IF YOU’RE LOOKING for a place where misadventure could begin, you can’t go past Mbargo. The nightclub’s streetfront is painted a purple so bright you’ll see it in your dreams. Strings of giant sequins shimmer in the breeze. Its phonically inventive name is spelt in silver letters that climb its three-storey terrace facade. Inside are strips of burning neon, a few booths, floorboards so marinated in drink that they have an ingredients list. Bristol is a student city on England’s south coast crowded with music and nightlife and street art. This is Banksy’s home town, and the tourism board suggests in rather strong terms that ‘you would be a fool not to see his amazing work firsthand’. The same organisation describes Mbargo as ‘intimate’, which is fair for a place where you can catch an STI standing up. Students cram into its modest dimensions while people with names like DJ Klaud battle for billing with £1.50 drink deals over seven sloppy nights a week. To get a sense of the story about to come, consider that it’s the kind of place open until two o’clock on a Monday morning, and that at two o’clock on a Monday morning, Ben Stokes still thought it had closed too early.
The Ashes of 2017–18 had disciplinary bookends. It was after that series that Australia’s two leaders went off the rails in South Africa. It was a few weeks before that Ashes tour that England’s biggest star windmilled his way into his own disaster.
In the early hours of 25 September 2017, Stokes and teammate Alex Hales were barred from re-entering Mbargo after a night out on the piss. A Sunday thrashing of an abject West Indies in an ignored series at the fag-end of the season apparently required ample celebration. After arguing with the bouncer and hanging about at the door for a while, they wandered off to find a casino in the hope of more drinking. They’d barely made it around the corner before getting in the middle of a conflict between four locals. As is said on the internet, it escalated quickly.
The 26 September reporting was bloodless. Withholding names, police stated that a man ‘was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm’ while another went to hospital with facial injuries. England’s director of cricket Andrew Strauss separately confirmed that Stokes was the arrestee, adding that he had been released without charge and that Hales had gamely offered to ‘help police with their enquiries’. Administrators had a good chance of hiding behind that investigation, and the next day Stokes was named in the upcoming Ashes squad as expected. But that night the video emerged.
Bristol student Max Wilson had shot it on his phone, then offered it to The Sun. What he thought was playing hardball was actually lowball: his opening price of £3000 was snapped up by a tabloid that would have paid ten times that. The Sun went on to make a mint by syndicating the rights worldwide. From a window above the fray, the vision showed six men on the street below performing the muddled choreography of a melee. One was right at the centre of it. One was waving a bottle, one dipped in and out, one tried to calm it. Two others floated around the edges. The central figure was unmistakable: red hair burning even in the streetlight as he launched into a series of blows against two of the men, falling to grapple with them on the ground, then following both across the street, swinging punches the whole way. Hales trailed behind, repeatedly and impotently shouting ‘Stokes! Stop! Stokes! Enough!’ The ECB could fudge issues that existed only in thickets of legalese, but not those captured in moving colour. Stokes was stood down from the next West Indies match, then suspended indefinitely. It emerged that he had broken his hand during the fight, something he’d done twice before while punching objects in dressing rooms.
The response in Australia was fierce: Stokes was a thug, a lowlife, a selection that would disgrace England. It was not entirely coincidental that a ban for England’s best player would be handy for the Aussie team, but there was also a cultural split. In England, plenty of people still minimise pub fights as lads letting off steam. In Australia, heavy media coverage as a succession of young men were killed had inverted that tolerance. The discourse now saw any punch as potentially deadly and accordingly reckless. This was more poignant in a cricket context given that David Hookes, the dashing Test batsman and state coach, was killed in 2004 by a pub bouncer’s fist.
The PR situation was bad for Stokes as details emerged of the injuries to the men he’d hit, and that one was a young war veteran and father. Stokes wasn’t officially removed from the Ashes squad through October but stayed behind when his teammates left, hoping for police to dismiss the matter in time for a late dash to Australia. His annual contract was renewed on the due date in case that came to pass. Then 29 October brought a twist in the tale.
‘Ben Stokes praised by gay couple after defending them from homophobic thugs,’ ran the headline. Kai Barry and Billy O’Connell had emerged. Not entirely out of nowhere: while Stokes had made no public comment, this story in his defence had initially been leaked to TV host Piers Morgan after the fight, as soon as the video appeared. Police body-camera footage played in court would later show that Stokes had given the same story to the arresting officer on the night. But no-one knew the identities of the fifth and sixth men in the video, and police appeals had turned up nothing.
It was The Sun again with the breakthrough. Kai and Billy were perfect for a readership not keen on nuance. ‘We couldn’t believe it when we found out they were famous cricketers. I just thought Ben and Alex were quite hot, fit guys,’ said Kai, who was memorably described as a ‘former House of Fraser sales assistant’. The paper had the pair do a full photo shoot: layering the fake tan, showing off chest waxes, mixing Ralph Lauren and Louis Vuitton into a range of outfits. Their best shot had them standing back to back, heads turned to the camera, in a mirror-image Zoolander moment.
Suddenly The Sun was the England team’s best friend. ‘Their claims could lead to the all-rounder being cleared over the punch-up and freed to play in the First Test in Australia next month,’ it gushed, then gave a tasting platter of quotes: ‘We were so grateful to Ben for stepping in to help. He was a real hero.’ ‘If Ben hadn’t intervened it could have been a lot worse for us.’ ‘We could’ve been in real trouble. Ben was a real gentleman.’ Would it be known forever as Kai and Billy’s Ashes? No. While the Bristol boys provided spin for Stokes’ reputation they didn’t influence the police. With charges still pending there was little choice – not given Strauss had previously sacked Kevin Pietersen for being annoying. Stokes remained suspended through the Ashes and a one-day series in Australia, and lost the vice-captaincy. It was January 2018 before the Crown Prosecution Service laid a charge.
That charge surprisingly came in as affray, a crime that can carry prison time but is classified as ‘a breach of the peace as a result of disorderly conduct’. The men he had punched, Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale, faced the same count, charged as equal participants in a fight rather than Stokes being charged with assaulting them. Alex Hales was not charged, despite being seen in the video to aim several kicks when Ryan Ali was lying on the ground. Given the underwhelming standing of the offence, Stokes was cleared by the ECB to tour New Zealand, and kept playing until his trial in August 2018, which he missed a Test to attend. None of the three defendants would be convicted.
The reasoning behind the charges was never released and was attributed vaguely to ‘CPS lawyers’. The service gave the case to Alison Morgan, a prosecutor of a class known as Treasury Counsel who usually handle serious criminal matters. Morgan had a scheduling clash and never ended up court for the case, but in 2018 and 2019 she would go on to win damages and admissions of libel from The Daily Mail, The Times and The Daily Telegraph variously for incorrectly reporting that she had been responsible for the inadequate and inconsistent charging decisions.
Morgan’s successor on the case was Nicholas Corsellis QC, who on the first day of trial was permitted by the CPS to request two assault charges be added against Stokes. ‘Upon further review,’ claimed a CPS statement, ‘we considered that additional assault charges would also be appropriate.’ This was patent nonsense from the service that eight months earlier had chosen the lesser charge. Any lawyer knows that no judge will allow new charges once a trial has begun, because the defence hasn’t had time to prepare. But such a request could deflect criticism of the prosecution service by technically making the judge the one who disallows the charge.
Working through the story from the trial and the tape is complicated. You had a Ryan and a Ryan, a Hale and a Hales, a Billy and a Barry and a Ben. You had several versions of events as to who knew whom, who was drinking with whom, who had insulted whom and who had merely engaged in ‘banter’, a word that in modern Britain has to do an unconscionable amount of lifting. The reporting had constantly mixed up the Ryans as to who had which injury, who was in hospital, who had played which part in the fight, and whose mum had which stern words to say about it.
Let’s agree that from now Ryan Ali is Ryan One, the firefighter who ended up with a fractured eye socket and a cracked tooth. Ryan Two can be Ryan Hale, the soldier who scored concussion and facial lacerations. Mr Barry and Mr O’Connell are best known per The Sun as Kai and Billy. In scorecard parlance we’ll leave the cricketers as Stokes and Hales.
Amid the confusion, Stokes and his lawyers built his case in a straightforward way. The UK legal definition of affray is ‘if a person threatens or uses unlawful violence or force towards another person, which causes another person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for their safety’. That means it doesn’t account for violence that harms a target, but violence that might frighten a theoretical bystander. The wiggle room for Stokes was with ‘unlawful’, because the charge excuses violence in defending oneself or others.
This interpretation hinged on the beginning of the video, where Ryan One waves a beer bottle about and takes a swing at Kai. The version from Stokes was that he was minding his own business walking down the street when he heard homophobic abuse. He intervened verbally and was threatened verbally by Ryan One – something that Ryan One denied but that couldn’t be proved or disproved. In fear for his safety Stokes had to nullify that threat by bashing Ryan One before it went the other way. He registered Ryan Two in his peripheral vision as another possible threat, and again had only one recourse.
Stokes also had to convince the jury to disregard testimony from Mbargo’s bouncer that he had been looking for a fight. A solid lump of a man, Andrew Cunningham had not enjoyed his patron’s attempts to get back into the club after the bouncer declined an offer of a bribe. ‘He got a bit verbally abusive towards myself. He mentioned my gold teeth and he said I looked like a cunt and I replied, “Thank you very much.” He just looked at me and told me my tattoos were shit and to look at my job.’ Cunningham described these words as coming in ‘a spiteful tone, quite an angry tone’, and said that Stokes still seemed angry as he walked away.
These were details the doorman had nothing to gain by inventing, but each of them Stokes denied. By his own accounting he had drunk a beer at the game and three pints at his hotel, then ‘potentially had some Jägerbombs’ along with half a dozen vodkas at the club. He insisted that after all of this he was not drunk.
If I may take a moment here to call upon the wisdom of experience – a person who cannot definitively say whether they have had any Jägerbombs has definitely had some Jägerbombs. A Jägerbomb is an experience that does not pass one by. Further to that, a person who says they have ‘potentially’ done something has definitely done that thing and doesn’t want to admit it. A person who has had between 15 and 24 standard drinks in one evening is shitfaced. A person who tries to bribe a bouncer £300 – three hundred quid! – to get into Mbargo – Mbargo! – is beyond shitfaced.
If Stokes admitted that he was drunk then the prosecution could say he was out of control. He claimed clear recall of assessing a threat, feeling fear and deciding to protect himself with force. He confidently denied details from the bouncer’s testimony, like using the word ‘cunt’ or mentioning gold teeth. Yet on other details he claimed a ‘significant memory blackout’. He didn’t remember the punch that saw Ryan One taken away by ambulance. He didn’t remember what the Ryans had said to Kai and Billy, only that those words were homophobic. With no head injury, as one of the few people who hadn’t been hit, he had supposedly suffered this memory loss despite being sober.
The version from Kai and Billy was compatible but vague: they had been walking along, they ‘heard … shouts’ of abuse from an unspecified source, then Stokes ‘stepped in’ and thus they avoided possible harm. They claimed to have been bought a drink by Stokes at Mbargo, although CCTV showed them meeting outside. The overall implication from both accounts was that the cricketers had been pals with Kai and Billy, while the Ryans as per The Sun’s headline were a roving band of thugs.
The reality though is that the Ryans were the ones hanging out with Kai and Billy at Mbargo. Police discussed CCTV from inside the club in questioning and at trial. On that footage the four Bristolians bought drinks for one another, danced together, and Kai was noted to have variously touched Ryan Two’s crotch and Ryan One’s buttock. Ryan One told police that all of this was taken lightheartedly and wasn’t a problem. Indeed, when the Ryans called it a night the other two left with them.
This much is clear from footage out the front of Mbargo, which shows Kai and Billy exit the club and start talking with a subdued Hales and a demonstrative Stokes, who are stuck outside. The vision was played in court to determine whether Stokes was antagonistic towards Kai and Billy, as he appears to impersonate them and to throw a lit cigarette their way. More interesting is that after a few minutes the Ryans emerge, and all six actors in the fight video briefly form a prequel in the one frame.
Ryan Two pats Billy on the chest in friendly fashion with his right hand before clapping him on the back with his left. He moves past and does the same to Kai before leaving the shot. Ryan One stops to speak to Kai. They lean in for a moment, talking, then Kai turns and they walk out of frame together. Billy hangs around for a few seconds at the door and then looks after them and races to catch up. Stokes and Hales remain outside the club to remonstrate further with the bouncers. Whatever discord develops around the corner is between four men who left amicably together minutes earlier.
