Daily Egyptian

DE Since 1916

Daily Egyptian THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2014 VOLUME 98 ISSUE 142

Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka dies at age 70 Rick Pearson Chicago Tribune

Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, long one of the state’s most colorful and outspoken elected officials, died early Wednesday of complications from a stroke she suffered Tuesday, her chief of staff said.

She was 70.

Topinka was preparing to be inaugurated next month for her second four-year term as comptroller following a successful reelection in November. Nancy Kimme, her

longtime chief of staff, said Topinka died shortly after 1 a.m. Topinka was taken to MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn on Tuesday morning after feeling discomfort. She was undergoing testing and observation when she lost consciousness early Wednesday, according to an official statement.

In a public career that spanned more than three decades, Topinka was known for an eclectic persona that coupled her preferences for clothes shopping at resale stores and fondness for dogs with a blunt,

speak-her-mind attitude largely absent in today’s politics.

Topinka played the piano, guitar and the accordion and once said she would “polka with anyone, anytime.” A video of Topinka doing the polka with former Gov. George Ryan, who was later imprisoned for corruption, was used against her in the 2006 gubernatorial primary, and then-Vice President Dick Cheney was less than enthused when she grabbed him for a dance.

Students ‘die-in’ for change “Why wouldn’t I step up?

That’s my duty as a black man in college.”

Marissa Novel

@MarissaNovelDE | Daily Egyptian

While students returned textbooks to the bookstore, stopped by Starbucks for their mid-afternoon pick-me-up or by McDonald’s for lunch, they could have ran into something out of the ordinary Tuesday.

They may have heard Tupac’s “Changes” blasted higher than the typical easy-listening Student Center music, and may have seen fellow Salukis sobbing while in the embrace of a faculty member.

More specifically, they may tripped over the bodies of students and people who were sprawled across the floor, some holding signs reading “Black Lives Matter,” “I Can’t Breathe” and “Stop Killing Kids.”

More than 70 people sat on and were sprawled across the floor in the Student Center on Tuesday for a “diein” to protest the separate decisions to not indict two white police officers, who each killed an unarmed black man earlier this year.

Darren Wilson of the Ferguson Police Department was not indicted by a grand jury Nov. 24 for the Aug. 9 fatal shooting of 18-year old Michael Brown. Daniel Pantaleo of the New York City Police Department was not

indicted by a grand jury Dec. 3 for the July 17 killing of 44-year-old Eric Garner with a chokehold, deemed illegal by NYPD. “I don’t mean shutting down McDonald’s and I don’t mean shutting down Starbucks, it’s a metaphor,” Ben Smith, organizer of the event, said to protesters. “What we’re shutting down is this racist s—.”

Smith, a senior from Chicago studying communication, said he spoke to protesters to inspire them and release some of his own frustrations.

“It was therapeutic,” he said.

After speaking, Smith urged demonstrators to give him their contact information so he could contact them personally to organize more protests.

“I’m serious about change,” he said.

The Rev. Joseph Brown spoke to demonstrators after Smith.

“Be rooted,” said Brown, a professor in the Department of Africana Studies. “Be the tree that protects and the tree that gives us direction and nourishment and hope in the middle of the storm. You are the blessing we have been praying for.

Don’t forget where you came from.”

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L ewis M arien D aiLy e gyptian The Rev. Joseph Brown, a professor of Africana Studies, consoles Ben Smith, a senior from Chicago studying speech communication, Tuesday during a die-in demonstration at the Student Center. Smith, who organized the die-in, said he decided to speak to the attendees black men in separate incidents earlier this year. “It was therapeutic,” Smith said. “I’m serious about WWhange.”

Head of IT to leave SIU Community urged to support home team when holiday shopping Tyler Davis

@tdavis_DE | Daily Egyptian

Sean Phee

@SeanPhee_DE | Daily Egyptian

When men’s basketball coach Barry Hinson encouraged the southern Illinois community to support its home team in a local radio commercial, he was not talking about the basketball team.

In this case, southern Illinois’ home team is local business.

