chicagosuntimes--2020-02-11--4 DOJ prosecutors quit after decision to lower Roger Stone’s prison time announced

WASHINGTON — Four lawyers who prosecuted Roger Stone quit the case Tuesday after the Justice Department said it would take the extraordinary step of lowering the amount of prison time it would seek for President Donald Trump ’ s longtime ally and confidant .
The decision by the Justice Department came just hours after Trump complained that the recommended sentence for Stone was “ very horrible and unfair.
” The Justice Department said the sentencing recommendation was made Monday night — before Trump ’ s tweet — and prosecutors had not spoken to the White House about it .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early members of special counsel Robert Mueller ’ s Russia team , had made up the Justice Department ’ s trial team and had signed onto a Monday court filing that recommended up to nine years in prison for Stone .
The department ’ s decision to back off the sentencing recommendation raised questions about political interference and whether Trump ’ s views hold unusual sway over the Justice Department , which is meant to operate independently of the White House in criminal investigations and prosecutions .
Attorney General William Barr has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , clearing the president of obstruction of justice even when special counsel Robert Mueller had pointedly declined to do so and declaring that the FBI ’ s Russia investigation — which resulted in charges against Stone — had been based on a “ bogus narrative.
” On Monday night , prosecutors had recommended Stone serve seven to nine years behind bars after being convicted of charges including lying to Congress , witness tampering and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to tip the 2016 election .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receive the harshest sentence of any of the half-dozen Trump aides charged in Mueller ’ s probe .
In a tweet early Tuesday , Trump said the case against Stone was a “ miscarriage of justice.
” A Justice Department official said authorities decided to step in and seek a shorter sentence because they had been taken by surprise by the initial recommendation .
The person , who spoke on condition of anonymity , said prosecutors had told the department to expect a shorter recommendation .
It is extremely rare for Justice Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own prosecutors on a sentencing recommendation , particularly after that recommendation has been submitted to the court .
Normally , United States attorneys have wide latitude to recommend sentences on cases that they prosecuted .
The departures came abruptly after the decision by Justice .
Jonathan Kravis resigned his position as an assistant U.S. attorney .
He had been a veteran prosecutor in Washington , and though not part of Robert Mueller ’ s original team , was nonetheless involved in multiple cases brought by the special counsel ’ s office .
Besides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signed onto the case against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort , which resolved with a guilty plea , and against a Russian troll farm accused of sponsoring a cover social media campaign aimed at dividing public opinion during the 2016 presidential election .
Aaron Zelinsky quit the case and his job in Washington , and would go back to his job as a federal prosecutor in Baltimore .
He was working there when he was selected in 2017 for the Mueller team .
He was involved in cases aimed at determining what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emails that were hacked by Russia and what efforts Trump aides made to get information about them .
He was also involved in the prosecution of George Papadopoulos , the former Trump campaign aide who played a critical role in the FBI launching its investigation in the summer of 2016 .
A third prosecutor , Adam Jed , who was an early member of Mueller ’ s team , also withdrew from the case .
His status at the Justice Department was not clear .
Before joining Mueller ’ s team , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday evening , a fourth prosecutor , Michael Marando , had left the case .
After the attorneys quit the case , Justice Department officials filed a revised sentencing memorandum with the judge , arguing its initial recommendation could be “ considered excessive and unwarranted under the circumstances , ” but that it would defer to the court .
None of the original prosecutors in Stone ’ s case signed onto the revised memo .
Sentencing decisions are ultimately up to the judge , who in this case may side with the original @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jackson has repeatedly scolded Stone for his out-of-court behavior , which included a social media post he made of the judge with what appeared to be crosshairs of a gun .
The judge barred Stone from social media last July after concluding that she repeatedly flouted his gag order .
Meanwhile , Democrats decried the decision , with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling for an investigation by the DOJ ’ s Inspector General .
“ The rule of law and this grand , grand tradition of this wonderful Justice Department is being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personal desires and needs , ” the New York Democrat said .
“ And it ’ s a disgrace.
’ ’ House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said it would be a blatant abuse of power if the Justice Department intervened on behalf of Trump .
“ Doing so would send an unmistakable message that President Trump will protect those who lie to Congress to cover up his own misconduct , and that the Attorney General will join him in that effort , ” the California Democrat said .
Trump later told reporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice officials .
“ I would be able to do it if I wanted , ” he said .
” I have the absolute right to do it .
I stay out of things to a degree that people wouldn ’ t believe , but I didn ’ t speak to them.
” Federal prosecutors also recently softened their sentencing position on former national security adviser Michael Flynn , saying that they would not oppose a probation of punishment after initially saying that he deserved up to six months in prison for lying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is also being handled by the U.S. Attorney ’ s office in Washington .
In the the initial memorandum Monday evening , prosecutors asked for Stone to serve between 87 and 108 months in federal prison — the sentence they said was in line with federal guidelines .
Such a sentence would send a message to deter others who might consider lying or obstructing a congressional probe or tampering with witnesses , they said .
The prosecutors wrote in the court papers that “ Stone ’ s actions were not a one-off mistake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decided to double – and triple – down on his criminal conduct by tampering with a witness for months in order to make sure his obstruction would be successful.
” Stone has denied wrongdoing and consistently criticized the case against him as politically motivated .
He did not take the stand during his trial and his lawyers did not call any witnesses in his defense .
Witnesses in the case testified that Trump ’ s campaign viewed Stone as an “ access point ” to the anti-secrecy site WikiLeaks , which was in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the servers of the Democratic National Committee and tried to use him to get advance word about hacked emails damaging to Hillary Clinton .
Prosecutors charged that Stone lied to Congress about his conversations about WikiLeaks with New York radio host Randy Credico — who had scored an interview with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in 2016 — and conservative writer and conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi .

WASHINGTON — Four lawyers who prosecuted Roger Stone quit the case Tuesday after the Justice Department said it would take the extraordinary step of lowering the amount of prison time it would seek for President Donald Trump’s longtime ally and confidant.
The decision by the Justice Department came just hours after Trump complained that the recommended sentence for Stone was “very horrible and unfair.” The Justice Department said the sentencing recommendation was made Monday night — before Trump’s tweet — and prosecutors had not spoken to the White House about it.
The four attorneys, including two who were early members of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia team, had made up the Justice Department’s trial team and had signed onto a Monday court filing that recommended up to nine years in prison for Stone.
The department’s decision to back off the sentencing recommendation raised questions about political interference and whether Trump’s views hold unusual sway over the Justice Department, which is meant to operate independently of the White House in criminal investigations and prosecutions.
Attorney General William Barr has been a steady ally of Trump’s, clearing the president of obstruction of justice even when special counsel Robert Mueller had pointedly declined to do so and declaring that the FBI’s Russia investigation — which resulted in charges against Stone — had been based on a “bogus narrative.”
On Monday night, prosecutors had recommended Stone serve seven to nine years behind bars after being convicted of charges including lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to tip the 2016 election. The recommendation raised the prospect that Stone could receive the harshest sentence of any of the half-dozen Trump aides charged in Mueller’s probe.
In a tweet early Tuesday, Trump said the case against Stone was a “miscarriage of justice.” A Justice Department official said authorities decided to step in and seek a shorter sentence because they had been taken by surprise by the initial recommendation. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said prosecutors had told the department to expect a shorter recommendation.
It is extremely rare for Justice Department leaders to reverse the decision of its own prosecutors on a sentencing recommendation, particularly after that recommendation has been submitted to the court. Normally, United States attorneys have wide latitude to recommend sentences on cases that they prosecuted.
The departures came abruptly after the decision by Justice. Jonathan Kravis resigned his position as an assistant U.S. attorney. He had been a veteran prosecutor in Washington, and though not part of Robert Mueller’s original team, was nonetheless involved in multiple cases brought by the special counsel’s office. Besides the Stone prosecution, Kravis had also signed onto the case against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, which resolved with a guilty plea, and against a Russian troll farm accused of sponsoring a cover social media campaign aimed at dividing public opinion during the 2016 presidential election.
Aaron Zelinsky quit the case and his job in Washington, and would go back to his job as a federal prosecutor in Baltimore. He was working there when he was selected in 2017 for the Mueller team.
He was involved in cases aimed at determining what knowledge the Trump campaign had about Democratic emails that were hacked by Russia and what efforts Trump aides made to get information about them. He was also involved in the prosecution of George Papadopoulos, the former Trump campaign aide who played a critical role in the FBI launching its investigation in the summer of 2016.
A third prosecutor, Adam Jed, who was an early member of Mueller’s team, also withdrew from the case. His status at the Justice Department was not clear. Before joining Mueller’s team, he worked on civil cases there.
By Tuesday evening, a fourth prosecutor, Michael Marando, had left the case.
After the attorneys quit the case, Justice Department officials filed a revised sentencing memorandum with the judge, arguing its initial recommendation could be “considered excessive and unwarranted under the circumstances,” but that it would defer to the court. None of the original prosecutors in Stone’s case signed onto the revised memo.
Sentencing decisions are ultimately up to the judge, who in this case may side with the original recommendation. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson has repeatedly scolded Stone for his out-of-court behavior, which included a social media post he made of the judge with what appeared to be crosshairs of a gun.
The judge barred Stone from social media last July after concluding that she repeatedly flouted his gag order.
Meanwhile, Democrats decried the decision, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling for an investigation by the DOJ’s Inspector General.
“The rule of law and this grand, grand tradition of this wonderful Justice Department is being totally perverted to Donald Trumps’ own personal desires and needs,” the New York Democrat said. “And it’s a disgrace.’’
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said it would be a blatant abuse of power if the Justice Department intervened on behalf of Trump.
“Doing so would send an unmistakable message that President Trump will protect those who lie to Congress to cover up his own misconduct, and that the Attorney General will join him in that effort,” the California Democrat said.
Trump later told reporters that he didn’t speak to Justice officials. “I would be able to do it if I wanted,” he said. ”I have the absolute right to do it. I stay out of things to a degree that people wouldn’t believe, but I didn’t speak to them.”
Federal prosecutors also recently softened their sentencing position on former national security adviser Michael Flynn, saying that they would not oppose a probation of punishment after initially saying that he deserved up to six months in prison for lying to the FBI. The Flynn prosecution is also being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Washington.
In the the initial memorandum Monday evening, prosecutors asked for Stone to serve between 87 and 108 months in federal prison — the sentence they said was in line with federal guidelines. Such a sentence would send a message to deter others who might consider lying or obstructing a congressional probe or tampering with witnesses, they said.
The prosecutors wrote in the court papers that “Stone’s actions were not a one-off mistake in judgement” and that he “decided to double – and triple – down on his criminal conduct by tampering with a witness for months in order to make sure his obstruction would be successful.”
Stone has denied wrongdoing and consistently criticized the case against him as politically motivated. He did not take the stand during his trial and his lawyers did not call any witnesses in his defense.
Witnesses in the case testified that Trump’s campaign viewed Stone as an “access point” to the anti-secrecy site WikiLeaks, which was in possession of more than 19,000 emails hacked from the servers of the Democratic National Committee and tried to use him to get advance word about hacked emails damaging to Hillary Clinton.
Prosecutors charged that Stone lied to Congress about his conversations about WikiLeaks with New York radio host Randy Credico — who had scored an interview with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in 2016 — and conservative writer and conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi.