There’s no way to know what caused that friction. If Ryan One did use homophobic slurs, he might have been drunkenly obnoxious for no reason. He might have had an insecure macho response to some extra flirtation. He might have thought unkindness was funny – ‘banter’ once again. Or he might have said something that was misunderstood, as both Ryans insisted in court that they had not used nor had the impulse to use any abusive language.
What clearly didn’t happen was an attack by bigots on random passers-by. This kind of crime is regular enough that an audience understands the horror of it, and this is what was evoked by the public accounts of Stokes, Billy and Kai. All we know is that there was some verbal dispute among the Bristol locals, and that Stokes came along behind them and put himself in the middle of it. Ryan One responded to the interference aggressively and away they went. There are plenty of reasons to look sideways at the idea that Stokes was a saviour. Foremost, neither Kai nor Billy was called upon as witnesses in court. You’d think it would be ideal to have Stokes’ story backed up by those who benefited from his selflessness. But his defence team had developed the impression that the pair had shown a changeable recall of events amid a hard-partying lifestyle, and would be dismantled by the prosecution on the stand.
That raises the question of whether The Sun coached their quotes for the 2017 interview. Despite missing court, Kai and Billy clearly enjoyed the attention. In 2018 after the trial they did a follow-up spread in the same paper about how poor Ben had been mistreated. They got a television spot on Good Morning Britain and glowed about his heroism. In 2019 The Sun wheeled them out once more to say that Stokes should get a knighthood. In 2017 they had ‘never watched cricket’ but by 2019 were supposedly volunteering sentences like, ‘He saved us, now he’s saved the Ashes.’ Whether they were paid for these appearances is not known, but the chance to be famous for a day can be lure enough.
If you find this cynical, consider that on the night in question, the Bristol boys were so deeply moved and thankful for Ben’s intervention that they left him to be arrested and never attempted to find out who he was. Seconds after the video ended, an off-duty policeman reached the scene. You might think that someone grateful to a saviour would speak on his behalf. Instead, said Kai, ‘it all got a bit scary so we walked off. It was too much for me and we went to Quigley’s takeaway for chicken burgers and cheesy chips.’ They didn’t give their hero a thought for over a month while police issued multiple appeals for witnesses.
As for Stokes, he told his arresting officer that ‘his friends’ had been attacked. After three minutes of chat outside a nightclub, these friends were so dear to him that he has never contacted them again: not after the newspaper piece, not after the verdict. He didn’t want to see how they were or thank them for their support. He didn’t mention them by name in his solicitor’s statement after the trial.
The Stokes defence rested on Ryan One’s bottle, which he had carried out of Mbargo to finish a beer, not to use in a Sharks versus Jets amateur production. But once he turned it over to hold it by the neck it became a weapon. Intent and interpretation can change the material nature of things. Part of Stokes’ justification in court was that the bottle implied that the two Ryans might have ‘other weapons’ hidden away. You can understand how a jury could decide that created doubt.
Not being convicted, though, doesn’t give the contents of the video a big green tick. It does not, as his lawyer claimed, vindicate Stokes. Looking in detail, Ryan One is belligerent but his movements telegraph a bluff. Hales is the person he’s gesturing at, but they’re several metres apart when Ryan One cocks his arm ostentatiously, showing off the bottle rather than bracing to swing. He skips forward but Hales skips back and Ryan One doesn’t follow. Kai stretches out an arm to impede Ryan One, who has a drunken stumble, nearly eats pavement, then staggers towards Kai and hits him in the back. That hand is still holding the bottle, but his strike is a side-arm cuff on a soft part of the body. It’s all pretty tame.
This is where Stokes gets involved. Having moved across to protect Hales, he now takes three large steps to run around Kai and booms his first punch at Ryan One. They fall to the ground and the bottle clinks away. Stokes gets to his feet to punch down at the fallen man, while Hales arrives to kick him ineffectively then runs off across the street for some unknown reason. Ice-cream van? Stokes is soon back in the grapple having his shirt pulled up to show off his Durham tan. Ryan Two steps in for the first time to pull Stokes away, prompting a couple more random punches at this new target, then Stokes trips backwards over Ryan One and sprawls in the street. Hales chooses this moment to return and aim some solid kicks at the head of the man on the ground. Nothing so far is a triumph of moral philosophy or the pugilistic arts. But if it all stopped here, perhaps you could say it was somewhere approaching fair. Ryan One has behaved like a turnip and it’s not an entirely unjust world that would give him a whack across the chops. The antagonists have disentangled, Stokes has some distance, it’s time to dust off and go home. Ryan Two steps forward for this purpose with his palm raised in conciliatory style and says, ‘Settle down, stop.’
So Stokes punches him.
It’s roughly his fifth punch overall, and he really winds up into this one. He misses so hard that he stumbles away into the shadows of the shop awnings along the road.
Hales starts shouting for him to stop. Ryan Two backs into the street, still holding his palm up. Stokes closes on him from about five metres away, six large steps, to where Ryan Two is standing on his own. Stokes pushes him a couple of times, as Ryan Two keeps trying to placate him and saying ‘Stop.’ Stokes throws his sixth punch, largely missing as his target ducks.
Ryan Two keeps pulling away and reversing, into the middle of the street now. Stokes follows him, grabbing his sleeve to drag him back. By this point Ryan One has found his feet and walked around behind his friend. Both of them are in the same line of sight for Stokes, and both are backing away. Stokes aims his seventh and his eighth punches, which Ryan Two tries to deflect, as Hales walks up behind Stokes to grab him.
Stokes yanks away from his friend and switches to Ryan One instead, taking seven paces to grab him before throwing his ninth punch of the night. He grabs again; Ryan One blocks that arm and pushes himself back away from Stokes. Ryan Two again intercedes, putting himself between the two with his palms up and his arm extended.
Stokes throws his tenth punch, a right-hander at the face of Ryan Two, then shoves him backwards. Ryan Two backs away once more, four paces. Stokes follows, steadies, lines up, then launches his strongest punch yet, his eleventh, a proper right hook from a solid base, one that cracks across the man’s head and gives him concussion. Ryan Two ends up flat on his back in the middle of the street, his hands still outstretched for a moment in useless protest until they twitch and drop to the blacktop.
Stokes isn’t done. He once more shoves away the restraining Hales and follows Ryan One, who keeps backing away saying, ‘Alright, alright, alright.’ Five more paces from Stokes before another blow at the man’s head. Kai and Billy are now standing over the poleaxed Ryan Two. The video ends, but seconds later Stokes will punch Ryan One hard enough to knock him out too, before off-duty cop Andrew Spure arrives on the scene to bring down the curtain. When the body-camera footage kicks in some minutes later, Stokes is in handcuffs but Ryan One is still laid out in the street. Ryan Two has regained consciousness, folded his shirt under his friend’s head and is asking police for an ambulance.
‘At this point, I felt vulnerable and frightened. I was concerned for myself and others.’ This was how Stokes described that sequence to the court. An elite athlete with years of gym work and training to snap a bat through the line of a ball with astounding power and precision, swinging fists as hard as he can at men with none of those advantages. Punching so hard that he breaks his hand, and repeatedly shoving away a friend so he can punch some more. Frightened and threatened by two targets shouting ‘Get back!’ and ‘Stop!’
The off-duty officer testified that Stokes ‘seemed to be the main aggressor or was progressing forward trying to get to’ Ryan One, who was ‘trying to back away or get away from the situation’. The student who filmed the video can be heard on the tape at one stage exclaiming ‘Fuck!’ and testified that it was because ‘I felt a little bit sorry about the lad that had been punched and it looked like he had his hands up’. That tallied with the prosecutor’s depiction of ‘a sustained episode of significant violence that left onlookers shocked at what was taking place’.
The defendant stuck to his strategy. ‘No, my sole focus was to protect myself.’ All up, in the 33 seconds of footage after he falls over, Stokes takes 35 steps forward to keep hitting two men who keep trying to get away. Not once is he hit back.
After the verdict, Stokes’ solicitor positioned him as the victim. It had been ‘an eleven-month ordeal for Ben … The jury’s decision fairly reflects the truth of what happened that night … He was minding his own business … It was only when others came under threat that Ben became physically engaged. The steps that he took were solely aimed at ensuring the safety of himself and the others present …’ The statement was impossibly self-righteous and self-absorbed.
If there was anyone to feel sorry for it was Ryan Hale, the second of our two Ryans. He’s the one who emerged from the club with a friendly arm around the shoulder for Kai and Billy. He’s the one who interposed himself to end the fight, then kept putting himself back in the firing line, trying to calm an intimidating stranger while dodging blows. For his show of restraint he got laid out regardless, concussed in the street, then was issued a criminal charge equal to that of the man who hit him, and described in national media as a violent bigot in an untested story to support that man’s defence.
Lawyers for Ryan Two made a more convincing post-trial statement, noting that Kai and Billy, ‘neither of whom were relied upon by the prosecution or the defence team for Mr Stokes, have taken the opportunity to speak with various media outlets about the alleged homophobic abuse that they received in the early hours of September 25. Mr Hale has passionately denied this allegation throughout the course of this case,’ it continued.
‘It is upsetting to Mr Hale that although he was acquitted, the accusation that he was the author of such abuse remains. Both Mr Hale and Mr Ali were knocked unconscious by Mr Stokes, and although Mr Stokes has been acquitted of an affray, Mr Hale struggles with the reasons why the Crown Prosecution Service did not treat him as a victim of an unlawful assault.’Good question. Avon and Somerset police were the investigating force, and they were frustrated by the decision. Ryan Two was filmed clearly not hurting anyone, but police were instructed by the CPS to proceed with a charge. Hales (the cricketer) was filmed fighting but ‘a decision was made at a senior level of the CPS’ not to proceed. Police expected Stokes to be charged with assault but the CPS declined. It doesn’t take a wild cynic to think that placing the same lukewarm charge on three men for vastly divergent behaviour might ensure that none would be convicted, even as the trial would maintain the pretence that a defendant of influential standing had not been given a free pass.
A couple of years down the line, the original interview with Kai and Billy has disappeared. All traces have been scrubbed from The Sun website, its social media history, and even from the Wayback Machine internet archive. Given its headline of ‘homophobic thugs’ and text that names Ryan Two but not Ryan One, the libel liability isn’t hard to spot. Later interviews with Kai and Billy take the passive voice – they ‘suffered homophobic slurs outside a Bristol nightclub’.
The article that was once claimed to exonerate brave Ben Stokes now links only to a missing content page, with a picture of a dropped ice-cream cone and the phrase ‘legal removal’ inserted into the web URL. In terms of consequences, Stokes missed one tour. When he resumed his career in January 2018, the Australians hadn’t yet ruined theirs. Their year-long bans looked much more stringent. But the Stokes case dragged on in other ways. With no criminal liability, the Australians confessed promptly enough for the sporting world to give them the full length of the lash. Their situation was ugly but there was closure. Stokes got stuck in legal stasis, unable to be fully backed or condemned. Instead his issue was always present, a browser full of open tabs that the ECB swore they would read any day now.
Through 2018 Stokes was back but he wasn’t back, in the sunglasses and finger-guns sense. In his return one-day series he nearly cost England a match with 39 from 73 balls in Wellington. His first Test hit was a duck as England got rolled in Auckland for 58. At Trent Bridge while Stokes was injured, England posted a world record 481 against Australia. With Stokes three weeks later at the same ground they made 268. He crawled to 50 from 103, the second-slowest any Englishman had reached that milestone in 20 years. That span covered Alastair Cook’s whole career. It was apologetic batting, acting out responsibility via the scorecard. Stokes was creeping back into the team like he’d been kicked out in a blazing row and was hoping to tip-toe to the sofa.
It was December 2018 before the ECB disciplinary committee ruled on him and Hales. In a ‘remarkable coincidence’, wrote Simon Heffer in The Telegraph, ‘the punishment both players faced in terms of bans from playing at international level was covered by the amount of games they had already missed when dropped by England’s selectors, in the furore that followed the incident’. The verdict compounded the omissions around the case by not addressing the violence at its heart. Nor did Stokes, apologising only ‘to my team-mates, coaches and support staff’, and then ‘to England supporters and to the public for bringing the game into disrepute’.
The implicit next step was to rebuild that reputation. It might have been easier had his court defence not meant that he wasn’t game to admit any fault at all. It might have been easier if he or his advisers had been willing to change tack once the trial was done. Imagine a world where Stokes had stood outside court and apologised for overreacting, for the injuries he’d caused, and for the time and energy he had sucked out of other people’s lives. That would have been a show of responsibility beyond a scorecard. When the time came around to assess forgiveness, it might have meant forgiveness was deserved.

