University of Illinois Launches Program to Support Veterans Transitioning to College
CHAMPAIGN-URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — The University of Illinois has introduced an innovative initiative to ease military veterans into university life.
At the heart of this initiative is the Chez Veterans Center, which serves as a comprehensive facility dedicated to those who have served in the military, providing resources such as transitional living arrangements, academic mentoring, and additional support services. This new endeavor includes housing aid, personalized support, and career preparation to aid veterans in navigating their journey into higher education, with organizers highlighting its vital role in paving a clear path to success.
“Military service reshapes individuals, molding them to fit into the rigors of military life. However, once their service ends, they’re suddenly cut off from these structures and expected to adapt independently. Our objective is to bridge this gap by providing the necessary leadership and support to guide them through this transition,” explained Andrew Bender, Director of the Chez Veteran Center.
Bender noted that when considering the costs, the program accounts for both the University of Illinois tuition fees and the on-campus housing expenses.
Ashley Williams shares the clever prank that convinced Andrew Walker she was a Hallmark superfan in ‘Christmas at Sea
Last year’s Hallmark Christmas Cruise was brimming with festive cheer and laughter, thanks in part to Ashley Williams. Fans of the Christmas at Sea series witnessed her comedic flair in full display during the latest episode.
In the second episode of the Hallmark+ docuseries, dubbed “Shining Stars,” Williams delighted viewers by portraying an enthusiastic Andrew Walker admirer aboard the beloved holiday cruise. She took on the persona of Aunt Diana—a vivid character inspired by her own aunt, known for being both a fervent Hallmark fan and openly critical. Disguised in a blonde wig and faux nose, Williams aimed to blend in with the throng of devoted fans who might have easily recognized her without the camouflage.
While this playful tribute was deemed a “love letter” to her aunt, Williams assured it bore no physical resemblance to her. The star of Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater revealed that this prank had been simmering since Hallmark branched into unscripted shows. She initially proposed the idea as a standalone series, among a slew of other creative concepts for unscripted programming.
“I pitched a bunch of ideas, like starting a honey farm with Andrew Walker on my property,” she reminisced. Although none of these show ideas have debuted yet, Williams elaborated on others, such as a blooper show she would host, reminiscent of America’s Funniest Home Videos. Another idea involved her and friend Paul Campbell dressing up as Hallmark fans on the cruise to immerse themselves in the fan experience, culminating in a surprise reveal similar to Adele’s famous stunt at a look-alike contest.
However, it wasn’t until right before last year’s Hallmark Christmas Cruise that she received an unexpected call from the decision-maker she had pitched her creative ideas to.
“He said, ‘What if we do a little mini version of that this year on the cruise? What if we had you dress up like a fan and see if we can trick your colleagues at Hallmark?’” she shared. “So I got to do that this year, which was a hoot!”
As part of the bit, Williams crashed a group of fans’ photoshoot, where, in her own words, she “came in like a total weirdo and sat there, strangely, watching them.”
Like her character Aunt Diana, the group of fans were especially enamored with Walker, who ultimately showed up to the photoshoot—and didn’t recognize Williams in her disguise. Williams (as Aunt Diana) proceeded to fawn over Walker, until she eventually pulled off her wig and revealed her true identity, leaving Walker doubled over in laughter and shock.
Williams told us that she was “so glad” she picked her Jingle Bell Run co-star to fool as opposed to “somebody like Nikki DeLoach,” who she’s known since they were in their early 20s.
“She would be on to me immediately,” she added. “But Andrew Walker, we call him the golden retriever, just so happy to be there and like, ‘Oh nice to meet you!’ When I came up to him as his number one fan and started hysterically crying and screaming, ‘He smells like celery!’ He just thought, ‘Oh, this is a lovely, passionate woman.’ It wasn’t until I ripped my nose off that he actually knew it was me, which makes me so proud.”
Over the course of her career, Williams said she has met “all kinds of fans,” though Hallmark fans stand out in a way that is close to her heart.
