Latest news with #CGHMedicalCenter
International Business Times
26-05-2025
- International Business Times
Rock Falls Man Who Fatally Stabbed Friend Following Argument Over Woman on Valentine's Day, Sentenced
A Rock Falls, Illinois, man will spend two decades in prison after he pleaded guilty to killing one of his friends in a fit of jealous rage. Earlier this month, Kyle M. Cooper, 36, accepted a plea deal over the Valentine's Day stabbing death of Daniel J. Gordon, 27. Originally charged with one count of murder in the first degree and two counts of aggravated battery, Cooper eventually pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder. On Thursday, Cooper formally entered his plea and made an allocution before Whiteside County Circuit Court Judge James Heuerman. He was then sentenced to 20 years behind bars. Cooper Previously Dated a Woman Gordon Later Dated The incident took place in the early hours of Feb. 14, according to the Rock Falls Police Department. Officers arrived at the house on West 20th Street at 1:50 a.m. in response to calls about a stabbing. When they arrived on scene, they found the victim suffering from multiple "severe" stab wounds to his abdomen. Gordon was quickly transported to CGH Medical Center in Sterling – a small town located roughly 115 miles due west of Chicago. However, he later succumbed to his injuries. During the plea and sentencing hearing, Cooper explained how he was first dating a woman who Gordon later dated – but still considered themselves friends even as the woman came between them. "He [Gordon] wanted me to stay away from his girlfriend, and I wanted him to stay away from mine," Cooper told the court. Gordon and Cooper Got into a Verbal Dispute at a Bar in the Moments Leading Up to the Stabbing On the night of Feb. 13, Gordon and Cooper got into a verbal dispute at a bar, a detective previously testified at a preliminary hearing. Gordon, for his part, left with the woman, and the pair planned on going to a friend's house to play cards and dice. But on the way there, they passed by Cooper's house – and another argument ensued. The couple left, but Cooper followed, and the two friends confronted one another in the driveway of the Rock Falls house where the disagreements, humiliations and jealousies finally turned violent. Cooper: 'My Purpose was to Confront' "I hated it," Cooper said. "My purpose was to confront." Prosecutors said, as Cooper exited a vehicle, the woman saw something shiny in his hand and worried he was going to use a knife to vandalize her own vehicle. Shortly after, Cooper shoved the woman, Gordon intervened to try and protect her, and Cooper was soon on his back and stabbing him repeatedly. The defendant quickly left the scene but was arrested later that same night. "I want that decision back," Cooper said on Thursday. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Cooper received the maximum sentence of 20 years, with one year on supervised release. He was granted 97 days of credit for time spent in pre-trial detention.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
After years of bargaining, CGH Medical Center employees seek city support in union negotiations
Apr. 25—STERLING — Four years after winning the right to unionize, CGH Medical Center employees are still fighting for a collective bargaining agreement. The labor union on Monday night took that fight to the Sterling City Council to gain city leaders' support in the quest for a contract. Members of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 urged the council to pass a resolution showing its support for CGH management to quickly reach an agreement with the union. The resolution was only for presentation and no action was taken by the City Council. Mayor Diana Merdian said a copy of the resolution would be forwarded to CGH's board of directors. CGH medical technologist Shelly Houzenga has been a member of the union negotiation team for more than three years and made the request for support on behalf of the union. She said CGH has continued to delay reaching a collective bargaining agreement with AFSCME and spent $1.7 million in attorneys' fees related to its efforts to fight the establishment of the union and "silence voices." "This is about supporting front-line workers of this city-owned hospital that directly provides care for the members of this committee," Houzenga said. "Please, I beg you, consider showing your support to resolve this conflict by passing the proposed resolution." In late 2019, employees at CGH Medical Center in Sterling, led by Council 31 of the AFSCME, began efforts to unionize. The union filed petitions after months of organizing, claiming majority support among staff. CGH objected, alleging fraud and coercion in collecting union cards, and argued that certain employees, including a specialty nurse group and an electronic medical records trainer, should be excluded from the bargaining unit. However, in 2021, a state labor judge dismissed most of CGH's objections for lack of evidence, agreeing only that the EMR trainer should be excluded from the union. Following that decision, AFSCME urged CGH to accept the ruling and certify the union. Almost 1,000 employees, including nurses, CNAs, phlebotomists and other health workers, supported the unionization to secure better pay, fair treatment and a stronger voice in patient care. At that time, CGH leadership said it still was considering the next steps, prioritizing care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Union supporters emphasized that forming a union would strengthen the hospital and improve service to the