Illinois Archives - Rolling Out

Kanye West has been removed from the presidential ballot in Wisconsin. The “All Day” hitmaker’s campaign to be president of the United States has been rocked by another blow after the Wisconsin Elections Commission voted on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, to remove him from the ballot in that swing state — which has 10 electoral…

Titus Lee and his daughter Faith attended a vigil on June 13, 2020, in Homewood, Illinois, for victims of police brutality. Lee shared the importance of his daughter, who is the editor of her school paper, to be involved in matters like this.

Coming from a musical household, Isaiah Sharkey has always had an aptitude for music. The Chicago native began his musical career at 4-years-old under the instruction of his father and went on to pursue playing the guitar. It wasn’t long before the 29-year-old became a young talent to watch out for. He started his recording…

Rich Negrín is the vice president of external affairs for ComEd, the electric utility for Northern Illinois. Negrín oversees relations with the city of Chicago as well as relationships with over 400 municipalities. He has over 25 years of experience in the public, private and non-profit sectors. We spoke with Negrín about how ComEd is…

Chicago-based rapper Rapper Lil Reese is currently in critical condition after being shot in the neck in his home state of Illinois. The details are sketchy and the investigation remains fluid at this hour. But according to the New York Daily News, Lil Reese, who was born Tavares Taylor, was shot Monday afternoon in Country…

Music artist, Shaffer Jones was raised on the sreets of Chicago’s Southside without a father. At the age of 17, after the birth of his first daughter, Jones made the decision to become the best father he could despite his lack of a relationship with his own. Since the birth of his daughter, Jones has…

A promising life has been cut short by a stray bullet. Jaylon McKenzie, 14, of Belleville, IL was killed on Saturday, May 4, at a house party full of fellow teens. Jaylon had dreams of going to the NFL and was already receiving offers of football scholarships from colleges. Now all of that is over. According…

Perhaps R. Kelly went onto Instagram this past week to beg the media to “go easy” on him because he didn’t want the press to mess up the desperately needed bag he was about to get for an appearance in his home state. The “Step in the Name of Love” singer, 52, ran off with $22,000…

A sun-filled birthday and spring break vacation in Miami turned to tragedy for Mariah Michelle Logan, 23, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Logan was a passenger in a rental car traveling with her girlfriends after a three-day vacation when a bizarre accident claimed her life on her way to the airport to return home…

Millions of people use the ridesharing service Uber, and there are just as many tales about the drivers. However, one ride with an Uber driver, identified only as Timothy, has resulted in a viral video and him losing his job. Nicole Allen, of Rock Island, Illinois, uploaded a video of the driver calling her racist and demeaning…

A security guard at a bar in Robbins, Illinois, near Chicago, lost his life while defending bar patrons. Jemel Roberson, 26, was working at Manny’s Blue Room Bar on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, when he asked a group of drunken and rowdy men to leave. Witnesses told police that one of the men returned to…

Recently, Canada legalized recreational marijuana. This opens up the door to an industry that has the potential of creating more jobs and revenue that can change the face of their economy. The United States has been moving a bit slower when it comes to legalization. There are certain states like Colorado and California where legal…

Rolling Out partnered with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois on Healthcare IQ, a 4-part web series designed to see how well Chicagoans understand health care. In our fourth and final episode, we ask Chicagoans, “Which ethnic group and gender is most likely to develop breast cancer?” Let us know if you picked the…

Star Martin

Photo credit: Marcelo Pancote Star Martin just may be the next big music sensation coming out of the Midwest. Martin, who is also the goddaughter of the late Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopes of the ’90’s female group T.L.C., has signified her style of music as ”trap pop,” and has claimed a name for herself with her…

Target announced that a dozen stores that are underperforming in sales are slated to close on Feb. 3, 2018. On the flip side, Target is opening 32 new stores in 2017, with plans to open 35 new stores in 2018. The bull’s-eye retailer’s newest small-format store in Midtown Manhattan’s Herald Square in New York recently…

The state of Illinois has voted to recognize former President Barack Obama with a state holiday. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner signed “Barack Obama Day” into law on Friday, NBC Chicago reports. The newest state holiday will be celebrated across Illinois on Aug. 4 (Obama’s birthday) every year, starting in 2018. The holiday will be “observed…

Talk about stupid criminals. Three University of Illinois football players face up to 30 years in prison for armed robbery and home invasion in a campus dorm where they “fumbled” the entire crime and turned the episode into a joke. Darta Lee, 18, and Howard Watkins, 18, were freshman offensive lineman who were easily caught along with 19-year-old Tarrian…

Springfield Illinois Police Officer Samuel Rosario is now in trouble after a body cam was released by his department. Rosario and another officer were responding to the scene of a domestic dispute that became heated when a 19-year-old male engaged Rosario in a series of verbal insults. The teen called the officer a “b-itch a—N-word’…

Shannon M. Elmore, 20, of Peoria, Illinois died at 9:24 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 10, 2011, at Methodist Medical Center. She left a host of relatives to cherish her memory, including her then-2-year-old daughter, Aniyah Elmore; and her parents, Rhonda Elmore and Darryl Hammond; her grandmothers, Winnie Elmore of Peoria and Laura Hammond of Chicago; her two…

On Thursday, April 30, 2015, Dorothy Turner Gross’ life changed forever. Her 20-year-old son Devonte Javon Turner was killed. He died of multiple gunshot wounds. “He was shot in the head and back,” shares Gross. Turner was found in the parking lot of Wendy’s restaurant in Elgin, Illinois. He was pronounced dead at Presence Saint…