June 2011 Archives

Gilbert Arenas recently tweeted about child support payments to his ex-girlfriend, and mother of his four children, Laura Govan and her possible appearance on the show Basketball Wives.

According to the Philadelphia Daily News, Arenas dispensed some legal advice to his fellow NBA players:

“i dont care what she does … if she gets a job i pay less money to her. most players dont know that … if they hav a job it lowers ur pay … so let them work.”

For once, the overpriced, underperforming, gun-toting, shooting guard from the Orlando Magic — recently involved in a manufactured trade rumor with the Chicago Bulls — may have said something that made some sense.

Cook County Sheriff's department plans to release the photographs of 1,100 deadbeat parents wanted for unpaid child support payments. Sheriff Tom Dart said that the department will release the photos on its website in an effort to help its investigators locate parents involved in child support cases reports the Associated Press.

According to the AP, the Cook County website will include the names and last known addresses of the parents being sought and encourages people to help the department find them. In noting the importance of local community support, Sheriff Dart said that deadbeat parents will often try to keep their whereabouts a secret, but they usually don't move far away.

So far, the website pictures about 25 deadbeat dads for who arrest warrants have been issued. Several of the images note that a dad has been "Captured."

Catholic Charities has sued the State of Illinois seeking an injunction that would allow the religious organization to continue to turn away same-sex couples wanting to adopt. The lawsuit comes on the heels of the new Illinois civil union law that allows same-sex couples to enter a civil union and enjoy many of the same rights as married couples, including the right to adopt.

More specifically, according to the Chicago Tribune, Catholic Charities is seeking an injunction to prevent the Illinois attorney general from enforcing the new civil union laws. The injunction would be necessary because the civil union law makes it illegal to treat couples in a civil union differently from couples in a marriage in regard to adoption and foster care decisions.

Kelsey Grammer is not a Chicago mayor, but he plays one on TV. Now Grammer, who plays a Chicago mayor with a brain disorder on the new Starz drama “Boss,” is involved in some real-life drama of his own as he prepares for a long, drawn-out child custody battle with his ex-wife, Camille.

Kelsey Grammer, who has since married 30-year old Kayte Walsh, fathered two children with Camille, a nine-year old and a six-year old. As Kelsey and Camille Grammer prepare to battle over their two young children, Kelsey has vowed not to make his private battles with his ex-wife public, as Camille famously did on the reality show “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

An Arlington Heights man called police and told them he had killed his father, 69-year old Stuart Cole. The Chicago Tribune reports that the unidentified son had an extensive record of domestic violence and had threatened to kill his parents before.

The killing of Stuart Cole can be described as the culmination of a long history of threats and domestic violence by the obviously disturbed son. The Tribune reports that over the years Arlington Heights police had responded to numerous domestic violence complaints by Cole and his wife against their son. In fact, since 2000, the son has been arrested multiple times for domestic battery, battery, and aggravated assault.

Upholding her original ruling granting custody of Alaina Giordano’s two children to their father, Kane Snyder, Judge Nancy Gordon explained that reasons other than Giordano’s health also played a role in the decision.

Giordano’s child custody battle made national headlines earlier this year when it was reported that she was denied custody of her children due to her having breast cancer. But ABC News reports that Judge Gordon’s decision reached beyond Giordano’s cancer prognosis.

On the first day that same-sex couples in Illinois could join together in a civil union, one same-sex Peoria couple is already lining up for a divorce. According to the Peoria Journal Star, Mark Bayer is seeking a divorce from Nathan Fredrick whom he married in Canada in 2006.

The Journal Star reports that the Peoria County Courthouse saw two same-sex couples file for divorce on the same day that same-sex couples throughout the state of Illinois were allowed to enter into a civil union.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel officiated at his first civil union ceremony on Thursday between David Spielfogel, Emanuel’s chief of policy and strategic planning, and Lee Crandell. On the first day that Illinois allowed civil unions for same-sex couples, 33 other gay and lesbian couples joined together at ceremonies in Millennium Park reports the Sun-Times.

Illinois state law allowing civil unions for gay and lesbian couples went into effect recently. As same-sex couples now enjoy the right to legally join together, gay and lesbian couples may want to consider whether a civil union is in fact the right decision for them.

Same-sex couples are now lining up for civil union licenses as Illinois state law allowing civil unions for gay and lesbian couples becomes effective. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that county officials expect to issue about 2,000 civil union licenses on the first day the Illinois civil union law goes into effect.

With the new law, Illinois now joins five other states that allow same-sex couples to enjoy benefits usually given to married couples reports the Sun-Times. In fact, the new Illinois civil union law goes even further than the laws of some other states, as the Illinois law provides for the same benefits for same-sex partners in civil unions as those given to married couples.