Ramblin’ Ray is in for Big John and Lauren Cohn is in for Ramblin’ Ray, recap today’s show with ‘What did we learn today?’ a segment where they comment on what they’ve learned from the show. As well as asking Executive Producer Tony Lossano, Technical Producer Michael Garay, and Associate Producer Kimberly Kaczmarek what they’ve learned. Today’s show covers a 1955 rescue truck that only has 23,000 miles that you can purchase, how people are trying to make their pets seem sick so they can get their drugs, and how a study on laziness shows that lazy people will live longer.
The Batavia Fire Department is going to sell this 1955½ Chevrolet panel truck, which was the department’s first rescue truck. It was later used by the Emergency Services and Disaster Agency. (courtesy of the Batavia Fire Department)
Police seized a massive stash of drugs during the search of the North Park home of a man charged with harassing a CPD officer. | Chicago Police
(CHICAGO) Chicago Police found “copious” amounts of drugs in the North Park neighborhood home of a man charged with harassing a CPD officer who was leaving court Thursday afternoon.Reggie Catayong, 44, and 42-year-old Jack Artinian allegedly followed the officer in a vehicle as the officer left a courthouse in the 2400 block of West Belmont, according to a statement from Chicago Police. About 2 p.m., Catayong shouted, “We’re going to get you,” at the officer while in traffic in the 2800 block of West Catalpa.
Artinian, who was driving the vehicle, and Catayong were stopped in an alley in the 5100 block of North Troy and taken into custody, police said. Authorities later obtained a search warrant for Catayong’s home in that same block.
A search of the home turned up “copious” amounts of drugs including cocaine, anabolic steroids, liquid THC and pills, police said. A replica firearm and “narcotic proceeds” were also seized.
Catayong was charged with one felony count of harassing a witness; six felony counts of possession of a controlled substance; one felony count of marijuana possession over 5 kilograms; one felony count of possession of hypodermic needles and a misdemeanor count of possession of a replica firearm, police said.
Artinian, who lives in the West Rogers Park neighborhood on the North Side, was also charged with a felony count of harassing a witness, police said.
On Saturday, Catayong was ordered held in Cook County Jail without bond, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office. Artinian was ordered held on a $1 million bond. They are both due back in court on Thursday.
Reggie Catayong (left) and Jack Artinian | Chicago Police
CHICAGO (AP) — The American Academy of Pediatrics is beefing up warnings about marijuana’s potential harms for teens.
In today’s issue of the journal Pediatrics, the influential doctors group opposes medical and recreational marijuana use for kids.
It says emphasizing that message is important because most states have legalized medical use for adults, and many have decriminalized or legalized adults’ recreational use.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Gerardo Contreras-Gonzalez | Kane County state’s attorney’s office
(CHICAGO) A west suburban Aurora man was convicted Tuesday of charges stemming from his possession of as much as $1.3 million worth of marijuana, cocaine and meth.
In a jury trial, Gerardo Contreras-Gonzalez, 24, of the 500 block of North Lancaster Drive, was found guilty of two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, two counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of a firearm — all felony counts, according to the Kane County state’s attorney’s office.
In the morning Aug. 4, 2014, agents with Homeland Security Investigations and Aurora police searched Contreras-Gonzalez’s home and found 803 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 603 grams of cocaine, 9.145 grams of marijuana and a .45 caliber handgun, the attorney’s office said. Scales, a ledger and packaging materials were also found.
Authorities estimated the street value of the drugs to be between $550,000 and $1.3 million, prosecutors said.
Contreras-Gonzalez is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing Nov. 29. He faces between 12 and 50 years in prison.
(CHICAGO) A north suburban man was sentenced Thursday to eight years in federal prison for distributing more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana and using the proceeds to buy several luxury vehicles.
Jonathan Tankson, 32, of Evanston, pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to posses a controlled substance with the intent to deliver and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly imposed a 96-month sentence in federal court in Chicago.
Between December 2010 and December 2013, Tankson would bring at least $400,000 in cash on a plane and fly to California at least twice every month to purchase between 100 and 200 pounds of marijuana at a time, prosecutors said. The drugs would then be shipped on vans and tractor trailers to stash houses, once of which was located in Lincoln Park and another in a penthouse apartment in River West.
When he was arrested in December 2013, Tankson’s Lincoln Park neighborhood stash house contained more than $1 million in cash, about 75 kilograms of marijuana stored in plastic bags, five suitcases filled with marijuana, 20 rounds of 9mm ammunition and two 9mm pistol magazines, prosecutors said.