chicagosuntimes--2020-02-11--Man sentenced to 14 years in prison for sexually assaulting a child

A St. Charles man was sentenced Monday to 14 years in prison for sexually assaulting a child in 2012 .
@ @ @ @ @ was sentenced by Judge John A. Barsanti after being found guilty of criminal sexual assault @ @ @ @ @ to statement from the Kane County state ’ s attorney ’ s office .
Ramirez @ @ @ @ @ knew who was younger than 13 years old at the time between March 2012 and @ @ @ @ @ .
He must serve at least 85 % of his prison sentence , and is @ @ @ @ @ sex offender for life , the state ’ s attorney ’ s office said .
@ @ @ @ @ and track the city ’ s homicides .

A St. Charles man was sentenced Monday to 14 years in prison for sexually assaulting a child in 2012.
Ricardo Ramirez, 39, was sentenced by Judge John A. Barsanti after being found guilty of criminal sexual assault of a child, according to statement from the Kane County state’s attorney’s office.
Ramirez sexually assaulted a child he knew who was younger than 13 years old at the time between March 2012 and March 2013, prosecutors said.
Ricardo Ramirez Kane County state’s attorney’s office
He must serve at least 85% of his prison sentence, and is required to register as a sex offender for life, the state’s attorney’s office said.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosuntimes--2020-02-11--Mayor summons police brass to City Hall after most violent February weekend in 18 years

Mayor Lori Lightfoot summoned Interim Police Superintendent Charlie Beck and the 41 commanders under his control to City Hall on Tuesday to talk about ways to tamp down the violence after Chicago suffered its deadliest February weekend in 18 years .
“ I wouldn ’ t describe the mayor as angry .
I ’ m not angry .
She ’ s not angry .
We ’ re concerned , ” Beck told the Sun-Times .
“ We have some issues that we ’ re dealing with in certain pockets of Chicago .
We met to talk about those strategies .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ into them in depth , except to say that they involve a broad range of resources focused on areas that have suffered the violence the most.
” The hold-their-feet-to-the-fire event that Lightfoot likes to call “ Accountability Tuesday ” was back at City Hall on a grand scale for the first time since former Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson was fired .
Beck emerged from the meeting — and his own one-on-one session with Lightfoot afterwards — with a promise to reassign what he called “ discretionary resources ” to the areas with increased @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many officers would be involved , where they would be reassigned or how long it would last .
But the retired L.A. police chief , holding down the fort until the mayor chooses Johnson ’ s permanent replacement , denied the Lightfoot-ordered crackdown on police overtime had , in any way , contributed to the uptick in violence .
“ The smart application of resources is much more effective than gross general application of resources , ” he said .
Beck noted the ultimate answer to the resource issue is the massive reorganization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It will move hundreds of detectives , narcotics and gang officers from specialized units to police districts to solve assaults , robberies , burglaries and thefts .
“ We ’ ve reorganized the department to put more resources into the hands of the commanders .
That hasn ’ t been implemented totally yet and won ’ t be until the first of April , ” Beck said .
“ That is our big strategy .
Our intermediate strategy—what we ’ re doing right now—is to put more resources into the areas most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South and West Sides between Friday night and early Sunday were the most in a single February weekend since 2002 , according to a review of publicly available police data .
All nine victims were men between 19 and and 39 years old .
Another 14 people were wounded by gunfire , including a 7-year-old girl in Humboldt Park .
During the same time span , a veteran CPD detective took her own life and a man was fatally shot by an officer after , police say , he shot another man outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It was a very tough Saturday .
That ’ s for sure .
...
The issues that we had on Saturday — several of them — were fueled by late-night service of alcohol .
Six of the incidents were fueled by gang activity .
And all of ` em — every one of them —was gun violence , ” Beck said .
“ Some of the acts — particularly the double-homicide [ in Chinatown ] and some of the others were dealt with immediately .
We took people into custody .
But that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pain of those involved .
It ’ s a disappointing start .
But , I ’ m confident we will turn it around .
”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot summoned interim Police Supt. Charlie Beck and the 41 commanders under his control to City Hall on Tuesday to talk about ways to tamp down the violence after Chicago suffered its deadliest February weekend in 18 years.
“I wouldn’t describe the mayor as angry. I’m not angry. She’s not angry. We’re concerned,” Beck told the Sun-Times.
“We have some issues that we’re dealing with in certain pockets of Chicago. We met to talk about those strategies. I’m not gonna go into them in depth, except to say that they involve a broad range of resources focused on areas that have suffered the violence the most.”
The hold-their-feet-to-the-fire event that Lightfoot likes to call “Accountability Tuesday” was back at City Hall on a grand scale for the first time since former Police Supt. Eddie Johnson was fired.
Beck emerged from the meeting — and his own one-on-one session with Lightfoot afterward — with a promise to reassign what he called “discretionary resources” to the areas with increased violence.
Dozens of Chicago Police Department officers were summoned to City Hall on Tuesday after an unusually violent February weekend. Fran Spielman/Sun-Times
He refused to say how many officers would be involved, where they would be reassigned or how long it would last.
But the retired L.A. police chief, holding down the fort until the mayor chooses Johnson’s permanent replacement, denied the Lightfoot-ordered crackdown on police overtime had, in any way, contributed to the uptick in violence.
“The smart application of resources is much more effective than gross general application of resources,” he said.
Beck noted the ultimate answer to the resource issue is the massive reorganization plan that he announced two weeks ago.
It will move hundreds of detectives, narcotics and gang officers from specialized units to police districts to solve assaults, robberies, burglaries and thefts.
“We’ve reorganized the department to put more resources into the hands of the commanders. That hasn’t been implemented totally yet and won’t be until the first of April,” Beck said.
“That is our big strategy. Our intermediate strategy—what we’re doing right now—is to put more resources into the areas most effected.”
The nine murders on the South and West sides between Friday night and early Sunday were the most in a single February weekend since 2002, according to a review of publicly available police data. All nine victims were men between 19 and and 39 years old.
Another 14 people were wounded by gunfire, including a 7-year-old girl in Humboldt Park.
During the same time span, a veteran CPD detective took her own life and a man was fatally shot by an officer after, police say, he shot another man outside a bar in Lake View.
“It was a very tough Saturday. That’s for sure. ... The issues that we had on Saturday — several of them — were fueled by late-night service of alcohol. Six of the incidents were fueled by gang activity. And all of `em — every one of them —was gun violence,” Beck said.
“Some of the acts — particularly the double-homicide [in Chinatown] and some of the others were dealt with immediately. We took people into custody. But that certainly does not help the victims and the pain of those involved. It’s a disappointing start. But, I’m confident we will turn it around.”


chicagosuntimes--2020-02-11--Sky agree to sign-and-trade Astou Ndour to Wings

Last week , restricted free agent Astou Ndour made it clear she wanted to stay with the Sky and play for general manager and coach James Wade , who she credits for giving her an opportunity in the WNBA .
But the Sky had other plans Tuesday .
The Sky matched Ndour ’ s offer sheet from the Atlanta Dream only to send her south in a sign-and-trade deal with the Dallas Wings , a source confirmed to the Sun-Times .
This is the Sky ’ s first move since free agency began Monday , but it won ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Sky have five players under contract for next season with All-Stars Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley still on the market .
The final details of the deal — including what the Sky will get in return — is being finalized , a source said .
Winsidr first reported the move .
Ndour , who returned to Euroleague play last month after surgery Oct. 11 for a torn meniscus , established herself as a high-ceiling frontcourt player last season , her fourth in the WNBA .
After a slow start to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for more than a month to represent her Spain ’ s national team for the EuroBasket Tournament .
During her time away , Ndour found her groove and was named the tournament ’ s MVP .
Upon returning to Chicago , Ndour turned heads in the second half of the 2019 WNBA season after she replaced Jantel Lavender when the starting power forward went down with a season-ending foot injury .
In 11 regular-season starts , Ndour , whom the Stars drafted 16th overall in the 2014 WNBA draft , averaged 10.7 points @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7.1 rebounds — a major improvement from the 2.5 points and one rebound she averaged in 10 games off the bench .
Ndour also played an important part in the Sky ’ s two playoff games , averaging 16.5 points — second to only guard Diamond DeShields — and a team-leading 8.5 rebounds .
With Lavender expected to start the season healthy , the Wings are a better opportunity for Ndour , who could potentially earn a starting role in training camp .
Ndour ’ s departure impacts the Sky ’ s frontcourt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they can address with their eighth overall pick in this year ’ s draft .

