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Easing the News of Divorce during the Holiday Season
The holidays are an exciting time of the year. It takes a lot of planning, cooking, and present buying in order to prepare for a special week at the end of December. However much you might like the holiday as an adult, the chances are that your kids like it immeasurably more.
The truth is many parents who are contemplating divorce wait until after the holidays. For a time of the year that means spending more time with more family, it is often easier for parents to suffer through the holidays for the sake of their children. The New Year might be an easier time to broach the subject with children.
The holidays can also be a time of reflection. Hopefully while you listen to Christmas music and watch your children open Christmas presents, you can think about your big decision. If you feel you have exhausted every option and that there is no better option than divorce, then there are a few things to protect your future through the holidays.
Troopers Encourage Motorists to Drive with Caution in Winter Weather
The holiday season has arrived. And with it comes winter weather which can cause road conditions to deteriorate, sometimes very quickly. The Illinois State Police are encouraging motorists to be extra cautious when taking to winter roads. Paying attention to weather reports, leaving extra time for travel and keeping a safe distance from the car in front are just a couple of the tips offered by Trooper Brent Massingill, Safety Education Officer for Illinois State Police District 16 in an interview with the Journal-Standard.
“It is important to slow down during bad weather,” said Massingill. “In a lot of cases, an accident happens because of speed and people think it’s the speed limit but it’s related to conditions of the road. To reduce the chance of being in an accident, people need to be alert. They spend a lot of time in their vehicles and let their mind wander. When the weather gets bad, your mind needs to be on the task of driving.”
Driver Found Guilty of Hitting Boy Left in Vegetative State
A driver who hit a Downer’s Grove boy riding his bicycle was ordered to pay a $1500 fine and sentenced to community service. Fourteen year old Hunter Himes was crossing his bike at a crosswalk Beller Street in Darien when Timothy Hagen, 40, of Darien, was turning right onto Lemont Street, from Bellor. He struck the boy with his SUV, pinning him under the vehicle.
According to reports at the time of the accident, firefighters at the scene had to extract the victim by lifting the car off his lower body with two high-pressure air bags placed under the front passenger side. Paramedics then performed advanced life-support on the boy. The brain injuries he received from having his head slammed into the pavement have left him in a persistent vegetative state. His parents have recently put him in hospice after learning the diagnosis is he will never recover.
A report in the Darien Patch quotes Hagen’s attorney as claiming that the young boy ran into Hagen’s SUV while Hagen was waiting to make that right hand turn. Hagen testified that he was waiting at a stop sign, but didn’t see any pedestrians. He then claims he pulled up a little further, stopped again, and then after about 45 seconds, felt a bump so he released his brake and moved forward two feet. However, a detective testified that an accident reconstruction team determined that the victim was in front of the SUV when he was hit.
The Number One Cause of Divorce
While there is evidence that half of all marriage end in divorce, it is important to identify the causes of divorce and work to eliminate them. There are a number of reasons why couples seek divorce. There are legal grounds for divorce, such as adultery, physical incapacity, imprisonment, and drunkenness. Another common cause is thought to be about money issues. A study conducted by Utah State University shows that as couples fight more and more about finances that their chances to divorce raise.
The overriding theme in all of these causes for divorce is communication issues. Numerous studies and divorce attorneys see that divorcing couples have either been communicating poorly or not at all. Important and meaningful aspects of the relationship are squandered through bad communication, which is what drives people apart and even some times into the arms of another. When loving and respectful conversations are replaced by nagging and neglect, it is very difficult to have a close relationship with anyone.
Former Iron Worker Wins Suit after Terrible Accident
His father and grandfather were both ironworkers, so Ronald Bayer already had his career picked out. Yet, when he was 36 years old he had an accident that changed his life. He was working on a steel beam at a warehouse being built in DeKalb when he tumbled headfirst into the ground. This fall was from 20 feet off of a rafter. The Tinley Park based company Panduit, who was paying for the warehouse, was the alleged cause of this man’s accident.