community. However, after the union was officially certified by the Illinois Labor Relations Board in 2021, tensions between the hospital and the union continued. Melissa Greschke is a nurse who has worked at CGH for the past 13 years. She said she was not initially interested in unionizing, feeling confident she had a good rapport with CGH leadership and co-workers, until recently filing for an intermittent Family Medical Leave Act absence due to a health condition. "CGH not only expressed disapproval with the fact I might need to use FMLA, but moved me, against my wishes, to the flow pool," Greschke said, visibly upset and moved to tears. "I had not taken any leave. At this point, I was moved at the possibility of using my protected leave. I did not want or need to take a lesser position, but because I exercised my right by law to protect its lead, I have been punished by management at CGH. This has turned my world upside down." "CGH is a city-owned hospital, and our job is to take care of the health care needs of our community, yet employees aren't allowed to have health issues," Greschke said. "Unfortunately, my story is one of many. My situation only illustrates how badly employees need representation and what they call a seat at the table." Over the past few years, the union and CGH have filed multiple complaints against each other, including an issue involving a December 2019 letter from CGH President and CEO Paul Steinke. [ Union members protest lack of contract at CGH, two years after certification ] Administrative Law Judge Anna Hamburg-Gal ruled in March 2022 that the letter, published by Shaw Local in print and online, violated state labor laws. The letter provided detailed instructions on how employees could revoke their union support and included disparaging remarks about the union, claiming it would waste dues and harm relationships with management. Hamburg-Gal found that the letter was coercive, discouraging employees from maintaining union membership and encouraging them to report revocation to human resources. The letter came out just before Gov. JB Pritzker strengthened state labor laws. Although CGH argued the union's complaint was filed too late, the judge proceeded with the case, siding with the union. [ Judge: CGH Medical Center violated labor law during unionization efforts ] Shaw Local reached out to Steinke for comment about the union's presentation at the council meeting. A member of CGH's media relations team replied with the following statement from representatives of CGH Medical Center: "Illinois law severely limits what public employers can say on bargaining matters. Subsequently, while we continue to bargain in good faith, we have no further comment."
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Yahoo
Valentine's Day stabbing trial to begin May 13
Apr. 25—MORRISON — The trial of a Rock Falls man accused of stabbing another man to death on Valentine's Day will begin May 13 in Whiteside County Circuit Court. Kyle Cooper, 36, is accused of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated battery in connection with the Feb. 14 stabbing death of Daniel Gordon, 27, outside a Rock Falls residence. Whiteside County Circuit Court Judge James Heuerman set a pretrial motion hearing for May 9 during a pretrial conference Wednesday, April 23. Gordon was found unresponsive with multiple abdominal stab wounds about 2 a.m. Feb. 14 in the 600 block of West 20th Street in Rock Falls after Cooper and Gordon fought in a driveway, police said. Gordon died later that day at CGH Medical Center in Sterling, officials said. In laying out details of the state's case in late February, Whiteside County Assistant State's Attorney Ryan Simon said Cooper was taken into custody on a charge of aggravated battery in the hours after Gordon was stabbed. Simon said the events leading up to the stabbing included a verbal altercation just hours before at a bar between Cooper and Gordon, who was dating a woman who previously had dated Cooper. Gordon and the woman left the bar and later went to a home in the 600 block of West 20th Street in Rock Falls. Simon said they were at the house when a vehicle Cooper was in pulled up to the house, and Cooper got out of the vehicle while holding something shiny in his hand. The woman was fearful that Cooper was going to use a knife to vandalize her vehicle and approached Cooper, who began pushing the woman, Simon said. Simon said Gordon got involved to protect the woman, and Cooper jumped on top of Gordon and stabbed Gordon in the abdomen several times before others were able to pull Cooper off Gordon. Cooper then left the scene, Simon said. Rock Falls police were called to the scene about 1:50 a.m. When officers arrived, they found Gordon in the driveway, unresponsive and suffering from severe injuries, Simon said. Cooper, wearing blood-stained clothes, turned himself in at the Whiteside County Sheriff's Office later that morning and was charged with aggravated battery, police said. He was formally charged four days later with murder and an additional count of aggravated battery. He has been detained in the Whiteside County Jail since his Feb. 14 arrest.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Yahoo
Rock Falls fatal stabbing trial delayed until May
