On a cold, flurry-filled day in Chicago, the Bears erased a ten-point deficit in the final minutes to defeat the New York Giants 24-20. The Bears now hold a 6-3 record, having won six of their last seven games. The Giants, on the other hand, are now a dismal 2-8, their fourth loss in a row, adding another blemish to a season that briefly looked full of promise. 

Being from Illinois and New York, both teams were more than familiar with bad weather conditions and adjusted their game plans accordingly. Even in a season with kickers nailing field goals from longer than ever,  no field goals would be kicked from great distances on this day. The Bears and Giants’ first drives ended identically, turning the ball over on downs. 

Chicago nailed the first punch as rookie Kyle Monagai, coming off a fantastic performance last week against Cincinnati, ran it in from eight yards out. 

New York would respond in kind with their rookie quarterback, Jaxson Dart, throwing back-to-back dimes to receiver Darius Slayton. This set up an easy 3-yard run from Dart to tie the game at 7.

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) scrambles to pass in the first quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois, on Sunday, November 9, 2025 (Patrick McDermott / Getty Images) 

The two teams continued to be dead even, as yet again, they both turned it over on downs. The Giants were stopped by a fantastic play from Bears’ safety Jaquan Brisker to prevent a touchdown. 

The Bears stopped themselves as running back D’Andre Swift let a pass bounce off his hands on fourth down, one of six drops for the team on the day. This mark is the most by any NFL team in a game this season. 

Adding to that total was defensive back Nahshon Wright, who dropped a gift of an interception in the endzone, allowing new Giants kicker Younghoe Koo to kick a 32-yard field goal and give the Giants a 10-7 lead at the halftime break. 

Even the defense had hands made of solid ice. 

The second half looked to be more of the same as a great special teams return from the Giants helped springboard another scoring drive ending in a Jaxson Dart touchdown run. 

After another Bears punt, the Giants were deep into opposing territory again looking to make it a three-possession game. But then, there was a sign of life. 

A big hit from defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson dislodged the ball from Dart’s grasp and Nahshon Wright recovered it to give Chicago possession. A timely turnover that could give the Bears a momentum shift. 

There was indeed a momentum shift, but it wasn’t necessarily because of the fumble, the Bears only managed three points off of it. The shift was concerning Dart’s health. He would be evaluated for a concussion and after two plays on the next drive, he would not return to the game. In came their backup quarterback, Russell Wilson, to close out the game.

He would guide New York all the way to Chicago’s one-yard line, but they opted to settle for a field goal rather go for the touchdown. Surely, they won’t need those four points later. 

After laying dormant for 55 minutes, the Bears woke up from their hibernation as they went on a 91-yard touchdown drive with Williams completing a pass to Odunze for the score. 

Despite the Giants seemingly being in full control the entire contest, they had just a three-point advantage with 3:56 to play. A three-and-out and shanked punt set up the Bears with the football at their own 47 with an opportunity to tie the game. 

Chicago Bears defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson (35) sacks New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson (3) in the fourth quarter at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois, on Sunday, November 9, 2025 (Patrick McDermott / Getty Images) 

They didn’t tie the game though. They took it a step further. Williams scrambled for the end zone and gave Chicago a late 24-20 lead. Wilson and the Giants were stuffed on their final drive as the Bears, somehow and someway, secured another last-second win. 

Once again, this wasn’t a pretty win for the Chicago Bears, but it was a win nonetheless. Next week, they’ll have a rematch against the Vikings in Minnesota, a team that came from behind to beat them in Week 1. Will the Bears get revenge and continue their winning ways or will they fall in yet another divisional contest? There’s only one way to find out.

The post Finding a Way: Bears Come Back to Beat Giants, 24-20 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Yes, you heard me right, spring snow. Good ol’ April in the midwest.

As cold and blustery as it was outside, the serene music of Jamila Woods made the Englert a warm space to spend the closing night of the 2018 Mission Creek Festival.

I hadn’t really known much of Jamila Wood’s work before going to this concert, other than her captivating vocals on the chorus of “Sunday Candy” by Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment, a band featuring Chance The Rapper.

Even just the small snapshot of her unique voice that I got from that song immediately made me want to hear more.

During the concert, Jamila treated the audience at the Englert to “Sunday Candy,” but with her own personal twist.

The song was transformed from its lighthearted mood to one of deep emotion with a connected melody and underscoring drums and guitar that only enhanced the piano backing of the original version.

Collaboration between Woods and Chance has stayed strong, with Chance being featured on the song “LSD” from her new album HEAVN, released last year.

LSD can certainly undertake another, hallucinogenic meaning, but in the song’s case it stands as an acronym for Lake Shore Drive.

