Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis appear to be taking their relationship to the next level, going home for the holidays together. On December 24, the “Two and a Half Men” star, 34, and “Ted” actress, 29, were reportedly seen shopping together in Iowa City, Iowa, Kutcher’s hometown.The recent sightings around the globe of the famous couple have come right on the heels of the divorce filings of Kutcher from 50 year old actress and wife of five years, Demi Moore. The couple separated officially in November of 2011, but soon after, it was reported that the divorce was being held up due to …

According to CBS Chicago, several Chicago residents have extra reason to be thankful this holiday season. A CTA bus driver passed out behavior the wheel of the bus shortly before 9:00 A.M. on the busy route.The accident occurred on North Kedzie Avenue in the early morning hours. The reason that the bus driver passed out is currently unknown. The scene following was scary for both riders on the bus as well as onlookers of the crash. The bus careened into several parked vehicles as well as cars that were waiting at the light for the traffic signal to change.One witness described the scene as …

A Chicago ophthalmologist was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2012 for defrauding his employees' pension benefit plan of nearly $200,000, according to a story in the Chicago Tribune. Dr. Nicholas Caro was charged with obtaining money from the pension plan. The five-count indictment includes one for embezzlement and four for mail fraud. The indictment alleges that Caro withdrew pension funds from investment firms, deposited the funds to his and his wife’s bank accounts and used the funds on personal expenses.In 2010, Caro was barred from performing eye surgeries in Illinois…

The St. Louis Post Dispatch recently published a story about a newly divorced woman who discovered her ex-husband had posted photos of their children on his dating website profile. The woman was furious and confronted her ex over what she considered the inappropriateness of the posting. How did her ex respond to her objections? He blocked her from being able to view his profile.The popularity explosion of social networking sites, dating sites and other online venues raises the question of “who gets custody of a child’s online footprint” after the divorce. The mother who was upset about …

Ex-Bulls star Dennis Rodman has been ordered to pay back $500,000 in child support to his ex-wife, the Chicago Tribune reported on December 7. The former basketball player was sentenced to informal probation, and Orange County Superior Court Commissioner Barry Michaelson told Rodman he might be put in prison if he refuses to pay the support. Rodman’s ex-wife, Michelle Rodman, initially claimed that Rodman owed her $850,000, but after the two parties discussed the issue outside the courtroom, they finally agreed to the $500,000 payment.The case is not finished yet. Dennis and Michelle Rodman…

According to the Chicago Tribune, a wrongful death suit has been filed by the family of Deandre Plair, the 26-year-old who was killed in a crash that took place on the Dan Ryan Expressway earlier in the year.The suit alleges that the accident would have never happened if the driver, Raheem Dennard would not have been allowed behind the wheel. The suit also alleges that Dennard’s mother was negligent because she knew that her son did not have a valid driver’s license. With this knowledge, she elected to allow her son to borrow her vehicle.Dennard was driving the vehicle and collided with …

Quite often, when you read about a celebrity divorce, you hear about a very expensive divorce settlement. “Monty Python” star John Cleese's divorce is no different, but his reaction to it is something you don't read about that often. Cleese has started selling memorabilia from his Monty Python days to fund his pricey divorce from Alyce Faye Eichelberger. The Huffington Post divorce section reported a story on Cleese's actions.After his 2008 divorce and 2009 divorce settlement led to Cleese paying his ex-wife one million dollars in cash and assets, with an additional almost…

A divorce case currently in the Phoenix family courts could end up having far-reaching effects throughout the country. The case involves an Arizona man, born a woman, who had a sex change operation but retained his female reproductive organs after he had the operation. The family court judge who is hearing the divorce is questioning whether or not Arizona’s same-sex marriage ban bars him from even recognizing the validity of the marriage, never mind ending it.Thomas Beatie, born Tracy, began testosterone treatments in 1997 and underwent double mastectomy and chest reconstruction surgery in …

When Larry Boswell arrived at Illinois’s Cobden Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in 2008, he was able to walk according to government records. He now sits slumped in a wheelchair. A lawyer who is attempting to persuade Medicaid to transfer him added that speech therapy also ended shortly after the 57-year-old was admitted.Although much of Boswell’s speech was incomprehensible, a clear “no” was spoken when asked if he wanted to stay where he was.Boswell is one of nearly 244,000 brain-injured people that have been stuck in nursing homes, according to data compiled by Bloomberg from U.S…

