Thousands of Ecuadorians flee their homes as gang violence worsens

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By Yury Garcia and Alexandra Valencia Reuters | Posted by TOE For one grandmother, it was when bullets began hitting the rooftops of her neighborhood that she decided she would have to leave the housing development where she had lived for nearly 20 years. A sharp rise in fighting between gang factions in Ecuador has prompted thousands ​of families to flee and abandon their homes to the gangs, who strip the houses for drug money or use them to hide kidnapping victims, according to residents and police. One of the areas ‌that has been the site of the heaviest bloodshed is the Nueva Prosperina district in the coastal city of Guayaquil, where fighting between factions of the Los Tiguerones gang last year killed 22 people. Among those who fled was a 66-year-old woman, who, like other residents of the district Reuters spoke to for this story, asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals from the gangs. Armed groups were targeting people indiscriminately, assuming that an...
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Bears ‘trying to figure out strategically’ how NFL’s kickoff rule changes things

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Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower shouts during a game against the Texans.

Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower shouts during a game against the Texans.

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower has studied college tape and brainstormed with his staff. Ultimately, though, he’ll have to see the NFL’s new kickoff rule applied in games — preseason or otherwise — to have a true sense of how it changes strategy.

Last week, the NFL voted to allow all fair catches of kickoffs before the 25-yard line to result in teams getting the ball at the 25. The goal is to reduce the amount of contact on kicks, but many around the league fear it will accomplish the opposite. Teams will experiment with popup kicks, squibs and other ways of trying to force upbacks make a decision. Blockers will still make contact with members of the kickoff team.

The Bears voted against the proposed rule, a source said last week.

“We’ve discussed as a staff what we think the rule is going do in terms of us basically schematically planning for it,” Hightower said. “That’s really where we are on the situation right now. Health and safety is the number one priority for us, the NFL, for everyone. ... At this point, what we are trying to do is trying to figure out strategically how to attack the situation and the best ways to win the ball game.”

That includes studying the college game, which has employed the rule.

“It’s the returner’s decision to fair catch it or not. ...” Hightower said. “I don’t think I’m going to lose a lot of sleep or gain a lot of sleep either way on it. I’m just ready to play ball on it.”



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