The well-known road stretches along the shore of Lake Michigan in downtown Chicago, where Jamila, the members of her band, and Chance The Rapper all hail from.

Much of the lyrics in Woods’ music originate from events in her own life.

Ranging from nationwide issues such as race, gender, social injustice, to more personal interests like Chicago, and even as specific as the mild sauce at Harold’s Chicken, as she divulged during the concert, inspiration can truly strike anywhere.

Chill songs with swanky beats may seem like an odd description, but I feel as though it pretty much encapsulates the tone of Woods’ music. The layering of sounds play a big part in HEAVN, with many of the tracks containing a dreamlike background of drums,  keyboard, and guitar that underscore the soulful timbre Woods’ voice.

Even though many of her songs are easy-listeners, they don’t come without intricacies. Woods plays with syllables, splitting words in several of her songs into interesting rhythmic breaks.

On stage, Woods was just as smooth as her vocals. Moving freely to the beats of the music, she infected the crowd with her calm vibe and graceful presence.

She even paused between songs to say goodbye to one of the members of the “amazing squad of girls dancing in the front,” as she called them, who had to leave the concert early.

Everything looked and sounded effortless. Behind that ease is a very powerful woman who spreads a message of love and equality through lyrics and the written word.

Woods has also gained a following through her poetry.

In fact, she read as part of the Mission Creek Keynote Reading at The Mill alongside authors Hanif Abdurraqib and Alissa Nutting the day before her performance.

Often, her written poems are integrated through lyrics or spoken word, as was the case with one song during the night that started with her reading out her original poem, Blk Girl Art.

The poem takes a meta approach, analyzing the meaning and effect of poems themselves. Words have endless power, and Woods takes that power into her work.

The post Mission Creek Festival: Jamila Woods @ The Englert Theatre 4/8/18 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

I’m going to be completely honest though, writing this month’s piece on January nineteenth, otherwise known as the eve of the presidential inauguration, it’s a little hard to find the humor.

While the more literal spring isn’t that horribly far away, we’ve got another long, cold winter ahead of us. You could benefit from knowing what is heat pump for house and why it’s essential during winter. So, while this month’s how-to guide can be used as a quick fix until the northern hemisphere shifts closer to the sun, it can hopefully also be used as something to warm your hands by until the longer winter breaks.

But let’s face it—if we’re going to get through these long, cold months, we need more than just humor; we need warmth. And not the kind of warmth that comes from layering yourself in every sweater you own, but real, reliable warmth, the kind that only a quality furnace can provide.

When winter stretches on and the wind howls outside, there’s nothing more comforting than knowing your furnace is up to the task. That’s where Climate Experts for outstanding services come in, making sure your home stays cozy and energy-efficient, even on the darkest, chilliest days. Because if we’re going to survive the next few months with our sanity intact, a dependable furnace is as essential as that first cup of coffee in the morning.

I’m getting really tired of hearing the word “snowflake,” but I have a feeling we’re going to be hearing a lot of it even when there’s zero chance of precipitation so we might as well jump right in:

1. Find what makes you happy.

I know, that’s a hefty first step, but if you can find the little things in your daily life that give you a flutter of joy or makes you smile even on the coldest days, hold on to it. For example: my plant hoard is probably going to keep growing, I’m going to try to paint more, and I’m going to be less reserved about singing along with my favorite songs.

2. Bask in whatever sunshine you can find.

That little kid that laughed at you in the grocery store, the person you saw bring food to a homeless person on your morning commute, the dogs that will gladly let you pet them. I know it’s easy to forget that there is good in the world when it seems like everything is dark and dreary, but look out for the little bits of sunshine peeking out from the clouds and soak them in.

3. Create your own sunshine.

Donate to a cause that is close to your heart, volunteer at the humane society or soup kitchen, clean out your closet and give your clothes to someone who needs them more. Don’t forget that you can be a ray of warmth for someone else!

4. Persevere 

If the grass and flowers can come back at full strength after devastating ice, snow, and frigid temperatures, so can you. Be resilient and carry on.

Good luck y’all.

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The post The Walking Contradiction’s How-to Guide: Surviving the Winter appeared first on KRUI Radio.

It had snowed an abundant amount the night before, so the superintendent at Ballard High School had called for a snow day. Lucky for me he did. If he had not, I may have never been able to write this personal narrative or learn that, at the end of the day, something that is heartfelt and simple can go a long way.

At the time I was an eighth grader, who had finally grown into her baby fat and was just becoming interested in boys. All my friends had had boyfriends in the past, except for me. So months before this fateful day, I had devised a plan to secure myself a man. Not just any man: Nicholas Baumhover.

