Failed field goals and R. Kelly’s warehouse: The stories that mattered this week

Accused killer knew trans woman, prosecutors say

Text messages between 17-year-old Tremon T. Hill and Stanton revealed that their alleged sexual relationship began in July, when they arranged to meet after Hill indicated he was 18-years-old. The pair continued to text up until the morning of Stanton’s death, David Struett reports. She was shot in the head and left for dead: https://bit.ly/2sBuAVs.

How Illinois bet on video gamblings — and lost

Lawmakers pushed the gambling industry on Illinois, claiming it would brighten the state’s gloomy financial picture. But with more than 30,000 video slot and poker machines in operation across Illinois, the rise of video gambling has proven to be little more than a botched money grab, Jason Grotto and Sandhya Kambhampati of ProPublica Illinois report: https://bit.ly/2FDL8F1.

R. Kelly ordered to pay $173K in back rent, fees

R. Kelly had a week to pay more than $173,000 in back rent to his landlord and other court fees or face eviction from the warehouse he rents on the Near West Side, Sam J. Charles reported. Then building code violations were discovered: https://bit.ly/2TYmK3L.

More cities add Obama’s name to landmarks

As former president Barck Obama becomes even more of an elder statesman, his fame could rank right up there with Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Theodore Roosevelt, historians suggest: https://bit.ly/2T2GMdg.

Fans fail at Cody Parkey’s 43-yard field goal

Goose Island Brewing Co. called “armchair kickers” to bring their best in a contest for a pair of tickets to any 2019 regular season NFL game. The fans were supposed to flaunt their athletic prowess, besting the Bears’ Cody Parkey with a successful 43-yard field goal attempt — similar to the one that knocked the team from advancing in the Playoffs — but that’s not how it went down, Madeline Kenney reported: https://bit.ly/2TJK1Xd.