🌱 R. Kelly Sentenced To Additional Year + Flight Cancellations

Hello, Chicago! I'm back with your new copy of the Chicago Patch newsletter. Follow along for everything you need to know about what's happening these days in town.

But first, today's weather:

Rather cloudy and colder. High: 28 Low: 25.

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Here are the top three stories in Chicago today:

1. R. Kelly has been sentenced to an additional year in prison by an Illinois federal judge for sexual exploitation and enticement of a minor. The sentence is to be served after the 30 years Kelly is currently serving for racketeering and sex trafficking after being found guilty by a New York jury in 2021. Federal prosecutors had asked for a 25-year sentence, but the judge decided on a sentence that was "sufficient but not greater than necessary." (NBC News)
2. A Chicago lottery player won almost $1 million by purchasing a Fast Play Twenty 20s ticket over the weekend. The winning ticket was purchased at a Shell gas station in Ravenswood, and the jackpot amount starts at $50,000 and increases with each ticket sold in Illinois until a winner is found. The gas station will receive a bonus of nearly $9,800, which is one percent of the total jackpot. (FOX 32 Chicago)
3. Foggy conditions in the aftermath of a winter storm caused the cancellation or delay of almost 300 flights at Chicago's two major airports on Thursday. FlightAware.com reported that 67 flights at O'Hare International Airport were canceled, with 178 delayed, and Midway Airport saw 13 cancellations and 37 delays. Across the U.S., the winter storm resulted in over 1,700 flight cancellations and 6,400 delays, with Minneapolis, Denver, and Detroit airports most affected. (Patch)

Today in Chicago:

• Poetry & Healing Circle - Kindred Open Studios At Howard Street Makers Studio (11:00 AM)

From my notebook:

• Did you know 17.6 percent of interns working in the state of Illinois are unpaid? (Patch)
• If you were looking for a sign to adopt a pet from a Chicago-area center, these photos will help. (PAWS Chicago via Instagram)
• Zari's lion cubs at the Lincoln Park Zoo are all males! Check out the link for a video update from the cubs' six-week check-up. (Lincoln Park Zoo via Facebook)

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Featured events:

• Block Cinema: DRY GROUND BURNING (2022) with filmmaker Joana Pimenta (February 24)
• Love Triangles - Music of Clara & Robert Schumann, and Johannes Brahms (February 25)
• Paralegal Studies Information Session (February 28)
• Block Cinema: FOG LINE (1970) and HORIZONS (1973) with filmmaker Larry Gottheim (March 1)
• Emotional Intelligence for Leaders (March 2)
• Financial Planning Certificate Information Session (March 8)
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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Friday. I'll catch up with you bright and early tomorrow morning with another update!

— Kaytlyn Mroz

About me: Kaytlyn Mroz is a copywriter at Lightning Media Partners – a content creation agency. She is a Rowan University graduate where she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in writing. Outside of work, Kaytlyn is a dog mom to a boglen terrier named Finn and a golden retriever named Willow.