Last week, restricted free agent Astou Ndour made it clear she wanted to stay with the Sky and play for general manager and coach James Wade, whom she credits for giving her an opportunity in the WNBA.
But the Sky had other plans.
The Sky on Tuesday matched Ndour’s three-year offer sheet from the Atlanta Dream, then sent her south in a sign-and-trade deal with the Dallas Wings, a source confirmed to the Sun-Times.
It was the Sky’s first move since free agency began Monday, but it won’t be their last. As of now, the Sky have five players under contract for next season, with All-Stars Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley still on the market.
In return, the Sky received a 2021 first-round pick, a source said.
Ndour, who returned to Euroleague play last month after having surgery Oct. 11 to repair a torn meniscus, established herself as a high-ceiling frontcourt player last season, her fourth in the WNBA. After a slow start, Ndour left the Sky for more than a month to represent Spain’s national team in the EuroBasket tournament.
During her time away, Ndour found her groove and was named the most valuable player of the tournament.
Upon returning to Chicago, Ndour turned heads during the second half of the season after replacing power forward Jantel Lavender, who went down with a season-ending foot injury, in the starting lineup.
In 11 regular-season starts, Ndour — whom the Stars selected 16th overall in the 2014 WNBA Draft — averaged 10.7 points (on 50 percent shooting) and 7.1 rebounds, a major improvement from the 2.5 points and one rebound she averaged in 10 games off the bench.
Ndour also played an important part in the Sky’s two playoff games, averaging 16.5 points — second to only guard Diamond DeShields — and a team-leading 8.5 rebounds.


chicagosuntimes--2020-02-12--Dear Abby: Teen boy hurt that crush won’t accept his polyamory

DEAR ABBY : I ’ ve got a new one for you .
My beautiful 16-year-old daughter was interested in a boy her age from school .
He was interested in her , too .
He told her he wanted to date her , but that he is “ polyamorous ” and would be dating many girls simultaneously .
She told him he ’ s too young to know what he is yet , and he was just using it as an excuse to date multiple girls , and she wasn ’ t interested .
They are part of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acting very hurt , pouty and angry .
He told a mutual friend he is “ deeply hurt ” he came out to my daughter and that she won ’ t accept him as he is .
I ’ m worried this will escalate , and he will claim that she shamed him for this .
Abby , I am all about supporting how people self-identify , but this is absolutely ridiculous .
What are your thoughts ?
Is this the new normal ?
If you refuse to date a boy who dates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does that make you guilty of shaming ?
Personally , I think it ’ s hilarious that this is the new excuse to be promiscuous and so does she , but I won ’ t be laughing if we get called into the principal ’ s office .
— NOT FUNNY IN COLORADO DEAR NOT FUNNY : That boy is sulking because his pitch didn ’ t sell .
Polyamory is the practice of openly engaging in multiple intimate relationships with the consent of ALL the people involved .
What that boy may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the field.
” Your daughter didn ’ t discriminate ; she showed good common sense .
If the principal hears about it , the administrator not only won ’ t call your daughter into the office , I ’ m pretty sure the person will get a chuckle out of this .
DEAR ABBY : Our brother-in-law made a terrible mistake and is now serving time .
My younger sister , “ Tess , ” and I have visited him on a few occasions .
We support him by listening and have told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mistake , he has to move forward .
Well , something happened that has put a damper on things .
This brother-in-law sent Tess a letter , and in it he confessed to her that he had a dream , and she was in it .
It wasn ’ t a horrible letter , but I believe it was very inappropriate .
He alluded to the fact that it was a sexual dream .
Tess has asked me if she should let our older sister , “ Jane , ” know what her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so much , so I told Tess it would not be a good idea to disclose it and add to her misery .
Tess says it isn ’ t fair to her to have to swallow this pill for the sake of not making waves .
She feels Jane should know what kind of man her husband is .
Abby , Jane knows exactly what kind of man she has .
Part of what he did wrong was have a cyber affair .
Should Tess inform Jane that her husband has been inappropriate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brother-in-law and has basically written him off .
Please give me your opinion and advice .
— TORN UP OVER THIS IN TEXAS DEAR TORN UP : Tess is right .
It appears incarceration hasn ’ t discouraged your brother-in-law from writing inappropriate material to inappropriate recipients .
Tess should not be discouraged from informing Jane about what her husband has done and showing her the letter , if it is still in her possession .
Jane has a right to know .
Please respect that Tess needs to distance herself from this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t encourage her to visit him again .
In light of what ’ s happened , I ’ m not sure you should either .
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren , also known as Jeanne Phillips , and was founded by her mother , Pauline Phillips .
Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O .
Box 69440 , Los Angeles , CA 90069 .
Abby shares more than 100 of her favorite recipes in two booklets : “ Abby ’ s Favorite Recipes ” and “ More Favorite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ name and mailing address , plus check or money order for $ 16 ( U.S. funds ) , to : Dear Abby , Cookbooklet Set , P.O .
Box 447 , Mount Morris , IL 61054-0447 .
( Shipping and handling are included in the price . )

DEAR ABBY: I’ve got a new one for you. My beautiful 16-year-old daughter was interested in a boy her age from school. He was interested in her, too. He told her he wanted to date her, but that he is “polyamorous” and would be dating many girls simultaneously. She told him he’s too young to know what he is yet, and he was just using it as an excuse to date multiple girls, and she wasn’t interested.
They are part of the same friend group. He has been acting very hurt, pouty and angry. He told a mutual friend he is “deeply hurt” he came out to my daughter and that she won’t accept him as he is. I’m worried this will escalate, and he will claim that she shamed him for this.
Abby, I am all about supporting how people self-identify, but this is absolutely ridiculous. What are your thoughts? Is this the new normal? If you refuse to date a boy who dates a ton of other girls simultaneously, does that make you guilty of shaming?
Personally, I think it’s hilarious that this is the new excuse to be promiscuous and so does she, but I won’t be laughing if we get called into the principal’s office. — NOT FUNNY IN COLORADO
DEAR NOT FUNNY: That boy is sulking because his pitch didn’t sell. Polyamory is the practice of openly engaging in multiple intimate relationships with the consent of ALL the people involved. What that boy may have meant was he enjoys “playing the field.” Your daughter didn’t discriminate; she showed good common sense. If the principal hears about it, the administrator not only won’t call your daughter into the office, I’m pretty sure the person will get a chuckle out of this.
DEAR ABBY: Our brother-in-law made a terrible mistake and is now serving time. My younger sister, “Tess,” and I have visited him on a few occasions. We support him by listening and have told him that although he made a horrible mistake, he has to move forward.
Well, something happened that has put a damper on things. This brother-in-law sent Tess a letter, and in it he confessed to her that he had a dream, and she was in it. It wasn’t a horrible letter, but I believe it was very inappropriate. He alluded to the fact that it was a sexual dream.
Tess has asked me if she should let our older sister, “Jane,” know what her husband wrote. Jane has been through so much, so I told Tess it would not be a good idea to disclose it and add to her misery. Tess says it isn’t fair to her to have to swallow this pill for the sake of not making waves. She feels Jane should know what kind of man her husband is. Abby, Jane knows exactly what kind of man she has. Part of what he did wrong was have a cyber affair.
Should Tess inform Jane that her husband has been inappropriate? She now refuses to visit our brother-in-law and has basically written him off. Please give me your opinion and advice. — TORN UP OVER THIS IN TEXAS
DEAR TORN UP: Tess is right. It appears incarceration hasn’t discouraged your brother-in-law from writing inappropriate material to inappropriate recipients. Tess should not be discouraged from informing Jane about what her husband has done and showing her the letter, if it is still in her possession. Jane has a right to know. Please respect that Tess needs to distance herself from this troubled individual and his fantasies, and don’t encourage her to visit him again. In light of what’s happened, I’m not sure you should either.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
Abby shares more than 100 of her favorite recipes in two booklets: “Abby’s Favorite Recipes” and “More Favorite Recipes by Dear Abby.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $16 (U.S. funds), to: Dear Abby, Cookbooklet Set, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)


chicagosuntimes--2020-02-12--No bail for man on probation for robbery charged in Chinatown robbery, double homicide

Bail was denied for a 20-year-old man on probation for a robbery conviction and charged in connection with a Sunday robbery in Chinatown where two men were shot to death when they resisted his demand .
Alvin Thomas , of South Shore , faces two counts of first-degree murder in the early morning shooting Feb. 9 in the 2000 block of South Wells Street , Chicago police said .
Huayi Bian , 36 , and Weizhong Xiong , 38 , were standing in the parking lot of an apartment complex with a 44-year-old woman about 2:13 a.m. when Thomas allegedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to police and the Cook County medical examiner ’ s office .
The woman complied , but the men resisted , at which point Thomas allegedly fired multiple shots , police said .
Both were shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene .
The woman wasn ’ t hurt .
He was arrested minutes later at 2:27 a.m. in the 2100 block of South Archer Avenue , police said .
At the time of his arrest , Thomas was on probation for a 2018 robbery charge in Chicago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was released on home electronic monitoring after posting a $ 5,000 bond , and pleaded guilty to the charge in July 2019 .
He was sentenced to two years probation with credit for 319 days already served , county records state .
While out on bond , Thomas was charged with manufacture and delivery of cannabis in February 2019 , but the charge was dropped the next month , according to county records .
Thomas was denied bail at a hearing Tuesday and is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 24 , court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and track the city ’ s homicides .