“Like, I’ll meet a Hallmark fan on the street and realize that they’re Hallmark people and fall into their arms and we talk for 20 minutes,” she gushed. “I can tell them personal stories, personal stories of grief, or of joy, or of triumph, and they all feel like my Aunt Diana. So, getting to kind of walk around and pretend that I was one of Andrew Walker’s number one fan, it was so much fun.”
The next episode of Christmas at Sea Season 2 streams Wednesday on Hallmark+.
Counter-Terror Police Head Investigation into Ann Widdecombe’s Murder
Police have announced a chilling development in the investigation of Ann Widdecombe’s death. The incident is now being pursued as an act of terrorism.
The 78-year-old former minister’s murder, which occurred in Devon, last week, has drawn the attention of Counter Terrorism Policing. Specialist officers have assumed control over the investigation, indicating the severity of the allegations.
Authorities arrested a 28-year-old man from Rotherham on suspicion of murder just last Saturday. The man, identified as a white British national, remains in custody while the investigation unfolds.
Evidence influential to the case includes CCTV footage depicting the suspect on the day of the alleged crime. He was captured entering his vehicle with a conspicuous baton or pole, extending more than a foot long, protruding from his left pocket at that time.
The circumstances surrounding Ms. Widdecombe’s death are further compounded by a recent media appearance. Merely five days before her untimely demise, she showcased her £600,000 Dartmoor residence in a televised program. The broadcast detailed various parts of her home, including the kitchen—where her body was later found—and provided a view of the front entrance, driveway, and the surrounding grounds.
The suspect, who the Daily Mail is not naming, was arrested after a dozen armed officers descended on his council house in South Yorkshire. Until today, Devon and Cornwall Police had insisted there was no evidence to suggest the killing was politically motivated.
But in a dramatic twist, the suspect has now been re-arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) said new information and evidence had come to light, prompting it to take over the investigation. The nature of that new evidence or information has not been revealed.
Specialist officers from across the UK Counter Terrorism Policing network have been working alongside Devon and Cornwall Police since a murder inquiry was launched last week.
Laurence Taylor, the head of National Counter Terrorism Policing, said: ‘Building on the progress made by our colleagues in Devon and Cornwall Police, we now have new information and evidence that means Counter Terrorism Policing is leading the investigation.
‘We are pursuing multiple lines of inquiry to establish the motivation for this attack.
‘Our priority is to progress this investigation as quickly as possible, using all the capabilities available to us. If anyone has information, we urge them to contact police.
‘We would like to thank local communities, the wider public and the media for their ongoing support and patience, and ask them to continue supporting us during the next stage of the investigation.’
The murder of Ann Widdecombe, pictured on a TV show two weeks ago, may have been terror-related
The suspect in Ms Widdecombe’s murder was captured on CCTV leaving the property on a Rotherham estate shortly before 8am on Wednesday with what appears to be a pole in the pocket of his shorts
Officers were called to Ms Widdecombe’s home at Haytor, Devon, by the ambulance service at around 11.40am on Thursday, July 9.
Sadly, the former Tory MP was found dead inside the property with serious injuries. She may have been deceased for around 24 hours.
The former minister showcased her home on Quest’s Celebrity Yorkshire Auction House on July 2 – though the episode was filmed in 2022.
Ms Widdecombe gave a guided tour of the property to host Angus Ashworth and told him how much she loved the ‘peace, quiet and solitude in the area’.
The show sees Mr Ashworth and his team help famous faces clear their homes of clutter.
Ms Widdecombe showed the auctioneer around her garden, conservatory, gym, library, dining room and the kitchen where she was found dead last week.
The Tory MP poignantly described how happy she was to have retired to the home, close to ‘the idyllic Devonshire coast’.
She added: ‘I came down here quite deliberately to be as remote as I could, as was sensible.
‘I’ve got what I want, which is peace, quiet, solitude. Of course, I’m friendly with some of the neighbours. I’m not a recluse.’
While there is no suggestion that the TV appearance led to her death or inspired any attacker, a former counter-terrorism detective at Scotland Yard said that ‘unscrupulous’ individuals do target homes in this way.