Below is a rundown of letters J-L of Epstein's contacts. Last year, I wrote about letters A-C. You can check that out here (https://www.reddit.com/conspiracy/comments/cpis3n/a_brief_rundown_of_the_first_ten_pages_of_jeffrey/).
I also wrote about letters D-F on July 5, 2020. You can check that out here (https://www.reddit.com/conspiracy/comments/hlrba8/a_notsobrief_rundown_of_letters_df_in_jeffrey/).
I posted letters G-I on July 13, 2020. You can check that out here (https://www.reddit.com/conspiracy/comments/hqko0y/a_notsobrief_rundown_of_letters_gi_in_jeffrey/). There are some misspelled names. Epstein entered their names like this.
I have bolded some of the more interesting connections and information, but there could be much more that I overlooked. I hope something here strikes an interest in someone and maybe we can get more investigations out of this. Please, if you know anything more about any of these people than what is presented here, post below. I am working off of the unredacted black book found here: https://www.coreysdigs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Jeffrey-Epsteins-Little-Black-Book-unredacted.pdf
J-L
Jackson, Michael (Samuel Gen): Yes, this is a reference to MJ the singer. However, the numbers listed are not MJ’s. They belong to Samuel Gen, a lawyer for a financial advisor (Jerry Seinfeld’s brother-in-law) who worked for MJ for a while. This one was a reach for Epstein.
Jacobson, Julian: Likely a reference to a Managing Director at several London-based investment firms.
Jagger, Mick: World-famous lead singer of the Rolling Stones. Has been seen in photographs with Ghislaine Maxwell. Actress Rae Dawn Chong claims she slept with Jagger when she was 15 years old.
Jagger, Hatti: Former fashion director for Vogue, Harper’s, and Tatler. Also works as a celebrity stylist and at fashion shows.
jake: Not enough info.
Jameel, Mohammed: Saudi Arabian businessman. CEO of Abdul Latif Jameel, a collective of family-owned businesses that specialize in transportation, investing, and real estate. Royal pervert Prince Andrew infamously partied on Jameel’s yacht during the 2011 London riots (source: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/prince-andrew-frolicks-on-yacht-with-mystery-147496).
James, Susie: Founder and owner of 123 Send Ltd, a company that provides payment terminals.
Janklow, Linda: Literary agent and wife of Mort Janklow, the primary owner of Janklow & Nesbit Associates, the largest literary agency in the world. Attended a party hosted by Sony Pictures with Epstein, although they are not pictured together (source: https://www.patrickmcmullan.com/search/?event=5b3ef4fb9f92906676446c21). In 2007, Ghislaine Maxwell threw an exclusive party (80 carefully selected guests) at her NYC townhouse to celebrate the opening of a new shop by designer Allegra Hicks (granddaughter-in-law of Earl Mountbatten, who you can read more about in my G-I Epstein thread under India Hicks’s name). One of the eighty guests was Julie Landlow, daughter of Linda and Mort.
Jarecki, Nancy & Andrew: Andrew is a filmmaker, co-founder of Moviefone, and was a producer on Catfish, the documentary that launched the popular MTV show. Andrew’s family was reportedly friends with Jeffrey Epstein. There is an EXCELLENT thread on the connections between the Jarecki family (especially Andrew and Nick’s father, Henry) and Epstein here (source: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1200044576947556352.html). Quick summary: Henry was born in Nazi Germany; flew on the Lolita Express; is an expert in psychotropic drugs; owns two islands in the British Virgin Islands; founded the first youth center in the British Virgin Islands; lived 2 miles from Epstein in NYC; owns and donates to many sketchy foundations, schools, and organizations; has donated at least $1 million to leftist organizations). Andrew’s wife Nancy created bettybeauty, a company that specializes in hair dye for your nether regions (not kidding).
Jarecki, Nick: The movie director brother of Andrew and son of Henry Jarecki (see link under Andrew & Nancy Jarecki for more info). Reportedly dated Courtney Love (also in Epstein’s ‘Black Book’) in 2015. Photographed with Ghislaine Maxwell at a Gucci party (source: https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/ghislaine-maxwell-and-nick-jarecki-attend-gucci-hosts-a-news-photo/591605562).
Jason (canada): Not enough info. Could be artist Jason Wasserman based out of Canada. The second number listed traces back to Station 16 Gallery in Montreal.
Javier: Javier Banon is former Co-head of Merchant Banking at Lehman Brothers and current Founding Partner of Trilantic Europe.
Jeffries, Tim: Ownedirector of Hamiltons Gallery in London. Best known for dating models Elle Macpherson, Claudia Schiffer, Kylie Minogue and Sophie Dahl (also in Epstein’s ‘Black Book’). Jefferies has attended fundraisers for ARK Academy and the NSPCC. He truly cares about children.
Johnson, Richard & Nadine: Nadine is a millionaire public relations guru. Nadine is a good friend of Ghislaine Maxwell’s. Some clients of Nadine Johnson include spirit cooking extraordinaire Marina Abramovic and hotelier Andre Balazs, good friend of Ghislaine. Richard is one of the most well-known gossip columnists and was the editor of Page Six for twenty-five years. There is a great thread detailing the Johnsons’ ties to the Clintons, Balazs, and others here (source: https://threader.app/thread/1162148078981394432). Basically, Richard Johnson is friendly with the Clintons and, as Page Six Editor, purposely did not report or downplayed stories on the Clintons and Nadine’s clients. He also took bribes. Considering Nadine is a good friend of Ghislaine, it would not be a stretch to assume that Richard could have buried stories on Maxwell and Epstein. I could spend 10 pages on the shady connections these two have.
Johnson, Lucy: Not enough info.
Jones, Ann & Mick: Mick is the guitarist of Foreigner, an immensely popular rock band in the ‘70s and ‘80s. His wife, Ann, is a jewelry designer, and friend of Ghislaine. Ann Jones was photographed at a party with Ghislaine and Donald Trump in 1997 (source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/85818/epstein-madam-ghislaine-maxwell-milked-billionaire-dad-and-threw-lavish-parties-with-beautiful-women/)
Josephson, Barry & Jackie: Barry is a producer and the former President of Production for Columbia Pictures. Jackie is his ex-wife and also a producer.
Karella, Kalliope: Wife of Prince Pierre d’Arenberg. Kalliope is a good friend of Ghislaine Maxwell.
Kastner, Ron: No info found.
Katz, Anton & Robin Plant: Anton is CEO and co-founder of Talos Trading, which specializes in cryptocurrency. Anton and Robin are friends of and have been photographed with Ghislaine (source: https://www.patrickmcmullan.com/search/?person=5b3ef50c9f929066764df255).
Katzeneilenbogen, Mark: Long-time investment banker who used to be based out of South Africa.
Keeling, Sarah: There is a Sarah Keeling in London who is a former British government official with 20 years of experience in national security and intelligence experience, however, the phone number listed has a 410 area code, which leads back to eastern Maryland. Inconclusive.
Kegan, Rory: A nightclub designer and creator. Co-founder of the exclusive, celebrity-filled London nightclub, Chinawhite. Prince Andrew (source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9818190/prince-andrew-pictures-cast-doubt-epstein-sex-slave/) and Prince Albert of Monaco are regulars. Chelsea Clinton has been there, as well (source: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/bright-night-for-china-white-6299739.html). Other patrons include: Prince Andrew, Kate Middleton, George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, and more.
Keidan, Amanda: Owner of Keidan Jewelry.
Keidan, Jon: An entertainment executive-turned-venture capitalist. As an entertainment exec, Keidan worked with John Legend, Dave Matthews Band, and Nappy Roots. Keidan serves on the Council of Foreign Relations, a powerful group that some believe determines foreign policy. Former and current members include former presidents, current and former politicians, business magnates, and celebrities (https://www.cfr.org/membership/roster).
Keller, Georgie: Interior designer.
Kellette Frayse, Caroline: Fashion editor at Vogue and Tatler (both magazines constantly come up in Epstein’s contacts). Former girlfriend of Imran Khan, whose name has come up frequently. Passed away in 2014. Her husband, Jean-Marc Fraysse, is a French investment banker.
Kelmenson, Leo-Arthur & Gayl: Leo was an advertising and marketing guru who has been credited with saving Chrysler. Friend and advisor to Lee Iacocca, former President of Chrysler. He worked as Special Project Officer for the U.S. Department of State under President John F. Kennedy and AG Robert F. Kennedy. He had tons of connections. His former maid accused him of sexual harassment in 2010 (source: https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/maid-harassment-suit-claims-ad-exec-leo-arthur-kelmenson-madman-pervy-mad-men-wannabe-article-1.156915). Kelmenson died less than two months after the story came out.
Kennedy Cuomo, Andrew & Kerry: Andrew is the current governor of New York. It’s no secret that Cuomo is willing to look the other way on sexual deviancy as long as he receives a payoff. Cuomo halted a probe into the handling of Harvey Weinstein’s case in New York after receiving $25,000 from Weinstein’s law firm (source: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/bjbqg4/andrew-cuomo-received-dollar25000-donation-from-harvey-weinsteins-law-firm). Andrew’s brother, CNN Host Chris Cuomo famously told viewers “not to get caught up in the intrigue of who Epstein’s friends are” (source: https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/07/11/cnn_cuomo_lets_not_get_caught_up_in_the_intrigue_of_who_was_friends_with_jeffrey_epstein.html). Perhaps, he was covering for his brother. Kerry Kennedy is Cuomo’s ex-wife of fifteen years, the daughter of RFK, and a close friend of Ghislaine Maxwell. Supposedly, Kennedy provided Ghislaine with informal illegal advice (source: https://www.splicetoday.com/politics-and-media/the-nth-word-and-m-theory).
