A star basketball player at the University of Illinois was suspended after a woman accused him of sexual assault, but the school has now dropped its own investigation into the athlete.
Terrence Shannon Jr. was suspended from the Illinois basketball team after he was charged with rape in Kansas, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/terrence-shannon-jr-illinois-basketball-rape-charge-9d4bb7e676fa2ba6f0d83018c5f5f463" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> earlier this year. Shannon successfully lobbied a U.S. District Court judge to overturn the suspension and allow him to start playing again, and now the university has ended its attempt to discipline the athlete, citing a lack of evidence.
Shannon was charged with rape on December 5 by prosecutors in Douglas County, Kansas, after a woman claimed that he put his hands under her skirt and violated her. The alleged incident occurred on September 9, 2023, while Shannon and a teammate were at a bar after attending Illinois’ football game against Kansas. The woman claimed Shannon – whom she identified after searching the school’s online basketball team roster – called her over and then grabbed her buttocks before reaching under her skirt to touch her sexually, the AP reported.
A graduate assistant for the basketball team assigned to drive Shannon and his teammate to Kansas and chaperone them said he was near Shannon the entire night in question and never saw anything the woman described in her allegations, the AP report noted.
After the charges were filed, the University of Illinois suspended Shannon from the team, and he missed six games. Judge Colleen Lawless ruled on January 19 that the university had violated Shannon’s civil rights and deprived him of his “protected property interests” by suspending him without due process. She noted that Shannon was supporting several family members and his suspension jeopardized his chances of being one of the first players to be drafted by the NBA and to make money through endorsements allowed by the NCAA’s name, image, and likeness policy.
“Plaintiff’s participation in sports is vital to the development of his career as well as his current and future economic opportunities considering plaintiff’s intention to declare for the 2024 NBA Draft,” Lawless wrote in her ruling, the AP reported. “Prior to his suspension, plaintiff was projected to be a lottery pick in the NBA. His participation in future games impact his prospects in the draft and his earning potential.”
On April 5, Illinois sent a memo to Shannon, his accuser, and university officials stating that it would not follow through on disciplinary proceedings against the star player.
“… a determination was made that the evidence available to [the Office for Student Conflict Resolution] at this time is not sufficient to allow a reasonable hearing panel to find [Shannon] in violation of the Student Code sections identified in the allegation notice,” the school&#8217;s director of its Office for Student Conflict Resolution <a href="https://twitter.com/kcjohnson9/status/1778162577425768806?s=43&amp;t=zEuer7j4Ff8TVIcpiUO1KA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>. “For example, access to the complainant, the complainant’s witness and the complete Lawrence Police Department file was not available to the investigator.”
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“The complainant has not indicated an intent to participate in a hearing before a hearing panel at this time,” the school administrator continued. “As a result, the process has concluded, charges have been dropped, and no disciplinary action will be taken against [Shannon] at this time.”
The school did, however, say that it may bring disciplinary proceedings against Shannon should “new substantial evidence” come to light.
Shannon still faces charges in Kansas. His attorney gave <a href="https://abc7chicago.com/university-of-illinois-drops-sex-assault-investigation-into-illini-basketball-player-terrence-shannon-jr-his-attorney-says/14644377/#:~:text=The%20University%20of%20Illinois%20has,basketball%20player%20Terrence%20Shannon%20Junior.">a statement</a> to ABC 7 in December saying Shannon is innocent.
“Since September, when these allegations surfaced, Terrence has cooperated with law enforcement throughout the investigation, declaring his innocence from the beginning,&#8221; the attorney said. &#8220;Now, several months later, my office learned that formal charges were filed against him [in December] in Lawrence, KS. In less than 24 hours, my client responded, and he voluntarily surrendered to local authorities for processing and release. Terrence is innocent of these charges, and he intends to take his case to trial.”
Shannon’s team was ranked 14th in the nation and second in the Big Ten conference, with Shannon averaging 21.7 points per game, according to the AP.

Terrence Shannon

School Drops Investigation Into Star Basketball Player Charged With Rape, Citing Lack Of Evidence

Crime

false accusations

Illinois

Sexual Assault

Title IX

U.S.

Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who after her defeat in her reelection bid last year said she had been treated unfairly because she was “a black woman in America,” has been hired at a rate of $400 an hour to investigate Dolton, Illinois, Mayor Tiffany Henyard’s alleged corruption.
“Lightfoot&#8217;s to-do list is long, including finding millions in Dolton&#8217;s unpaid bills and a lavish village-funded trip to Las Vegas for Henyard, a few trustees and village employees last year,” ABC7 Chicago <a href="https://abc7chicago.com/tiffany-henyard-mayor-of-dolton-il-lori-lightfoot-chicago/14635532/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://abc7chicago.com/tiffany-henyard-mayor-of-dolton-il-lori-lightfoot-chicago/14635532/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1712750815649000&amp;usg=AOvVaw14y3YCoxRo09_ePswSPYuf">reported</a>.
Lightfoot should investigate “all allegations of misconduct, and all internal investigations, if any, along with any village state and federal law violations,” Dolton Trustee Jason House stated.
“I bring expertise in leading investigations of this kind and understand the complex challenges of governing. I will follow the facts where they lead, without bias, and reserve comments until the work is complete,” Lightfoot, a former federal prosecutor, told the Dolton board, which had voted <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/03/06/us-news/super-mayor-tiffany-henyard-vetoes-probe-into-her-spending/">earlier this year</a> to ask the FBI and other entities to investigate Henyard but were stymied by Henyard’s veto.
Lightfoot issued a statement after the board’s decision:
<blockquote>
I am honored that the Village of Dolton Board of Trustees has placed their confidence in me to conduct a thorough and timely independent investigation into the matters outlined in the resolution regarding Mayor Tiffany Henyard and her administration. As someone who has made good governance the cornerstone of my career in public service, I recognize that maintaining the trust of those you serve and making decisions in their best interests is essential. The residents of Dolton deserve nothing less than a government that is fully accountable, responsive, transparent, and effective stewards of taxpayer dollars.
As a lawyer, former federal prosecutor, and mayor, I bring expertise in leading investigations of this kind and understand the complex challenges of governing. I will follow the facts where they lead, without bias, and reserve comments until the work is complete. At the conclusion of this investigation, I will provide an assessment of the findings and recommendations. I welcome and urge the full cooperation of Mayor Henyard, her staff, Village Trustees, vendors, and others who have information relevant to this inquiry.
</blockquote>
At the Monday board meeting at which the board voted to hire Lightfoot, one speaker questioned the move, saying, “We just want to know that once we get what we&#8217;re looking for, what happens next?”
“At the end of the day, haven&#8217;t gotten results from simple FOIA, so how are you going to be different?&#8221; another speaker echoed.
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“It is my sincere hope that Mayor Henyard will voluntarily cooperate, but should they not, we are prepared to do what is necessary to get to the facts,” Lightfoot responded.
Henyard, who <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13065769/mayor-illinois-salary-biden-white-house-tiffany-henyard.html">earns</a> $300,000 a year for her mayoral duties and has admitted the city has a $2 million deficit, can veto the board’s current vote for an investigation.
<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13286723/Lori-Lightfoot-investigation-America-worst-mayor-Tiffany-Henyard.html">According</a> to The Daily Mail, the Illinois Attorney General shut down Henyard&#8217;s charity last month following accusations that it used taxpayer money and the services of public workers.

US-NEWS-LIGHTFOOT-SKIN-TONE-TV-AD-2-TB

Lori Lightfoot Hired At $400 An Hour To Investigate Democrat Mayor’s Alleged Corruption

Chicago

General

Lori Lightfoot

Politics

Prosecutors in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/illinois" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Illinois</a> announced on Thursday that they have charged a Mexican illegal alien who just entered the U.S. for allegedly murdering his wife in front of their two children.
DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Carol Stream Chief of Police Don Cummings announced the charges today against 33-year-old Baltazar Perez-Estrada, whom they say murdered his wife, 26-year-old Maricela Simon Franco, on Sunday night following a domestic altercation at her apartment.
&#8220;On April 1, 2024, at approximately 11:30 a.m., Perez-Estrada entered the Carol Stream Police Department and informed authorities that he had allegedly stabbed his wife,&#8221; prosecutors said in a statement. &#8220;Officers took Perez-Estrada into custody at this time and immediately opened an investigation. Through the course of their investigation, authorities learned that Perez-Estrada and Franco were at the apartment together and got into a verbal altercation at approximately 10 p.m., the previous evening.&#8221;
&#8220;It is alleged that the argument turned physical resulting in Perez-Estrada stabbing Franco dozens of times about her head, neck, body and hands, nearly decapitating her head,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;She was pronounced deceased at the scene. Authorities also learned that Perez-Estada had been residing in Mexico and illegally arrived in the United States approximately two weeks ago.&#8221;
The statement said that Perez-Estrada was charged with five counts of First Degree Murder and was charged for illegally being in the U.S. He is scheduled to be arraigned in court on April 25.
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Berlin said that the murder &#8220;will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law&#8221; in his county.
“Not only has this senseless and brutal act removed Maricela from their lives, but it has robbed two young children of their mother,&#8221; Cummings said. &#8220;As domestic violence continues to victimize so many, law enforcement within DuPage County stands ready to partner with available social service programs to provide a sustainable resolution to those in need.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mexican-illegal-alien-arrested-for-aggravated-murder-in-ohio-was-previously-deported-7-times" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mexican Illegal Alien Arrested For Aggravated Murder In Ohio; Was Previously Deported 7 Times</a>

