Some sad news right here.
Urbana’s Naomi Jakobsson is the Democratic Representative for the 103rd District, which encompasses Champaign and Urbana. Yesterday marked a huge victory in the same-sex marriage debate for people in Illinois. Jakobsson, a co-sponsor of the bill, was travelling back and forth yesterday from Springfield to Mattoon, where her son, Garret Jakobsson (age 46), was in hospice care. Jakobsson “rushed in and out of the Capitol to vote in favor as supporters worried whether they would have enough vote to pass the landmark legislation”, according to the Chicago Tribune. Earlier this morning, it was announced that her son Garret passed away yesterday.
You can read more about it here, as well as some information from the News-Gazette here.
I speak for everyone here at Smile Politely by sending our deepest sympathies and consolances to Jakobsson and her family at this time.