Kennedy Jr. Ted: Son of Ted Kennedy and nephew of JFK and RFK. Ted Jr. dabbled in politics and currently works as a lawyer. His father, Ted, was a notorious sexual abuser (allegedly).
Kennedy, Bobby & Mary: Bobby is the son of RFK and nephew of JFK. Bobby is a known drug abuser and philanderer. Bobby kept a sex journal detailing his conquests while he was married (source: https://nypost.com/2013/09/08/rfk-jr-s-sex-diary-of-adultery/). His ex-wife, Mary, committed “suicide” two years after their divorce. Before committing suicide, Mary told a friend that she “feared for her life” and Bobby told her that she “would be better off dead” (source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3231043/How-serial-cheater-Bobby-Kennedy-Jr-strutted-family-home-exposing-private-parts-demanded-m-nage-trois-wife-Mary-went-public-Cheryl-Hines-telling-Mary-things-easier-killed-herself.html).
Kennedy, Ethel: Widow of RFK Sr. and mother of eleven, including Bobby Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, and Joseph Kennedy II.
Kennedy, Jo: Joseph Kennedy II is the son of RFK Sr. and Ethel. Served in the House of Representatives from 1987-1999. In 1973, Joseph was convicted of negligent driving after paralyzing a young woman. He was fined $100.
Kennedy, Senator Edward: Brother of JFK and RFK, Ted Kennedy served as U.S. Senator of Massachusetts for 47 years. Besides politics, Ted is best known for the Chappaquiddick incident in which a young female speechwriter for RFK drowned to death when he lost control of his vehicle while driving across a bridge. He was charged with leaving the scene of an incident and given a two month suspended sentence. Ted was also notorious for his extramarital affairs. Senator Kennedy once hosted a party at his house attended by Bill Clinton and Lynn Forester de Rothschild. Rothschild wrote a letter to Clinton afterwards in which she mentions that they spoke about Epstein (source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7283825/Jeffrey-Epstein-injured-jail-cell-following-possible-suicide-assault.html). It is unclear what was said or what Rothschild’s connection could possibly be.
Kersner, Sol: South African accountant and hotel and casino magnate who died of cancer in 2020. Kerzner was a close friend of Donald Trump. They even worked together to create The Palm, a man-made island off the coast of Dubai (source: https://www.ft.com/content/46393280-d9f9-11da-b7de-0000779e2340). Kerzner was also close friends with Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York (https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/sarah-ferguson-the-duchess-of-york-sol-kerzner-chairman-and-news-photo/83768272), Naomi Campbell (https://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/news-photo/naomi-campbell-and-sol-kerzner-pose-backstage-during-the-news-photo/82869744), and Bill Clinton (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8144647/As-Sol-Kerzner-dies-aged-84-RICHARD-KAY-looks-riotously-louche-life.html). Kerzner was very good friends with Nelson Mandela and built his casino resorts with Gerard Inzerillo, who you can read about in my G-I ‘Black Book’ thread.
Khayat, Antoine, Jana, & George: Jana is an heiress and businesswoman. Jana is the niece of Galen Weston, a close friend of Prince Charles. George is her brother and CEO of Associated British Foods. Jana’s husband, Antoine, is a former banker and currently runs their vineyard.
Kidd, Jemma: Kidd is a British makeup artist, fashion model, and aristocrat. Married to Arthur Wellesley, Earl of Mornington, the son of the Duke and Duchess of Wellington, making her a Countess. Kidd is an interesting figure with elite connections. From 2005-2012, Ghislaine Maxwell served as Director of Jemma Kidd Make-Up Limited, a U.K. makeup company, which was founded by Kidd. Not only did Ghislaine serve as Director, but she was also a shareholder, along with the Rothschild family (source: https://nationalpost.com/news/world/in-hiding-for-years-epstein-accomplice-ghislaine-maxwell-spotted-in-l-a-burger-shop). If you click around the PDFs on this website (https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/05340072/filing-history), you can see everything. The 16 JUN 2006 PDF on page 3 shows you a list of Officers and shareholders of the company. Jemma Kidd has also attended charity events for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) (https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-beckham-nspcc-party-jemma-kidd-106882170.html). Her sister, Jodie, is also a huge supportefundraiser of the NSPCC, as well as the Help a London Child and Monsoon Accessorize Trust charities, both of which help out disadvantaged children (source: https://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/jodie-kidd).
King, Abby: No info found.
Kirwin Taylor, Charlie & Helen: Charles is an investment banker. He was former CEO of Credit Suisse in Switzerland, an investment firm which shows up a few times through Epstein’s contacts. His wife, Helen, is a journalist.
Kirwin Taylor, Peter: British financier. Was a member of the Pilgrims Society (https://isgp-studies.com/pilgrims-society-membership-list), a group that has included the Rothschilds, Rockefellers, and other elites amongst its ranks.
Kissinger, Dr. Henry A: Former U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under Nixon. Kissinger has long been accused of committing war crimes (ex: carpet bombing Cambodia, installing fascist governments in Chile and Argentina, genocide, extending our stay in Vietnam, etc) yet somehow managed to win a Nobel Peace Prize in 1973. Kissinger once said, “Military men are dumb, stupid animals to be used as pawns for foreign policy.” Kissinger served with Epstein on the Trilateral Commission. Kissinger has also been a member of the Bilderberg Group, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Aspen Institute, and Bohemian Grove. Long thought to be an advocate for a globalist New World Order, Kissinger is a scumbag of the highest order. His connections with Gates, the Clintons, Bush Sr. and Jr., the Rockefellers, and the Rothschilds are well-documented. If anyone here has ever done any research regarding the NWO, you have undoubtedly seen Kissinger’s name several times.
Klee, Rupert & Charlotte de: Rupert is a Director with Oakridge Group, a property development and investment company. His wife, Charlotte, is the producer of the religious plays at Wintershall.
Klesch, Johnathan: Former Director of Klesch Trading, which specializes in industrial commodities. It has offices in Russia, Malta, Surrey, and in London, down the block from Buckingham Palace.
Koch, David: Co-founder of Koch Industries, a diversified manufacturing conglomerate. Koch Industries has stolen oil from Indian reservations, committed hundreds of polluting, labor, and workplace safety violations. When he ran on the Libertarian ticket as the vice presidential nominee in 1980, Koch aimed to abolish Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, welfare benefits, and minimum wage. Koch and Epstein were friends. Epstein even attended a party at Koch’s Southampton home (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7270735/Jeffrey-Epstein-Trumps-closest-advisers-Wilbur-Ross-Rudy-Giuliani-Steve-Mnunchin.html). Koch has also been photographed with Ghislaine Maxwell (https://www.reddit.com/KochWatch/comments/dcjth3/david_koch_ghislaine_maxwell_getty_images/). Thankfully, Koch died last year.
Kohl, Astrid: A businesswoman involved in pharmaceuticals. Married to Prince Alexander of Liechtenstein. Daughter-in-law of Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein. Niece of former German Chancellor, Helmut Kohl.
Kotic, Boby: CEO of Activision Blizzard, a video game holding company. Used to run several electronic companies. From 2003-2008, he was a director at Yahoo! In 2012, he became a non-executive director of Coca-Cola.
Kotze, Alex Von: British businessman involved in the tech industry.
Kravetz, Anna: Not much info found. Has a degree in finance from Wharton School and used to live on Park Avenue in NYC.
Krooth, Caryn: A successful real estate agent based out of Los Angeles
Kudrow, Alistar: No info found.
Lal, Dalamal: Director of Akron Corp. & Akron (Nig.) Ltd., a food and beverage import company based out of Nigeria.
Lalaunis, Demetra: Daughter of Ilias Lalaounis, a pioneer in Greek jewelry and a world renowned goldsmith.
Lambert, Christopher: Well-known actor.
Lambert, David: Former partner, managing director, and VP at Goldman Sachs.
Lambert, Edward: Lampert is a billionaire hedge fund manager and former CEO of Sears. Lampert graduated from Yale University in 1984 where he was a member of Skull and Bones. Rumored pedophile David Geffen gave Lampert $200 million to invest in 1992, when Lampert was just 29 years old. Lampert made Geffen $1 billion.
Lambos Duff & John: Karen “Duff” Duffy is an actress, model, and TV personality. She has had memorable roles as the love interest in “Blank Check” and as JP Shay in “Dumb and Dumber.” Duffy has battled with sarcoidosis, a deadly central nervous system disease, since the mid-’90s. She credits Harvey Weinstein with saving her life (https://nypost.com/2000/10/03/coping-with-class-this-model-patient-suffers-in-style/). John is a former banker with Morgan Stanley and current President of GCA-US, an investment banking company.
Lang, Caroline: An art expert and Chairman at Sotheby’s Switzerland.
Lange, Dieter: Former Partner at WilliamHare, an international law firm with offices in London, Berlin, the U.S., Beijing, and Brussels. Passed away in 2010.