In the commercial, Hinson told the audience to do holiday shopping at local businesses rather than shopping online or going to a bigger city, such as St. Louis. The commercial was created

by Shop Southern Illinois, a group

of 10 southern Illinois chambers of commerce, according to its website.

Les O’Dell, executive director of the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce, said his chamber is the most important member of Shop Southern Illinois.

“Carbondale is the retail center of southern Illinois,” he said. “People from all over the region come to shop in Carbondale.”

Kevin Sylwester, an associate professor of economics, said supporting the region’s “home team” is very important. Sylwester said spending money locally makes towns

thrive.“The spending that remains in the community supports local jobs,” he said. “The more jobs in the community, the more additional spending and so a cycle arises.”

Carbondale City Manager Kevin Baity said so far, local shopping has increased this year.

“We are running at about 3 percent increase over last fiscal year on Home Rule Sales tax, which is tax imposed and we are at a 2 percent increase in regular sales tax,” Baity said.

Home rule sales tax is tax imposed by the city.

Please see LOCAL · 2

SIU could have another interim title to add to its already long list of temporary leaders.

David Crain, chief information officer, said he will leave the university in the spring to take a similar position at the University of Texas at Dallas. He said Texas wants him to start on or before April 1 as a vice president and its chief information officer.

“I could start as soon as I want but I am trying to give SIU quite a bit of transition time, so probably sometime in March I will have my last day,” he said.

President Randy Dunn said he has known of Crain’s departure

for nearly a week. He said the university will miss Crain’s ability to keep the campus up-to-date on technology needs.

Dunn said there will be an interim CIO and Crain will meet with Provost Susan Ford in the coming days to decide who that will be.

Crain, 45, said he has a monthly meeting with Provost Susan Ford on Friday, in which the two will discuss his departure and transition options.

Dunn said he believes the interim will be a person already within SIU. He said the permanent CIO will undoubtedly come via a search committee.

Please see CRAIN · 2

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Thursday, december 11, 2014 About Us

Contact Us Phone: (618) 536-3311 Fax: (618) 453-3248 Email: editor@dailyegyptian.com Editor-in-Chief: Sarah Gardner, ext. 252 sgardner@dailyegyptian.com Managing Editor: WilliamJackRobinson,ext.252 jrobinson@dailyeyptian.com Campus Editor: Tyler Davis, ext. 254 tdavis@dailyegyptian.com Sports Editor: Tony McDaniel, ext. 256 tmcdaniel@dailyegyptian.com Pulse Editor: Kyle Sutton, ext. 273 ksutton@dailyegyptian.com Design Chief: Branda Mitchell bmitchell@dailyegyptian.com Hoefert Photo Editor: Nathan nhoefert@dailyegyptian.com Alex Merchant, ext. 257 Web Desk: amerchant@dailyegyptiancom

LOCAL CONTINUED FROM

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Baity said he hopes this trend will continue into the holiday season as December alone counts for 11.25 percent of total tax revenue.

For some stores, the Christmas season accounts for 50 percent of their yearly revenue, Sylwester said.

Baity said he sees online shopping as a bigger threat than going to a bigger city to shop because if that city is in Illinois, at least the state still gains tax revenue.

The rise of online shopping has a negative impact for small towns, Baity said. Online purchases have no sales tax so the local community misses out on revenue whenever someone makes an online purchase, he said.

CRAIN CONTINUED FROM

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“That is clearly a senior level administrative position on the campus and I anticipate going forward with a national search,” he said.

Crain agreed, adding that the position is too important for his permanent replacement to be hastily chosen.

“A permanent CIO search, like a chancellor or provost or any of those positions, is going to take six to nine months,” said Crain, who is also an assistant provost.

Crain, who made $180,000 in

The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of Southern Illinois University Carbondale 43 weeks per year, with an average daily circulation of 7,800. Fall and spring semester editions run Monday through Thursday. Summer editions run Tuesday through Thursday. All intersession editions run on Wednesdays. Free copies are distributed in the Carbondale and Carterville communities. The Daily Egyptian online publication can be found at www.dailyegyptian.com.

