Month: February 2011

Illinois joined a handful of states recently when Governor Quinn signed the civil union law. Civil unions will be available to both heterosexual and same-sex couples, but same-sex couples celebrated the law a little more heartily. Other states have made headlines...

We were talking about a Chicago child custody dispute that centered on the religious upbringing of the child. The mother converted to Hassidic Judaism when she married again. The father, though he agreed to raise the boy as a Jew, believes her "extremism" -- she keeps...

A Chicago custody fight made headlines recently, not because it involved celebrities, but because the nature of the case is so unusual. When the couple divorced in 2007, they agreed to joint custody of their son. Now the boy's mother says their original custody...

Early Census results showed an increase in the number of couples who cohabit. We know from history, though, that unmarried partners have to protect their assets just as carefully as married couples do. And while the issues may not be the same, the result of not...

For those of us who pay attention to movie stars, it was a surprise when Warren Beatty married Annette Benning in 1992. It may have been less of a surprise when Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise filed for divorce, but she elicited such sympathy that hundreds of people...

This is another story about financial woes and their effect on a marriage. We've said often (our last post notwithstanding) that money troubles are among the top reasons couples divorce. According to a recent survey, though, it's not just that there's not enough money...

Most of us know all too well the effects of the Great Recession on Chicago: unemployment up 4 percent in 2009, one foreclosure every 22 minutes and so much more. Researchers recently delved into the effects of the Great Recession on married couples, with some expected...

Believing that her daughter's "long, bitter, hostile divorce" had finally come to a close, an Illinois woman found herself making arrangements for her daughter's funeral. The 34-year-old died a week ago, leaving no will and no instructions about her funeral beyond...

Do you float like a butterfly, while your spouse stings like a bee? A recent study looked at fighting styles in married couples, and the results were surprising. Chicago couples, take off your gloves and listen up! The study, published by the University of Michigan,...

One Illinois county has used pink paper for brides and blue paper for grooms who apply for marriage licenses. That may all have to change, according to a county employee, now that Governor Pat Quinn has signed legislation recognizing civil unions in the state. County...