Bail was denied for a 20-year-old man on probation for a robbery conviction and charged in connection with a Sunday robbery in Chinatown where two men were shot to death when they resisted his demand.
Alvin Thomas, of South Shore, faces two counts of first-degree murder in the early morning shooting Feb. 9 in the 2000 block of South Wells Street, Chicago police said.
Alvin Thomas Chicago police
Huayi Bian, 36, and Weizhong Xiong, 38, were standing in the parking lot of an apartment complex with a 44-year-old woman about 2:13 a.m. when Thomas allegedly walked up and tried to rob them, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
The woman complied, but the men resisted, at which point Thomas allegedly fired multiple shots, police said. Both were shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene. The woman wasn’t hurt.
He was arrested minutes later at 2:27 a.m. in the 2100 block of South Archer Avenue, police said.
At the time of his arrest, Thomas was on probation for a 2018 robbery charge in Chicago, according to county records. He was released on home electronic monitoring after posting a $5,000 bond, and pleaded guilty to the charge in July 2019. He was sentenced to two years probation with credit for 319 days already served, county records state.
While out on bond, Thomas was charged with manufacture and delivery of cannabis in February 2019, but the charge was dropped the next month, according to county records.
Thomas was denied bail at a hearing Tuesday and is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 24, court records show.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosuntimes--2020-02-12--ENDORSEMENT: Gordon (Jay) Kinzler for Congress in 6th District Republican primary

Gordon ( Jay ) Kinzler is a kidney transplant surgeon who decided , at the greying age of 49 , to join the military .
It was a matter , he said , of doing his duty .
Kinzler continues to serve as a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve .
He is a principled conservative of — in his words — “ the glass half full kind.
” As president of the Glen Ellyn Park District Board and as a former chairman of the Department of Surgery at Elmhurst Hospital , Kinzler has had to find common ground with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his own .
“ I ’ m a unifier by nature as a physician , ” Kinzler says .
“ You take care of people.
” Washington could stand more of that .
We endorse Kinzler , who could give the Democratic incumbent congressman , Sean Casten , a run for his money in November .
Also running in the Republican primary is former Illinois House member Jeanne Ives , who is not a unifier .
For more information about this race and others , including candidate questionnaires , go to our Illinois @ @ @ @ @ @ @ owned by a group of civic-minded and , in some cases , politically active investors ; for details , see our owner information page .

Gordon (Jay) Kinzler is a kidney transplant surgeon who decided, at the greying age of 49, to join the military. It was a matter, he said, of doing his duty. Kinzler continues to serve as a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve. He is a principled conservative of — in his words — “the glass half full kind.”
As president of the Glen Ellyn Park District Board and as a former chairman of the Department of Surgery at Elmhurst Hospital, Kinzler has had to find common ground with people whose lifestyles and views are not his own. “I’m a unifier by nature as a physician,” Kinzler says. “You take care of people.” Washington could stand more of that.
We endorse Kinzler, who could give the Democratic incumbent congressman, Sean Casten, a run for his money in November.
Also running in the Republican primary is former Illinois House member Jeanne Ives, who is not a unifier.
6th Congressional District map. Illustration by Caroline Hurley
For more information about this race and others, including candidate questionnaires, go to our Illinois primary voting guide. Our newspaper is owned by a group of civic-minded and, in some cases, politically active investors; for details, see our owner information page.
Send letters to: letters@suntimes.com


chicagosuntimes--2020-02-12--ENDORSEMENT: Mike Quigley for Congress in 5th District Democratic primary

Mike Quigley was a voice of reason during the House impeachment proceedings .
His plainspoken common sense was , dare we say it , very Midwestern .
Case in point was Quigley ’ s rejection of the Republican argument that the evidence presented against President Trump was all hearsay .
If there was not more direct evidence , of course , it was only because Trump blocked top aides from testifying .
But Quigley made this important point : “ Countless people have been convicted on hearsay , ” which “ can be much better evidence than direct , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Our endorsement goes to Quigley .
He ’ s not flashy but he works the job , and there ’ s a lot to be said for his political approach — finding common cause in the middle .
Quigley has pushed for infrastructure investment and permanent residency for eligible Dreamers .
He has been a defender of the environment in the Chicago area , securing federal funding to clean up waterways .
And as a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence , he helped secure critically important funding to protect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ running is Chicago lawyer Brian Burns , who supports a more overtly progressive agenda , including the Green New Deal and Medicare for All .
For more information about this race and others , including candidate questionnaires , go to our Illinois primary voting guide .
Our newspaper is owned by a group of civic-minded and , in some cases , politically active investors ; for details , see our owner information page .

Mike Quigley was a voice of reason during the House impeachment proceedings. His plainspoken common sense was, dare we say it, very Midwestern.
Case in point was Quigley’s rejection of the Republican argument that the evidence presented against President Trump was all hearsay. If there was not more direct evidence, of course, it was only because Trump blocked top aides from testifying. But Quigley made this important point: “Countless people have been convicted on hearsay,” which “can be much better evidence than direct, as we have learned in painful instances.”
Our endorsement goes to Quigley. He’s not flashy but he works the job, and there’s a lot to be said for his political approach — finding common cause in the middle.
Quigley has pushed for infrastructure investment and permanent residency for eligible Dreamers. He has been a defender of the environment in the Chicago area, securing federal funding to clean up waterways. And as a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, he helped secure critically important funding to protect local election systems from hackers.
Also running is Chicago lawyer Brian Burns, who supports a more overtly progressive agenda, including the Green New Deal and Medicare for All.
5th Congressional District map. Illustration by Caroline Hurley
For more information about this race and others, including candidate questionnaires, go to our Illinois primary voting guide. Our newspaper is owned by a group of civic-minded and, in some cases, politically active investors; for details, see our owner information page.
Send letters to: letters@suntimes.com


chicagosuntimes--2020-02-12--Scorned racino developer Rick Heidner sues Illinois Gaming Board over data breach

Denied a bid to open a suburban racetrack-casino and fighting state regulators ’ effort to revoke his video gambling license , suburban developer Rick Heidner says an Illinois Gaming Board employee leaked mountains of his sensitive information to three federal agencies in a data breach revealed last month .
Now Heidner and his company Gold Rush Amusements are taking the Gaming Board to court with a $ 4 million lawsuit filed Tuesday , claiming the unnamed employee served up personal and financial information “ intentionally and illegally ” — and that the board only made things worse for Heidner with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit his reputation and bottom line in the fallout of his failed Tinley Park racino deal .
Citing state privacy laws , Gaming Board administrator Marcus Fruchter notified state legislative leaders of the data breach in a Jan. 10 letter saying they ’ d discovered a week earlier that “ an IGB employee may have improperly accessed confidential information on IGB licensees and applicants and disclosed this information without authorization or justification to three federal government entities.
” Fruchter called it “ an isolated incident involving one employee who acted alone and outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but didn ’ t say whose information was released or which federal agencies received it .
Heidner says it wasn ’ t until Jan. 31 that the Gaming Board told him it was his information that had been improperly accessed , including troves of sensitive financial records and personal information not only on Heidner and Gold Rush , but also on his wife , two of his children and dozens of business partners from among the 500-plus establishments statewide that house Heidner ’ s slot machines .
“ Despite requiring licensees and associated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trove of their most sensitive data , the evidence will show that the IGB ’ s approach to protecting Mr. Heidner ’ s data has been careless and cavalier , at best , ” attorneys write in Heidner ’ s suit filed in the Illinois Court of Claims .
Heidner says the leaks started in October , the day after a Chicago Tribune report detailed his business ties to a banking family with mob connections .
His name also surfaced in search warrants released that week revealing federal agents were interested in items @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last summer when they raided the offices of former state Sen. Martin Sandoval , who has since pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge .
That prompted Gov .
J.B. Pritzker to pull the plug on a racino plan Heidner had forged with Hawthorne Race Course president Tim Carey .
They had appeared on path to state approval before Pritzker ’ s office refused to sell state land for the project in light of the revelations .
But Heidner maintains the Gaming Board knew about all of his business connections , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fuel ― or at least in response to ― negative media coverage the IGB helped generate against Mr. Heidner and Gold Rush.
” The employee is not named in the suit , which says the person “ was not assigned to any Gold Rush-related investigative matter ” and did not have “ any official purpose ” for accessing the data .
In his letter , Fruchter told legislative leaders the worker “ has been placed on administrative leave ” pending an internal investigation .
A Gaming Board spokesman says the agency does not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comment on the breach .
This latest legal volley from Heidner comes after the Gaming Board filed a disciplinary action against him in December seeking to revoke his gambling license for allegedly offering up a $ 5 million “ illegal inducement ” to the owner of a gambling parlor chain that planned to remove Heidner ’ s machines .
Heidner ’ s team says it ’ s all part of a “ smear campaign ” orchestrated by a competitor with whom he ’ s also wrangling in civil court .
In the Gaming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of $ 2 million each for one count of negligence and one of breach of fiduciary duty .