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“In 2013, municipalities, counties and states lost out on over $23 billion in uncollected sales taxes due to online shopping,” Baity said.

Illinois was the fifth biggest loser of sales tax revenue because of online shopping, Baity said. He said the state lost about $1 billion because of it.

Baity said there is a way to stop this revenue loss. Congress should pass the National Marketplace Fairness Act, which would put a flat tax on online purchases. He said revenues from this tax would be disbursed to states who in turn would disburse it to the counties and municipalities on a per-capita basis.

“For Carbondale alone, this would generate in excess of $1 million in additional revenue per

year,” he said.

Baity said the act passed the Senate but the House is trying to kill the bill.

Despite this, holiday sales are expected to increase 4.1 percent this year, Baity said. Ryan Trosley, a senior from Wood River studying radio television, said he noticed an increase in holiday sales this year at his job.

Trosley, an employee at Sound Core Music and Video, said he is seeing the increase in sales. He said he is selling more larger items such as drum kits than in years past.

Trosley said shopping local is important to keeping Carbondale’s culture.

“Look at the Strip: it’s unique and it adds to the community,” he said.

fiscal year 2014, said his future job will be a pay increase. He said he took the offer because it’s a promotion.

“It’s a higher position at a little bit larger of a university,” Crain said.

“It’s definitely a career opportunity that I couldn’t turn down.”

He said the University of Texas at Dallas’ enrollment has grown 9 percent in the past two years, and 42 percent in the last seven years, which is a good problem to have in terms of technology services.

Crain worked at the University of Missouri as an assistant vice president and chief technology officer before taking his job at SIU.

He said his career goal is to be CIO at university the size of Missouri or the University of Texas at Austin.

When asked if employees see SIU as a stepping stone to a larger university instead of a permanent career, Dunn said it depends on the employee.

“For some, they will use their time here to move to a larger program or institution, others make a career at this institution,” he said. “As long as those individuals are high performing, and fully devoted to advancing SIU Carbondale… we benefit from that.”

Luke Nozicka contributed to this report.

Pulse

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2014

10 worst movies of 2014

Jacob Pierce

@JacobPierce1_DE | Daily Egyptian

P rovided P hoto

The Big Idea talks tour, new album Chase Myers

@ChaseMyers_DE | Daily Egyptian

Acoustic folk-rock band The Big Idea has been on the music grind for the past five years, drawing their members from every corner of southeast Missouri, perfecting their groove every step of the way.

Based out of Cape Girardeau, Mo., the former acoustic duo gone four-piece combo consists of Tommy Main on acoustic guitar and vocals, Will Montgomery on banjo and vocals, Scott Welton on bass guitar and Dale Baker on drums and conga.

The band brings in various influences from their backgrounds, whether from bands like Nirvana, genres like ’70s and ’80s hair metal and ’90s rock, cultural influences such

as traditional Cuban hand drums or personal experiences accrued since the band’s formation.

The Big Idea released their album “Nothing is What You’ll Get” on Dec. 2, and with a recording contract with MudStomp Records and Blisterfoot Productions, they are already conceptualizing another release.

The Daily Egyptian spoke with Will Montgomery about how the band started and what they have been up to. The band plays Saturday at PK’s.

How did you guys get started as a full group?

Our main guy Tommy Main, he and I used to play in a folk/rock group several years ago in probably 2008 or so, and after that band folded he and I started playing kind of a duo. Then in

the meantime, well of course the past several years, we’ve pretty much found people as we’ve went to fill it up.

How did your guys’ sound fill out as you added members?

The biggest thing in adding a bass and a drummer, it freed Tommy up to do more soloing and that kind of thing.

He’s more of a soloist in the band as like a lead player. Tommy and I both play drums with our feet; Tommy plays bass drum with his foot and I play hi-hat symbol. We also added a conga player, so having a conga player now do the rhythm of our songs … it freed us up to do a little more as far as more fills now to keep the beat steady.

