Cupid Dating

Residents of the Museum Place apartment building had plenty of grievances to air at a tenants' meeting last week. They had long been upset by people shooting up in the stairwells and rooting through the garbage. The apartments, located next to the Safeway on Southwest Jefferson Street, share a stairwell with the grocery store's parking garage—and residents said the property manager of the nine-story building had reduced security patrols, making drug use and squalor there even worse. Some reported their bikes had been stolen from the building's bike rack. People camped in the parking garage. Several residents complained the handyman had to frequently pick up needles. "That is not his job," the group repeated in a chorus. These are not uncommon complaints for people living in downtown Portland in 2019. But what sent residents of Museum Place into a fury—and prompted the meeting—was the allegation by federal law enforcement officials Jan. 16 that an ...

Liu Yang and January 30 at 4:00 AM BEIJING —  Spare a thought for the single Chinese woman this Lunar New Year holiday.   The remonstrations over their unwed status and the pressure on them to get married are so intense that some of these “leftover women” — the name for women not married by their late 20s — are searching for ways to avoid this family badgering. Some are asking their bosses for extra work during China’s biggest holiday, which falls on Feb. 5 this year. Others are inventing boyfriends. But still, the pressure mounts. Hospitals are reporting a spike in young people seeking treatment for anxiety. “I was so afraid last year that I didn’t go home. I don’t want to go home this year either, but there’s no way to avoid going back,” said Emily Liu, a 31-year-old who works at a state-owned enterprise and will return to her hometown of Dalian next month.  “My parents say, ‘Your classmates have children, you don’t even have a boyfriend,’ ” she sai...

MOSUL, Iraq—Five kilograms of flour, a laptop and instant noodles were among the items Suzanne was asked to procure from a market in Iraq’s northern city of Mosul. If the task appears mundane, its purpose wasn’t: Suzanne was shopping for Islamic State. “I knew it was wrong, but need compelled me,” she said. The 40-year-old Iraqi mother from Mosul was detained two months ago and is now awaiting trial for aiding and abetting Islamic State. The chief judge at the court where she is being tried asked that Suzanne’s surname be...

Because of the frigid temperatures, Pastor Heather Boone is welcoming members of the Monroe community to use the services at Oaks Victory Village. Click here for a list of emergency shelters and warming stations in the Monroe County area. When the cold months strike, Oscar Hinds always seems to find his way back to the Oaks of Righteousness shelter. No matter if he’d been living with friends or looking for a place to stay, Hinds, 59, seeks refuge from the cold — and sees familiar faces — in the Oaks community when temperatures begin to drop below freezing. “I’ve been staying here maybe a month,” Hinds said. “I’ve gotten clothes and pants from the Oaks Village.” Pastor Heather Boone, director of the nonprofit Oaks of Righteousness Christian Ministries and Oaks Victory Village, 1018 E. Second St., offers expanded services at the Oaks facilities during cold weather. The shelter, per usual, is open to those who need a warm place to sleep at night. But with frigid temperatures looming...

Close From an early age, boys are conditioned to like typically "masculine" things. (Courtesy of Flickr) From an early age, boys are conditioned to like typically "masculine" things. (Courtesy of Flickr) From an early age, boys are conditioned to like typically "masculine" things. (Courtesy of Flickr) January 30, 2019 Filed under Culture , Mental Health Column Close Modal Window Close Modal Window Today’s society holds many expectations for men and women. Often subconsciously, gender roles affect how we act. From a young age, we are taught to adhere to these gender roles. Boys play with trucks and girls play with dolls. While these social constructs impact almost every aspect of our lives, they are especially relevant when discussing mental health. Mental illness can affect men and women quite differently. For example, women are more likely to struggle with anxiety or eating disorders, while men are more likely to struggle with ad...

With temperatures dropping as low as negative 5 degrees this week, those living in Madison County without a home can find solace in shelters in Richmond and Berea. For those who are in Berea, Room In The Inn provides shelter from the bone-chilling cold and potential snow. The volunteer-run rotating winter shelter will be open today through March 15. In order for one to be eligible for shelter, guests must register nightly at the intake location at 412 Chestnut St., Berea, between 5 and 6 p.m. This will be the only registration time available in order to be eligible for shelter that night. Those who stay the night will receive a hot meal and breakfast, as well as a sack meal to take with them the next morning. RITI Berea has partnered with local churches and congregations, community organizations and individuals to host the inns in their facilities on a rotating basis. More than 50 volunteers have been trained to provide critical support, with continued efforts to provide training...

Please enable Javascript to watch this video BRIGHTON, Colo. -- The man accused of shooting and killing Broomfield teenager Natalie Bollinger agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder at a hearing on Monday morning to avoid a sentence of life in prison. Joseph Lopez, 23, said he shot Bollinger, 19, last year after responding to an ad she had placed on Craigslist that she wanted to "place a hit" on herself, according to court documents. Lopez was charged with first-degree murder. The plea deal calls for Lopez to serve 48 years in prison plus five years on probation. Bollinger's family pleaded with the judge during Monday's hearing to sentence Lopez to life in prison, but that request was denied. Bollinger's father, Ted Bollinger, said last month that he did not agree with the plea and proposed sentence. "We said no and they still offered it to him today," he said. "Our family does not agree with this or is willing to do any plea ba...

A man accused of shooting and killing a 19-year-old Broomfield woman is scheduled to be in court Monday morning for a disposition hearing – raising the possibility he has agreed to plead guilty in the slaying. Joseph Lopez, 23, told investigators that he shot Natalie Bollinger after responding to an ad she’d placed on Craigslist looking for someone to kill her, according to court documents previously obtained by 9Wants to Know. Lopez had been scheduled to go to trial this week. However, according to Adams County court records, the trial has been vacated and the “disposition hearing” has been scheduled in its place. RELATED | Man charged with murder in Natalie Bollinger’s death He faces a single count of first-degree murder after deliberation. Bollinger was reported missing Dec. 28, 2017. The next day, her body was found along Riverdale Road in rural Adams County. She’d suffered a single gunshot wound to the head, although after an autopsy a toxicology test showed a “potentially l...

An Oakland man was sentenced to 10 years and one month in federal prison Wednesday for a sex trafficking extortion scheme in which he posted ads for a young prostitute, then burst into the room where she was having sex with a man and pocketed some of the proceeds. Kayvaun Rodgers, 26, pleaded guilty in September to sex trafficking of a minor. He was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton of Oakland under a plea agreement that also includes 20 years of supervised parole after his release. Rodgers, however, also faces a murder charge in a separate case in state court. Details of that charge were not immediately available, and his lawyer in the sex-trafficking case, Assistant Federal Public Defender John Reichmuth, said in a court filing that Rodgers would “vigorously contest any suggestion that he committed a homicide.” Federal prosecutors said Rodgers posted ads in the “women seeking men” section of the Backpage website that did not mention the woman’s age, 17. At ...