David Videcette, who investigated the 7/7 bombings said: ‘This sort of thing is a real problem nowadays. There’re plenty of free tools for unscrupulous individuals to identify where you live from a photo or video, there’s even more when you’re prepared to pay.’
Ms Widdecombe greets Angus Ashworth as she gives a tour of the £600,000 Dartmoor home for a TV show broadcast just five days before she was killed
The show, Celebrity Yorkshire Auction House, included shots of the kitchen where she died
Ms Widdecombe showed off items that she wished to sell at auction, including a rare Japanese dish and a teddy bear
The show also showed the exterior of the house and the drive – but the name plate was removed and location masked
Ms Widdecombe made £1,445 from selling items in her home at auction, including a rare Japanese dish and a teddy bear.
‘Part of the retirement plan was to have a clear-out of old things,’ she said.
On the day Ms Widdecombe died, the suspect was filmed climbing into a red hatchback before allegedly travelling some 267 miles – a journey of around five hours – to her remote property.
Police believe the former Tory minister, who was found dead the following morning, was killed shortly after midday on Wednesday.
Neighbours described the man held over her death as recluse and an unemployed ‘loner’ who rarely left home.
The added that he had become increasingly introverted following his father’s death last year.
But early on Wednesday morning, the suspect, who lived alone, was spotted on CCTV leaving his terraced home and getting into a run-down vehicle parked on the driveway.
‘He comes out of the house and walks towards the red car,’ said a neighbour familiar with the footage, which has been shared with police.
Ms Widdecombe was killed in her home on Wednesday last week and discovered 24 hours later
They said he appeared to be carrying a stick concealed under his top before placing it inside the car.
‘It looked like a wooden stick or an iron bar, about a foot long, and it was pushing up underneath his T-shirt as he got into the car,’ the person added.
‘He seemed calm and there is nothing to suggest anything unusual was happening.’
Ms Widdecombe’s death has sparked an outpouring of grief with tributes to the former Tory minister.
On Monday, Jeremy Vine broke down on live TV today over the alleged murder of his close friend and regular guest.
The broadcaster wiped away tears as he revealed that a member of his team had been in contact with the former Tory minister ‘by chance’ on the day she died.
Ms Widdecombe appeared on Channel 5’s Jeremy Vine Show more than 50 times and was also a regular on his BBC Radio 2 programme.
Forensic officers were seen heading into the house, after it was confirmed there is no evidence to suggest the murder was politically motivated
Forensic officers were still searching the man’s mid-terraced address in the Rotherham’s Kimberworth Park area on Sunday as uniformed officers stood guard outside.
Neighbours said around a dozen armed officers had surrounded the property at around 9pm on Saturday before knocking loudly at the door.
Courtney Foster, 25, who lives next door with partner Rayed Astle, 26, said: ‘We were in the kitchen and just saw the officers running up. Some were armed. Then they banged on the door very loudly.
‘They didn’t smash the door down because he opened it. They asked him his name, he confirmed it and they took him away.’
Ms Foster said police also took the man’s pet labradoodle, adding: ‘There were about 12 officers and quite a few cars. It was quite a shock.’
Describing the man, Mr Astle said that he had barely spoken to anyone since his father, who he had moved in with around a year ago, died last December.
‘He was someone you’d have a conversation with but that changed after his dad died. He became very quiet. He kept himself to himself and wouldn’t really speak to anyone,’ he added.
Ms Foster added: ‘He was always in the house and I don’t think he worked.’
Other neighbours said the man’s red Vauxhall Corsa ‘barely moved’ from the drive – to the extent it had begun to rust with weeds growing on it.
Police were searching an address in Rotherham on Sunday where they arrested a man on suspicion of Ms Widdecombe’s murder
A cordon remains at the bungalow in Haytor, Devon, and police said locals will notice a heightened presence for the next few days
Floral tributes have been left on the grass outside her home, including a framed photograph of Ms Widdecombe
‘The car was normally left outside for long periods, so it just stood out that he was driving away so early in the morning,’ one added.