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Roxie Randle brings easy listening to winery Chase Myers

@ChaseMyers_DE | Daily Egyptian

Building a musical foundation happens often at an early age, whether through a childhood epiphany or a musical interest passed down from family or friends.

Growing up in the eastern Illinois farm town of Hutsonville, countrypop/rock artist Roxie Randle obtained her musical spark as a child with influences from her parents’ musical inclination.

During her childhood, Randle’s parents were in a southern rock band, which contributed to her interest in pursuing music, she said.

“If I was born to a professional athlete and a school teacher or something … I would have had totally different influences in my life, but it definitely played a part just in giving me an outlet,” she said.

She said she also took influence from her experiences living in a farm town mixed with music on the radio, including ‘80s pop band Fleetwood Mac and more recent artists like Norah Jones.

“I moved to Nashville because I thought I was a country singer and after I got here I kind of realized that that was only part of my voice,” she said. “But, growing up in a farming

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ROCKY COMFORT WHITE

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community definitely made country the first and foremost influence.

Country and contemporary Christian too.”

After graduating from Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind., she made a relaxed move to Nashville, Tenn., in 2001, she said.

She moved with an anxiety-free approach and knowledge that her career would not be handed to her instantly, she said.

“I fell into the singer-songwriter community pretty easily,” she said.

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“Gone Girl,” “Boyhood” and “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” are just some of this year’s films that will permeate greatness through the decades.

While those films were brilliant, this was also a disappointing year. The franchising of every movie with a sequel potential has tarnished the landscape of Hollywood. For the release every great movie, seven terrible films accompanied it.

Here is my top 10 worst films of 2014.

10. The Amazing Spider-Man 2: The original “The Amazing SpiderMan,” was not a classic by any means. It had problems, but overcame many of them and was a decent film. “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” makes “The Amazing Spider-Man” look like “The Dark Knight” in quality. Too many villains, too many storylines and awful special effects are just some of its pitfalls. The movie goes to “Batman and Robin” levels of terrible, and reaches an all-time low for the modern superhero genre.

9. The Other Woman: Films in the chick flick genre rarely reach beyond cliché fun. Every once in a while, a picture from the genre comes along and reminds you just how bad it is. “The Other Woman” is this year’s installment. The movie is downright terrifying in its level of humor revenge and makes you feel a little bad for the villain. The acting is horrendous, its only saving grace being Leslie Mann. Her talent and charisma help make “The Other Woman” halfway decent.

8. Transformers: Age of Extinction: Calling any selection in this series bad is redundant. “Transformers: Age of Extinction” being far from the worst in the series. Yet, this movie commits the sin of being almost three hours long. No Transformers movie should ever be longer than “Pulp Fiction.” Add the normal Michael Bay qualities and a dash of terribly written female characters, and you have one of the worst films of the year.

7. Transcendence: Johnny Depp can do no wrong in the public’s eye. If you really think about it, the man has done a lot of bad movies. He is a compelling actor at his best. At his worst, he is a cardboard cutout of himself.

“Transcendence,” is up there with his worst.

Disappointingly directed by Wally Pfister, Christopher Nolan’s go to cinematographer, it suffers from poor logic, storytelling and dialogue.

6. I, Frankenstein: Mary Shelley must be rolling in her grave. “I, Frankenstein,” comes in a long line of terrible supernatural movies and awful films Aaron Eckhart has done since “The Dark Knight.”

Ridiculous, ludicrous and harebrained are the only ways to describe this movie. The deliciously cheesy acting of Bill Nighy provides the film’s only fun.

5. Let’s Be Cops: “Let’s Be Cops,” wasted its talented cast just as well as “The Godfather,” used it. Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. are at the top of the comedy game. Both are great at their own shticks and have made successful careers.

This movie places both of them in miscast roles and suffers for it. It is an uneven film and never gets a handle on what type of comedy it wants to be.

4. Ride Along: There was a time when Ice Cube was one of the few musicians who could act. His debut in “Boyz n the Hood,” showed it. Since then, a string of terrible kids’ movies, comedies and action films have proven he cannot. “Ride Along,” is just another on the list. Kevin Hart does everything he can to make this watchable, but even he comes off as annoying.