Baltazar Perez-Estrada

Mexican Illegal Alien Charged With Murdering Wife: ‘Nearly Decapitated Her’ In Front Of Children

Illegal Immigration

Mexico

A 22-year-old man has been charged in connection to a brutal stabbing attack after four people were killed and seven others were wounded in Rockford, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/illinois" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Illinois</a>, Wednesday afternoon.
Police said that the man, who will not be named per Daily Wire policy, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder, and two counts of home invasion with a dangerous weapon, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/rockford-stabbing-multiple-people/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The man allegedly stabbed some of his victims and beat others with a baseball bat. Those who were killed ranged in age from 15 to 63.
Winnebago County State&#8217;s Attorney J. Hanley alleged that the suspect began his rampage, which lasted for 20 minutes, by fatally <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/03/28/rockford-illinois-stabbing-attack-suspect/?utm_campaign=wp_main&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stabbing</a> his childhood friend and his friend’s mother before stabbing a USPS mail carrier and running him over with his pickup truck.
The man allegedly killed a 15-year-old girl and seriously wounded another young woman by stabbing her in the face and hands before police arrested him. A good Samaritan also jumped in to protect the woman from the suspect and sustained stab wounds, but was “fine,” according to Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana. Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara said the teenage girl &#8220;died saving her sister and friend, protecting them from further harm.”
“We don’t have a clear motive in regard to what caused this individual to commit such heinous crimes,” Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd said on Wednesday, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/27/us/rockford-illinois-stabbing-home-invasion/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a>.
Henley said that the man told detectives in an interview that he had smoked marijuana that was laced with an unknown drug, which made him go on the killing rampage. A woman who identified herself as the suspect&#8217;s mother told <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/rockford-illinois-violence-stabbing-dead-rcna145388" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC News</a> that she is stunned by the violence allegedly committed by her son.
&#8220;He’s a loving person and he has never hurt anybody before,&#8221; the woman said. &#8220;We don’t know what happened. He’s not an aggressive person. This is all shocking to us. … We never felt threatened with him.&#8221;
Police said that no other attackers were involved in the rampage. The suspect is being held in Winnebago County jail and was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday afternoon.
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Rockford is home to nearly 150,000 people and is 80 miles northwest of Chicago.
“It’s hard to grasp how this could happen and how emotional and raw the community is tonight,” the mayor said. “As a dad, a son, a husband, the Mayor and a Rockford supporter, my heart is breaking for those who have lost their lives, their families and our community.”

Two police officers behind crime scene tape

Man Charged After 4 Killed, 7 Injured In Illinois Stabbing Attack

Murder

Police

Stabbing

A university in Illinois has received a grant to promote “racial healing” and will hire a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consultant to revise its nursing program.
The Department of Nursing at Elmhurst University received a $25,000 grant to hire the consultant to “ensure its Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) curriculum fully integrates diversity, equity and inclusion concepts,” the university said in <a href="https://www.elmhurst.edu/news/nursing-department-wins-25000-grant-to-evaluate-dei-in-curriculum/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a press release</a>.
Becky Hulett, director of the school’s MSN and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs, said in the press release that the grant would “help us come up with the concepts we want to measure in our curriculum, how to measure those concepts, then integrate them into our curriculum.”
“We’re hoping to get people more comfortable talking and learning about the intersectionality of our lives and society,” she added.
The grant came from the Healing Illinois initiative, which the state <a href="https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=128229" target="_blank" rel="noopener">describes</a> as a program “designed to support communities across Illinois to begin or continue the work of racial healing in their communities.”
“The ongoing oppressive and structural tactics that uphold systemic racism and inequities highlight the need for racial healing, and the need to address the underlying systems that have created the conditions where vast racial disparities are allowed to exist,” the website for the program says. “As we move ahead with the work of systemic change, we must also lay the groundwork for community healing, acknowledging the harm done to communities of color and providing the space for healing.”
The Healing Illinois program is set to give out up to $4.5 million in grants to promote “racial healing activities.” The program lists four “major goals” for the initiative:
<ol>
<li>
<blockquote>Build knowledge and understanding of racial healing and equity in communities across the state</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>Strengthen trust and relationship building, among the residents of Illinois</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>Expand opportunities for communities and individuals to begin to heal from the harms caused by racism</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>Increase awareness and media engagement focused on racial healing and equity</blockquote>
</li>
</ol>
Laura Morgan, a retired nurse who works for the non-profit Do No Harm, <a href="https://www.thecollegefix.com/illinois-university-nursing-program-gets-racial-healing-grant-for-dei-curriculum/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The College Fix that Elmhurst’s announcement was “disappointing.”
“While it’s not surprising to see this type of indoctrination happening in an Illinois university, it’s still disappointing, especially when a private university is accepting public funds to support it,” Morgan told the outlet.
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Morgan also said that &#8220;[w]hile several states have taken measures to remove DEI from their institutions of higher education, Illinois continues to plunge headlong into institutionalizing divisive race-based ideology through its taxpayer-funded entities like the Department of Human Services.”
She also criticized the program for having little to do with nursing.
“This grant contains all the well-worn language about systemic racism and inequity and seeks to create ‘racial healing practitioners.’ This is not nursing; it’s engaging in radical initiatives that seek to create social justice activists rather than nursing leaders,” she told the Fix.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion

Illinois University Nursing Program Gets DEI Grant To Promote ‘Racial Healing’

Illinois University Nursing Program Gets DEI Grant To Promote 'Racial Healing'

College

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Education

The Biden Administration continues to champion efforts to take legally purchased guns away from American citizens after Vice President Kamala Harris <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vp-harris-pushes-gun-control-in-parkland-visit-promotes-new-push-for-red-flag-laws">touted</a> “red flag laws” as an effort to tackle gun violence during a recent visit to Parkland, FL.
During her visit, the vice president announced the creation of a national office that would focus on the implementation of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/23/red-flag-laws-gun-control">red flag laws</a> in states that currently have these laws in place. The Department of Justice (DOJ) would oversee the office which raises alarm bells for supporters of the Second Amendment and Republican <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-blast-biden-admins-red-flag-operation-will-violate-second-amendment-rights">lawmakers</a> on Capitol Hill are raising concerns that this so-called “red flag” operation would indeed violate the Constitution.
Meanwhile, the courts are telling American citizens that illegal immigrants have the right to legally possess a weapon after an Obama-appointed federal judge in Illinois <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/judge-rules-illegal-immigrants-have-gun-rights-protected-second-amendment">ruled</a> that our Constitution protects the rights of individuals who enter this country illegally.
Law-abiding American citizens are frustrated, and they have a right to be.
Approximately 986 different bills to restrict gun <a href="https://www.billtrack50.com/blog/important-gun-law-changes-in-2023/">rights</a> were introduced in the first half of 2023, according to the most recent data available.
My home state of Illinois enacted a law in 2023, <a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/102/PDF/102-1116.pdf">Public Act 102-1116</a>, which prohibits the sale and distribution of so-called “assault weapons” and high-capacity magazines. Citizens who owned these previously legal weapons could keep them, only if they <a href="https://isp.illinois.gov/Home/AssaultWeapons#:~:text=Illinois%20residents%20cannot%20lawfully%20purchase,e)%20within%20the%20link%20above.">registered</a> their weapons with the State.
Gun laws do not stop criminals from using guns while committing crimes. Criminals, by definition, do not care about gun laws. <a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11121/1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Federal law</a> requires a criminal background check for all firearm sales and transfers by licensed dealers. The challenge is that most criminals do not legally obtain their guns.
Moreover, semi-automatic weapons are not the weapon of choice when committing a crime. According to <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/">Pew Research Center</a>, in 2020 “handguns were involved in 59% of gun murders and non-negligent manslaughters. Rifles — the category that includes “assault weapons” – were involved in 3% of firearm murders.” This means that approximately 408 people were killed by semi-automatic firearms in 2020.
In <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-gun-arrests-2021-convictions-vufa-20210330.html">Philadelphia</a>, people who are accused of illegally carrying a gun have seen their chances of being convicted in court decline from 63% in 2017 to 49% in 2019.
This is why the recent ruling by an Obama-appointed district court judge for the Northern District of Illinois, Sharon Johnson Coleman, is so concerning.
Judge Coleman ruled that a federal ban on undocumented immigrants owning firearms is <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/03/20/us-news/illinois-judge-rules-illegal-migrants-can-carry-guns/">unconstitutional</a> and dismissed charges against an illegal named Heriberto Carbajal-Flores, who was arrested in 2020 for violating a federal law which prohibits non-citizens from possessing guns. Judge Coleman’s ruling stated that since this illegal immigrant had no criminal record, and the circumstances behind his arrest were not violent, he should not be deprived of his Second Amendment right to bear arms.
Case in point, being in the United States illegally was not enough cause to deny this individual his Second Amendment rights.
Judge Coleman seems to have forgotten one important fact; being in the country illegally is a violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1325, which makes it a <a href="https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/immigration-prosecutions#:~:text=%C2%A7%201325%20makes%20it%20a,entering%20or%20attempting%20to%20enter." target="_blank" rel="noopener">felony</a> to unlawfully enter the United States.
In <a href="https://www.williamsnickl.com/can-i-own-a-gun-after-a-felony-conviction-in-illinois/#:~:text=Once%20you%20are%20convicted%20of,in%20the%20last%2020%20years" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Illinois</a>, it is illegal for a person convicted of a felony to possess a firearm.
Any person desiring to legally purchase a firearm in the state of Illinois must obtain a Firearms Owners Identification Card (FOID Card). To be eligible for a <a href="https://www.ispfsb.com/Public/Faq.aspx#:~:text=To%20be%20eligible%20for%20a,been%20convicted%20of%20a%20felony." target="_blank" rel="noopener">FOID</a> card, amongst other regulations, a person must not be an alien who is lawfully present in the United States.
You cannot even enter a gun shop or buy ammunition without a FOID card in the state of Illinois.
So, this individual&#8217;s firearm must have been illegally obtained which is another federal violation. Yet, this Obama-appointed judge ruled that he could keep his weapon and cannot be prosecuted for any of his numerous crimes.
On the flip side, a law-abiding American citizen in Illinois, who legally obtains a firearm is now, by definition, a felon, for not registering his or her weapon with the state police.
The Biden administration’s DOJ may want to think twice before coming after a citizen’s right to bear arms — a right guaranteed by our Constitution. Maybe the government and the judiciary should enforce the gun laws that are already on the books before looking to punish legal gun owners and award criminals.
* * *
Jim Nelles is a Navy veteran and supply chain consultant based in Chicago. His articles have appeared in the Washington Examiner, Newsweek, Foxnews.com, and the Daily Wire. He has served as a chief procurement officer, chief supply chain officer, and chief operations officer for multiple companies.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

