competed at a high level defensively in the first half,” Giardina said. “Our guys fought their butts off, just like they have all season.”
NEW YORK—Bitcoin topped $98,000 for the first time Thursday, extending a streak of record after record highs since the US presidential election. The cryptocurrency has rocketed more than 40 percent in just two weeks. Now, bitcoin is at the doorstep of $100,000, just two years after dropping below $17,000 following the collapse of crypto exchange FTX. The recent, dramatic rally arrives as industry players expect the incoming Trump administration to bring a more “crypto-friendly” approach toward regulating the digital currency. Bitcoin traded as high as $98,349 early Thursday, according to CoinDesk, and was slightly below that level at 1:25 p.m. ET. As with everything in the volatile cryptoverse, the future is impossible to know. And while some are bullish, other experts continue to warn of investment risks. Here’s what you need to know. Back up. What is cryptocurrency again? Cryptocurrency has been around for a while now. But, chances are, you’ve heard about it more and more over the last few years. In basic terms, cryptocurrency is digital money. This kind of currency is designed to work through an online network without a central authority—meaning it’s typically not backed by any government or banking institution—and transactions get recorded with technology called a blockchain. Bitcoin is the largest and oldest cryptocurrency, although other assets like ethereum, tether and dogecoin have also gained popularity over the years. Some investors see cryptocurrency as a “digital alternative” to traditional money—but it can be very volatile, with its price reliant on larger market conditions. Why is bitcoin soaring? A lot of the recent action has to do with the outcome of the US presidential election. Crypto industry players have welcomed Trump’s victory, in hopes that he would be able to push through legislative and regulatory changes that they’ve long lobbied for—which, generally speaking, aim for an increased sense of legitimacy without too much red tape. Trump, who was once a crypto skeptic, recently pledged to make the US “the crypto capital of the planet” and create a “strategic reserve” of bitcoin. His campaign accepted donations in cryptocurrency and he courted fans at a bitcoin conference in July. He also launched World Liberty Financial, a new venture with family members to trade cryptocurrencies. How of this will actually pan out—and whether or not Trump will successfully act quickly on these promises—has yet to be seen. “This is not necessarily a short-term story, it’s likely a much longer-term story,” Citi macro strategist David Glass told The Associated Press last week. “And there is the question of how quickly can US crypto policy make a serious impact on (wider adoption).” Adam Morgan McCarthy, a research analyst at Kaiko, thinks the industry is craving “just some sort of clarity.” Much of the approach to regulating crypto in the past has been “enforcement based,” he notes, which has been helpful in weeding out some bad actors—but legislation might fill in other key gaps. Gary Gensler, who as head of the Securities and Exchange Commission under President Joe Biden has led a US government’s crackdown on the crypto industry, penalized a number of crypto companies for violating securities laws. Gensler announced Thursday that he would step down as SEC chair on Jan. 20, Inauguration Day. Despite crypto’s recent excitement around Trump, McCarthy said that 2024 has already been a “hugely consequential year for regulation in the US”—pointing to January’s approval of spot bitcoin ETFs, for example, which mark a new way to invest in the asset. Spot ETFs have been the dominant driver of bitcoin for some time now—but, like much of the crypto’s recent momentum, saw record inflows postelection. According to Kaiko, bitcoin ETFs recorded $6 billion in trade volume for the week of the election alone. In April, bitcoin