Larsen Janet: The only one I can find is a Business Psychologist based out of London.
Laurie, Jonathan: Founder and CEO of Cheyne Capital Management, an alternate investment fund firm.
Lavlada, Laura D.B. de: Laura Diez Barroso is a Mexican businesswoman. She sold her stock in Televisa for $726 million in 1993. Since then, she has been the head of several other companies.
Lawford Christopher & Jean: Christopher was an actor and relative of the Kennedys. His uncles were JFK, RFK, and Ted Kennedy. Many of his relatives appear in Epstein’s ‘Black Book’. His first wife, Jeannie, was an ad-sales associate for New York Magazine.
Lawton Paul: Two British businessmen with the same name come up. Both have extensive resumes. Could be either one.
Lazar, Christopher & Marie: Christophe seems to be a realtor in Paris, but I am not completely sure.
Le Bon, Simon & Jasmine: Simon is the lead singer of Duran Duran. His wife, Yasmin, is/was a fashion model. Yasmin is represented by Models1 in London. Models1 also represents Epstein and Ghislaine’s friend, Naomi Campbell. Le Bon has been accused of sexual assault in the past (https://www.freep.com/story/news/2018/07/12/simon-le-bons-accuser-sex-assault-claim-speaks-out-awful/777106002/).
Le Fur, Jean-Yves: French businessman and magazine creator. He was once Princess Stephanie of Monaco’s ex-fiance. More notably, Le Fur was the one who discovered supermodel Karen Mulder (his girlfriend at the time) on the floor after she attempted suciide. Mulder blew the lid off the rampant rape and sexual abuse that she and her modeling colleagues had suffered at the hands of businessmen, royalty, celebrities, and government officials. She was even the protege of Epstein collaborator (allegedly), Jean Luc Brunel (https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article238351108.html).
Le Marg Willie: No info found.
Lea, Piers: CEO of Learning Technologies Group, a workplace digital learning company.
Leeds, Jeffrey: Co-founder and Managing Partner of Leeds Equity. One of Leeds Equity’s partner companies is Endeavor Schools, which runs private preschools, primary schools, and secondary schools in Florida and 11 other states (https://www.leedsequity.com/news/articles/leeds-equity-partners-completes-investment-in-endeavor-schools). They are also partners with Fusion Educational Group (now Fusion Academy), which runs a chain of private secondary schools (https://www.leedsequity.com/news/articles/leeds-equity-partners-completes-investment-in-fusion-education-group). Former teacher Kris White, now the head of Fusion Academy in Palo Alto, allegedly told a student that he was in love with her and wrote her a note saying he was “obsessed” with her. (https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/07/12/teachers-named-in-presentation-high-sex-investigation-kept-working-as-bay-area-educators-for-years/). This story was just published on July 12, 2020. Hypothetically, if one wanted to procure underage children, it would certainly help if the head of the school was on board and possibly a pedophile himself. According to this former teacher at Fusion Academy, “many students struggle with learning differences, behavioral issues, and/or addictions” (https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-Fusion-Academy-RVW21260629.htm). In other words, the downtrodden and vulnerable. Fusion Academy refers to itself as a non-traditional school that focuses on individual students. Seems like a great opportunity. Leeds was also good friends with Epstein (https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/n_7912/) and has close ties to Colin Powell and Rudy Giuliani (https://nypost.com/2016/09/14/colin-powell-wont-vote-for-her-because-of-bill-clinton/).
Lefcourt, Jerry: Famous lawyer who defended Epstein in 2007. That same year, Epstein donated $250,000 to the Washington-based Foundation for Criminal Justice, where Lefcourt was a board member.
Lester, Dominick: Founder and owner of MortgageFlex Systems, a mortgage lending company.
Levine, Phillip: Ex-Miami Beach mayor and close friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton. He claims that he doesn’t know how Epstein got his contact information… all 13 phone numbers, including those of his driver and housekeepers (https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/ex-miami-beach-mayor-philip-levine-listed-13-times-in-jeffrey-epsteins-black-book-11242116)!
Liman, Doug: Popular Hollywood director and producer. He directed Swingers, The Bourne Identity, and a couple of Tom Cruise movies.
Lindeman-Barnet, Sloan & Roger: Sloan has been a New York Times bestseller and an on-air and print reporter for NBC, ABC, and Reuters. Sloan and Roger also sit on the board of the Spence School in New York City, a private K-12 all-girls school (https://www.spenceschool.org/2017---news-detail?pk=999120). Her husband, Roger, is the founder of beauty.com and Chairman and CEO of Shaklee, a highly successful nutrition company. Donald Trump, Melania Trump, and Ghislaine Maxwell all attended the publication party for Sloan’s book in 2008 (https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/ghislaine-maxwell-anton-katz-and-robin-katz-attend-sloan-news-photo/619921016 ; https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/donald-trump-melania-trump-sloan-barnett-and-roger-barnett-news-photo/619921180).Other guests included Steve Mnuchin, Epstein and Maxwell chum Carol Mack, and a bunch of others also featured in Epstein’s ‘Black Book’ (Colin Cowie, Anton and Robin Katz, and Vittorio Assaf).
Lindemann, Adam & Elizabeth: Adam is a billionaire investor and art gallery owner. Brother of Sloan (mentioned just above). Elizabeth is his ex-wife. She is often photographed with many other people mentioned in Epstein’s ‘Black Book.’
Lindemann, George(Sr.) & Freida: Now-deceased billionaire father of Sloan and Adam. George was the CEO and Chairman of Southern Union, a pipeline company and served as Vice President of the Metropolitan Opera Association of NYC. His wife, Frayda, is the President and CEO of the Metropolitan Opera.
Lindsay, Alex & Jaclyn: Alex is a war documentary maker who rents out his loft at the address Epstein has listed (https://www.independent.co.uk/property/house-and-home/property/spheres-of-influence-72014.html).
Lindsey, Ludovic: Racecar driver.
Lindsley, Blake: Actress who was in two movies directed by Doug Liman (also in Epstein’s book) - “Swingers” and “Getting In.”
Linley, David: Princess Margaret’s son, Queen Elizabeth II’s nephew, and first cousin of Prince Charles and Prince Andrew. Linley is a furniture maker and the 2nd Earl of Snowdon. He used to be the Chairman of Christie’s auction house in the UK.
Liogos, Babis: No info found, but one of the numbers traces back to Thylan Associates, a real estate and investment firm.
Lister, Paul: Likely the director of legal services and company secretary for Associated British Foods, or it could be a conservationist. Not sure which.
Livanos, Arriette: I believe this Arietta Livanos, wife of Greek shipping magnate, Stavros Livanos. Arietta passed away in 1986.
Lo Cascio, Robert: Founder and CEO of LivePerson, a tech company that develops conversational commerce. LoCascio was photographed with Ghislaine at an after party in 2012 (https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/ghislaine-maxwell-and-robert-locascio-attend-osklen-spring-news-photo/1169681572).
Loeb, Alex: Alexandra is the daughter of John Loeb, former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark under Reagan and former Delegate to the United Nations. John Loeb was also a special advisor to Nelson Rockefeller. Alexandra is also a descendant of the Lehman family (Lehman Brothers). Alexandra graduated from Spence Day School for Girls (mentioned earlier under Sloan and Roger Lindemann-Barnett).
Lonsdale, Richard: British investment banker.
Lorenzoti, Eva Vivre: Founder of luxury online retailer, Vivre.com and is a TV spokesperson/personality. Good friend of Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell and a couple of Rockefellers were guests at her house for a dinner party in 2010 (https://hauteliving.com/2010/11/doris-world-eva-lorenzottis-dinner-party/105102/).
Lorimer, John & Lottie: John works as a private investor and as a realtor. His wife, Lottie, is an interior designer.
Louthan Guy J: Prolific British film producer and former boyfriend of actress Liz Hurley (also in Epstein’s book).
Love, Courtney: Famous drug addict, musician, and actress who likely killed her husband, Kurt Cobain. Courtney famously claimed that Prince Andrew showed up to her house late one night in 2000 looking for sex. She has since retracted this claim. The entries under Love’s name all say ‘Dana’ next to them. This is Courtney’s ex-boyfriend, Dana Giacchetto. Giacchetto was considered to be the “stockbroker to the stars” and was friends with JFK Jr, Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp, and many others. He ripped his clients off of millions. Even more telling, Giacchetto was involved in a sex abuse case against X-Men director Bryan Singer (https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/news/leonardo-dicaprios-convicted-ex-money-manager-denies-bryan-050000120.html). He died in 2016 after he partied too hard and overdosed (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dana-giacchetto-dead-stockbroker-stars-902383).
Lowell, Ivana: Guinness heiress who wrote about Harvey Weinstein’s sexual abuse while she worked at Miramax in her book back in 2010 (https://www.irishcentral.com/culture/entertainment/guinness-heiress-spoke-out-about-predator-harvey-weinstein-7-years-ago). She also dated Harvey’s younger brother, Bob.
Loyd Mark: No info found.
Lucas, Colin: The godfather of Boris Johnson, England’s current Prime Minister. Lucas is a British historian and university administrator. Served as Vice Chancellor of Oxford University from 1997-2004.