US-POLITICS-SHOOTING-GUNS-HARRIS

Operation ‘Red Flag’: Disarm Citizens, Arm Illegal Immigrants

Gun Control

Gun Laws

Guns

Kamala Harris

Parkland Shooting

Readers Pass

Second Amendment

The remains of a man found burned and decapitated 45 years ago have finally been identified thanks to advancements in DNA technology.
The remains have been identified as Joseph A. Caliva, who was 27 years old when he went missing. It is still unclear who killed him.
In 1979, a boy was riding his horse in the Chicago suburb Barrington Hills when he came across a horrific scene: the burned remains of a decapitated man, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/decapited-body-found-1979-joseph-caliva-barrington-hills-illinois-dna-forensic-genealogy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Police responded that found the partially burned torso of an adult white male, the Barrington Hills Police Department (BHPD) said in a <a href="https://www.bhpd.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/BHPD-Press-Release-1979-2050-Unsolved-Homicide.pdf">press release</a>.
Former Barrington Hill Police Chief Al Schuld <a href="https://wgntv.com/news/cover-story/you-found-my-brother-mans-torso-found-44-years-ago-in-barrington-hills-now-identified/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> WGN that he still remembered the day the remains were found.
“It was hard to recognize for one thing because it was burnt,” Schuld said. “I can still remember the smell. The upper torso, then the bottom part of the torso and then the legs were there but there were no hands or head or nothing like that. The whole area was checked but we never did find that.”
“It was like, oh my god, why would, how could somebody do that to a human being?” Schuld added.
Investigators determined that the man was killed somewhere else and brought to this location, and without any identifying characteristics, they could only label him as “John Doe.”
Last year, the BHPD sent the man’s DNA to Othram, a Texas-based lab that specializes in forensic DNA evidence and forensic genetic genealogy. Othram has been responsible for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/her-remains-were-found-in-a-garment-bag-in-1978-she-was-just-identified" target="_blank" rel="noopener">identifying</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/skeletal-remains-identified-as-boy-who-went-missing-in-2003-police-expect-charges-soon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">victims</a> in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-4-year-old-girl-was-found-dead-in-1960-authorities-just-identified-her" target="_blank" rel="noopener">numerous</a> cold <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/her-remains-were-found-in-1985-now-shes-finally-been-identified" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cases</a> over the past few years, including the identification of the Golden State Killer.
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Othram developed a comprehensive DNA profile and genetic genealogists were able to use that profile to create a family tree using public DNA databases, like 23andMe. A relative of the deceased man, Linda Gressick, was identified as Caliva’s half-sister.
Gressick told investigators that she grew up in Chicago and that Caliva was a former Marine who was working for Chicago’s Streets and Sanitation department when he disappeared, CBS reported. She told WGN that she knew immediately why the BHPD was calling her.
“I said right away to the detective, ‘You found my brother, didn’t you?&#8217;” Gressick told the outlet.
“He was gone for about four days when we started to realize something was wrong, my dad started to realize something was wrong because he didn’t show up at work,” Gressick added. “It was four days past his paycheck, which would have been on the first.”
She said the family searched for Caliva but weren’t initially fearful that he was dead.
“I would say at least two or three weeks after he disappeared, they probably were holding out hope that he was staying with a friend or something like that because that was his nature,” she told WGN. “He might have stayed at a cousin’s house, or something. They probably held off and then finally filed a missing person’s report.”
Gressick provided investigators a DNA sample, which matched Caliva’s.
“It’s very unsettling,” Gressick said. “I thought I was ok with him being gone and I know everybody’s goal was closure. It seems like less closure now than when there was before I found out. I’m hoping to find out more about what happened and everything.”
Police are asking that anyone with information on this case contact the BHPD Investigations, and reference the case number 1979-2050.