also saw its fourth “halving”—a preprogrammed event that impacts production by cutting the reward for mining, or the creation of new bitcoin, in half. In theory, if demand remains strong, some analysts say this “supply shock” can also help propel the price long term. Others note it may be too early to tell. What are the risks? History shows you can lose money in crypto as quickly as you’ve made it. Long-term price behavior relies on larger market conditions. Trading continues at all hours, every day. At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, bitcoin stood at just over $5,000. Its price climbed to nearly $69,000 by November 2021, during high demand for technology assets, but later crashed during an aggressive series of Federal Reserve rate hikes. And in late 2022 collapse of FTX significantly undermined confidence in crypto overall, with bitcoin falling below $17,000. Investors began returning in large numbers as inflation started to cool—and gains skyrocketed on the anticipation and then early success of spot ETFs. But experts still stress caution, especially for small-pocketed investors. And lighter regulation from the coming Trump administration could mean less guardrails. While its been a big month for crypto—and particularly bitcoin, which McCarthy notes has set record highs for 10 of the last 21 days—there’s always risk for “correction,” or seeing prices fluctuate back down some. Some assets may also have more restrictions than others. “I would say, keep it simple. And don’t take on more risk than you can afford to,” McCarthy said—adding that there isn’t a “magic eight ball” to know for certain what comes next. What about the climate impact? Assets like bitcoin are produced through a process called “mining,” which consumes a lot of energy. Operations relying on pollutive sources have drawn particular concern over the years. Recent research published by the United Nations University and Earth’s Future journal found that the carbon footprint of 2020-2021 bitcoin mining across 76 nations was equivalent to the emissions from burning 84 billion pounds of coal or running 190 natural gas-fired power plants. Coal satisfied the bulk of bitcoin’s electricity demands (45 percent), followed by natural gas (21 percent) and hydropower (16 percent). Environmental impacts of bitcoin mining boil largely down to the energy source used. Industry analysts have maintained that clean energy has increased in use in recent years, coinciding with rising calls for climate protections.Eric Watkins of Abstrakt Highlights the Challenges of Building Internal SDR TeamsASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) — Gaston Martirena and Adrian Martinez scored first-half goals as Argentina's Racing won its first Copa Sudamericana championship by beating Brazil's Cruzeiro 3-1 in the final on Saturday. Martirena opened the scoring in the 15th minute and Martinez added a goal five minutes later to give “La Academia” its first international title since 1988 when it won the now defunct Supercopa Sudamericana. “Maravilla” Martinez scored 10 goals in 13 matches and finished as the top scorer in the competition. “We suffered until the last minute, but to be able to win a cup after so many years is a blessing,” Martinez said. “It's historic, it was a long time without being able to raise an international cup, we have a poor year in the league, but we were able to give the fans this satisfaction.” Roger Martinez sealed the victory with a goal in the 90th. Kaio Jorge scored in the 52nd for Cruzeiro. Racing, a team based in the city of Avellaneda, took the lead when Martirena, a Uruguayan right-back, sent in what appeared to be a cross from the right but the looping ball went over Cruzeiro goalkeeper Cassio and into the far corner of the net. Martinez doubled the lead with a shot from five meters. The game was played in Estadio General Pablo Rojas in Asuncion, Paraguay, where most of the 45,000 fans were supporting Racing. Copa Sudamericana is the second most prestigious club competition in South America behind the Copa Libertadores, and its first edition was in 2002. Racing is the first Argentinian team to win the competition since 2020 when Defensa y Justicia beat Lanus. The last two competitions were won by Ecuadorian teams. Brazilian teams Atletico Mineiro and Botafogo will play next weekend in the Copa Libertadores final in Buenos Aires, Argentina. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