Another local said: ‘He is one of three brothers but the others moved out, so he was living on his own.
‘His father died before Christmas and I think it affected him. He seemed to change because he became even more introverted.
‘You would barely see him – to the point where you’d presume the house was unoccupied. Now and again you’d see the upstairs light on but that was it.’
Another resident, who witnessed the arrest, said: ‘The police came at about 9.10pm. There were about a dozen officers armed with guns, both in the front garden and the back garden.
‘They knocked on the door and he opened up. They asked his name and he was taken away.
‘It was quite quiet, really. There was no commotion… It was very quiet how they turned up. There was no lights, no noise – our Ring doorbell didn’t even go off.’
Neighbour Kingsley Whybrow, 29, said: ‘I’ve never seen anyone come in and out of that house, ever.
‘He drove a red Corsa that was parked outside – it had started to rust and there was vegetation growing on it. They came at about 3am to tow it away.’
One of the man’s brothers is believed to live in Devon, while a second brother and his mother, who is thought to have worked as a teaching assistant, are said to live locally.
Ms Widdecombe had stopped responding to text messages regarding a TV interview around the time police believe she had been attacked.
She had been due to appear remotely as a guest on Channel 5’s Matt Allwright show when she suddenly stopped responding to a producer at 12.19pm, according to ITV News.
The messages show she did not open a reply timestamped 12.48pm asking her to join the Zoom meeting which she failed to attend.
Reform UK is said to be reviewing emails sent to Ms Widdecombe in the weeks before her murder in search for any threats against her life.
The party has also said it is committed to providing round-the-clock security to its MPs in the wake of her death.
Adele’s Luxe Hospitality: How She Spoils Guests with Swiped Hotel Amenities at Her £48M Mansion
With a staggering net worth of £165 million, Adele truly stands among the financial elite.
However, the renowned singer confessed that she’s still quite frugal, often helping herself to hotel toiletries to replenish her bathroom supplies.
At 35, Adele resides in a magnificent £48 million Beverly Hills mansion alongside her husband, Rich Paul, where they frequently entertain guests.
When friends visit, they’re indulged with personalized packages and a selection of luxurious toiletries.
Earlier this year, Adele embraced a newfound hobby in crafting these thoughtful guest gifts and even designed a bespoke logo to create an ambience akin to a lavish hotel stay.
Thrifty Adele (who’s worth £165M) has revealed she steals hotel toiletries to give to guests at her £48M mansion (pictured in 2022)
Adele revealed that her autumn hobby was ‘collecting individually wrapped hotel amenities, but for my house.
She said: ‘So it’s like individually wrapped toothbrushes, shave foam, you have never heard of brands and all biodegradable packaging, by the way – these are things that you like when you go to a hotel.
‘Basically, I’ve got some guests coming to stay with me soon and I want to go all out, obviously I’m only on Amazon, so I’m limited to the level of how great it is
‘And then I worry that everyone’s going to take everything with them where it’s more like in a hotel, I’m going to ask you in a hotel it’s like, oh bloody, I’ve got earbuds Q-tips, a nail file and you look into what they have and it’s very useful. I don’t ever take them with me. And if I’m in a very posh hotel, then I take everything.
‘I want to know what guest etiquette is right. I would never take something from somebody’s house, even if it was there for their usage.
‘If you went to stay at one of your friend’s houses, not a hotel, not a stranger, and bear in mind, you’re staying there for free, you shouldn’t be expecting no gifts.
‘I’m missing a very important thing out. I’m doing my own personal logo on it, not the Adele logo. I came up with one for my house. So it has that. ‘
Sharing her Christmas plans on stage at her final Vegas show before her winter break, Adele then asked the fans their thoughts: ‘Would you take them with you? Even if they were Amazon stock? Am I being a tight host?
The singer, 35, has spent the last three months creating personalised goodies and toiletries in the rooms of her sprawling home in Hidden Hills, Los Angeles
The star boasted that she is ‘wonderful company’ and a ‘wonderful host’ for her and husband Rich Paul ‘s friends and family
As her audience yelped in approval, she reacted: ‘They said that’s ridiculous. Okay. Okay. Good to know. Wow, I never considered myself tight.