The lawyers who represented Bayer maintained that he tripped on some loose studs that were not properly secured. It is also alleged that the company did not provide him with a safety harness to prevent any accidents from happening. The lawyer for the defense offered a different story. They claimed that their workers, including Bayer, were required to strap their safety harnesses to an elevated basket. On this occasion, Bayer chose not to strap himself in.
Kardashian-Humphries Divorce Saga Continues
In March of 2011, Kim Kardashian made more news for herself by filing for divorce from her husband, NBA player Kris Humphries. Their marriage was wildly publicized and even had a one hour special on the E channel. But the main reason why the divorce was so talked about was because it occurred just a short 72 days after their marriage. It was over a year ago when the papers were filed to divorce, yet the celebrity couple is still legally married.
The issue is about how the couple intends to separate. Kim Kardashian is citing irreconcilable differences and seeking a traditional divorce. Humphries, on the other hand, wants to have an annulment. Sources have said that per their pre-nuptial agreement, Kim is trying to lock out Kris from receiving any spousal support from her.
Snow Causes Accidents on Slick Roads
According to the Chicago Tribune, there have recently been many accidents on the roads due to slick conditions. At least one resulted in a death on the road. Parts of the interstate were closed because of the weather and the conditions of the road.
A 42 yr. old man was fatally killed when he left his vehicle. Another driver slid into him and killed him on the slick roads. He was pronounced dead at the hospital he was taken to.
A lot of the roads were closed because of the weather overnight. These closed road conditions are common when dealing with this kind of weather. Many drivers want to exit their vehicles even if that is not a good idea. When this happens, the odds of death or serious injury become a lot higher.
Do Women Work More Before Divorcing?
Everyone has heard a number of theories about how you can tell someone is headed for a divorce. A husband getting a gym membership means that he is cheating or the wife's sudden interest in tennis is because of an instructor. Well, we are not talking about those theories today. We are going to look at a study conducted in the United Kingdom that suggests women whose marriages are about fail work more hours. Aol. did a story about the study in its money section.
A study conducted by the London School of Economics and Political Science suggests that for everyone 1% increase of marital failure, women will work 12 minutes more on a weekly basis. Berkay Ozcan with his co-researches used statistics from before and after the legalization of divorce in Ireland in 1996 to examine women's participation in the workforce.
“Joyriding” Teen Held in Fatal Crash in Aurora
On Tuesday October 23rd, a suburban teen from Aurora decided to take his father’s car without permission and go for a ride with some friends early in the morning. The friends were three other teenage boys who went to his High School. The night got out of control when a bit of reckless driving damaged a house and took a life.
The boy in charge of the vehicle was Logan Krogman, who is a 15-year-old student at Metea Valley. He had left the 800 block of Amli Court with his father car to pick up Devin Meadows and two other boys. Driving around the neighborhood at high speeds, Krogman lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the garage at a house on Hamman Way. Since Devin Meadows was not wearing a seat belt, he was ejected from the vehicle and died from head injuries on the scene. The other three teens, including the driver, suffered minor injuries.
Cook County Family Court Offering Online Parenting Classes
Good news for parents who are required to take court ordered parenting classes in Cook County – the classes are now available online. Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and Domestic Relations Division Presiding Judge Grace G. Dickler announced the court is now offering court ordered parenting education classes online through a new interactive program, Children in Between Online (CIBO).
Parents involved in custody issues are required to take the classes in order to ensure they are aware of the effects divorce and custody issues have on children and to help minimize those effects. Some of the topics discussed include long distance parenting, children carrying messages between parents, quizzing children about the other parent and putting down the other parent.
Up until now, the only option for parents were the traditional classroom format, Focus on Children, presented by the court’s Marriage and Family Counseling Service at several court locations. Many times, parents needed to take time off of work or arrange for child care in order to attend the court-ordered classes. The new online classes are available 24 hours per day/7 days per week. The cost of the online course is $39.95 per parent and may be waived at the court’s discretion.
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