Denied a bid to open a suburban racetrack-casino and fighting state regulators’ effort to revoke his video gambling license, suburban developer Rick Heidner says an Illinois Gaming Board employee leaked mountains of his sensitive information to three federal agencies in a data breach revealed last month.
Now Heidner and his company Gold Rush Amusements are taking the Gaming Board to court with a $4 million lawsuit filed Tuesday, claiming the unnamed employee served up personal and financial information “intentionally and illegally” — and that the board only made things worse for Heidner with “unfair and improper actions” that hit his reputation and bottom line in the fallout of his failed Tinley Park racino deal.
Citing state privacy laws, Gaming Board administrator Marcus Fruchter notified state legislative leaders of the data breach in a Jan. 10 letter saying they’d discovered a week earlier that “an IGB employee may have improperly accessed confidential information on IGB licensees and applicants and disclosed this information without authorization or justification to three federal government entities.”
Fruchter called it “an isolated incident involving one employee who acted alone and outside the scope of their duties,” but didn’t say whose information was released or which federal agencies received it.
Heidner says it wasn’t until Jan. 31 that the Gaming Board told him it was his information that had been improperly accessed, including troves of sensitive financial records and personal information not only on Heidner and Gold Rush, but also on his wife, two of his children and dozens of business partners from among the 500-plus establishments statewide that house Heidner’s slot machines.
“Despite requiring licensees and associated individuals to hand over a veritable treasure trove of their most sensitive data, the evidence will show that the IGB’s approach to protecting Mr. Heidner’s data has been careless and cavalier, at best,” attorneys write in Heidner’s suit filed in the Illinois Court of Claims.
Heidner says the leaks started in October, the day after a Chicago Tribune report detailed his business ties to a banking family with mob connections. His name also surfaced in search warrants released that week revealing federal agents were interested in items related to Heidner and his gambling company last summer when they raided the offices of former state Sen. Martin Sandoval, who has since pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge.
That prompted Gov. J.B. Pritzker to pull the plug on a racino plan Heidner had forged with Hawthorne Race Course president Tim Carey. They had appeared on path to state approval before Pritzker’s office refused to sell state land for the project in light of the revelations.
Illinois Gaming Board administrator Marcus Fruchter speaks at an Aug. 8 meeting. Victor Hilitski / Sun-Times
But Heidner maintains the Gaming Board knew about all of his business connections, and the employee “made these unauthorized disclosures to fuel ― or at least in response to ― negative media coverage the IGB helped generate against Mr. Heidner and Gold Rush.”
The employee is not named in the suit, which says the person “was not assigned to any Gold Rush-related investigative matter” and did not have “any official purpose” for accessing the data. In his letter, Fruchter told legislative leaders the worker “has been placed on administrative leave” pending an internal investigation.
A Gaming Board spokesman says the agency does not comment on pending litigation and declined to comment on the breach.
This latest legal volley from Heidner comes after the Gaming Board filed a disciplinary action against him in December seeking to revoke his gambling license for allegedly offering up a $5 million “illegal inducement” to the owner of a gambling parlor chain that planned to remove Heidner’s machines. Heidner’s team says it’s all part of a “smear campaign” orchestrated by a competitor with whom he’s also wrangling in civil court.
In the Gaming Board suit, Heidner and Gold Rush are seeking damages totaling $4 million, alleging negligence and breach of fiduciary duty.


chicagosuntimes--2020-02-12--ENDORSEMENT: Tommy Hanson for Congress in 5th District Republican primary

Your choices in this Republican primary are not good .
You can vote for Tommy Hanson , a commercial real @ @ @ @ @ the issues are to the right of many or most Republicans .
Or you can @ @ @ @ @ a doctor who is invested in at least one bizarre conspiracy theory that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ .
Our unenthusiastic endorsement goes to Hanson , though he believes climate change is — @ @ @ @ @ AS REAL AS THE EASTER BUNNY AND SANTA.
” Your third choice might be to @ @ @ @ @ For more information about this race and others , including candidate questionnaires , go to @ @ @ @ @ .
Our newspaper is owned by a group of civic-minded and , in some cases @ @ @ @ @ for details , see our owner information page .

Your choices in this Republican primary are not good.
You can vote for Tommy Hanson, a commercial real estate manager whose views on the issues are to the right of many or most Republicans. Or you can vote for Kimball Ladien, a doctor who is invested in at least one bizarre conspiracy theory that’s not worth passing along here.
Our unenthusiastic endorsement goes to Hanson, though he believes climate change is — in capital letters — “AS REAL AS THE EASTER BUNNY AND SANTA.”
Your third choice might be to sit this one out.
5th Congressional District map. Illustration by Caroline Hurley
For more information about this race and others, including candidate questionnaires, go to our Illinois primary voting guide. Our newspaper is owned by a group of civic-minded and, in some cases, politically active investors; for details, see our owner information page.
Send letters to: letters@suntimes.com


chicagosuntimes--2020-02-12--ENDORSEMENT: Anthony Clark for Congress in 7th District Democratic primary

The people of the 7th Congressional District deserve a representative who will work for them with vigor .
Incumbent Rep. Danny Davis , though we have endorsed him many times in the past , is no longer that person .
Our endorsement goes to Anthony Clark , a young Air Force veteran , community organizer and teacher at Oak Park and River Forest High School .
Clark is founder of the Suburban Unity Alliance , a not-for-profit organization that , among other causes , worked for the creation of a Welcoming Village Ordinance in Oak Park — in defense of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an Indigenous Peoples Day in Oak Park .
In recent years , Davis has little to show in the way of substantive legislation for which he was the main driver , and his congressional attendance could be better .
In 2018 , he ranked 21st among the 435 voting House members in missed votes .
In 2019 , in an improvement , he ranked 106th .
Davis exudes good will and grace , but the 7th District needs more .
The district includes some of the most economically depressed communities in Illinois , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Chicago .
It deserves a representative who is impatient to change the world , which might be Clark ’ s best trait .
Clark got 26 percent of the vote against Davis in the 2018 Democratic primary .
Sure , we would like to see a more accomplished and seasoned candidate take on Davis .
But candidates of that caliber almost never do because they know the odds of defeating the popular Davis are poor .
They are waiting for him to retire .
Clark isn ’ t waiting , so give @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community organizer Kina Collins and attorney and activist Kristine Schanbacher .
For more information about this race and others , including candidate questionnaires , go to our Illinois primary voting guide .
Our newspaper is owned by a group of civic-minded and , in some cases , politically active investors ; for details , see our owner information page .

The people of the 7th Congressional District deserve a representative who will work for them with vigor. Incumbent Rep. Danny Davis, though we have endorsed him many times in the past, is no longer that person.
Our endorsement goes to Anthony Clark, a young Air Force veteran, community organizer and teacher at Oak Park and River Forest High School. Clark is founder of the Suburban Unity Alliance, a not-for-profit organization that, among other causes, worked for the creation of a Welcoming Village Ordinance in Oak Park — in defense of undocumented immigrants — and the establishment of an Indigenous Peoples Day in Oak Park.
In recent years, Davis has little to show in the way of substantive legislation for which he was the main driver, and his congressional attendance could be better. In 2018, he ranked 21st among the 435 voting House members in missed votes. In 2019, in an improvement, he ranked 106th.
Davis exudes good will and grace, but the 7th District needs more.
The district includes some of the most economically depressed communities in Illinois, stretching through the West and South Sides of Chicago. It deserves a representative who is impatient to change the world, which might be Clark’s best trait. Clark got 26 percent of the vote against Davis in the 2018 Democratic primary.
Sure, we would like to see a more accomplished and seasoned candidate take on Davis. But candidates of that caliber almost never do because they know the odds of defeating the popular Davis are poor. They are waiting for him to retire.
Clark isn’t waiting, so give him some credit. Also running are community organizer Kina Collins and attorney and activist Kristine Schanbacher.
7th Congressional District map. Illustration by Caroline Hurley
For more information about this race and others, including candidate questionnaires, go to our Illinois primary voting guide. Our newspaper is owned by a group of civic-minded and, in some cases, politically active investors; for details, see our owner information page.
Send letters to: letters@suntimes.com


chicagosuntimes--2020-02-12--Widow of Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer sues gun website

The widow of slain Chicago Police Cmdr .
Paul Bauer has sued the website used to sell the gun tied to her husband ’ s murder .
The 9-millimeter Glock pistol that four-time felon Shomari Legghette allegedly used to kill Bauer in 2018 was sold by a Wisconsin man on Armslist.com , one of the nation ’ s largest online gun marketplaces .
According to a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday in Milwaukee by Bauer ’ s wife , Erin , and the the nonprofit gun control group Brady , the site negligently allowed sales of weapons without background checks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the alleged murder weapon .
Other websites have features that prevent unlicensed sellers from selling guns in large numbers , and from selling to customers who are legally barred from owning firearms , said Jonathan Lowy , chief counsel for Brady .
“ We can ’ t know what would have happened if Armslist was not negligent ... but we do know what did happen : someone who should not have had a gun was able to get one , and a police commander is dead , ” Lowy said .
The gun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Caldwell to Milwaukee resident Ron Jones in 2017 , and found its way through the “ criminal marketplace ” to Legghette , who was carrying the weapon and wearing body armor as he fled from police on Lower Wacker Drive , the lawsuit states .
Legghette encountered Bauer near the Thompson Center , and allegedly struggled with the veteran officer in a stairwell , shooting Bauer six times .
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages , and to force Armslist to adopt policies that would prevent unlicensed sellers and sales to people barred from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawsuit would mark the first time an online gun marketplace had been held liable for a killing involving weapons sold from the platform .
Jury selection in Legghette ’ s murder trial is expected to start later this month at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse .
Caldwell was sentenced in 2018 to three years in prison for selling guns without a license .
Jones appears set to plead guilty to federal gun and drug charges next month , according to court records .
Officials for Armslist , which has been sued four times by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for comment .

