Notable snubs from the FIFA/FIFPro World XI

At Monday’s FIFA Ballon d’Or ceremony, Spanish football was king. All 11 players on the FIFA/FIFPro World XI were players from La Liga, and only one of which, Atletico Madrid’s Radamel Falcao, was from outside Real Madrid and Barcelona. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t notable snubs.

Obama reelected for second term

By Jeremy Mikula and Ryan Moye

CHICAGO — As the final projections came in and supporters at McCormick Place erupted in applause Tuesday night, the news became clear: President Barack Obama had been reelected for a second term.

Projected to capture 303 Electoral College votes, Obama defeated Republican nominee Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, who was projected to win a total of 206 electoral votes.

In giving his victory speech, the president said, “I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead.”

Infographic: Latino Vote in 2012

Here is an infographic I made about the potential impact of the Latino vote in the upcoming election.

Storify: Third presidential debate

The following is a Storify project I made with Julian Zeng during the third presidential debate between President Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and former Governor Mitt Romney (R-Mass.). The third and final debate, hosted by CBS’ Bob Schieffer, centered around issues of a foreign policy and took place at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla.

The Mystery of Dani Pacheco

Dani Pacheco is still very much an unknown. The 21-year-old Spaniard has been a member of Liverpool Football Club since moving from Barcelona in 2007, but if you scan forums and read tweets, everyone has a different opinion of him.

He’s been fairly hyped, over-hyped, fairly criticized, unfairly criticized, and dismissed – with hardly ever kicking a ball for Liverpool at the senior level.

Did he peak at too young an age? Is he simply not good enough? Has his development been handled poorly by the club? Has he just never been given a consistent run of games?

Basically, just what is Dani Pacheco as a player and does he have a future at Liverpool?

Rebecca Reynolds, Chicago Votes aim to involve young voters

By Jeremy Mikula and Julian Zeng

Young people “don’t care” anymore, if the cynics are to be believed. But new start-up group Chicago Votes seeks to prove this isn’t the case.

According to Chicago Votes, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Logan Square and Roseland/Woodlawn, the issue of young voter apathy is not a result of laziness or lack of care. It’s one of a lack of education.

Noah Praetz talks Cook County absentee voting, security

Despite the recent controversy over absentee voting in Ohio, Cook County expects an increase in the voting format this year, according to Noah Praetz, deputy director of Elections for the county.