Cold Case Solved

Man Found Burned And Decapitated In 1979 Finally Identified

A U.S. District judge appointed by former President Barack Obama dismissed gun charges against an illegal immigrant, stating that he should not “be deprived of his Second Amendment right to bear arms in self-defense.”
U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Coleman of the Northern District of Illinois, who had twice <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/USCOURTS-ilnd-1_20-cr-00613/context">previously denied</a> the illegal immigrant‘s motion to dismiss the case against him, reversed herself in the case against Heriberto Carbajal-Flores, who was found with a handgun in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago in June 2020.
“Carbajal-Flores contends that he received and used the handgun for self-protection and protection of property. Because of Carbajal-Flores’ citizenship status, he was charged in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5), which prohibits any noncitizen who is not legally authorized to be in the United States from &#8216;possess[ing] in or affecting commerce, any firearm or ammunition; or to receive any firearm or ammunition which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce,'&#8221; Coleman <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-ilnd-1_20-cr-00613/pdf/USCOURTS-ilnd-1_20-cr-00613-2.pdf">noted</a>.
“The government argues that Carbajal-Flores is a noncitizen who is unlawfully present in this country,” Coleman continued. “The Court notes, however, that Carbajal-Flores has never been convicted of a felony, a violent crime, or a crime involving the use of a weapon. Even in the present case, Carbajal-Flores contends that he received and used the handgun solely for self-protection and protection of property during a time of documented civil unrest in the Spring of 2020.”
“Additionally, Pretrial Service has confirmed that Carbajal-Flores has consistently adhered to and fulfilled all the stipulated conditions of his release, is gainfully employed, and has no new arrests or outstanding warrants,” she stated. “The Court finds that Carbajal-Flores’ criminal record, containing no improper use of a weapon, as well as the non-violent circumstances of his arrest do not support a finding that he poses a risk to public safety such that he cannot be trusted to use a weapon responsibly and should be deprived of his Second Amendment right to bear arms in self-defense. Thus, this Court finds that, as applied to Carbajal-Flores, Section 922(g)(5) is unconstitutional.”

Image of gavel for lawyer courtroom on the desk.

Obama-Appointed Judge Dismisses Gun Charges, Says Illegal Immigrant Should Not ‘Be Deprived Of His Second Amendment Right’