The widow of slain Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer has sued the website used to sell the gun tied to her husband’s murder.
The 9-millimeter Glock pistol that four-time felon Shomari Legghette allegedly used to kill Bauer in 2018 was sold by a Wisconsin man on Armslist.com, one of the nation’s largest online gun marketplaces.
According to a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday in Milwaukee by Bauer’s wife, Erin, and the nonprofit gun control group Brady, the site negligently allowed sales of weapons without background checks, allowing Legghette to get his hands on the alleged murder weapon.
Other websites have features that prevent unlicensed sellers from selling guns in large numbers, and from selling to customers who are legally barred from owning firearms, said Jonathan Lowy, chief counsel for Brady.
“We can’t know what would have happened if Armslist was not negligent...but we do know what did happen: someone who should not have had a gun was able to get one, and a police commander is dead,” Lowy said.
The gun was sold by Madison resident 68-year-old Thomas Caldwell to Milwaukee resident Ron Jones in 2017, and found its way through the “criminal marketplace” to Legghette, who was carrying the weapon and wearing body armor as he fled from police on Lower Wacker Drive, the lawsuit states. Legghette encountered Bauer near the Thompson Center, and allegedly struggled with the veteran officer in a stairwell, shooting Bauer six times.
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages, and to force Armslist to adopt policies that would prevent unlicensed sellers and sales to people barred from owning guns. If successful, the lawsuit would mark the first time an online gun marketplace had been held liable for a killing involving weapons sold from the platform.
Jury selection in Legghette’s murder trial is expected to start later this month at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse.
Caldwell was sentenced in 2018 to three years in prison for selling guns without a license. Jones appears set to plead guilty to federal gun and drug charges next month, according to court records.
Officials for Armslist, which has been sued four times by Brady, did not respond to requests for comment.


chicagosuntimes--2020-02-12--Latest ticket out? Iowa Dem chief quits over caucus fiasco: ‘Democrats deserved better’

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party announced his resignation Wednesday after a disastrous caucus process beset by technical glitches led to a days-long delay in reporting the results , inconsistencies in the numbers and no clear winner .
The embarrassing episode also threatened Iowa ’ s cherished status as the first voting contest of the presidential primary season and led both front-runners to request a partial recanvass of the results .
“ The fact is that Democrats deserved better than what happened on caucus night .
As chair of this party , I am deeply sorry for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any failures on behalf of the Iowa Democratic Party , ” Troy Price wrote in a resignation letter a week and a half after Iowa ’ s caucuses .
“ While it is my desire to stay in this role and see this process through to completion , I do believe it is time for the Iowa Democratic Party to begin looking forward , and my presence in my current role makes that more difficult.
” He said his departure would occur as soon as the state party elects a replacement , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do so .
After a breakdown in tallying the results on Feb. 3 , it took until Feb. 6 for the state party , which operates the series of roughly 1,700 local meetings statewide , to issue what it said are complete results .
In those figures , released by the party , former South Bend , Indiana , Mayor Pete Buttigieg leads Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders by two state delegate equivalents out of 2,152 counted .
That is a margin of 0.09 percentage points .
The Associated Press said it was unable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the available information .
The results as reported by the Iowa Democratic Party , the AP believes , may not be fully accurate .
Price had called the delays in reporting results “ unacceptable.
” He said the party would conduct a “ thorough , transparent and independent examination ” of what caused the delays .
He apologized for the breakdown in the process .
Both Buttigieg ’ s and Sanders ’ campaigns requested a partial recanvass of the Iowa results , which the Iowa Democratic Party approved .
The party says it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ precincts to begin on Sunday and last two days .
A recanvass is not a recount , but a check of the vote count against paper records created by caucus leaders to ensure the counts were reported accurately .
The party has said it will not change mistakes in the math and the only opportunity to correct it would be a recount , which would be the candidates ’ next option after the recanvass is completed .
Price was elected to his second term as chairman of the state party in December 2018 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reelection , he noted that he was “ incredibly proud ” of the success that Iowa Democrats had in the 2018 midterms and looked forward to building on it .
“ I can not wait to work with them again on what could very well be one of the most consequential Iowa Caucuses of our time , ” he said .
Price previously was part of several Democratic campaigns in Iowa , including those of former President Barack Obama and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton .
Price also had served as the party ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an LGBT advocacy group .
The Iowa Democratic Party instituted new rules for the 2020 contest that were meant to enhance transparency in the process .
In previous years , the Iowa Democratic Party reported just one number : the number of state delegates won by each candidate .
For the first time , the party this year reported two other numbers — who had the most votes at the beginning and at the end of the night .
The additional data is a nod to Sanders and his supporters , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him of victory in his 2016 race against Clinton .
That contest ended in a narrow delegate victory for Clinton in Iowa .

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party announced his resignation Wednesday after a disastrous caucus process beset by technical glitches led to a days-long delay in reporting the results, inconsistencies in the numbers and no clear winner.
The embarrassing episode also threatened Iowa’s cherished status as the first voting contest of the presidential primary season and led both front-runners to request a partial recanvass of the results.
“The fact is that Democrats deserved better than what happened on caucus night. As chair of this party, I am deeply sorry for what happened and bear the responsibility for any failures on behalf of the Iowa Democratic Party,” Troy Price wrote in a resignation letter a week and a half after Iowa’s caucuses.
“While it is my desire to stay in this role and see this process through to completion, I do believe it is time for the Iowa Democratic Party to begin looking forward, and my presence in my current role makes that more difficult.”
He said his departure would occur as soon as the state party elects a replacement, and he called an emergency Saturday meeting to do so.
Iowa Democratic Party chairman Troy Price speaks to members of the media on Monday. File Photo. Charlie Neibergall/AP
After a breakdown in tallying the results on Feb. 3, it took until Feb. 6 for the state party, which operates the series of roughly 1,700 local meetings statewide, to issue what it said are complete results.
In those figures, released by the party, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg leads Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders by two state delegate equivalents out of 2,152 counted. That is a margin of 0.09 percentage points.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., with his wife Jane O’Meara Sanders, speaks to supporters at a caucus night campaign rally in Des Moines, Iowa, Monday, Feb. 3, 2020. File Photo. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
The Associated Press said it was unable to declare a winner, based on the available information. The results as reported by the Iowa Democratic Party, the AP believes, may not be fully accurate.
Price had called the delays in reporting results “unacceptable.” He said the party would conduct a “thorough, transparent and independent examination” of what caused the delays. He apologized for the breakdown in the process.
Both Buttigieg’s and Sanders’ campaigns requested a partial recanvass of the Iowa results, which the Iowa Democratic Party approved. The party says it expects the recanvass of more than 80 precincts to begin on Sunday and last two days. A recanvass is not a recount, but a check of the vote count against paper records created by caucus leaders to ensure the counts were reported accurately.
The party has said it will not change mistakes in the math and the only opportunity to correct it would be a recount, which would be the candidates’ next option after the recanvass is completed.
Democratic presidential candidate, South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks during a campaign stop on September 23, 2019 in Dubuque, Iowa. File Photo. Scott Olson/Getty Images
Price was elected to his second term as chairman of the state party in December 2018. In a statement released after his reelection, he noted that he was “incredibly proud” of the success that Iowa Democrats had in the 2018 midterms and looked forward to building on it.
“I cannot wait to work with them again on what could very well be one of the most consequential Iowa Caucuses of our time,” he said.
Price previously was part of several Democratic campaigns in Iowa, including those of former President Barack Obama and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Price also had served as the party’s executive director and led One Iowa, an LGBT advocacy group.
The Iowa Democratic Party instituted new rules for the 2020 contest that were meant to enhance transparency in the process.
In previous years, the Iowa Democratic Party reported just one number: the number of state delegates won by each candidate. For the first time, the party this year reported two other numbers — who had the most votes at the beginning and at the end of the night.
The additional data is a nod to Sanders and his supporters, who argued that the previous rules essentially robbed him of victory in his 2016 race against Clinton. That contest ended in a narrow delegate victory for Clinton in Iowa.


chicagosuntimes--2020-02-12--Legal gun owner who killed man who pointed flashlight into his car was not acting in self-defense, p

Legal gun owner who killed man who pointed flashlight into his car was not acting in self-defense, prosecutors say

Moments before allegedly shooting a man to death last weekend , 27-year-old Dione Weaver placed a call to 911 .
During the call , Weaver told a dispatcher about a man who was acting suspiciously and shining a flashlight into cars on the same block where Weaver was parked , according to Cook County Prosecutors .
If the man shined a light into his car , authorities say Weaver told the dispatcher , he was going to defend himself .
But on Tuesday , Weaver stood in a courtroom at the Leighton Criminal Court Building facing a charge of second-degree @ @ @ @ @ @ @ truly acting in self-defense when he shot Larry Howard early Sunday in South Shore — one of nine fatal shootings last weekend in the city .
Prosecutors said Weaver was a legal gun owner , and though he didn ’ t have a permit to carry a concealed weapon , he had been properly transporting his Glock 9mm-handgun properly , with the unloaded firearm in his center counsel and a loaded magazine in the front glove box .
Prosecutors say Weaver was in his car about 4:30 a.m. in the 7200 block of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to parked cars in the block and shining a flashlight inside them .
Unknown to Weaver , Howard was on probation for a burglary conviction and also had prior convictions for similar charges in his background .
When another car drove by , Weaver told officers he saw Howard “ crouch and appear to hide between cars , ” prosecutors said .
Once the car passed , Howard crossed the street and began shining a light in cars again .
Thinking that Howard was looking for items to steal , Weaver called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remaining inside his car , prosecutors said .
At that point , Weaver allegedly removed his Glock from the center console and the loaded magazine from the glove box in his car .
Weaver then told police two different versions of what happened next , prosecutors said .
After Howard pointed the light inside Weaver ’ s rear window , Weaver initially told responding officers , Weaver fired his gone at him through the window as well as two additional shots — all while he remained in the front passenger seat , prosecutors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officers or the earlier 911 call did he indicate that Howard reached for anything or came toward him before the shooting , prosecutors said .
“ After an eight-minute interview with scene beat officers , it was implied to [ Weaver ] that shining a light is not a good enough reason to shoot someone , ” prosecutors said .
After Weaver was read his Miranda rights , prosecutors said his story changed : This time , Weaver said that prior to shooting , he saw Howard step back and reach behind his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the initial shot , he got out of his car and saw Howard approach him and “ then fired 4-6 more times in [ Howard ’ s ] direction as he ran north on Bennett Avenue before collapsing in the street , ” prosecutors said .
Howard was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center when a gunshot wound to his abdomen and a “ deep graze wound ” to the right side of his body , but was pronounced dead less than an hour after he was shot .
According to court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cook County only once , and that case was ultimately dropped by prosecutors in August 2018 .