Nick was a year younger than me, who just happened to be a stone, cold fox. Being the cougar I was, I watched him for a while. I learned who he was friends with and what type of activities he was in. Once my research was complete, my friend Val helped me get his attention. That was stage one.

Stage two was to create a schedule to get him to fall madly in love with me. Without going into too much detail, the schedule consisted of me texting him first for a number of days, only to stop one day, so he felt like something was missing. He would soon realize that I was the thing that was missing, and text me first instead.

The last stage, to really seal the deal, was my Halloween party. I invited a number of my friends and a number of Nick’s friends, so he would be more motivated to come over. I provided food, movies, and a fire: all the makings for a smashing party. I dressed up as a sexy clown; well, as sexy as an eighth grader who didn’t quite know how to put on makeup could be.

Nick dressed up as a Jamaican. His costume was made up of a black and white striped shirt and a red, green, and yellow beanie with black dreads coming out of it. My costume was a short, white dress with pink frills along the edge and colorful polka dots strategically placed throughout the flirtatious ensemble. We were, without a doubt, the perfect match.

We spent the whole party talking by the fire; hours of divulging our life stories, and Nick fixed the fire every ten minutes to keep me warm. We were officially “together.”

The next few months were bliss. Every day we had stimulating conversations, via text of course. He even gave me his zip-up camouflage fleece, which my friend Val stole from me and gave to someone else. Safe to say, the fleece was never returned to Nick. I was so committed to our relationship that I even stayed home from school one day to finish his Christmas present. I knitted him a black and blue stocking hat that ended up being too big for him, so it just looked like a beanie.

During many of our text conversations, Nick would brag about how great his house was for sledding. So, you can imagine my excitement when I saw “Ballard Middle School: Closed” roll across the bottom of the TV screen one fateful morning.

Nick’s parents had the day off, since the roads were so bad leading out of town, so they let him invite friends to go sledding. Since I was his girlfriend, I received one of the exclusive invites. Around ten in the morning, my friend Val and I walked to Nick’s house in our snow gear. When we arrived, we saw Nick on his four-wheeler and his friend, Charlie, riding on a sled tied to the back of the vehicle with rope. They were whipping around, having a grand time. When Charlie’s turn was over, Nick came to greet us.

He asked if Val and I wanted to have a go, and we obviously said yes. So he tied another rope to the back of the four-wheeler, and Val and I jumped onto our individual sleds.

At first it was really fun. The sled would bounce over every hunk of snow, and the brisk, cool air hit my face as we picked up speed. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end, and to an end it came when Nick decided to make a quick, left turn.

Because of how sharp the turn was, I was violently pushed off in the opposite direction of Nick, which would have been fine, if there was a snow bank or something soft for me to run into, but that would have been too easy. Instead of a snow back, I ran into the Baumhover’s thick, wood mailbox post. Luckily, I was wearing a helmet so nothing severe was injured, but I did receive a nice bruise the size of a toaster on my thigh.

Unfortunately I was a junior high basketball cheerleader, so I often had to wear short shorts that revealed my battle scar. Needless to say, my bruise reminded me, and everyone around me, of that glorious day for weeks to come.

After my unpleasant encounter with the mail post, I had had enough of sledding, so instead of challenging death, I convinced my friends to play in the snow with me while the rest of the group risked their lives trying to get an adrenaline rush. After a few hours, everyone was cold, so we took off our snow gear in the Baumhovers’ shed and went into their house to warm up.

Once I was warm, Nick asked if I wanted to go help him pick up everyone’s snow gear in the shed. Being the good girlfriend I was, I obliged right away.

Once we got to the shed, I went right to work. Lost in my concentration of the difficult task of picking up soaked snow pants, I did not notice Nick standing by the door. I finally looked up when he said he wanted to show me something. Excited to see something new, I trotted over there. When I got there, we were standing face to face.

“What is it?” I asked nonchalantly.

“Mistletoe,” He said with a smile. I giggled and looked up but found no leafy green plant hanging above us.

“There’s no mistletoe,” I said confused.

“Does it matter?” Nick said with a nervous smile.

“Nope,” I said without hesitation.

Nick and I leaned in and met each other in the middle. Before we touched lips, I took a moment to truly take him in. We were so close that I could smell his laundry detergent, which smelled like a fruitier version of Lysol. I saw his face more clearly. He had green eyes: the color of the evergreen trees out in his front yard. He had cheeks as pink as a Strawberry Starburst.

Finally our lips met.