Tankson used the drug proceeds to buy several luxury vehicles through straw purchasers, prosecutors said. Between June 2011 and December 2013, Tankson orchestrated the purchase of a Porsche Cayenne SUV for $140,000; a Mercedes-Benz S63 sedan for $108,000; and an Audi A8 sedan for $80,000, among others, prosecutors said. He admitted in the plea agreement that the vehicle purchases were intended to conceal the source of the drug proceeds.
The money laundering investigation led two more convictions. Songhane Traore, who orchestrated the straw purchases of Tanksons vehicles, is scheduled for a Sept. 8 sentencing hearing; and Jerome B. Marshall, who helped Tankson lease the Lincoln Park home, is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Kennelly on Sept. 15, prosecutors said.
(CHICAGO) Lolla Cares is the division of Lollapalooza which promotes education, service and environmental sustainability through the duration of the four-day festival in Grant Park. From registering to vote to finding bone marrow donors for cancer patients, the organizations strive to gain awareness while doing good. One of the featured Lolla Cares tents is Sober Side.
[Sober Side’s] simple purpose is to provide support and information to those who seek the comfort and camaraderie of other clean and sober people at Lollapalooza. The only requirement is a desire to stay drug and alcohol free at the festival. Though we consist mostly of people in recovery from alcoholism and addiction, Sober Side exists for anyone wishing to stay clean, sober and those seeking serenity and fellowship at Lollapalooza.
The Soberside Sign at the tent at Lollapalooza
Q Brickell from Laguna Hills, CA, and a director on the board for Harmonium, the organization that provides the Sober Side services, explains that the group provides “a group of clean and sober music fans that provide a safe place for people to come and get away from the craziness.”
The mission of Harmonium is to provide a “sober sanctuary for music fans who choose to be abstinent” at music festivals around the country.
Harmonium holds daily meetings at festivals multiple times throughout each day at more than 16 festivals across the nation. This is the third year they have participated at Lollapalooza in Chicago as Sober Side.
Why the need for Sober Side?
Roughly 8-12 percent of the population are genetically predisposed to alcoholism and addiction. With the 100,000 festival attendees daily, that would put this number somewhere between 8,000 and 12,000 people struggling from the disease.
Though it is not merely people who suffer from addiction or work a recovery program who visit the tent at these festivals. Q says that many visitors to the tent come in the form of pregnant women who want to make a connection and gain support since oftentimes their friends continue to use alcohol when they attend these events together.
“We have a lot of people who are ‘Straight Edge,’ ex-punk rockers with the big ‘X’ tattoos on their hand who come out and are really excited to meet other people who won’t judge them,” Q Brickell continues. There are also many individuals who are in their 30s, and have burnt out on the scene.
During Lollapalooza, Sober Side touches thousands of people who stop by the tent just to find out what the tent is about. Many want to help or participate, but for those who aren’t in need of the service, receive the knowledge to pass on to others can be of great help.
Brandon Graham, 25, was reclining in the tent on a Adirondack chair, cooling off in the Sober Side tent. He says that he is content spiritually and has done a number of festivals sober including five years of Bonnaroo and three years at Lollapalooza.
When asked how long it took for Graham to feel comfortable in his own skin at music festivals, he replied, “I played music most of my life, and just love festivals. I’ve done so many more of these sober than I have partying that it has become natural.”
How did it all begin?
“In 2000, I started a group for Widespread Panic fans,” Patrick Whelan, board member and one of the founders stated. “In 2001, they played the first Bonnaroo, so we all gathered there. I’ve been going back to Bonnaroo ever since, and we started ‘Soberroo’ in 2004.”
“It’s not just for people in recovery, it’s also for people in recovery from loved ones who are suffering,” Patrick Whelan. “Festivals have wondered why they haven’t thought of it first.”
It is emphasized that the organization is not affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, or any other 12-Step programs, and also “makes no judgment on others’ decisions related to drugs and alcohol, neither condemning nor condoning their use.”
One of those loved ones is Sean Brickell, father of Q, and a board member for Harmonium.
“I had 40 years in the business, and my son went into recovery,” Sean Brickell, father of Q and also a board member for Harmonium said.
Between Q’s love for music and Sean’s connections in the industry, they were able to they were able to put this program together.
“All of the promoters understand what we are trying to do and are accommodating,” said Sean Brickell.
“It needs to be said that while we are serving the sober community, we are also serving the promoters,” Sean Brickell said. Promoters of these events are looking to find an option for people, and the services that the Harmonium groups bring provide that for no cost to organizers.
“It’s a hot day and beer is starting to look good,” Sean Brickell explains. “These people can come in here and sit for a while, and they can go home with the same sobriety date.”
When asked about the transformation in the industry over the past 40 years, it was noted that promoters are taking a more responsible approach.
