Community Protests Autistic Teen’s Death

Stephon Watts was shot twice by officers in his Calumet City home on Wednesday

An outraged community gathered Thursday evening to protest the death of 15-year-old Stephon Watts, shot dead in his own home by Calumet City police officers a day earlier.

About 75 to 100 people, family members and civic and religious leaders, gathered outside the Calumet City Police Department headquarters, at 1200 Pulaski Road in the far south suburb, to protest officers’ actions.

“The one thing that we look for our police to do is serve and protect,” said Alicia Murchison, one of the protesters who said she is also the mother of an autistic child. “To think of this is just unjustifiable.”

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Taking aim at college sex crimes

sexual assault crimesNew coalition works to get abuses reported
By Tabitha Hurley and Ashley Huntington

One out of 4 undergraduate women will be sexually assaulted before they graduate, according to a 2010 Rape Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) study. The study also found that 1 in every 6 American women will be sexually assaulted at some point during their lives.

Few reports of sex crimes on college campuses show up in media reports, however, and even fewer are prosecuted by the law. Despite the high number of women who are sexually assaulted while in college, studies estimate that 60 percent of rape and sexual assault cases are never reported to police or campus authorities. Even more alarming is the fact that of those sex crimes that are reported, RAINN has shown that there is only a 50.8 percent chance that an arrest will be made.

DePaul has a “no gray-area” policy regarding sexual assault, meaning sex that involves any amount of coercion, intimidation, force or anything that renders a victim unable to give consent is considered sexual assault, according to the Office of Sexual Violence Support Services.

Taking aim at college sex crimes

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Shipwreck Suit Filed In U.S.; Judge May Send It To Italy

In an apparent race to the courthouse, the first U.S. lawsuit has been filed based on the Jan. 13 disaster off the coast of Tuscany. Surprisingly, the named plaintiff is a crewmember, rather than a passenger, who is a resident of Lima, Peru, rather than of the United States. The case also seems oblivious to the substantial legal hurdles that lawyers around the world have been pondering for more than two weeks.

The suit, filed Jan. 26 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois by Chicago personal injury lawyers Ribbeck Lawchartered, is a class action by Gary Lobatan on behalf of at least 4,200 passengers and crewmembers on board the Costa Concordia when it went aground near Giglio, Italy. It does not mention the survivors of the 17 who have been confirmed dead (another 16 are still missing). Carnival Corporation and its subsidiary, Costa Crociere, are both named defendants.

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What Claim Do I Have After a Collision? : Wrong Way Driver

Mike BryantAttorney (866) 735-1102 Ext 555Posted by Mike BryantJanuary 26, 2012
This month, we will be looking at the issue of what claims are available in a Minnesota collision. We have used real examples from stories in the recent news as a basis for the discussion. What claims are available is not always obvious and a very good reason why you should take advantage of meeting with an experienced personal injury lawyer to understand all of your coverages. The insurance company may seem to be treating you correctly, but they don’t represent you. They also are not lawyers, so don’t take your legal advice from them.

Wrong way driver on I-94 causes head-on collision. Each person injured will be able to get their medical bills paid for under their own no fault policy. The reason for why the person was on the wrong side of the road will be important. Were they drinking and does there need to be a dram shop investigation? What, if anything, could the other driver do to have avoided the collision?

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Dante Autullo Shoots 3.5 Inch Nail Into His Head: Illinois Man Didn’t Notice Injury

A suburban Chicago man is recovering at a local hospital after accidentally shooting himself with a nail gun – and not noticing the 3 ½ inch nail lodged in his brain for more than 24 hours.

Dante Autullo, 32, was working in his garage Tuesday when he fired a nail gun and one of the shots sent the gun near his head, the SouthtownStar reports. He thought he just had a gash from the gun, and didn’t realize anything was wrong until the next day.

The Associated Press reports that Autullo went to work the next day, but later went to the hospital after complaining of nausea and a bad headache.nail gun injury

Dante Autullo Shoots 3.5 Inch Nail Into His Head: Illinois Man Didn’t Notice Injury

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3 injured in snowmobile crashes

CASSOPOLIS — Weekend snowmobile crashes in Pokagon and Howard townships injured three people.

• Cass County Sheriff Joseph M. Underwood Jr. reports that, on Sunday, his office investiaged a personal-injury snowmobile crash that occurred on the snowmobile trails near the intersection of Frost Street and Sink Road in Pokagon Township.