The kiss was only a few seconds long, but during those few seconds I made the mental note to ask him what type of chapstick he used because his lips were as soft as butter. After the kiss we finished picking up the snow pants and went inside to have hot chocolate and scotcheroos that his mom had made while we were “helping pick up.”

Nick and my relationship only lasted a few months but to this day, our first kiss is the only one I could possible tell in so much detail that it adds up to over a thousand words. I have had a handful of first kisses in my life time, but none that could match up to this one.

I do not remember my first kiss because of the fireworks or the electricity. I do not remember it because I thought the boy was drop dead gorgeous, even though he was pretty nice to look at. I remember it because it was pure, simple, and heartfelt. It was just a simple kiss from a sweet boy who ran me into a mail post earlier that day.

The post First Things First appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The first snow has fallen, meaning the winter fashion season is officially upon us. With temperatures dropping rapidly and the sun setting earlier and earlier, it’s becoming increasingly more difficult for the college student to get up and make an effort to look their best for the day ahead.

While it may be the easy choice to wear layer upon layer of mismatched sweatshirts, hats and gloves, there are practical ways to stay warm and stylish without breaking the bank. There’s no need to spend four digits on designer clothes to look good in this winter wonderland. Below is a rundown of the winter essentials to stay warm and stylish, while still remaining within the college-student budget.

A winter coat. A must for any Iowa winter, the winter coat comes in all shapes, sizes and styles. Whether it be a parka, blanket coat, or trench, protection from the elements is always top priority. Fendi’s pink weather-proof parka, YOHJI YAMAMOTO’s duvet coat, or Topshop Uniques’s quilted bomber are all perfect examples of possible avenues for braving the polar vortex in style. Boohoo and H&M offer affordable pieces that capture the essence of these runway looks.

Secondly is a good pair of snow boots. You don’t have to settle for those faux fur lined monstrosities any longer. There is another way! A rugged weather proof take on the classic Chelsea boot, or a traditional rubber-rain-boot-meets-sneaker with thirtytwo’s, Exit 14 boot, while pricier, can do wonders for your winter wardrobe.

Accessaries. Scarves, gloves, hats, balaclavas, you name it. Accessaries are a must, not only to make a statement, but to stop the bitter cold. Scarves are probably the most versatile of cold weather add-ons.  There’s a hundred different ways to tie a scarf. The fake knot, cozy neck wraps, braided, or an infinity scarf, hellonatural.com presents 13 stylish ways to wear a scarf this winter.

When it comes to winter head gear there’s not a whole lot to work with in the sophistication department. The slouchy beanie is warm but completely played at this point. But if you must, it’s acceptable to trap the heat. At least don’t get caught wearing a bomber hat. Sorry Donald Glover.

Hip hop has turned the balaclava into an intimidation factor with the help of Odd Future, A$AP Rocky, and even Kanye at times. However, it’s still pretty lackluster in the traditional fashion sense. This ski-mask-like protection can probably stay at home unless you’re hitting the slopes or robbing a bank. (KRUI nor I endorse such behavior of course.)

Finally, there’s the under wrap. The illusion to create one garment appear as if it were multiple layers was all over the runways last show season. Ralph Lauren did his best with the simple yet elegant lawson cape and Ellison coat. Midwest winters definitely warrant multiple layers, so try an oversized blanket scarf with a knee length cardigan to achieve a similar mystique.

Whether you adopt your current wardrobe into newly styled creations, or seek out new options, hopefully these quick tips gave you the tools you need to improve your style while still surviving the Iowa winter.

The post Swank Scoop: Style That Keeps You Warm appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The theatre filled with a variety of students, families, and community members, who all took their seats just in time for the orchestra to play at 2:00 PM. When the curtain rose, it was certainly a sight to behold. The actors, adorned in brilliant, sparkly costumes, used fabulous facial expressions as they danced their way across the stage.

The feeling was ethereal — the music swelled when moments were tense and lulled when the mood was calm; Tchaikovsky’s genius was made evident from the start. The synchronization was phenomenal, as were the special effects. Three life-sized toys were pulled out of a box, a nutcracker came to life, and a Christmas tree magically doubled in size.

Throughout the course of her journey, Clara encountered people from all over the world. Children, snowflakes, and angels danced with her, but eventually it was time for her to go. In the mesmerizing and touching final scene, Clara waved goodbye to her newfound friends and held her toy nutcracker. She then fell asleep, dreaming of her spellbinding adventure.

Christmas is now only twenty-two days away, readers — get excited and find a chance to see The Nutcracker. It truly is a captivating and unforgettable experience.

The post “The Nutcracker” Brings Christmas Cheer @ Englert Theatre — 12/1/12 appeared first on KRUI Radio.