‘I need to talk to my therapist about that. ‘
The six-bedroom home has a two bed guest house.
Adele divulged her hobby to fans during her sold out run at Caesars Palace, where she will return to on Friday, January 19, 2024.
Some of her rich LA pals urged her to upgrade the options in the room.
‘They were saying, you should get a record player in the bedroom. I’m like, what? That is a bit overboard.’
Adele has an incredible property portfolio including three adjacent Beverly Hills homes, worth over £20m.
She resides in the £50m private Hidden Hills Mediterranean-style estate, which was formerly owned by Sylvester Stallone.
Last week she reflected on her more humble beginnings, being raised by a single mother Penny in small flats across London
Last week Adele confessed her ‘cutthroat, terrifying and tough’ character from that upbringing rather than her talent has been the key factor in her astonishing success.
Adele discovered her new passion for making gifts for her family and pals staying over at her £48m Beverly Hills mansion earlier this year
Adele boasted of how sticking with her principles, instilled in her from growing up in a single parent household, was vital for her career.
In an emotional series of admissions the Oscar winner described herself as the ‘boss at home and boss at work’, forged by a ‘roughness and toughness’ from her Tottenham, north London upbringing.
Adele used collecting the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at the annual Women in Entertainment gala in LA to admit her journey is ‘as much to do with character as talent’.
The hitmaker said of her award: ‘I cannot help but think it’s as much to do with my character as my talent.
‘Talent can’t dictate how you move. Talent can’t decide how you treat people.
‘It doesn’t have a moral compass. Talent cannot read a room. You can be the most talented person on the planet and only make bad decisions. And to be honest, talent is kind of random. It is like you might have it, but what does it mean?
‘But character, well, character is observed, it’s witnessed, character is taught and it’s passed down. My character, as I’m sure you can tell this from the last minute I’ve been on stage, has a roughness and a toughness to it.
‘I trust no one, and yet I’m completely fearless. And I hundred percent got it from the women who raised me.
The megastar has even created a personalised logo for the goodies to give the feel of being in a high end hotel
‘As a child, you’re a sponge. You learn what you’re shown. My mother, my aunties, my grandmothers, they were all strong, loud, boisterous, loyal and cutthroat women like me,
‘Just jumped for you kind of women, chaotic, but focused, soft in the middle, but solid on the outside. Like me. They’re a force to be reckoned with and quite frankly, terrifying at times – like me.
‘Because that was because they had to learn the hard way what it is to be a woman. And so in turn, they hardened. Their character was their armor. But thanks to them, my character is my skin.
‘As a child, you’re a sponge. You learn what you’re shown. My school teachers, my God, I had some of the most amazing teachers who gave me my love of literature, of words, of poems and rhymes, stories and writing.
‘They were far too qualified to be teaching at a school like mine. I could easily have made double the money at private schools, but they stayed with us to give us a chance.
‘And that taught me loyalty. These are my leaders and I’m eternally grateful to them all for making me who I am today.’
How the AI Boom is Driving Up Your Laptop and Energy Bills: An Emerging Inflation Challenge
WASHINGTON – A fresh financial dilemma is confronting both American consumers and the Federal Reserve.
This year’s staggering investment in data centers, estimated to surpass $700 billion, to fuel artificial intelligence advancements has driven up the prices of memory chips, central processors, and other necessary equipment, alongside electricity. Economists predict these costs will continue to exert upward pressure on inflation until at least the end of the year.
Although the increase might not reach the heights seen in 2021-2023, when inflation peaked at 9.1%, the substantial expenditure on AI is expected to keep inflation above the Federal Reserve’s comfort zone. This persistent rise in costs might prompt the Fed to consider a rate hike later in the year to temper spending and reduce inflation. Typically, higher Fed rates lead to increased borrowing costs for things like auto financing, home loans, and business borrowing.