Barack Obama

Gun Rights

illegal immigrant

Former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> filed an appeal to overturn a Democrat judge’s decision to remove him from the presidential ballot in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/illinois" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Illinois</a>.
The appeal was filed after Judge Tracie R. Porter of the State Circuit Court in Cook County <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-judge-removes-trump-from-illinois-presidential-ballot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled</a> that the State Board of Elections should remove Trump from the ballot, claiming that he engaged in insurrection on January 6. Trump’s appeal asked the appeals court to &#8220;reverse and vacate the judgement,” <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/02/29/trump-removed-illinois-ballot-14th-amendment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Axios. 
In a separate legal filing, lawyers for Trump asked the court to block the order to remove him off the ballot until the appeals court had ruled and extend the stay on the decision. 
“Staying this judgment until the Illinois appellate courts finally decide this case would reduce the great risk of voter confusion and logistical difficulties for election officials,” the filing <a href="https://twitter.com/SeidelContent/status/1763221053080236511" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;Finally, Candidate notes the need for a very speedy decision on this motion. The Court&#8217;s current stay could be interpreted to expire, not withstanding the pending appeal, less than 48 hours from now.&#8221; 
In response to Trump’s filing, Porter stayed the decision to remove Trump off the ballot as the case continues through the court system. 
Porter wrote that her order “is stayed (and the Illinois State Board of Elections shall continue to include Candidate Donald J. Trump on the ballot for the March 19, 2024  General Primary Election) until the appeal is fully and finally resolved by the Illinois Appellate Court, First District, Illinois Supreme Court, and/or the U.S. Supreme Court.” 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
JUST IN: Cook Co. Judge Tracie Porter has clarified her ruling kicking Donald Trump off the IL ballot. 
Given Trump&#39;s appeal, her order is on hold until the case is resolved by higher courts. The election board &quot;shall continue to include Candidate Donald J. Trump on the ballot.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/5bzsvMJPDG">pic.twitter.com/5bzsvMJPDG</a>
&mdash; Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) <a href="https://twitter.com/SeidelContent/status/1763305427847074203?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Trump campaign has decried the initial ruling from Porter, saying that it was election interference. 
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“The Soros-funded Democrat front-groups continue to attempt to interfere in the election and deny President Trump his rightful place on the ballot,” a spokesperson for the Trump Campaign said in a statement. “Today, an activist Democrat judge in Illinois summarily overruled the state’s board of elections and contradicted earlier decisions from dozens of other state and federal jurisdictions. This is an unconstitutional ruling that we will quickly appeal. In the meantime, President Trump remains on the Illinois ballot, is dominating the polls, and will Make America Great Again!”
Trump has now been kicked off the ballot in three states including Colorado, Maine, and Illinois. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court heard arguments about Colorado&#8217;s decision to remove Trump from the ballot. For now, the former president is still on the ballot in Colorado pending the Supreme Court’s decision, which will also expected impact Maine&#8217;s decision.

Celebrity Sightings In New York City – August 10, 2022

Trump Appeals Judge’s Decision To Kick Him Off The Ballot In Illinois

2024 Election

2024 Primaries

Courts

Donald Trump

A Democrat state judge in Illinois ordered on Wednesday that former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> must be removed from the presidential ballot, claiming that Trump engaged in insurrection during the January 6 riot on the U.S. Capitol.
Judge Tracie R. Porter of the State Circuit Court in Cook County <a href="https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/356e00f60907ee5c/dd15e02b-full.pdf">ruled</a> that the State Board of Elections “shall remove Donald J. Trump from the ballot for the General Primary Election on March 19, 2024, or cause any votes cast for him to be suppressed.”
Porter stayed her order, giving Trump until Friday to appeal her ruling while early voting in the state&#8217;s presidential primary is already underway.
&#8220;The Soros-funded Democrat front-groups continue to attempt to interfere in the election and deny President Trump his rightful place on the ballot,&#8221; a spokesperson for the Trump Campaign said in a statement. &#8220;Today, an activist Democrat judge in Illinois summarily overruled the state&#8217;s board of elections and contradicted earlier decisions from dozens of other state and federal jurisdictions. This is an unconstitutional ruling that we will quickly appeal. In the meantime, President Trump remains on the Illinois ballot, is dominating the polls, and will Make America Great Again!&#8221;
Porter said that Trump should be kept off the ballot because of the 14th Amendment ban on insurrectionists holding office despite the fact that Trump has never been charged with insurrection in Special Counsel Jack Smith&#8217;s January 6 case against the former president in Washington, D.C.
Porter&#8217;s ruling overturns the State Board of Elections&#8217; ruling last month to keep Trump on the ballot after a group of voters accused Trump of engaging in insurrection.
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The U.S. Supreme Court is currently considering the issue of Trump&#8217;s eligibility after he was kicked off the ballot in Colorado following a small group of voters pulling a similar tactic to remove him.
Section 3 of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment bans former officeholders who &#8220;engaged in insurrection&#8221; from ever holding public office again.
&#8220;No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof,&#8221; Section 3 of the 14 Amendment states.