“Before it was just you have a party, you have a festival or a concert. People get high, and they get seriously messed up. That’s a consequence,” Sean Brickell said. “We cannot say how appreciative we are of the promoters, and that in itself is probably one of the most important changes that I’ve seen in the industry over the last 30 years.”
(TAYLORVILLE) Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed legislation banning the sale of synthetic drugs known as “bath salts” in Illinois stores.
Rauner traveled Monday to Taylorville, about 25 miles southeast of Springfield, to sign the bill aimed at curbing what he called an “epidemic” afflicting rural communities. Every state already bans the chemicals, which mimic the effects of powerful drugs like cocaine. But the Illinois legislation makes it possible for retailers to be prosecuted.
The law taking effect Jan. 1 makes selling bath salts a felony punishable with a fine of up to $150,000.
Rauner signed the bill on the same day the Republican National Convention began in Cleveland. Rauner said last week he is not attending the convention because he is traveling the state signing bills that lawmakers passed this year.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
(FOX LAKE) A 22-year-old north suburban man was charged after police looking for a stolen laptop found more than a pound of marijuana in his home Monday.
Police executed a search warrant for a home in the 100 block of Arthur Avenue in Fox Lake looking for a laptop computer reported stolen in early January in Lincolnshire, according to a statement from Lincolnshire police.
While searching the home of Kyle Bozovsky, police found 536 grams of marijuana in several containers in the home and his vehicle, Fox Lake police said. Police also seized $2,500 in cash found in a safe at the home where marijuana was also found.
Bozovsky was charged with felony possession of marijuana and felony possession of stolen property, police said.
Bond was set at $100,000 and Bozovsky was scheduled to appear in court again May 29.
Fox Lake police are continuing their investigation and more charges could be added.
(CHICAGO) Cook County’s top prosecutor called it a “sad day,” as she announced felony perjury charges Monday against three Chicago Police officers and one from north suburban Glenview, the Sun-Times is reporting.
All four officers were charged after video footage from a Glenview police squad car contradicted what they’d said in a drug case in a Skokie courthouse hearing in March 2014, prosecutors said.
“It’s a sad day when we have to do this,” Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez told reporters at the George Leighton Criminal Courthouse. “I respect and appreciate every job that police officers do each and every day here in the city of Chicago and all of Cook County. We also know that when it comes to testifying falsely . . . we have to hold all of our witnesses to the same standard.”
Chicago Police officers Vince Morgan, 49, William Pruente, 54, Sgt. James Padar, 41, and Glenview Police officer James Horn, 52, were each ordered held on a $10,000 bond, following a hearing in front of Cook County Judge James Brown. The officers are also each charged with official misconduct and obstructing justice.
The charges stem from a police narcotics investigation of a 24-year-old Glenview man. The man was arrested June 6, 2013, with police confiscating suspected drugs from the man’s car. But prosecutors allege that the officers lied during a March 31, 2014, court hearing in connection with the drugs case.
All of the officers testified during the hearing that the drug suspect was handcuffed only after police recovered drugs from his car, prosecutors say. But video footage from a squad car at the scene contradicted that testimony, showing the man was arrested before his car was searched, prosecutors say.
The video footage later prompted a Cook County judge to dismiss charges against the Glenview man.
The Chicago Police officers have been stripped of their police powers and assigned to desk duty, while the Glenview officer has been placed on administrative leave, prosecutors said.
(WOODSTOCK) A man who authorities call a “major drug supplier,” living a life of luxury in the northwest suburbs, was arrested Tuesday along with his wife and three other people after a search found $700,000 worth of drugs at his home, according to police.
Nicholas A. Domino, 45, and his wife Rocio Domino, 37, were arrested after police executed a search warrant at their home in the 9600 block of Bennington Drive in Huntley, according to a statement from the McHenry County sheriff’s office.
“A major drug supplier with far-reaching ties, particularly in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, has been apprehended,” McHenry County Sheriff Bill Prim said in the prepared statement.
The arrests follow an eight-month investigation carried out by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, McHenry County authorities, the Illinois Attorney General’s office, and several local police departments.
Tuesday’s search turned up 295 pounds of marijuana, 60 pills of MDMA, 25 grams of cocaine and more than 500 prescription painkillers, the sheriff’s office said. The drugs have a combined street value of more than $700,000.
Domino was living a “luxury lifestyle,” sheriff’s police said in the statement. Authorities also seized several thousands of dollars in cash and five automobiles, including a luxury model and a collector’s model.
Domino was charged Wednesday with 25 drug-related felonies, including four counts that are class X felonies, the sheriff’s office said. He has been ordered held on a $1 million bond.