Mar. 28—MORRISON — The trial date for a Rock Falls man accused of stabbing another man to death on Valentine's Day has been delayed until May. Kyle Cooper was expected to stand trial April 8 for the Feb. 14 stabbing death of Daniel Gordon; however, that date was pushed back Friday until May 13 based on the prosecution's request for more time. Cooper, 36, is charged with first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated battery in connection with 27-year-old Gordon's death. Cooper, who has pleaded not guilty, has demanded a speedy trial. During a pretrial conference March 19, Whiteside County Circuit Court Judge James Heuerman said that because neither the defense nor the prosecuting attorneys were asking for more continuances, he was setting Cooper's trial date for April 8. But on Friday, Whiteside County Assistant State's Attorney Ryan Simon said prosecutors were requesting that the trial be delayed because of the large amount of evidence and the need to receive test results from the crime lab. Heuerman granted the request over the objection of defense attorney James Mertes. Heuerman said setting the May 13 date still is under the 90-day speedy trial deadline. A pretrial conference now is set for 9 a.m. April 23. The case Gordon was found unresponsive with multiple abdominal stab wounds about 2 a.m. Feb. 14 in the 600 block of West 20th Street in Rock Falls after Cooper and Gordon fought in a driveway, police said. Gordon died later that day at CGH Medical Center in Sterling, officials said. In laying out details of the state's case in late February, Simon said Cooper was taken into custody on an aggravated battery charge in the hours after Gordon was stabbed. In detailing the state's case, Simon said the events leading up to the stabbing included a verbal altercation at a bar just hours before between Cooper and Gordon, who was dating a woman who previously had dated Cooper. Gordon and the woman left the bar and later went to a home in the 600 block of West 20th Street in Rock Falls. Simon said they were at the house when a vehicle Cooper was in pulled up to the house, and Cooper got out of the vehicle while holding something shiny in his hand. The woman was fearful that Cooper was going to use a knife to vandalize her vehicle and approached Cooper, who began pushing the woman, Simon said. Simon said Gordon got involved to protect the woman, and Cooper jumped on top of Gordon and stabbed Gordon in the abdomen several times before others were able to pull Cooper off Gordon. Cooper then left the scene, Simon said. Rock Falls police were called to the scene about 1:50 a.m. When officers arrived, they found Gordon in the driveway, unresponsive and suffering from severe injuries, Simon said. Cooper, wearing blood-stained clothes, turned himself in at the Whiteside County Sheriff's Office later that morning and was charged with aggravated battery, police said. He was formally charged four days later with murder and an additional count of aggravated battery. He has been detained in the Whiteside County Jail since his Feb. 14 arrest.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Yahoo
Judge: Teen charged in Sterling Pizza Ranch shooting fit to stand trial
Mar. 28—MORRISON — A Rock Falls teen charged with attempted murder in connection with a Nov. 6 shooting at Sterling's Pizza Ranch has been found fit to stand trial. Whiteside County Circuit Court Judge James Heuerman made that ruling Friday morning, allowing the case against Harrison Webb, 18, to proceed toward trial. The court ruled in January that there was a need to determine whether Webb was fit to stand trial, with an evaluation ordered. That evaluation was completed by Dr. Jayne Braden and submitted to the court. Webb is charged with one count of attempted murder, one count of aggravated battery with a firearm and two counts of burglary. He stands accused of walking into the restaurant's kitchen about 7:45 p.m. Nov. 6, pulling a gun from the front pocket of his shorts, walking up behind a 17-year-old worker who was preparing pizza pans and shooting him in the neck. If he is convicted, Webb, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges, could spend anywhere from six years to life in prison. Prosecutors have said Webb and the wounded employee, also a Rock Falls 17-year-old, had had ongoing issues with each other. The teens' dispute boiled over on social media the morning of Nov. 6 while both teens were part of a Snapchat message group. Prosecutors said Webb walked from his Rock Falls home, crossed a bridge into Sterling and continued walking to Pizza Ranch at 3900 E. Lincolnway. People were eating in the restaurant as he walked in and headed to the kitchen, where four employees were working, Whiteside County State's Attorney Colleen Buckwalter said at a November court hearing, adding that a surveillance camera shows a shooter walked up behind the victim, saying "That's what you get," and shooting him from 18 inches away. The bullet entered the back of the victim's neck and exited through the front. The victim was taken to CGH Medical Center in Sterling, treated and released. The shooter left the restaurant and was believed to have fled into a nearby cornfield. Webb was arrested at 12:15 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, when a warrant issued in Whiteside County court that morning was served at his home. If convicted, Webb faces six to 30 years for attempted murder and would have to serve 85% of the sentence under state law. That could be enhanced to add 25 years or up to life in prison. The aggravated battery with a firearm charge, which also is a Class X felony, carries the same potential sentence of six to 30 years with 85% to be served. The burglary charges carry sentences of three to seven years in prison. A pretrial conference is scheduled for 9 a.m. April 23, with a jury trial set to begin at 8:30 a.m. May 13 in Whiteside County Circuit Court. Webb will remain detained in the Whiteside County Jail.