Donald Trump Holds Primary Night Event In Columbia, SC

Democrat Judge Removes Trump From Illinois Presidential Ballot

Democrat

Elections

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/chicago" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chicago</a> police officer is suing the city to change his race from &#8220;white&#8221; on official records after the police department started allowing cops to change their gender identity.
Mohammad Yusuf, 43, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit last week saying that he wants to change his race on police records from &#8220;Caucasian&#8221; because he &#8220;currently identifies as Egyptian and African American.&#8221;
&#8220;Yusuf wishes to correct the racial designation listed on his police personnel file, which currently indicates that he is Caucasian, to accurately reflect his race, as North African,&#8221; the lawsuit <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24440682-yusuf-v-chicago-pd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reads</a>.
The Chicago Police Department has refused Yusuf&#8217;s request, he claims.
The veteran cop claims that back in 20o4 when he joined the force, police records provided limited selections for race — only Caucasian, Hispanic, and African American. At the time, he chose Caucasian, but now there are more options.
Yusuf even provided his 23andMe results to prove his ethnicity, but the police department continued to refuse his request, he says.
The lawsuit accuses the police department of having a &#8220;double standard,&#8221; noting that officers are allowed to change their gender identity on official records.
&#8220;While other CPD officers are afforded the opportunity to have their gender identity corrected to match their lived experience, Officer Yusuf and others in similar positions are barred from obtaining accurate racial designations that align with their racial identity,&#8221; the suit says.
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One of the main issues is that Yusuf claims his career has suffered because he identified as white.
The lawsuit says that despite the Chicago police department claiming to have a race-neutral and merit-based promotion system, Yusuf has been &#8220;repeatedly bypassed&#8221; for promotions in favor of less qualified black officers who had &#8220;disciplinary issues.&#8221;
So far, Yusuf has not obtained the promotion to sergeant that he wanted, the suit says, despite scoring in the &#8220;first promotional tier&#8221; on the sergeant’s exam in 2019.
&#8220;We do not comment on pending litigation,&#8221; the Chicago Police Department <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/chicago-cop-sues-city-right-change-race-department-allows-officers-change-genders" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
Yusuf&#8217;s attorney Gianna Scatchell Basile, who is married to a Chicago police detective, said the city&#8217;s approach has been &#8220;arbitrary.&#8221;
“I think the City of Chicago was on the right track when they allowed people to change their gender identity, and allowed them to identify as the proper gender, but then when it comes to race, it’s just very arbitrary,” Basile <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/white-chicago-cop-muhammed-yusuf-sues-police-department-to-change-his-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The Daily Beast.
The lawsuit calls race a &#8220;social construct.&#8221;
“The idea of even having to prove race is wrong,” Basile said. “Race is not scientific.”

Officers standing with hands behind

Chicago Cop Sues City To Change Race On Records After Officers Allowed To Change Genders

Chicago Police

Gender

Social Issues

Transgender

In his 2024 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXBZnmtOMGk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">State of the State address</a>, Illinois Democrat governor JB Pritzger, who attacked Texas GOP governor Greg Abbott for sending illegal immigrants to blue states, declared that Illinois did not “ask for this manufactured crisis” of the huge influx of illegal immigrants.
“Over the last 18 months, more than 35,000 have arrived in Illinois, most of them landed here in buses sent by Governor Abbott of Texas. Abbott willfully planned the arrival of these individuals in locations and at times that would engender the maximum chaos for the city of Chicago,” Pritzger fulminated.
“Maybe some of you think we should just say &#8216;This is not our problem&#8217; and we should just let the migrant families starve or freeze to death,” he continued later. “But that’s not what decent Midwesterners do. That’s not what leaders do. We didn’t ask for this manufactured crisis but we must deal with it all the same.”
Although Pritzger claimed Illinois under his leadership “didn’t ask for this manufactured crisis,” on August 2, 2021, he issued an <a href="https://www.illinois.gov/news/press-release.23653.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> “expanding protections for immigrant and refugee communities and further establishing Illinois as the most welcoming state in the nation.”
“The new laws strengthen the TRUST Act and make Illinois the second state in the nation to require local officials to end partnerships with ICE, address hate crimes against immigrant communities, expand workplace protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, and create the Illinois Immigration Impact Task Force to ensure state programs and policies best serve immigrant residents,” Pritzger added.
He also signed an executive order “creating the Welcoming Illinois Office, to report to the Office of the Governor and the Secretary of the Department of Human Services while being housed and supported by the Department of Human Services. The Office will work to coordinate, develop and implement policies and practices to make Illinois a more welcoming and equitable state for immigrants and refugees.”
“Throughout my governorship I&#8217;ve directed my administration to adopt policies that make Illinois a welcoming state for immigrants, and I&#8217;m proud to sign these accountability measures into law to advance our cause,” Pritzger wrote. “Every family, every child, every human being deserves to feel safe and secure in the place they call home. I am committed to making sure that value defines what it means to live in Illinois.”
In his State of the State address, Pritzger also admitted, “States and cities in the country’s interior are not equipped alone to handle the rapid influx of new arrivals that we have seen. The White House and the federal government need to step up, to coordinate and manage these asylum seekers.”
In addition, he promised to send the immigrants who arrived in Chicago to other places in the state, declaring, “This plan includes our efforts to divert as many people as possible away from temporary shelter to more permanent settlement, wherever that may be. Not because we are unwelcoming of immigrants, but because Chicago’s shelter system is near capacity.”

DES MOINES – JANUARY 15: Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker speak

Illinois Dem Gov Says He Didn’t Ask For ‘Crisis’ Of Immigrants. Look What He Stated In 2021.

JB Pritzker

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