It’s almost as if Tracen Tripple was born to do it. With a fitting last name, the Highland High junior broke the school’s single-game 3-point record in front of the home crowd with nine in a 56-54 season-opening win over Shelley on Friday Dec. 6. He went 9-of-16 from downtown to finish with a game-high 27 points. The mark had stood for nearly three decades and Tripple already had an in with the previous owner. It was his own father. Tennison Tripple, who still has the College of Idaho’s career free throw percentage record (92%) and is a former head coach at Columbia High School in Nampa, set it during the 1995-96 campaign. He hit eight 3-pointers in a game twice that season. Tracen also had four rebounds, a block and a steal on the record-breaking night. Marshall Glenn added 18 points, a pair of rebounds, two blocks and a steal for the Rams in the thrilling win. NEW PLYMOUTH 60, MALAD 57 Carter Carey had 21 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, but the Dragons (1-2) still fell on the road in nonconference play on Saturday Dec. 7. Brayzen Gibbs chipped in with 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals for Malad in the loss. NORTH GEM 53, AMERICAN HERITAGE 19 Ryver Hayden scored more points than the opposing team with 23 as the Cowboys (1-1) cruised to a win in 1A Rocky Mountain Conference play at home on Dec. 7. Gage Setser and Craig Yost added 15 and 11 points, respectively. WEST SIDE 58, MARSH VALLEY 51 Ivan Campbell logged 19 points as the Pirates (3-0) knocked off the 4A Eagles at home on Dec. 7. Jaden Fuller and Crew Sage also reached double figures in scoring with 15 and 12 points, respectively, for West Side in the win. BLACKFOOT 65, CENTURY 61 Kasen Sorensen scored 21 points, as the Broncos (1-1) held on for a nonconference win at home on Friday Dec. 6. Lawrence Cousineau and Austin Arave added 16 and 13 points, respectively, for Blackfoot in the win. Pega Weed had 18 points and Deagan Crabtree 13 for the Diamondbacks in the loss. WEST SIDE 43, FIRTH 22 Ivan Campbell scored 11 points and Mckay Peterson added another 10 in a one-sided nonconference win on the road on Dec. 6. SODA SPRINGS 55, WEST JEFFERSON 38 Gavin Hansen totaled 24 points, as the Cardinals eased to a nonconference win on the road on Dec. 6. Cooper Thompson chipped in with 12 points for Soda Springs in the win. PARMA 64, MALAD 52 Carter Carey scored 22 points, grabbed five rebounds and seven steals, but it wasn’t enough as the Dragons fell on the road during nonconference play on Dec. 6. Zach Richardson flirted with a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds to go with five assists and three steals for Malad in the loss. ROCKLAND 43, CAREY 42 Woodrow Lowder posted 15 points, as the Bulldogs escaped with a win at the Carey Holiday Tournament on Dec. 6. Hayden Smith put Rockland up by two at 43-41 with nine seconds remaining. But the Bulldogs were whistled for a foul as time expired. It gave the Panthers a chance to send the game into overtime with two free throws. But they missed the second one and the game was over. Xavier Parrish added 13 points and four rebounds, while Aiden Radford rounded it out with 10 points and a pair of rebounds. SODA SPRINGS 71, PARMA 68, OT Cooper Thompson racked up 36 points in a thrilling nonconference win for the Cardinals (3-0) on the road on Dec. 6. Konner McWilliams added 13 points in the win for Soda Springs. NORTH FREMONT 43, ABERDEEN 40 Canon Roster had 13 points and Luke Shackelford 10, as the Tigers were just edged out in their season opener