Huntertown residents Justin Reed, 41, and Brian Widenhoefer, 36, were eastbound when operator Reed failed to see and negotiate the upcoming downhill embankment, causing the snowmobile to vault, ejecting both occupants from the machine. They were transported to Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital in Dowagiac for treatment. Helmets were used. Alcohol is not a factor, deputies said.

3 injured in snowmobile crashes

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Family of slain Beverly teen sues accused, family

wrongful death lawsuitThe parents of a Chicago teenager who police said was killed after another Chicago teen punched him at an Indiana beach July 4 filed a wrongful death lawsuit Wednesday against the teen accused of throwing the punch, his sister and his mother.

James Malecek, of Chicago, is charged in LaPorte County, Ind., with aggravated battery, involuntary manslaughter and battery in the death of Kevin Kennelly Jr., 17, who lived in the Beverly neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. Malecek has pleaded not guilty.

Malecek, who was 19 at the time of the incident, is accused of punching Kennelly in the head at a beach in the 2600 block of Lake Shore Drive in Long Beach, Ind. Police said Kennelly was unconscious when they arrived. He died less than two days later in a Crown Point hospital. An autopsy report said Kennelly, who had just completed his junior year at Mount Carmel High School, died of blunt force trauma to the head.

Family of slain Beverly teen sues accused, family

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Corboy & Demetrio Secures $2 Million for Chicago Pedestrian Struck by Garbage Truck

CHICAGO, Jan 13, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Corboy & Demetrio has secured a $2 million settlement on behalf of a Chicago woman who was hit by a garbage truck in the city’s River North neighborhood. The truck was driven by Augustus Dortch, who along with his employer Lakeshore Waste Services, were defendants in the lawsuit. The settlement, secured the day the trial was set to begin, was approved by Cook County Circuit Court Judge Elizabeth Budzinski on Jan. 10, 2012.

Corboy & Demetrio attorneys Philip Harnett Corboy, Jr. and Michelle M. Kohut negotiated the settlement on behalf of 31-year-old Sirinun Wechasethanon who had moved to Chicago four days prior to the knockdown by the truck while walking south on LaSalle Street in the afternoon of April 13, 2008. She was crossing Chicago Avenue with the walk signal when she was struck by a garbage truck operated by Dortch, who was executing a right-hand turn from LaSalle Street onto Chicago Avenue.

“The evidence at trial would have shown that Sirinun was already in the crosswalk when the defendant started his turn; that he hit her with his right bumper, knocking her down; and that he ran over her with his right tire before coming to a stop,” Kohut said.

Corboy & Demetrio Secures $2 Million for Chicago Pedestrian Struck by Garbage Truck

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IDOT unveils life-saving Yellow Dot program

traffic injuriesCHICAGO — The Illinois Department of Transportation today unveiled the Illinois Yellow Dot program, a life-saving, traffic safety initiative that provides first responders with critical information to improve emergency care for persons involved in vehicle crashes. IDOT along with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Illinois Department of Aging (IDOA) and county health departments across the state are working together to increase awareness of the voluntary, federally funded program, and provide distribution centers and information for interested residents.

“Roadway safety is always a top priority at IDOT, and the Yellow Dot program can help improve roadway safety by providing first responders the crucial medical information they need to treat injuries and save lives, beginning at the scene of a crash,” said Acting Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider.

“This important program gives IDOT and our partners another important way to improve our exceptional record on traffic safety. I encourage all motorists to participate in this unique and effective program, which could make the difference between life and death for individuals involved in crashes.”

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Hot yoga may lead to injuries, passing out

BY KATY NIELSEN JAN 10, 2012

In a hot, sticky and steamy room men and women twist into yoga poses, sweat dripping from the ends of their noses. But the air conditioner isn’t broken — it’s January. This is a hot yoga class, a growing trend, and it’s not for everyone.

Some people worry about the risks of taking hot yoga, otherwise known as Bikram yoga, because of the possibility of heat-related injuries. Bikram is a 90-minute beginning yoga class that takes place in 105 degrees Fahrenheit, which is meant to “detoxify” the body, “heal and prevent injuries” and “enhance physical performance,” according to the 105F.com website.

Lyn Levin is a student at Bikram Yoga Chicago, which has three locations, and has studied yoga for 15 years. Levin said she has suffered injuries during hot yoga classes and has seen others get hurt. She saw someone pass out in a class the first week of January, she said.

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