No good movie is too long and no bad movie is short enough.
-Roger Ebert
The length of TLJ was the most common criticism by far, with 50% of RT Top Critic's citing it as a problem. Thus, this is the longest entry of this series, and possibly the last, unless I do a smaller part on niche issues. Previous parts cover Humor and Canto Bight.

The movie is overstuffed with plot, and by the time the visually intoxicating and eye-popping last showdown happens, it feels like a set piece that should have been saved for the next film. At a whopping two hours and 32 minutes, “The Last Jedi” overstays its welcome just a tad.

Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service - Fresh

Writer-director Rian Johnson steps into the franchise fray and does a creditable, if uninspired, job. At about 2-1/2 hours, it’s a long sit.

Peter Rainer,Christian Science Monitor - Fresh

Rian Johnson delivers a film that’s a bit too long at 2½ hours

Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Fresh

Does the movie, like its predecessor, rely on familiar tropes a bit more than it should? Yes, I think it does. Is it, at a solid two-and-a-half hours, considerably longer than it needed to be? Yes, that too.

Christopher Orr, The Atlantic - Fresh

It’s simply too long at two hours and 36 minutes – and sometimes too damn much. The screen is so crowded with character and incident that you might need a scorecard to keep up.

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone - Fresh

The problem is that the narrative threads connecting them are lazily knitted and sometimes tangled or broken. The overall plot is underwhelming and there’s far too much padding, especially during the first hour. There’s a sense that Johnson is giving busy-work to certain characters while others are catching up. The Last Jedi is a great 105-minute movie stretched too thin.

James Berardinelli, ReelViews - Fresh

The midsection sags and, other than the heroes’ desperate attempts to survive, there’s no central story line to pull the various satellites of action in its wake. Some of the characters, like Captain Phasma, get frustratingly little screen time.You feel the 2½-hour length at points.

Ty Burr, Boston Globe - Fresh

The movie, though - at 152 minutes, easily the lengthiest in the series - drags in the middle, particularly when Rose and Finn go off on a complicated mission to disable an enemy tracking device. The subplot not only goes nowhere, it takes forever to do so, and makes me wonder if this new trilogy is going to have the same problem as the prequels - material for two terrific films stretched out over three.

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger - Fresh

The film’s paunchy middle section includes a trip to a casino that might better have ended up on the cutting-room floor. The unnecessary padding accounts for the 152-minute running time, a franchise record, which will test the patience (and bladders) of even the most devoted followers.

Peter Howell, Toronto Star - Fresh

Nor is its frankly excessive 152-minute running time. There is no excuse for a long, inessential stampede of runaway space horses that has zero value beyond the sheer "Ben-Hur" spectacle of the thing.

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune - Fresh

Johnson's many additions become too much of a good thing and The Last Jedi grows crowded, busy and long. Johnson's dialogue is flat and sounds stilted in the mouths of his younger actors, while their comic delivery can be so offhand that it dismisses the jokes.

Kate Taylor, Globe and Mail - Rotten

The film simply drags too much in the middle. Somewhere in the film’s 152-minute running time is an amazing 90-minute movie.

Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly - Fresh

Johnson at times overreaches trying to balance these separate storylines and myriad of characters into one cohesive unit. Lupita Nyong’o has nothing to do in her glorified cameo appearance, while the Del Toro section fails to reach its potential. The result is a bloated running time of about 2 ½ hours — that includes about seven different points in which I was sure the movie was going to end only to see it continue to plow ahead. You always want your Star Wars films to move at light speed, not drag in the middle.

Mara Reinstein, Us Weekly - Fresh

At other points in the 152-minute film, time should have been compressed, and wasn’t. The storytelling bogs down in a middle section having to do with finding a code-cracker who can gain access to an enemy destroyer. (A dubious character played by Benicio Del Toro isn’t sufficiently amusing.) Kylo’s inner conflicts, while central to the plot, leave him looking awfully mopey for long periods of time as he struggles to resolve them.

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal - Fresh

With a running time of two and a half hours, “The Last Jedi” drags a bit in the second act. Ridley and Hamill are great together, but the Reluctant Jedi act plays on for at least one scene too many.

Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times - Fresh

Johnson’s effort is ultimately a disappointment. If anything, it demonstrates just how effective supervising producer Kathleen Kennedy and the forces that oversee this now Disney-owned property are at molding their individual directors’ visions into supporting a unified corporate aesthetic — a process that chewed up and spat out helmers such as Colin Trevorrow, Gareth Edwards, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. But Johnson was either strong enough or weak enough to adapt to such pressures, and the result is the longest and least essential chapter in the series.

Peter Debruge, Variety - Fresh

Unfortunately, The Last Jedi has almost as much Attack of the Clones as it does The Empire Strikes Back in that it’s overlong, under-edited and has at least one particularly long-winded CGI flurry of a sequence that harkens back to the darkest days of the franchise. There’s no whining about sand getting everywhere and the acting is really strong across the board (Hamill is particularly great back in Jedi robes, ham and all) but The Last Jedi could definitely have used a second editorial pass.

Matt Oakes, Silver Screen Riot - Fresh

At 2 1/2 hours, Star Wars: The Last Jedi could have been tightened-up in the editing room, cutting out that bloated middle section and removing things like Maz Kanata’s cameo and the cute slave kids which feel like they dropped in from a totally different movie. When it works, it really works but when it doesn’t, it feels like bad fan-fiction with a million dollar budget.

Niall Browne, Movies in Focus - Fresh

I can only wonder what The Last Jedi might have been with Finn and Poe taking a backseat (like how the latter was absent for three-quarters of The Force Awakens) so thirty minutes could be cut and the “important” stuff made tighter. Because there is a great film within what’s ultimately a good one.

Jared Mobarak, BuffaloVibe - Fresh

Whereas the first half is a sort of a convoluted mess just for the sake to pad out the runtime especially with an inconsistent tone, "The Last Jedi" becomes a dark and exciting sequel that becomes the film you've been looking for by the 75-minute mark.

Rendy Jones, Rendy Reviews, Fresh

the film is probably 10-15 minutes too long. Yes, Snoke (Andy Serkis) was not given near enough explanation and Phasma (Gwendoline Christie) was wasted.

Robert Daniels, 812filmreviews - Fresh

It's a two-and-a-half hour movie. It needs to be good in its own right, not just setting up for the next episode.

Tony Baker, Tony Baker Comedy - Rotten

Johnson ends up biting off more than he can chew. He's juggling too many storylines, and takes too long to move the narrative forward. Fatigue sets in about three-quarters of the way in. He doesn't heed the lesson of the chapter “Jedi” often resembles, “The Empire Strikes Back.” That film, still the best “Star Wars.,” ended with a whopper of a cliffhanger. Johnson resists the urge to leave most of his strands unresolved, and as a result his film begins to feel unwieldy when it should be picking up momentum. At two and a half hours, it could have used a trim of at least 15 minutes.