at home on Thursday Dec. 5. PRESTON 65, MOUNTAIN VIEW 47 Cruz Harris tallied 22 points, as the Indians had little trouble with the 6A Mavericks at home on Dec. 5. Kasen Bryce (14 points), Tripton Beckstead (13) and Reggie Larsen (12) all reached double figures in scoring as well in the win. GRACE 57, BEAR LAKE 48, OT Braden Kimball logged 12 points as the Grizzlies (1-1) won a thriller on the road in nonconference play on Dec. 5. Kaden Andersen had 11 points and four rebounds for the Bears in the loss. Austin Tafoya added 10 points and Broxton Birch 17 rebounds. MARSH VALLEY 64, SOUTH FREMONT 40 Kaden Hansen notched 23 points, as the Eagles cruised to a nonconference win on the road on Dec. 5. Justis Whitworth and Jaxon Smith added 14 and 10 points, respectively, for Marsh Valley in the loss. FIRTH 59, BEAR LAKE 49 Jack Hulme totaled 12 points, three steals and a pair of assists in the Bears’ season-opening loss at home on Wednesday Dec. 4 Logan Keetch added 13 points and four rebounds and Kasen Warner 11 boards. WEST SIDE 50, GRACE 46 Crew Sage chalked up 14 points as the Pirates started the year with a nonconference win on the road on Dec. 4. Jaden Fuller and Ivan Campbell chipped in with 11 points apiece. Braden Kimball had 12 points for the Grizzlies in the loss. IDAHO FALLS 63, CENTURY 61 Adrian Gonzalez had 15 points as the Diamondbacks let a two-point lead in the final second slip away in a nonconference loss on the road on Dec. 4. Deagan Crabtree and Justus Mangum added 12 and 10 points, respectively, for Century, which fouled a 3-point shot with 0.6 seconds left. It then picked up a technical foul and the Tigers made 4-of-5 free throws to win the game. MALAD 61, RIRIE 41 Carter Carey racked up 32 points, including six 3-pointers, four assists and a pair of steals, as the Dragons rolled in their season opener on the road on Dec. 4. Zach Richardson added 13 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and five steals in the win. GRACE LUTHERAN 40, MACKAY 37, OT Garrett Grayson tallied 11 points, eight rebounds and five blocks, as the Royals won a thriller in their season opener at home on Tuesday Dec. 3. Ely Sauer also scored 11 points to go with four assists. CENTURY 71, BURLEY 59 Adrian Gonzalez led four different players in double figures with 19 points as the Diamondbacks outscored the Bobcats 39-20 in the second half to open their season with a nonconference win on the road on Dec. 3. Justus Mangum (14 points), Jordan Wilkinson (11) and Peja Weed (10) were the other three players to reach the double-digit mark in scoring. ROCKLAND 59, CASTLEFORD 32 Xavier Parrish and Woodrow Lowder outscored their opponents by themselves with a combined 35 points in a nonconference win on the road to kick off their season on Dec. 3. Parrish scored 18 points with Lowder right behind at 17. POCATELLO 64, BONNEVILLE 52 Hunter May went 5-for-7 from beyond-the-arch en route to 23 points as the Kobi Gardea era began with a nonconference win at home on Dec. 3. Gardea was a multi-time all-state player for the Thunder before playing and coaching for Eastern Oregon University in La Grande. He took over for longtime coach Joe Green, who stepped down in April after leading Pocatello to its first state championship in nearly a quarter century. Hunter Cordell also made sure his return home was a memorable one with 19 points. PRESTON 58, TWIN FALLS 47 Cruz Harris led four different players in double figures with 16 points, as the Indians opened their year with a nonconference win at home on Dec. 3. Kasen Bryce (13 points), Reggie Larsen (10) and Jake Schumann (10) all got in on the scoring action, as well. SODA SPRINGS 58, WEST JEFFERSON 53 Cooper Thompson recorded 24 points and Gavin Hansen had 13, as the Cardinals tipped of the season with a nonconference win at home on Dec. 3. GIRLS BASKETBALL MALAD 59, RIRIE 50 Izzy Haycock racked up 25 points as the Dragons (7-1) took first place at the Ririe Bulldog Shootout on Saturday Dec. 7. Brynnlee Jones added 14 