Father refuses to return child after visitation

Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Walker will return to the lineup Sunday against Houston following Derek Wolfe’s season-ending left elbow injury. Walker had four sacks in the first eight games, but sustained an AC joint injury in his right shoulder during practice leading into the Cleveland game on Nov. 3. He missed that game and was a healthy scratch the past three games because the coaching staff was pleased with Adam Gotsis’ production. “Finish strong; that’s the biggest thing,” Walker said. “Just keep doing what I was doing in the beginning of the season and take advantage of my opportunities.” Sitting in front of his locker before practice Wednesday, Walker transitioned from football talk to a “family problem” — the death of his grandfather at the age of 92. Brazel Freeman had been fighting Alzheimer’s in Jacksonville, Fla., which is Walker’s hometown. “I cried all (day),” Walker said. In addition to … [Read more...] about Broncos Briefs: DeMarcus Walker eager to return to lineup, but mourning loss of family member

Oak Forest, Ill. – Are you looking for an adrenaline rush? Come out to the 2019 NXL Paintball Open! The family-friendly event will take place in the Chicago Southland at Gaelic Park, from Friday, September 13 through Sunday, September 15. NXL, the largest paintball circuit in the world, will host some of the biggest names in the industry, with 20 professional paintball teams competing. Additionally, over 200 amateur teams will be in attendance. Music, food and drink vendors, cornhole and volleyball will be available for all to enjoy as the competitors vie for the Midwest Championship Title. A vendor trade show will also be on-site selling equipment. "We are thrilled to have NXL return to Gaelic Park this year," said Jim Garrett, President/CEO for the Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau. "This event has consistently been an excellent opportunity for both players and spectators alike. We have enjoyed watching this event grow over the past three years." The action … [Read more...] about National X-Ball League Returns to Gaelic Park

Dear Abby: At 18, I married my high school sweetheart. After 20 years of marriage and four wonderful children, my husband decided the grass was greener elsewhere, and we divorced. He paid no attention to my children or my grandchildren when they were young. He has since remarried, has a child with his current wife and acts like he’s Father of the Year. Last weekend, one of my grandchildren got married. My blowhard of an ex brought a picture of himself, my son, my grandson and my great-granddaughter saying he’d had this picture taken of four generations of the family. He never mentioned that if it hadn’t been for me giving birth to our children, none of them would have even been there. Am I overly sensitive to feel like a second-class citizen when we attend a family function? Must I continue to say nothing, or speak up? How do others handle this situation? Clueless in the East Dear Clueless: They handle it by choosing their battles carefully. I think it’s … [Read more...] about Mom protests when her ex leaves her out of the picture

Fiction 1. A Minute to Midnight by David Baldacci. When Atlee Pine returns to her hometown to investigate her sister’s kidnapping from 30 years ago, she winds up tracking a potential serial killer. 2. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. In a quiet town on the North Carolina coast in 1969, a young woman who survived alone in the marsh becomes a murder suspect. 3. The Guardians by John Grisham. Cullen Post, a lawyer and Episcopal minister, antagonizes some ruthless killers when he takes on a wrongful conviction case. 4. Twisted Twenty-Six by Janet Evanovich. The 26th book in the “Stephanie Plum” series. A New Jersey gangster’s associates go after a bounty hunter’s widowed grandmother. 5. Blue Moon by Lee Child. Jack Reacher gets caught up in a turf war between Ukrainian and Albanian gangs. 6. Tom Clancy: Code of Honor by Marc Cameron. President Jack Ryan learns of a plot against America when he tries to help an old friend who has been arrested … [Read more...] about Bestsellers: Dec. 8

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, Russia — It was a gloomy winter day, cold but snowless, and Nizhny Novgorod’s central square was only dimly lit. For Svetlana, a 47-year-old teacher, that gloomy Monday was especially memorable: she heard the words that closed off her dreams for the future like the nailed-down lid of a coffin: “You have HIV,” said the physician she’d gone to see. “I am your doctor for the rest of your life.” His tone was like ice. When Svetlana walked out of the Regional Prophylactic Center for AIDS, her best friend waiting for her in the car noticed that Svetlana’s face looked gray, her eyes sunken. Svetlana was beginning to withdraw deeply into her own troubles, and from that day refused to discuss her health issues, denying that she had ever been diagnosed with HIV. “I am healthy, let me live my life,” she told her friends. The center that so frightened Svetlana was the only state institution treating HIV and AIDS patients … [Read more...] about The Forgotten AIDS Crisis in Russia