Ruben Rosario, MiamiArtZine - Fresh

but there are problems with the first half of "The Last Jedi." After an exciting initial space battle, to say that the mid-section of the movie drags would be an understatement. First, both prominent new characters Rose and DJ seemed shoe-horned in, and Rose especially doesn't seem to have a real place in this film nor does she add anything to be hopeful about in the future. And while both Rey and Poe fans will probably be pleased with where their characters go, Finn sort of takes a step back, as he is sent off on a side adventure that seems like second-tier Star Wars. It's a diversion that takes up a good portion of the film and really serves no purpose to the overall story...worse yet, it seems to contain some heavy-handed political messages not commonly found, at least not this blatantly, in the Star Wars universe. These are more than just quibbles too: Most fans will not be used to the slow, lumbering pace or the general unevenness of this film...especially coming on the heels of the action-packed pacing that JJ Abrams brought in Episode VII.

Tom Santilli, AXS.com - Fresh

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is also, at two hours and thirty-two minutes, the longest of the nine movies thus far, and deep into the second hour it can feel a little draining. There’s some stuff that feels extraneous (the whole Canto Bight sequence, which seems to exist to set up a new Lando-like character played by Benicio del Toro), and the cycle of attack and retreat — mostly retreat — gets a bit monotonous.

Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com - Fresh

At times it burns a tad too slow: two-thirds through its jam-packed 152 minutes, I felt the need for a 7th-inning stretch.

Michael Sragow, Film Comment Magazine - Fresh

Aunque este clímax habría funcionado bien como final, “The Last Jedi” no termina (desafortunadamente) después de esto. Es seguido por otros 40 minutos, con baches, en los que los héroes se reúnen y tienen que pelear una batalla final. Sin embargo, la película pierde un poco de su trazabilidad aquí, cuando los personajes, las fuerzas y las explosiones siempre aparecen exactamente donde se necesitan para la trama.

Ruben Peralta Rigaud, Cocalecas - Fresh

The movie’s main failing is that it tries to stuff too much plot into its over-long 2 hour and 30 minute run time. The result is an ending that feels endless and anti-climactic while several elements that could have been gob-smacking feel rushed and underdeveloped. It particularly does a disservice to Kylo Ren, as we’re never quite sure what his motivation is.

Megan Basham, WORLD - Fresh

I both loved it and strongly disliked it at the same time. I feel like there's a really great movie in there, all the pieces are there, everything is brilliant, but then there's a lot of extra fat that needed to be trimmed off or rearranged or omitted completely.

Steph Cozza, Aggressive Comix - Fresh

At two-and-a-half hours, with about nine separate cliffhanger endings, it’s a bit long

Bill O'Driscoll, Pittsburgh City Paper - Fresh

If you can accept the excess, the weird humour, the entirely inessential subplot, and the fact that it could stand to end a scene earlier, then the series will continue to thrive in a galaxy far, far away.

Alex Doenau, Trespass - Fresh

The script is flabby; every scene has purpose, but certain aspects feel overlong and jarring. Just like Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, it also suffers several endings too many.

Owen Richards, The Arts Desk - Fresh

At two and a half hours, this is the longest Star Wars picture to date, and I wondered if they’d tried to pack too much in.

Molly Laich, Missoula Independent - Fresh

I’m saying some of this movie seems a little half baked, and also overstuffed. If there’s any kind of movie I want to be over two and a half hours long, it’s a Star Wars movie. But, at that length, it needs to be a really good Star Wars movie, not a so-so one. The Last Jedi is so-so.

Bob Grimm, Reno News and Review - Fresh

The Last Jedi has a few good ideas but these are utterly lost amidst an over-long and utterly unsatisfying overall plot. Replete with poor dialogue, irritating tonal shifts and superfluous scenes, The Last Jedi adds very little to the saga except an overwhelming sense of disappointment not felt since the release of The Phantom Menace.

Richard Dove, International Business Times - Rotten

It is more than 150 minutes long. It has too many plot twists and too much fighting and too many characters.

Mark R. Leeper, Mark Leeper's Reviews - Fresh

Many have complained or commented on the length of The Last Jedi. It did start to feel long towards the end, yet I don’t think it was due to the actual time stamp of the film. Instead, I believe it is because of the drawn out plots within the film itself. Many parts of the story are over showcased destroying the strength and believably in the plot.

Stephanie Archer, Film Inquiry - Fresh

This film did not need to be 152 minutes and should have been closer to the 120 minute standard established by the earlier films. I hope one day we’ll see a fan cut that is actually closer to two hours.

Chris Gore, Film Threat - Fresh

The Last Jedi is still overstuffed, slightly too long, reliant on some vaguely-defined powers, and mostly consists of an endless chase towards a shifting MacGuffin.

Vincent Mancini, FilmDrunk - Fresh

The Last Jedi is 50 fucking minutes too long, and the most excruciatingly boring movie that has ever been released in this franchise. And this is a franchise that once opened up a movie by talking about controversial tax legislation.

Tim Brayton, Alternate Ending - Rotten

The Last Jedi has some issues. Pacing is the biggest one. This is the longest Star Wars film so far, and it feels like it. Johnson does his best to hustle from one location to the next, but the narrative has a tendency from time to time to drag.

Chris Evangelista, Slashfilm - Fresh

While Luke leads the Force thread, the battle between good and evil, the rest feels a bit standard issue action film lurching through one, or two, too many cycles of near peril. This is in part down to writer-director Rian Johnson and also down to patchy leads.

Aine O'Connor, Sunday Independent (Ireland) - Fresh

Writedirector Rian Johnson’s movie is underwhelming. Where it falters is a story that borrows heavily from others in the franchise like The Empire Strikes Back. That I can live with, but I can’t live with unnecessary length. This is an overdone 2 1/2 hour movie that would have been a terrific 90-minute extravaganza.
The first hour drags. The predictable second hour is just as tedious in more spots than not before Johnson finally moves you to the even more predictable slam bang action of the last half-hour.

Gary Wolcott, Tri-City Herald - Fresh

At 152 minutes, The Last Jedi is the longest of the nine Star Wars films to date — it’s also the only one where the length is felt. While all the scenes involving younglings should have been deep-sixed, the rest of the fatty tissue can be forgiven, since it simply meant Johnson wanted to make sure fans were saturated and satisfied. Yet there aren’t many vignettes that couldn’t have benefited from a judicious trim here or there.

Matt Brunson, Creative Loafing(Charlotte) - Fresh

At 2 hours and 32 minutes, the longest ever in the series, there are lots of highlights and probably a few too many endings

Pete Hammond, Deadline Hollywood Daily - Fresh

Despite the Rey-Luke drama, the first half of The Last Jedi is its most lumbering and uneven, never really clicking as it rambles through its multiple plotlines in a manner that feels simultaneously rushed and overlong.

James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk - Fresh

However, there are moments towards the end of the film that feel as though they are just a tad unnecessary, that the race to the finale is going on just a little too long.

Irene Falvey, Film Ireland Magazine - Fresh

So what's necessary to know about the 40th anniversary "Star Wars" is that, at two and a half hours, it's at least a half-hour too long (maybe 45 minutes) and it's overfull of the usual digital battle sequences which so many of us have come to consider a wee bit old hat in the decades since "Star Wars" introduced us to a new thing back in 1977.

Jeff Simon, Buffalo News - Fresh

Johnson has sorted all of this material into an elaborate roundelay that feels endless (the movie is way too long at two and a half hours). Surely sections of the film could have been trimmed—maybe the Laura Dern scenes, which cry out for compression, or the training sequences with Luke and Rey (in which he says things like "Reach out with your feelings").

Kurt Loder, Reason Online - Fresh

The film is long, however, and begins to feel more than a little labored by the time the various epic showdowns finally take place.

Piers Marchant, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - Rotten

A lot of “The Last Jedi” is engrossing and emotional—but there’s also the long runtime, uneven pacing, and slightly underdeveloped characters to deal with. “The Last Jedi” is often exceptional, but its desire to do too many things, tell too many stories, and continue expanding its own cast and narrative makes the film fundamentally imbalanced.

Roxana Hadadi, Chesapeake Family Magazine - Fresh

There is a great deal going on in The Last Jedi and the way it splits off the main characters into separate but intertwined stories makes for a long, over-plotted film that even starts to drag a little in the middle.

Allan Hunter, Daily Express (UK) - Fresh

A few of the goofier comic moments fail to land and true to the legacy of Lucas there’s a fair amount of eye-wincing dialogue. More importantly, the second act bows under the weight of too many narrative strands; Finn’s away mission comes off as a bit superfluous, as does Laura Dern’s Vice Admiral Holdo, and both Rose and the beloved Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) are sadly underwritten. In a trade-off that brings scope and complexity, Johnson has sacrificed narrative efficiency.

Christopher Machell, CineVue - Fresh

If “The Last Jedi” has a main flaw it’s that it’s too long at just over two-and-a-half hours. When the film is cross-cutting between the escape of the Resistance and the showdown with Snoke, one might assume this was the climax of the film. In fact, there’s much more to come.

Daniel M. Kimmel, New England Movies Weekly - Fresh

At 152 minutes, "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" is too long, and could have been trimmed by at least 10-15 minutes.

David Kaplan, Kaplan vs. Kaplan - Fresh

Despite being overlong and drenched in déjà vu (replete with conversations about one’s parents, whether or not one will ‘turn’, whether one is the last hope or the new hope, etcetera etcetera) I appreciated a lot of The Last Jedi, in the same way I appreciate re-reading a decent book – respecting the structure and craft of it, and feeling no sense of surprise.

Luke Buckmaster, The Daily Review/Crikey - Rotten

At 152 minutes, “The Last Jedi” is probably 20 minutes too long yet never fails to entertain.

Maria Sciullo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Fresh

If some of these detours drag on a bit, hampering momentum and bulking up The Last Jedi’s not-entirely-necessary two-hour-and 32-minute runtime, well, at least the various locales are fun to look at.

Rebecca Pahle, Film Journal International - Fresh

a running time of 152 or so minutes that easily could have been tightened down quite a bit

Jim Judy, Screen It! - Fresh

While many complained – justifiably – that the previous entry, The Force Awakens, was nothing but a remake of 1977’s A New Hope, the same sort of narrative déjà vu is at play here, to a certain degree. Equally troublesome is Jedi’s bloated running time. Clocking in at 2 ½ hours, the movie seems longer than it actually is due to the fact we’re going over well-covered narrative territory.

