BELOVED BABY
In October, when we met Jessica Stock, she was a young, newly married, expectant mother, pining away for her husband, Jeremy, stationed with the Illinois Army National Guard 3625th Maintenance Company at Camp Anaconda in Iraq.
Since being featured in a recent Illinois Times cover story [Dusty Rhodes, “Beloved soldier,” Oct. 21], one thing and yet everything about Jessica’s world has changed: On Nov. 22, she gave birth to a healthy and beautiful baby girl, whom she and Jeremy named Alexa Jennifer Stock. Lexi arrived at 8:04 p.m., weighing six pounds, four ounces, and measuring 20 inches long. Mother and baby are doing fine, although one is getting a lot more sleep than the other.
“Sleep? What is that?” Jessica says.
MAYBE HE SHOULD HAVE KEPT WAITING
Byron Williams, whose repeated demand for a speedy trial was a subject of a recent Illinois Times cover story, was found guilty Nov. 23 of murder by a Madison County jury. Williams was convicted of providing a pistol used to kill two teenagers in 1997. The Illinois Supreme Court last year overturned the original 1998 conviction, ruling prosecutors missed a deadline to file a charge in the case [Geri L. Dreiling, “Waiting for justice,” Aug. 19].
A GREAT DAY TO BE HUMAN
Springfield peace activists next week mark International Human Rights Day with a candlelight vigil and reading of the Declaration of Human Rights. The event will be held at 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10, at the State Capitol, Second and Edwards streets. For more information, call 544-3997 or 899-3389.
ON THE DRAWING BOARD
The state’s Capital Development Board this month begins recruiting consultants to design a development plan for Springfield’s medical district. The nine-member Medical District Commission has final say over what company is selected for the ambitious project, which encompasses a one-square-mile area on the North End. The commission voted to retain CDB on Nov. 18 during its first meeting since winning a $300,000 state grant. CDB oversees 8,400 buildings across the state, and has helped administer several projects including the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
This article appears in Dec 2-8, 2004.