The family of a 90-year-old woman have pressed charges against a nursing home after 57 maggots were found in the woman’s ear. According to the family, poor care by the suburban nursing home allowed the maggots to grow in the Alzheimer patient’s ear- The Chicago Tribune reported a story on this rather unpleasant-sounding case.In addition to the lawsuit filed in the Cook County Circuit Court, the family previously filed a complaint with the state Department of Public Health.The maggot incident happened on September 16 when a nurse spotted a maggot moving in the patient’s ear. The 90-year-…

The Illinois Supreme Court decided that, in the case of an under ride accident where one vehicle rear-ended a truck and proceeded unimpeded under its bed, that the vehicle manufacturer has no duty to design a vehicle that is safe to collide with. The decision created an ongoing debate over the concept of “enhanced injury,” in which a manufacturer is liable for defects in the vehicles that cause injuries beyond those that occurred from the accident but due to defective design.So far, Illinois is a state of very few that does not place a duty on vehicle manufacturers to protect non-…

Sesame Workshop has added divorce to its series of online tool kits, which include topics such as starting school and dealing with financial difficulties, according to an article in the Chicago Tribune. The tool kits are part of the educational organization’s "Little Children, Big Challenges" initiative, and offer hints and tips for parents guiding their young children through difficult matters.Children who are faced with divorce may have questions that are difficult to voice or the parent may not know how to answer them. "We really try, in these resources, to say, 'It's OK that …

Divorce can come with a stigma, and many people, especially women, stay in loveless marriages long after the romance is gone to avoid it. According to the Huffington Post, many mid-life women are wrought with unhappiness, and “they just don’t want to be married anymore.” A study released and reported on Canada.com earlier this year reports that after age 48, women are far less happy than men, even if they enter adulthood happier. Anke Plagnol, who co-authored the study said women end up less happy “because they become less likely to have a happy marriage or have the things they want …

In 2012, the total number of roadway deaths increased by 4 percent, the Chicago Tribune reported on January 8. In the second half of the year, an awareness campaign was launched that had a running tally of traffic casualties on highway message boards. The campaign seems to have been effective:  the number of roadway deaths decreased somewhat after the electronic signs started displaying the 2012 death toll. "I can't point to that and say (the signs were) the reason. But obviously, raising awareness helps us in that campaign," said State Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider.

According to the Chicago Tribune, last September, a single-vehicle car crash killed the passenger in the vehicle, a southwest suburban teen. The driver, who was 16 at the time of the accident, has recently been charged. According to officials, the driver has been charged with reckless homicide, aggravated reckless driving, and reckless driving. The driver’s name has not been released due to the fact that he is being charged as a minor. The driver is now 17.The spokesman for the Will County state’s attorney’s office, Charles Pelkie stated that the charges were filed on Friday, December …

A man from Topeka, Kansas was online one day and noticed an ad on Craigslist.  A nice lesbian couple was trying to start a family and raise a child but they needed sperm to impregnate one of the partners.  William Marotta decided to help them complete their family at no charge, though it may end up costing him quite a bit of money.That was three years ago and a lot has changed since then.  The lesbian couple of Angela Bauer and Jennifer Schreiner is no longer together and their daughter is three years old.  When Bauer was diagnosed with a significant illness that prevented her from …

Last year on February 26th, an eighth grader named Hunter Himes was biking home down the sidewalk of Lemont Road in Darien.  At the same time, 39 year old Timothy Hagan was driving his two sons to dinner and was taking a turn onto Lemont Road from Beller Drive.  As he made the turn, he hit the young boy on his bike and trapped him under the car.The car had to be lifted using two high pressure air bags.  Once the medical staff was able to extract the boy from under the car, he was unconscious and suffered serious injuries from the car accident.  When he was examined at a local hospital, …

New laws restricting the use of cell phones while driving went into effect in Illinois on January 1 of this year, according to HandsFreeInfo.com. One new law “bars commercial drivers from texting or using handheld cell phones while driving,” which really just brings Chicago up to snuff with federal laws already in effect that currently restrict commercial drivers from texting or using handheld phones while driving. The other “adjusts current restrictions on cell phone use in school and roadway work zones,” by expanding the definition of highway work zones while “allowing for voice-…

Divorce is a major change in anyone’s life.  This change can lead to some stress about the uncertainty of what is going to come next.  To alleviate any unnecessary strain, it is important to understand the legal process of divorce.1. File the Petition for DivorceThe petition serves essentially as a notice to the other spouse and to the divorce court that one spouse (the petitioner) wants a divorce.  The petition includes basic information about the divorce such as custody, support, and the grounds for divorce.

When Sesame Street chose to take on the tricky subject of divorce, the writers identified four experts, including the University of Illinois professor Robert Hughes Jr., to advise them as they developed their facts for the topic.