Local:
Rohan Ward, a custom furniture designer in Wilmette, was asked to build a table for Barack Obama to give as a gift to French President Francois Hollande.
Ward, 37, was intimidated by the job. He made a table that included wood from a fallen oak tree from Mount Vernon and a Bastille key replica that was given to George Washington. He also included cherry and walnut in this table to incorporate other American hardwoods.
The table was created in a sunburst design, which represents Point Zero at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
The table was made here, and would not fit into Ward’s car, so he rented a van and drove to the White House to ensure the customized piece would be delivered to the President safely.
According to the White House staff, Obama presented Hollande with the table that Ward made during his state visit this month.
National:
A district court in Utah froze the assets of numerous internet business coaches. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), they have been accused of lying to their customers about their prospective profit after signing up for their services.
The companies are Essent Media LLC, Net Training LLC, YES International, Coaching Department, and Apply Knowledge. The FTC decided 4-0 to sue the defendants.
The FTC said the companies told their customers they could make almost $400 a day by not doing anything. In reality, these customers ended up making little profit or ended up in a huge debt.
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The testimonies in the murder trial of Alan Kustok continued on Feb. 24. Kustok is a business man from Orland Park who is charged in 2010 with the murder of his wife, Anita “Jeanie” Kustok.
The emergency room doctor, Elizabeth Hatfield, pronounced Anita Kustok dead after she was brought to the hospital wrapped in bedclothes. She testified that Allan Kustok told her that he woke up to Anita dead in the bed after hearing a gunshot.
This was a different version of what he told Patricia Fleming, the ER nurse who spoke to Kustok. Fleming said Kustok told her that his wife woke him up, asking him to check on a weird noise. He said that he walked around the house and went outside, and then heard “an explosion” and then found his wife.
The only thing the stories had in common was that he stayed with her body for a while before taking her to the hospital instead of calling an ambulance.
The defense attorney, Richard Beuke, shed light on certain discrepancies in the stories. There were differences between the two witness accounts and the written report that was filed at the time of the incident. He also pointed out the bloody clothing and glasses that he wore to the emergency room. Fleming did not notice blood on the accused’s clothing; however, photographs from that day show a bloodstain underneath his arm.
Testimony is scheduled to resume Tuesday.
International:
The Ukraine issued a warrant for the arrest for their President, Viktor Yanukovych. He is wanted for the mass murder of peaceful protesters. He has been on the run since he directed police to fire at the demonstrators.
Yanukovych, 63, fled Kiev by helicopter on Friday, February 2. He went to his power base in the east, and was then not allowed out of Ukraine. He was diverted to the south and went to Crimea, said his acting interior chief, Arsen Avakov.
Yanukovych’s supporter, Russia, has expressed doubts about the legitimacy of the new Ukrainian government. Russia is concerned about their citizens lives, saying that they were put under stress because of the protests. They have contacted NATO with their concerns.
Catherine Ashton, the European Union foreign policy chief, was in Kiev to talk about the failing economy, which needs immediate financial attention to avoid financial chaos.
The European Nation has asked the United States, Japan, China, Canada, and Turkey to help give aid to the Ukraine. France is currently considering giving aid.