3. A Haunted House 2: Whenever Marlon Wayans makes a movie the existence of God is questioned. It was especially bad when he was allowed to create a sequel to the atrocious “A Haunted House.”

This film triples the atrocities of the original one.

Unfunny jokes from its originator are done at least a dozen more times and somehow worse.

“A Haunted House” had a little understanding of the genre parodied, “A Haunted House 2” has none.

2. Left Behind: Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage is a phrase we do not hear a lot today. Since falling into financial trouble, the actor took roles below his caliber. Films beyond ridiculousness and so bad they end up being entertaining. “Left Behind,” is not one of those movies. One part a boring mess, one part religious propaganda; this movie hits on so many levels of awful.

1. Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas: Not only does this grace the list as the worst movie of 2014, but also the worst movie I have ever seen. It’s now listed as the worst film ever

by Internet Movie Database. Calling it a movie insults the medium of film as a whole. Calling it a religious propaganda movie slanders religious propaganda films. The film hops over the border of racism and prejudice and is 80 minutes of a crazed man rambling about false history.

Sports

Saluki basketball teams prepare for winter break Tyler Davis

@TDavis_DE | Daily Egyptian

As the activity in the classroom comes to a frenzied finish, action on the basketball court approaches a season high.

The Salukis will play 20 games between the men’s and women’s teams during winter break, meaning the players will remain on campus for practice, rather than go home.

Without classes in session, the Salukis will practice twice a day for most of winter break in preparation for their final non-conference games and the start of Missouri Valley Conference play.

Men’s coach Barry Hinson, whose team lost a buzzer-beater against Southeast Missouri on Wednesday, said playing during finals can be difficult since players get less sleep because of intense studying. He said it negatively affects performance on the court for all teams.

“Most upsets in college basketball will be the games right after finals,” Hinson said. “The smart teams play the guys that aren’t very good during break.”

He said SIU does not have this luxury, as it will play six MVC opponents before classes resume Jan. 20.

Finals may not be the best time to play games, but Hinson said his teams usually grow the most during break. He said this year, he would like to see his team improve defensively with the extra practices.

Dan Muller, coach of Illinois State’s men’s basketball team, said his team also gets better during the break.

“You’re not limited with time or studying, so you have longer to watch more film,” he said.

Muller, whose team begins conference play against Indiana State on New Year’s Eve, said his players will go home for about three days near Christmas.

Hinson said he will allow his players to go home too. He

said players cannot go home on Thanksgiving break, so he allows them to spend a few days of winter break with their families.

SIU’s women will also get a week off to go home and celebrate the holiday season with their families.

Sophomore point guard Rishonda Napier, who is from Burbank, Calif., said she was looking forward to returning home.

“I’m so excited to go home for Christmas break, I get to see my family again,” Napier said.

“Hopefully we can do a good job in New Orleans, so the holidays will be that much sweeter.”

The women play at the New Orleans Shootout Dec. 19 and 20.

No classes means more downtime for players, and more opportunity for unproductive activity.

Napier said she does not expect herself or her teammates to get into trouble during break.

“The winter time is when the team becomes the closest,” Napier said. “We just go over to someone’s house and we hang out. I think we’ll be in [the gym] more often.”

Junior center Dyana Pierre echoed Napier’s confidence in the team’s off-court decision making.

“We all know right from wrong,” Pierre said. “We know we have to keep our bodies in shape and get rest.”

Indiana State’s men’s coach Greg Lansing knows about positive behavior when not having classes.

He played from 1986 to 1990 at South Dakota before taking the helm at Indiana State in 2010.

Lansing said he relished his intersession breaks as a player. He said he felt as if he was a professional basketball player because he did not have class or tests.

“You don’t have to go to class, you just practice, you just play,” Lansing said. “It’s just basketball [and] hanging around with your

buddies, so I always thought it was the best time of year.”