points for Malad in the win. RICHFIELD (UTAH) 34, SODA SPRINGS 34 Abby Goodin had 15 points for the Cardinals in a loss at the Desert Hills Holiday Classic in St. George, Utah on Dec. 7. GRACE 36, WEST SIDE 14 Callie Yost logged 11 points, as the Grizzlies (3-4) closed out the Ririe Bulldog Shootout on a high note on Dec. 7. Halle Taylor had four points for the Pirates (1-7) in the loss. WEST JEFFERSON 40, GRACE 36 Tessica Jorgensen (13 points) and Kallie Stoddard (12) both reached double figures in scoring in a loss at the Ririe Bulldog Shootout on Friday. Dec. 6. COLE VALLEY CHRISTIAN 37, WEST SIDE 29 Miley Cundick had 11 points for the Pirates during a loss at the Ririe Bulldog Shootout on Dec. 6. DESERT HILLS (UTAH) 49, SODA SPRINGS 39 Abby Goodin (15 points) and Gracie Moldenhauer (12) each reached double figures in scoring during a loss at the Desert Hills Holiday Classic in St. George, Utah on Dec. 6. CAREY 42, ROCKLAND 36 Calyn Permann tallied 16 points, but the Bulldogs still fell at the Carey Holiday Tournament on Dec. 6. BEAR LAKE 44, PRESTON 31 Desiree Alleman scored 11 points, as Bears (5-1) knocked off the 5A Indians on the road in nonconference play on Dec. 6. Dotty Keller had 10 points for Preston (4-2) in the loss. MALAD 76, FIRTH 50 Four different players eclipsed the double-digit mark in scoring for the Dragons in a win at the Ririe Bulldog Shootout on Dec. 6. They were Kiley Miller (18 points), Mikell Keetch (15), Izzy Haycock (13) and Brynnlee Jones (13). SUGAR-SALEM 60, SNAKE RIVER 15 Cyrie Prigmore had five points as the Panthers (0-5) are still winless after a lopsided nonconference loss on the road on Dec. 6. RIRIE 45, WEST SIDE 41 Bentley Cundick scored 11 points for the Pirates in a loss at the Ririe Bulldog Shootout on Thursday Dec. 5. FIRTH 47, GRACE 38 Tessica Jorgensen put up 18 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Grizzlies fell at the Ririe Bulldog Shootout on Dec. 5. HURRICANE (UTAH) 54, SODA SPRINGS 47 Gracie Moldenhauer notched 14 points and Courtnee Gronning 10 in a loss at the Desert Hills Holiday Classic in St. George, Utah on Dec. 5. POCATELLO 52, HIGHLAND 39 Kenna Garza recorded a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds, as the Thunder (7-0) continued the best start in at least 19 years with a win in enemy territory over their crosstown rivals on Thursday Dec. 5. Abby Lusk nearly had one herself with a game-high 20 points to go with eight rebounds for Pocatello in the win. MARSH VALLEY 51, COLE VALLEY CHRISTIAN 35 Tayzlee Belnap logged 19 points, as the Eagles cruised to a win at the Ririe Bulldog Shootout on Dec. 5. Zayli Merzlock added a near double-double with 13 points and eight rebounds for Marsh Valley in the win. MALAD 50, WEST JEFFERSON 34 Mikell Keetch led three different players in double figures with 14 points, as the Dragons won at the Ririe Bulldog Shootout on Dec. 5. Kiley Miller (12 points) and Izzy Haycock (10) were the other two players. POCATELLO 58, TWIN FALLS 38 Kenna Garza came within one board of a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds to go along with four blocks, as the Thunder rolled in nonconference play at home on Wednesday Dec. 4. Abby Lusk added 15 points and six steals for Pocatello, which totaled 23 steals as a team in the win. ROCKLAND 56, HANSEN 16 Alexa and Calyn Permann combined for 21 points, as the Bulldogs dominated in a nonconference matchup at home on Wednesday Dec. 4. Alexa had 11 points and Calyn was right behind with 10. TETON 45, SNAKE RIVER 27 Sophia Kelly had six points for the Panthers in a nonconference loss at home on Dec. 4. HIGHLAND 43, CENTURY 29 Jaycie Homer had 11 points and three rebounds, as the Rams got the better of their crosstown rivals on the road Tuesday Dec. 3. PRESTON 49, MINICO 36 Tayla Wakley logged 13 points as the Indians eased to a nonconference win on the road on Dec. 3. NORTH FREMONT 51, ABERDEEN 25 Marley Kendall had 11 points for the Tigers in a nonconference loss on the road on Dec. 3.