Fed officials are keenly awaiting the release of the June inflation report on Tuesday for deeper insights into AI’s pricing effects. Although inflation might have eased last month due to falling gasoline prices amid a U.S.-Iran ceasefire, future trends remain uncertain as hostilities between the nations have resumed.
The rise in AI spending is escalating costs for consumer electronics.
Just four large tech companies — Google parent Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, and Microsoft — are expected to invest $720 billion this year, mostly on data centers.
Those data centers use a lot of semiconductors, and chip supplies have run low. As a result, economists at JPMorgan Chase estimate that the cost of some computer memory chips will have soared by as much as 400% between 2024 and the end of this year.
Americans are already seeing higher prices for a range of consumer electronics, including laptops, smartphones, video game consoles, and computers. Electricity prices are also jumping as data centers absorb a growing share of new electrical capacity.
In a high-profile announcement last month, Apple announced it was boosting prices for laptops and iPads by about 15% to 25%. A topline MacBook will now cost $1,999, up from $1,699.
Many analysts expect price hikes will come for iPhones next.
“The rapid expansion of AI data centers has created an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage,” Apple said in a statement. “We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly.”
On the same day, Microsoft announced that the price of its Xbox video game console will increase $100 by Aug. 1, citing higher prices for memory chips. Sony is also charging more for the PlayStation, while Dell Computer and HP have raised prices for their laptops.
A “wave of AI-related cost pressures spilling over into consumer prices is still in the early stages of building,” analysts at investment bank Evercore ISI recently wrote.
It’s the latest in a series of waves that have boosted inflation
The impact on broader measures of inflation may be relatively modest, with many economists forecasting that AI investment will boost core consumer prices, which exclude food and energy, by roughly a half-percentage point by the end of this year.
Still, that could be enough to offset declining prices elsewhere, as the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs continues to fade and as rental costs cool. Core inflation, according to the Fed’s preferred measure, was 3.4% in May and some economists now expect it may decline only slightly by the end of the year, remaining well above the Fed’s 2% target.
The boost from AI may prove temporary, but it follows previous waves of higher prices stemming from tariffs and the gas price spike resulting from the Iran war. The Fed typically “looks through,” or ignores, temporary price increases, rather than boosting rates to fight them, but an ongoing series of temporary price shocks could threaten to create more sustained inflation, which has already been above the Fed’s target for more than five years.
“In isolation one or two such shocks is perhaps transitory, something they’re willing to live with,” said Abiel Reinhart, an economist at J.P. Morgan. “A sustained series of shocks, or a wider range of shocks, becomes more concerning to them.”
Federal Reserve officials have increasingly focused on AI
Fed policymakers are increasingly focused on AI’s inflationary impact. Kevin Warsh, who took over as chair May 22, has said he believes that over time AI will make the U.S. economy more efficient, which should reduce inflation even as growth accelerates.
He acknowledged in remarks July 1, however, that AI investment is now boosting demand, but declined to speculate on how inflationary the impact would be.
Yet many Fed officials worry that demand for AI-related gear will continue to outstrip available supply, a recipe for persistent price increases.
“If this creates a sustained impulse to demand relative to supply in inflation, I do think that’s the kind of situation where you don’t look through this,” John Williams, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, said Thursday. Williams is also vice chair of the Fed’s rate-setting committee. Williams has supported keeping rates unchanged, but his comment suggests that under some scenarios he could support a hike.
According to the minutes of the Fed’s June 16-17 policy meeting, released Wednesday, many other officials share Williams’ concerns.
Another channel through which AI could raise inflation is through its huge demand for electricity, which has caused many utilities to raise prices. Power companies throughout the U.S. are adding more capacity, an expensive step that can also boost electricity costs.
According to the government’s consumer price index, electricity prices rose 5.9% in May compared with a year earlier, a bigger increase than overall inflation, which was 4.2%. After a pandemic spike, electricity price gains had dropped back to about 2% annually in early 2025.
While prices for computer chips could peak this year and then decline, experts expect electricity demand from AI will push up utility costs into 2028 or even beyond. In February, economists at Goldman Sachs forecast that electricity prices will rise 6% this year and next, and an above-average 3% in 2028.