He said one drawback of the winter break is the lack of activity on campus. Lansing said with less students in Terre Haute, Ind., there are usually less fans at the Hulman Center, where Indiana State plays its home games.

Muller said freshmen sometimes struggle with the lack of people on campus in Bloomington, because it can cause restlessness. He said the traveling and time away from families is tough for first-year players, but it is a part of the privilege of playing college basketball.

“You don’t get Thanksgiving break, you don’t get Christmas break and hopefully you don’t get spring break because you’re playing in postseason,” he said. “So you’ve got to help the freshmen some, but the returners, the older guys, it’s just normal life.”

The SIU men begin conference play Dec. 31 against Missouri State (4-3). The team will play seven of its 10 games at home during the intersession. That stretch includes another home game Jan. 10 against Lansing and the Sycamores (3-5), and away contests Jan. 3 at Bradley (3-6), Jan. 7 at Northern Iowa (8-0) and Jan. 14 at Wichita State (6-1).

The Salukis’ women will play Oregon State (7-0) and Toledo (43) at the New Orleans Shootout.

The Beavers’ women are ranked No. 15 in the Associated Press rankings and are outscoring opponents by an average of 26 points a game.

The women start conference play on Jan. 4 at Illinois State (0-7). SIU then plays Jan. 9 at Northern Iowa (1-6). The Salukis return Jan. 16 to face Indiana State (7-1) at SIU Arena.

Thomas Donley and Brent Meske contributed to this report.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2014

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For live updates oF all saluki sports Follow @dailyegyptian on twitter

Beginning by winning

N athaN h oefert D aily e gyptiaN Members of the Saluki women’s pole vault team watch Saturday as sophomore pole-vaulter Zach Reed attempts his jump two teams in total events. The Salukis’ next event will be the Kentucky Invitational on Jan. 16 and 17 in Lexington, Ky.

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Thursday, december 11, 2014

Thursday, december 11, 2014

207 West Main Street Carbondale, IL 62901 Ph. 1-800-297-2160

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FOR RELEASE DECEMBER 11, 2014

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

Level: 1

2

3 4

SOLUTION TO WEDNESDAY’S PUZZLE

12/11/14

Complete the grid so each row, column andfor << Answers Wednesday 3-by-3 box Complete the (in bold borders) grid so each row, contains column andevery 3-by3 box (in digit, 1 bold to 9. borders) contains For strategies on every digit, 1 to 9. For to strategies how solve on how to solve Sudoku, visit Sudoku, visit www.

www.sudoku.org.uk sudoku.org.uk © 2014 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

Today’s Birthday (12/11/14).

Prepare for a power surge! List goals before 12/23, and prioritize. Embark upon a spiritual

quest. Saturn in your sign (through 12/19/17, with springtime retrograde) amplifies your skills, practices and confidence. After 3/20, your family appreciates love and compassion.

4/4 brings new community participation.

After 8/11, focus shifts from studies to career advancement. Collaboration can get romantic.

Aries (March 21-April 19) Today is a 7 — Someone brings home a nice surprise. There’s more money available, so ask for what you need. Direct the play of the game, and consider an unusual suggestion. Honor and acknowledge your team when you get the chance. Replenish reserves and build morale.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Today is an 8 — A delightful development at home is worth talking about. Family fortunes can improve now.

Choose the path you desire. Get advice from an eccentric friend. Listen to what your kindred spirits think. Light up the group with laughter. Celebrate together.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Today is a 7 — Imagination and

ACROSS 1 Long-necked instrument 6 Spiced beverage 10 Parched 14 Annoy one’s costar, perhaps 15 Suggestion 16 Recording medium 17 Archers’ protection 19 Say openly 20 Ungenerous sort 21 “__ how!”