His wife, Rocio Domino, faces 20 felony charges, including two class X felonies, also all related to narcotics, the sheriff’s office said. She was ordered held on a $300,000 bond and both Dominos will next appear in court Friday at the Woodstock courthouse.
Three other Huntley residents — Angelo Aranda, 20; Adam K. Domino, 24; and Leeann S. Nevens, 19 — were also arrested Tuesday, the sheriff’s office said.
All three were charged with one misdemeanor count each of unlawful possession of paraphernalia and unlawful possession of cannabis, the sheriff’s office said. They were all ordered held on a $1,500 bond and will next appear in court May 29.
(CHICAGO) A suspended west suburban physician was sentenced to 18 months in prison Tuesday for health care fraud and illegally prescribing prescription drugs.
Sathish Narayanappa Babu, 47, owner of Anik Life Sciences Medical Corp. in Darien, pleaded guilty last September to one count of health care fraud and one count of illegally prescribing a controlled substance, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
U.S. District Court Judge John J. Tharp handed down the sentence and ordered Babu to pay more than $221,000 in restitution, the U.S. attorney’s office said. Babu must also serve three years of supervised release.
“This crime wasn’t an isolated act, it was a calculated, systematic effort to milk Medicare,” Tharp said during the sentencing hearing. “The defendant was stealing money from those in need … putting many in need at risk.”
Between November 2012 and December 2013, Babu wrote five prescriptions for medications including oxycodone to a patient he had never seen or examined, prosecutors said.
The patient was actually an undercover agent, posing as a person on disability covered by Medicare and claiming to have shoulder pain from a previous injury, officials said.
Babu also admitted that he illegally prescribed oxycodone and other controlled substances, and fraudulently billed Medicare about $500,000 — collecting $216,000 — for services he did not provide over a period of more than two years.
Babu also told his office staff to order tests for patients without regard to medical necessity, and permitted unlicensed staff members to fill prescriptions and order refills. He also hired three foreign medical school graduates who were not licensed to practice medicine in the U.S. to conduct home visits, and advertised them as doctors.
As part of his plea agreement, Babu agreed to forfeit about $126,000 that was seized when he was arrested, as well as three vehicles — a 2013 BMW, 2001 BMW, and 2010 Lexus, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
Babu, of Bolingbrook, will begin serving his sentence on May 13, authorities said.
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation suspended Babu’s physician’s license and controlled substance license, held since 2008, according to the department.
Officials say marijuana use 'rampant,' consider random screening for athletes, others in extracurricular activities
From the Chicago Tribune:
By Melissa Jenco, Chicago Tribune reporter
6:57 p.m. CDT, April 2, 2013
Some high school athletes in Naperville may eventually be subjected to random drug tests.
Officials from Naperville North and Central high schools say marijuana use has become "rampant," and they would like to be more proactive.
The issue came up as a committee of administrators, coaches, parents and students performed an annual review of Naperville Unit District 203's co-curricular code.
"The code isn't always acting as the deterrent that we'd like it to," Bob Ross, assistant superintendent for secondary education, told the school board this week.
Ross said group members asked what could be done to make it easier for students to make good decisions and would like to explore the possibility of random drug tests. The tests would apply not only to athletes but to students involved in other extracurricular activities as well.
Naperville North Athletic Director Jim Konrad said there have been 30 violations of the co-curricular code at his school this year, of which 24 were marijuana-related.
"Our biggest concern is the pressure on kids is pretty severe now," Konrad said. "Marijuana is rampant in the schools. If there's anything we can do to assist parents and assist the kids to say no, I think it's a positive thing."
Central Athletic Director Andy Lutzenkirchen characterized the problem at his school in the same way.
Board member Terry Fielden asked whether students caught with drugs in their systems would be turned over to police.
"I don't think I could support anything other than giving them help and trying to get them some benefit from it as opposed to some other action," he said.
Konrad said the code currently calls for students who are caught using drugs to be referred to a drug and alcohol counselor in addition to being suspended from extracurricular participation. Officials said they have not discussed whether there would be any legal consequences.
Board member Susan Crotty said she was not yet taking a position on the proposal but believes the line between parenting and the actions of school officials seems to blur.
Konrad said that while some parents think the code should be done away with entirely, others say they like being able to remind their children their actions can affect their ability to participate in their sport or activity.
School board President Mike Jaensch said that in his eyes, drug testing would be "a tool for the parent first and foremost with our support."
Konrad and Lutzenkirchen plan to talk to other districts about whether they drug test and how they go about doing so. Officials also will research legal and privacy issues as well as costs.
The district plans to continue the discussion at the June 17 school board meeting.