“We do know what effect AI is having on inflation now, and it is inflationary, not deflationary,” Dario Perkins, an economist at TSLombard, wrote this week.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Veteran Charged with Assault on Veterans Day: A Shocking Story of Betrayal and Crime
Inset: Timothy Dubois (Collinsville Police Department). Background: The Illinois Starbucks where the abduction took place (KTVI/YouTube).
A man from Illinois has been sentenced to more than 100 years in prison after kidnapping a woman at knifepoint from a Starbucks parking area, subsequently assaulting her on Veterans Day. During the incident, he claimed entitlement to the act by stating, “I deserve this,” because of his military service.
Timothy Dubois, aged 42, received a sentence encompassing 40 years for one charge of aggravated criminal sexual assault, an additional 40 years for a second charge of the same, 30 years for aggravated kidnapping, followed by two five-year terms for counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
Dubois is mandated to complete at least 68 years of the 120-year punishment handed to him. His defense team had requested leniency due to his status as a military veteran.
“We have successfully removed a monster from the streets today,” remarked Collinsville Police Chief Brett Boerm. He shared this sentiment with the local media, including Fox affiliate KTVI, following the conclusion of Dubois’ sentencing.
Dubois abducted his victim on Nov. 11, 2022, from a Starbucks parking lot in Collinsville. He got into the victim’s car “with a large knife” and ordered her to drive to a residential area in Troy, where he sexually assaulted her, according to the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Dubois then drove the woman back to the Collinsville business district, “put a coat over the victim’s head, ordered her to count to 100, and vanished,” an SAO press release says, announcing Dubois’ sentence.
“Do you know what today is? It’s Veterans Day,” Dubois told the woman after abducting her, according to court testimony reported by KTVI. “I deserve this because I’m a veteran.”
A Madison County jury convicted Dubois in May. During his trial, the victim testified that she feared he would kill her.
“The victim was not familiar with the Troy location, but investigators were able to track the movement of her Apple Watch to a general area,” the SAO release says. “Investigators combed the area and, on a gravel roadway in Troy, found a discarded condom. The condom contained male DNA and the DNA of the victim. The male DNA, however, did not match any profiles in a police database.”
Collinsville police investigators used Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy to come up with a list of close relatives of the male DNA profile, according to prosecutors, with the information eventually leading authorities to Dubois.
“Today’s sentence brings a measure of justice for a victim who endured an unimaginable ordeal,” Boerm said in a separate statement. “While no sentence can erase the trauma that was inflicted, we hope this outcome provides some sense of closure and reassurance that the person responsible has been held accountable.”
Tragic Loss: ‘Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ Star Josh Grisetti Passes Away at 44
Tragic news emerged as actor Josh Grisetti was confirmed to have died by suicide on Friday. The announcement came from his friend, Broadway performer Rob McClure. Grisetti was 44 years old.
“With a heart heavy with sorrow, I must tell you that the immensely talented Josh Grisetti ended his life on Friday,” McClure shared on Instagram this Sunday. His post included a series of heartfelt photos of their times together.
“I’m not ready to even attempt to understand. My heart is with his wife and family as they try to deal with the reality of this,” the “Good Fight” actor, also 44, added.
“Some of my most cherished memories involve this amazing man,” McClure continued. “I had the privilege of playing his brother onstage for many years, watching him inspire countless students while revitalizing the Musical Theatre program at Cal State Fullerton, and standing by his side as the Best Man at his wedding.”
McClure revealed that both he and his wife, Maggie Lakis, are deeply shaken and “beyond heartbroken” by this devastating loss.
“Communities around the world will never be the same without him. We love you Josh. Just a cataclysmic loss,” he wrote.
The “I’m Not Rappaport” star concluded his tribute by telling fans that info about Grisetti’s memorial will “come in time.”
In the comments section of McClure’s post, several stars penned their condolences.
“My sincerest sympathies 💔 sending so much love and care to his nearest and dearest,” wrote Ariana DeBose.
“❤️,” added Rachel Zegler.
This story is being updated…
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.