22 Money-related suffix 24 L.A.-based comedy troupe 30 Hammers obliquely, as a nail 31 “Yikes!”

32 Bit of pillow talk 33 Dress protector 36 Fla. airport 37 Sign of summer 38 Classic 1958 Chinua Achebe novel ... and a hint what literally happens in 17-, 24-, 50- and 61Across 43 MLB team whose home scoreboard is updated by hand 44 Prom rental 45 Full of recent info 46 “Wheel of Fortune” buy 47 See 4-Down 48 Regarding 50 Scoldings 55 Vermeer’s “__ With a Pearl Earring” 56 GI entertainer 57 Sénat vote 59 Bear up there 61 Magi 65 Verb, for one 66 One-named supermodel 67 10 out of 10, scorewise 68 Canadian coin that’s no longer produced 69 Blog entry 70 Yankee manager before Girardi DOWN 1 Rogen of “Pineapple Express”

creativity pay well. A job could require travel... go ahead and go. Complete the written portion of your work easily and early.

Consider an unusual proposition. You have what you need. Write, record and express yourself. Bask in the limelight.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Today is a 9 —Unexpected income comes in handy now. Work hard and produce more, without suffering. Do it for love, not money. Adapt ideas to current needs.

Let your partner take the lead. You can gain more than you thought possible. Let intuition influence your decisions.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) Today is a 9 — You’re the star today.

Let yourself get pulled onstage. Do what you’ve been practicing. Stretch your body and mind.

Leave your case open and replenish your coffers. A go-between helps you negotiate a deal. Express what you have to say, and have fun.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Today is a 7 — Get productive on a creative project with good music and a cup

By Ian Livengood

2 “Let’s get some air in here!”

3 Unyielding 4 With 47-Across, payment for cash?

5 Bull Run soldier 6 Casual pants 7 Believer in karma 8 “Life of Pi” director Lee 9 “You convinced me” 10 Early game console 11 One of Hogwarts’ four houses 12 Nov. 2013 Twitter milestone 13 Morning drops 18 Outback order 23 Variety 25 Prince Harry’s alma mater 26 Pagoda instrument 27 Singer Young 28 Attendees 29 In need of a sweep, perhaps 33 Plate appearance 34 Platter player 35 1992 Crichton novel involving a fictional Japanese company

12/11/14 12/11/14 Wednesday’s Answers Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved

©2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

36 Upper limit 39 Boot option 40 Gas, e.g.

41 Not pro 42 Drudge 47 Sable or mink 48 Thumbs-up 49 Vegas dealer’s device 51 2014 World Series winning team member 52 Vague qualities

of tea. Finish up so you can start the next. Let’s others know how they can help. Get lost in contemplation. Ask questions and dig for ideas. Friends devise a great plan.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Today is a 7 — Have meetings, work on group projects and get together with friends. Today favors social interaction.

There’s more creative work coming in. Work together for a common goal. It could even get profitable. Get your message out and grow your movement.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Today is a 7 — Work faster and make more money. Exceed expectations.

Invest in high quality and efficiency. Learn skills by participating hands-on. Friends have useful connections. Be bold with romance... create love and give it away.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Today is an 8 — An unexpected trip could be just the thing to clear your head.

There’s a puzzle, and you have the tools to solve it. Dreams provide an answer. You can afford what you need. Money saved is money

12/11/14 12/10/14

53 Hopeless case 54 Cotton candy, mostly 58 Cruise destination 59 Chapel Hill sch.

60 School of tomorrow?

62 Med. care provider 63 Set to be assembled 64 Binding promise

earned. Relax and enjoy what you have.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Today is a 7 — Review the facts with your partner, and you can deduce what’s needed. Listen and learn. Budget for the future you’ve invented together. Re-assess assets, and choose what to spend on and where to wait. Solicit imaginative solutions.

Include music and creature comforts.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Today is an 8 — Strengthen your social infrastructure. Re-connect with a partner, and renew a bond. Follow a strong recommendation. Get a good deal by pulling strings. Others respect your point of view.

Visualize your objective before taking action.

Keep a secret and win a prize.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) Today is a 9 —A partner explains what’s in your blind spot. Provide excellent service with a smile. A brilliant insight helps you achieve a goal. Wrap up a job and request a bonus for extra efforts. You’ve earned it. You’re increasing your area of influence.

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