Moments before allegedly shooting a man to death last weekend, 27-year-old Dione Weaver placed a call to 911.
During the call, Weaver told a dispatcher about a man who was acting suspiciously and shining a flashlight into cars on the same block where Weaver was parked, according to Cook County prosecutors.
If the man shined a light into his car, authorities say Weaver told the dispatcher, he was going to defend himself.
But on Tuesday, Weaver stood in a courtroom at the Leighton Criminal Court Building facing a charge of second-degree murder after authorities questioned whether he was truly acting in self-defense when he shot Larry Howard early Sunday in South Shore — one of nine fatal shootings last weekend in the city.
Prosecutors said Weaver was a legal gun owner, and though he didn’t have a permit to carry a concealed weapon, he had been properly transporting his Glock 9 mm handgun, with the unloaded firearm in his center console and a loaded magazine in the glove box.
Prosecutors say Weaver was in his car about 4:30 a.m. in the 7200 block of South Bennett Avenue when he noticed Howard walking up to parked cars in the block and shining a flashlight inside them.
Unknown to Weaver, Howard was on probation for a burglary conviction and also had prior convictions for similar charges in his background.
When another car drove by, Weaver told officers he saw Howard “crouch and appear to hide between cars,” prosecutors said. Once the car passed, Howard crossed the street and began shining a light in cars again.
Thinking that Howard was looking for items to steal, Weaver called 911 to report a suspicious person while remaining inside his car, prosecutors said.
At that point, Weaver allegedly removed his Glock from the center console and the loaded magazine from the glove box.
Weaver told police two different versions of what happened next, prosecutors said.
After Howard pointed the light inside Weaver’s rear window, Weaver initially told responding officers, Weaver fired his gun at him through the window as well as two additional shots — all while he remained in the front passenger seat, prosecutors said.
In neither that interview with officers nor the earlier 911 call did he indicate that Howard reached for anything or came toward him before the shooting, prosecutors said.
“After an eight-minute interview with scene beat officers, it was implied to [Weaver] that shining a light is not a good enough reason to shoot someone,” prosecutors said.
After Weaver was read his Miranda rights, prosecutors said his story changed: This time, Weaver said that prior to shooting, he saw Howard step back and reach behind his back. Weaver said that after firing the initial shot, he got out of his car and saw Howard approach him and “then fired four to six more times in [Howard’s] direction as he ran north on Bennett Avenue before collapsing in the street,” prosecutors said.
Howard was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center with a gunshot wound to his abdomen and a “deep graze wound” to the right side of his body. He was pronounced dead less than an hour after he was shot.
According to court records, Weaver has faced charges in Cook County only once, and that case was ultimately dropped by prosecutors in August 2018.
The charge: theft.
Weaver is due back in court Feb. 24.


chicagosuntimes--2020-02-12--1 killed in crash on I-94 in Michigan City

A driver was killed in a crash Wednesday on Interstate 94 in Michigan City , Indiana .
The driver was @ @ @ @ @ about 1:50 p.m. on I-94 near mile marker 37 when the SUV slammed into the @ @ @ @ @ semi that was disabled on the right shoulder , according to preliminary information from Indiana @ @ @ @ @ ’ t clear why the driver veered off the road , but the semi was @ @ @ @ @ roadway ” at the time of the collision , police said .
Indiana State Police @ @ @ @ @ ’ s office are investigating .

A driver was killed in a crash Wednesday on Interstate 94 in Michigan City, Indiana.
The driver was in a black Chevrolet Blazer about 1:50 p.m. on I-94 near mile marker 37 when the SUV slammed into the back of a 1999 Kenworth semi that was disabled on the right shoulder, according to preliminary information from Indiana State Police.
The LaPorte County coroner’s office identified the driver as Steven A. Kowalkoski of Champaign.
It wasn’t clear why he veered off the road, but the semi was parked “well off the roadway” at the time of the collision, police said.
Indiana State Police and the LaPorte County coroner’s office are investigating.


chicagosuntimes--2020-02-12--Pot shops should pay workers $20 an hour, offer profit sharing, proposed benefits agreement says

As a horde of companies race to open recreational pot shops around the city , advocates are pushing a community benefits agreement that would require dispensaries hire employees that have been adversely impacted by past drug policies , pay them at least $ 20 an hour and create a system for profit sharing .
The Cannabis Equity Illinois Coalition began pushing the CBA after firms earned the rights to open 31 new dispensaries during the city ’ s pot lottery in November , kicking off the city ’ s current “ green rush.
” The group , comprised of activists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years ago , has been vocal at recent community meetings held by companies seeking special use zoning approval for the new shops .
During one recent meeting , hosted in River North by Illinois ’ leading pot firm Cresco Labs , coalition vice president Peter Contos said the CBA would ensure that retailers are “ paying their fair share when it comes to repairing the harms done by the war on drugs.
” While the state ’ s recreational pot law is already investing a quarter of cannabis tax revenues into blighted areas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leg up in the application process for licenses , coalition attorney Akele Parnell said the CBA would enable employees to “ share in the success ” of dispensaries .
As part of the proposal , 75 % of dispensary employees would have to meet the state ’ s social equity requirements by either living in an adversely affected area , having a pot-related record or having a family member that meets the criteria .
Those employees would be paid a “ living wage ” of at least $ 20 an hour and earn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earnings , Parnell said , adding that first-month sales of recreational weed nearly reached $ 40 million .
“ If they ’ re the ones on the ground doing all the hard work , they should be able to reap some of the benefits or the upside and not just get their base wage regardless of how the dispensary performs and regardless of how hard they work , ” added Parnell , who previously worked for the River North-based weed company GTI .
The CBA would also require training that would help employees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own stores , many of which are corporatized and have operations in multiple states .
On top of that , shops would need to reinvest another 10 % of their profits into affected communities and ensure that African American- or Latino-owned companies are given 10 % of contracts for providing various services , including maintenance , security and construction work .
Parnell said the coalition met with representatives from the mayor ’ s office last week , who “ were supportive and want to help facilitate and make sure that the cannabis industry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group has also been in contact with members of the City Council ’ s Latino and Black caucuses — which have been critical of the lack of diversity among the current owners of pot shops .
He also said the group has “ handshake deals ” with some firms that have tentatively agreed to sign on .
Pot companies Cresco , PharmaCann and Acreage Holdings signaled that they were open to some of the provisions in the CBA but weren ’ t ready to fully commit .
“ We ’ re in general @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for and have engaged in conversations with them to learn much more , ” said Howard Schacter , spokesman for Acreage Holdings , a Canadian firm that owns the Nature ’ s Care dispensary in Rolling Meadows and hopes to open another in West Town .
“ It ’ s certainly premature for us to sign an agreement before we learn more about the organization and their full agenda .
”

As a horde of companies race to open recreational pot shops around the city, advocates are pushing a community benefits agreement that would require dispensaries hire employees that have been adversely impacted by past drug policies, pay them at least $20 an hour and create a system for profit sharing.
The Cannabis Equity Illinois Coalition began pushing the CBA after firms earned the rights to open 31 new dispensaries during the city’s pot lottery in November, kicking off the city’s current “green rush.”
The group, comprised of activists and community organizations that came together two years ago, has been vocal at recent community meetings held by companies seeking special use zoning approval for the new shops. During one recent meeting, hosted in River North by Illinois’ leading pot firm Cresco Labs, coalition vice president Peter Contos said the CBA would ensure that retailers are “paying their fair share when it comes to repairing the harms done by the war on drugs.”
While the state’s recreational pot law is already investing a quarter of cannabis tax revenues into blighted areas and giving so-called social equity applicants a leg up in the application process for licenses, coalition attorney Akele Parnell said the CBA would enable employees to “share in the success” of dispensaries.
As part of the proposal, 75% of dispensary employees would have to meet the state’s social equity requirements by either living in an adversely affected area, having a pot-related record or having a family member that meets the criteria. Those employees would be paid a “living wage” of at least $20 an hour and earn bonuses based on a store’s earnings, Parnell said, adding that first-month sales of recreational weed nearly reached $40 million.
“If they’re the ones on the ground doing all the hard work, they should be able to reap some of the benefits or the upside and not just get their base wage regardless of how the dispensary performs and regardless of how hard they work,” added Parnell, who previously worked for the River North-based weed company GTI.
Members of the Cannabis Equity Illinois Coalition Cannabis Equity Illinois Coalition website
The CBA would also require training that would help employees move up the ladder of companies that own stores, many of which are corporatized and have operations in multiple states. On top of that, shops would need to reinvest another 10% of their profits into affected communities and ensure that African American- or Latino-owned companies are given 10% of contracts for providing various services, including maintenance, security and construction work.
Parnell said the coalition met with representatives from the mayor’s office last week, who “were supportive and want to help facilitate and make sure that the cannabis industry in Chicago is more equitable.” The group has also been in contact with members of the City Council’s Latino and Black caucuses — which have been critical of the lack of diversity among the current owners of pot shops.
He also said the group has “handshake deals” with some firms that have tentatively agreed to sign on.
Pot companies Cresco, PharmaCann and Acreage Holdings signaled that they were open to some of the provisions in the CBA but weren’t ready to fully commit.
“We’re in general alignment and support everything they are advocating for and have engaged in conversations with them to learn much more,” said Howard Schacter, spokesman for Acreage Holdings, a Canadian firm that owns the Nature’s Care dispensary in Rolling Meadows and hopes to open another in West Town. “It’s certainly premature for us to sign an agreement before we learn more about the organization and their full agenda.”


chicagosuntimes--2020-02-12--Officials release videos of Waukegan police officer fatally shooting motorist

