FORMER BEARS COACH LOVIE SMITH HIRED BY TAMPA BAY

Pledging to bring the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back to the glory days he helped usher in, Lovie Smith was formally introduced as the 10th head coach in franchise history on Monday.

Smith had a front-row seat to the Bucs' rise under Dungy as their linebackers coach from 1996-2000. He was part of a renaissance in a place grounded in losing, part of a staff that lifted Tampa Bay from a creamsicle powder puff to a franchise with teeth, one that earned 39 regular-season victories from 1997 to 2000.

With Chicago through 2012, Smith's teams went 81-63 and advanced to two NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl.

BULLS TRADE LUOL DENG TO CLEVELAND FOR ANDREW BYNUM

Ending one longtime era and starting a new, certainly different one, the Bulls traded Luol Deng to the Cavaliers late Monday night for center Andrew Bynum and three draft picks.

The Bulls will waive Bynum before the second half of his $12.3 million contract becomes guaranteed on Tuesday. That move will drop them below the luxury-tax threshold in a season in which they no longer are championship contenders after the loss of Derrick Rose to a knee injury, saving them close to $15 million.

More importantly, it will start the rebuild on what management hopes is a second championship window after the first built around the core of Rose, Deng, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah closed when Rose tore his meniscus.

“The moves today will put us in a better position to make the entire roster stronger for the future and to compete for a championship,” general manager Gar Forman said in a statement.

(link below)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/chi-luol-deng-andrew-bynum-trade-bulls-20140106,0,4004271.story

CHELLA H "UGG BOOTS"

Chella H was a breakthrough artist in 2013 and rightfully so. She starts the new year off with a visual for her popular viral record "Ugg Boots"

COMMON ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM

Common Announces New Album To Be Entirely Produced By No ID

“2014 will one of my greatest times in music,” Common promised during a sit-down with REVOLT before a recent show at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. Why is he feeling this way? Well, Common is actually prepping the arrival of his 10th studio album, Nobody Smiling-a title that stays true to enriching his troubled hometown of Chicago.

“I feel excited about the project that I’m working on. It’s called Nobody Smiling and it’s an album that originally I was making an EP but, we’ve just been making a lot of songs-myself and No I.D.-and I liked the direction,” he admits.

ILLINOIS RESIDENTS CAN NOW APPLY FOR CONCEALED WEAPON PERMIT

Illinois residents can officially apply for a permit to carry a concealed weapon. The Illinois State Police began accepting applications on its website Sunday, though it could be months before anyone will actually be allowed to possess the firearms. State Police have up to 90 days to approve or deny applications, as long as the applications are complete and fingerprints are submitted in an electronic format. The agency will have an additional 30 days to complete a manual background check if applicants choose not to submit fingerprints.

(link below)

http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Ill-Concealed-Carry-Applications-to-Open-Sunday--238778191.html?_osource=SocialFlowFB_CHBrand#ixzz2pYk5AEbN

CO-STILL "NO COMPARISON" MIXTAPE

Co-Still is back just in time to to make some noise with his latest project to start the new year.

STATE ECONOMY FINISHED 2013 WITH HIGHEST POINTS SINCE 2007

As 2013 drew to a close, a number of key indicators painted a brighter picture of Illinois’ economic performance, even as underlying risks continued to undermine potential growth in 2014. The University of Illinois Flash Index, a measure designed to provide a quick reading of how the state’s economy is doing, finished 2013 at one of its highest points since 2007. The Index hit 107 in December, up from 106.5 in November and tied September for the highest reading of 2013.

Economic performance in the state is expected to be one of the biggest issues in the 2014 governor’s race. Governor Pat Quinn has said he supports an increase in the state’s minimum wage, a move opposed by all four of the Republican primary candidates.

(link below)

http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Illinois-Economy-Improving-But-Risks-Remain-238597101.html

CHANCE THE RAPPER COVERS THE SOURCE MAGAZINE

Chance the Rapper lands his first cover of 2014. After a stellar year -- which included Acid Rap's release, headlining a solo tour, collaborating with Justin Bieber and much more -- Chance is crowned "Rookie of the Year" on The Source's fourth annual issue.

The issue, which includes "Man of the Year" Macklemore, hits newsstands January 7th.