Authorities released videos Wednesday of a Waukegan police officer fatally shooting a man who tried to hit him with a vehicle last year in the north suburb .
A cellphone video and two police body camera videos were released on the city of Waukegan ’ s website , showing the officer fatally shooting Asuncion J. Gomez-Guerrero on Feb. 3 , 2019 , in the 3500 block of Windhaven Drive .
The body camera videos — one from the officer who fired the shots and the other from another responding officer who witnesses the shooting — show the first officer standing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ driving while shouting , “ Turn it off !
Turn it off !
” As the car drives forward toward the officer , the videos show him placing a hand on the hood , walking backward and yelling , “ Motherf——r , ” while firing three shots into the car through the windshield .
The videos then show the car driving away down the block while the officers return to their squad cars to pursue it .
The cellphone video depicts the incident from a distance and shows the car driving toward the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lake County state ’ s attorney ’ s office ruled the shooting justified in August after reviewing an Illinois State Police investigation into the case .
Officers were called about 2:30 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday for reports of an “ unknown problem ” at a home on Windhaven Drive , prosecutors and Waukegan police said at the time .
A responding officer arrived to find Gomez-Guerrero apparently trying to leave in a gray Honda with an 18-year-old woman in the passenger seat .
The officer parked his marked squad car and approached @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stop , the state ’ s attorney ’ s office said .
Gomez-Guerrero put the car into reverse , prompting the officer to put his hand on the hood and tell him to turn the car off .
Gomez-Guerrero instead put the car in drive and turned the wheel toward the officer .
The car moved forward and the front bumper hit the officer ’ s left leg , prosecutors said .
The officer backed up , drew his gun and fired three shots through the windshield when Gomez-Guerrero ignored orders to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Honda continued to drive away until it hit a telephone pole a block away , police said .
Gomez-Guerrero , 35 , was taken to a hospital , where he was pronounced dead , according to the Lake County coroner ’ s office .
An autopsy found he died of gunshot wounds .
Further investigation revealed he had a blood alcohol level of 0.182 and traces of THC in his system , prosecutors said .
The 18-year-old woman who was a passenger in the vehicle suffered minor injuries in the crash and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police said .
Read more on crime , and track the city ’ s homicides .

Authorities released videos Wednesday of a Waukegan police officer fatally shooting a man who tried to hit him with a vehicle last year in the north suburb.
A cellphone video and two police body camera videos were released on the city of Waukegan’s website, showing the officer fatally shooting Asuncion J. Gomez-Guerrero on Feb. 3, 2019, in the 3500 block of Windhaven Drive.
The body camera videos — one from the officer who fired the shots and the other from another responding officer who witnesses the shooting — show the first officer standing in front of the car Gomez-Guerrero was driving while shouting, “Turn it off! Turn it off!”
As the car drives forward toward the officer, the videos show him placing a hand on the hood, walking backward and yelling, “Motherf——r,” while firing three shots into the car through the windshield.
The videos then show the car driving away down the block while the officers return to their squad cars to pursue it. The cellphone video depicts the incident from a distance and shows the car driving toward the officer before gunshots ring out.
Still from a body camera video showing a Waukegan police officer fatally shooting a man who drove a car at him on Feb. 3, 2019, in the 3500 block of Windhaven Drive in Waukegan. Waukegan police
The Lake County state’s attorney’s office ruled the shooting justified in August after reviewing an Illinois State Police investigation into the case.
Officers were called about 2:30 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday for reports of an “unknown problem” at a home on Windhaven Drive, prosecutors and Waukegan police said at the time. A responding officer arrived to find Gomez-Guerrero apparently trying to leave in a gray Honda with an 18-year-old woman in the passenger seat.
The officer parked his marked squad car and approached the Honda on foot, ordering Gomez-Guerrero to stop, the state’s attorney’s office said. Gomez-Guerrero put the car into reverse, prompting the officer to put his hand on the hood and tell him to turn the car off. Gomez-Guerrero instead put the car in drive and turned the wheel toward the officer.
The car moved forward and the front bumper hit the officer’s left leg, prosecutors said. The officer backed up, drew his gun and fired three shots through the windshield when Gomez-Guerrero ignored orders to stop and continued to drive forward.
The Honda continued to drive away until it hit a telephone pole a block away, police said.
Gomez-Guerrero, 35, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Lake County coroner’s office. An autopsy found he died of gunshot wounds.
Further investigation revealed he had a blood alcohol level of 0.182 and traces of THC in his system, prosecutors said.
The 18-year-old woman who was a passenger in the vehicle suffered minor injuries in the crash and was also taken to a hospital, police said.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosuntimes--2020-02-12--Blackhawks’ Matthew Highmore happy about speed of his adjustment to NHL

VANCOUVER , British Columbia — Entering this year ’ s NHL training camp , Matthew Highmore was a professional hockey player who had not played much hockey in a while .
“ I had only played four games in nine months , 10 months , ” he said Tuesday .
“ So I didn ’ t really have much of a measuring stick , and I didn ’ t think I was quite where I wanted to be.
” Six months later , Highmore has played a lot of hockey — and most of it at the NHL level .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 23 games for the Hawks since his late November recall , bringing energy , grit and some deceptive speed to the fourth line .
Although he ’ s tallied just one goal and two assists in those 23 games , he ’ s become a valuable player in coach Jeremy Colliton ’ s eyes — so much so that , after Highmore was scratched for three straight games out of the bye week , Colliton scratched Alex Nylander in Winnipeg to get Highmore back into the lineup , then kept Highmore in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After all , there ’ s good evidence that having Highmore around makes the Hawks better : they ’ ve won 13 of the 23 games in which he ’ s played , versus only 12 of the 33 he hasn ’ t .
“ When I came here at the start of December , the team was really starting to find their groove , ” he said .
“ So just to be a part of that has been exciting .
I ’ ve been playing good hockey [ but ] I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s been any of the reason.
” Highmore missed the vast majority of last season with a right shoulder injury , playing only nine games with the AHL ’ s Rockford IceHogs in October 2018 and four in April 2019 on the two ends of his lengthy recovery .
After his aforementioned time in Hawks training camp this past September , he returned to Rockford fully healthy and put up 12 points in 21 games , prompting his promotion .
Two and a half months later , he ’ s become an NHL @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better , ” he said .
“ It ’ s a bit of an adjustment , and I feel like I have made that adjustment as of now .
I ’ m starting to build on my game more and more and it ’ s certainly coming around .
It ’ s been fun being a part of this .
I hope I can continue to help any way I can.
” He added that he ’ s hoping to develop his patience and creativity in the offensive zone so that he can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now has plenty of leash and time to do so .
The Hawks ’ game Wednesday against the Canucks will be the secondary attraction on an emotional night in Vancouver .
Longtime franchise cornerstones Daniel and Henrik Sedin will have their signature No .
22 and No .
33 sweaters retired in a pregame ceremony featuring many of the Canucks ’ all-time greats .
The Sedins spearheaded the talented Canucks teams that lost to the Hawks in the 2009 and 2010 playoffs , then beat the Hawks en route to their own Stanley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canucks had asked the NHL to schedule the Hawks as their opponent for the ceremony day , per Sportsnet ’ s Dan Murphy .
The Hawks will try to play spoiler in much the same way that the Panthers did after Patrick Kane ’ s 1,000th point ceremony ( and Joel Quenneville ’ s tribute video ) last month in Chicago .

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Entering this season’s training camp, Matthew Highmore was a professional hockey player who had not played much hockey in a while.
“I had only played four games in nine months, 10 months,” he said Tuesday. “So I didn’t really have much of a measuring stick, and I didn’t think I was quite where I wanted to be.”
Six months later, Highmore has played a lot of hockey — and most of it at the NHL level.
The soon-to-be 24-year-old wing has appeared in 23 games for the Hawks since his late November recall, bringing energy, grit and some deceptive speed to the fourth line.
Although he has tallied just one goal and two assists in those 23 games, he has become a valuable player in coach Jeremy Colliton’s eyes — so much so that, after Highmore was scratched for three consecutive games out of the bye week, Colliton scratched Alex Nylander in Winnipeg to get Highmore back into the lineup, then kept Highmore in while benching Dylan Strome in Edmonton.
“He’s been really good,” Colliton said Wednesday. “He’s another guy we watched the shifts with today and he played real well, and that’s great for our team. Competition and young players improving and pushing from underneath, so I expect him to continue to get better as he gets more and more comfortable with the league.”
Although Highmore was scratched Wednesday against the Canucks, there’s good evidence that having Highmore around makes the Hawks better: they’ve won 13 of the 23 games in which he has played, versus only 12 of the 33 he hasn’t (entering Wednesday).
“When I came here at the start of December, the team was really starting to find their groove,” he said. “So just to be a part of that has been exciting. I’ve been playing good hockey [but] I don’t think necessarily it’s been any of the reason.”
Highmore missed the vast majority of last season with a right shoulder injury, playing only nine games with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs in October 2018 and four in April 2019 on the two ends of his lengthy recovery.
After his aforementioned time in Hawks training camp, he returned to Rockford fully healthy and put up 12 points in 21 games, prompting his promotion.
Two and a half months later, he has become an NHL regular.
“I’m getting better,” he said. “It’s a bit of an adjustment, and I feel like I have made that adjustment as of now.
‘‘I’m starting to build on my game more and more and it’s certainly coming around. It’s been fun being a part of this. I hope
I can continue to help any way
I can.”
He added that he’s hoping to develop his patience and creativity in the offensive zone so that he can chip in more scoring-wise.
But he now has plenty of leash and time to do so.
Kubalik on top power play
Dominik Kubalik slotted into the Hawks’ top power play this week, a long-awaited move that Colliton had resisted because of handedness concerns.
Kubalik, as a left-handed shot, only naturally fits on the right side of the formation, blasting one-timers. Putting the Czech rookie there, however, required displacing Patrick Kane from his usual spot and shifting him to the left faceoff circle.
Colliton said Wednesday that he now doesn’t think that’s a “bad thing,” though.