Charles Koplinski, Illinois Times - Rotten

It’s too long by a good 30 minutes, feels like two films mashed together, has about five endings and it seems to be taking cues from the George R. R. Martin school of right-angled plot twists.

Patrick Kolan, Shotgun Cinema - Fresh

Overly long and consistently clunky, The Last Jedi ultimately proves a bit of a mixed bag. Too often the dialogue is exposition heavy and played for easy laughs.

Tom Glasson, Concrete Playground - Fresh

The Last Jedi is overlong, heavy-handed and fun if mostly uninspired.

James Verniere, Boston Herald - Fresh

At 151 minutes, the film is overlong and repetition sets in, not just for this film but for the series in general

Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews - Fresh

The Last Jedi is the party that never wants to end. It keeps going and going – and going – until there is no corner of the house left to decorate. It pushes all the buttons. It is constantly in competition with itself (it comes with two huge ending sequences). It is also baggy in places, and that’s not something I’d expected.

Chris Wasser, The Herald (Ireland) - Fresh

At the same time, it does take a while for “Last Jedi” to get up to speed. Some of the humor feels a little distracting and the lengthy final product suggests a tighter execution might have felt more resonant.

Josh Terry, Deseret News (Salt Lake City) - Fresh

Or maybe it's just a case of "The Last Jedi" itself overstaying its welcome with a running time topping two and a half hours.

Greg Maki, Star-Democrat (Easton, MD) - Fresh

This is the longest Star Wars movie yet, clocking in at 150 minutes, and it has at least one ending too many, and a middle that sags a bit.

Rain Jokinen, MullingMovies.com - Fresh

We’ve seen this story before. Sure, “stuff” happens over the film’s 157-minutes but our main characters remain pretty much in the same place. You’d swear time stands still.

Dana Barbuto, The Patriot Ledger - Fresh

“The Last Jedi” is the longest of the “Star Wars” efforts (152 minutes) and feels it

Brian Orndorf, Blu-ray.com - Fresh

At 152 minutes, it’s also way too damn long. And Rian Johnson should not have been allowed to write and direct. The script is a problem — it has only two really great “moments” which isn’t enough for 152 minutes. But it also doesn’t feel quite right — the language, the iconography, the weirdly campy humor at the beginning — it doesn’t feel a part of the Star Wars universe.

Ray Greene, CineGods.com - Rotten

But the character moments and the explorations of moral ambiguity aren’t quite compelling enough to compensate for the slow pacing in the middle (one thing a Star Wars movie should never be is dull), and it takes too long to get to the most rousing action sequences.

Josh Bell, Las Vegas Weekly - Fresh

I don’t want to be too generous. I would cut 15 minutes out. There are editing choices that leave the film feeling choppy when it should feel smooth.

David Poland, Movie City News - Fresh

In truth, it takes a very long time to get from the film’s exhilarating start to that moving sign-off. Stars Wars: The Last Jedi lasts fully two-and-a-half hours, and there were moments towards the end when I felt like one of those poor Cubans listening to Fidel Castro at the height of his oratorical vigour: just as you’re planning your route to the exit, it lurches into yet another new lease of life.

Brian Viner, Daily Mail (UK) - Fresh

Editor Bob Ducsay moves the individual sequences along with dispatch; it isn’t his fault that at two-and-a-half hours the movie overstays its welcome. That’s the fault of Johnson’s decision to pile climax upon climax as if they were on sale at Screenplays-R-Us, apparently unwilling to jettison any of the ideas he’s had for propelling the story forward.

Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion - Fresh

Which leads into another problem I mentioned briefly earlier -- the pacing. Watching the first hour, I had the uncomfortable sense that maybe it needed trimming by about ten minutes or so, and that Rey's and Luke's story kept stalling and going in circles for a while. Then, the pacing in the last hour is so spot-on, it confirms all of those earlier feelings. Adding to the problem is the choice of starting point for the film. I realize kicking off with a more action-driven sequence has benefits, but it felt disorienting since we remember how the last film ended and probably want to pick up that thread first. It was an easy call, I feel, and the film's choice merely confirms my own sense that there was a better option.

Mark Hughes, Forbes - Fresh

The 2 hr and 30-minute runtime really hurt the film. I feel like there are just certain spots throughout the film where it just drags. It hard to pinpoint exactly when and where they occur on just one viewing but I was definitely bored at times.

Scott Menzel, We Live Entertainment - Fresh

“The Last Jedi” suffers from “The Lord of the Rings” syndrome — it seems like it might never end. It also poaches scenes, ideas and moments from “Harry Potter,” “The Hunger Games” and “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

David Frese, Kansas City Star - Fresh

At 152 minutes, “The Last Jedi” runs long, with a bit too much time spent on Ahch-To. And Hamill — who shares the weathered, lion-like look of modern-day Robert Plant — turns in a true love-it-or-hate-it portrayal of an aged Skywalker.

Ross Raihala, St. Paul Pioneer Press - Fresh

At over two-and-a-half hours, the film had me reconsidering if I really needed a Finn v. Phasma fight, or a five-act structure. So consider the urgency. A wordsmith in his own right, Johnson seems to be dumbing himself down here for the sake of the brand. He manages to pose some of the most complex ideas on morality and war this franchise has ever attempted, but is forced to breeze through and cap them off with trite buzzwords.

Conor O'Donnell, The Film Stage - Fresh

The film is overlong at two and a half hours, and you may well catch yourself thinking “this could probably have been cut.”

Jonathan Hatfull, SciFiNow - Fresh

Yes, it’s probably half an hour too long. There is a whole section that feels out of kilter and harks back to the CGI naffness of the prequels — and is also virtually pointless to the plot.

Jamie East, The Sun (UK) - Fresh

The middle section loses its shape and is subject to longueurs.

Ian Freer, Empire Magazine - Fresh

The Last Jedi is the longest Star wars movie, and it does feel like it. The third act is a beating drum of moments that each seem like they could be a satisfying climax.

Susana Polo, Polygon - Fresh

Where the film falters is in its pacing. Even jumping between three storylines, there’s a lack of momentum at times as no one is really going anywhere. The Resistance fleet is crawling away from the First Order; Rey is in a stalemate with Luke on Ahch-To; and obviously things aren’t a breeze on Canto Bight. And yet the dramatic tension of the first two storylines hold up intact. The fleet storyline plays like the excellent Battlestar Galactica episode “33” and everything is Ahch-To is great because Johnson is doing some fascinating things with the character dynamics between Rey, Luke, and Kylo Ren. But the Canto Bight stuff is a bit of a drag, and then you feel it in final act of the film where, despite some amazing moments, you can’t shake the feeling that The Last Jedi is probably a bit too long even if it’s difficult to know what to cut.

Matt Goldberg, Collider - Fresh

There's a lot going on - too much. The film could have used a hard edit to lose about 20 minutes or more. Resistance ships explode and the fleet's fuel running low, but it doesn't keep us on the edges of our seats. Poe, Rey and Finn- the new heroes we're supposed to fall in love with - are uncharismatic and bland.

Julie Washington, Cleveland Plain Dealer - Fresh

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a long work of art that doesn't know when to quit

Scott Mendelson, Forbes - Fresh

If there's a problem, it's only that it's a little too long at two and a half hours (a first for the franchise), which might prove challenging for younger viewers. It turns out you can have too much of a good thing after all.

Matthew Turner, Hero Collector - Fresh

Tran is a rock-solid addition, but here, and elsewhere, one is reminded of the deftness of editing on both (yes, both) previous trilogies. Intercut sequences that moved swiftly in earlier films feel clumsy. Where once the passing of time was cannily implied yet compact on screen in, say, “Empire,” in “Last Jedi,” well ... you can fit a lot of movie into 152 minutes.

Joe Gross, Austin American-Statesman - Fresh

But The Last Jedi’s two-and-half-hour sprawl still includes an awful lot of clunky, derivative, and largely unnecessary incidents to wade through in order to get to its maverick last act. This is especially true when it comes to the plausibility-straining mission of stormtrooper turned Rebel Alliance fighter Finn and puckish series newcomer Rose Tico.

Sam C. Mac, Slant Magazine - Rotten

Some tighter editing would have relieved most of my mid-movie tension — as well as my bladder concerns as “The Last Jedi” stretches to an unnecessarily long 151 minutes. If not for that spectacular final act, it would be tempting to refer to it as “The Lasts and Lasts and Lasts Jedi.”

Christopher Lawrence, Las Vegas Review-Journal - Fresh

The Last Jedi is a whopping two-and-a-half hours, and it would have been much improved if an editor had taken a lightsaber to its less crucial sections.
To cut a long story short (and I wish Johnson had cut his own long story short): if you’re getting bored halfway through The Last Jedi, hang on in there. Just when you think it’s about to end, it really gets going.

Nicholas Barber, BBC.com - Fresh

For the first half of a punishingly long film, we repeatedly cut back to Star Wars Island where Rey is begging Luke to train her as a Jedi.

Donald Clarke Irish Times Rotten

There are times, however, when the wow factor and compelling character beats give way to the feeling that Johnson lost the run of himself with the film's duration, and that the longest adventure in Star Wars history really didn't need that distinction.

Harry Guerin, RTÉ (Ireland) - Fresh

Several characters remain underdeveloped, and appear as well dressed plot devices which contribute to an unevenness hard to justify in the 151 minutes running time.

Jon Lyus, HeyUGuys - Fresh

Even Johnson’s sense of fun and mischief can’t sustain the film for two-and-a-half hours; the warring gets boring. One scene is replayed three times with different interpretations but it’s hardly Rashomon and a movie this long can’t afford to dawdle. No one could mistake The Last Jedi for an outstanding contribution to cinema, or even to escapism, but it has its attractions.

Ryan Gilbey, New Statesman - Fresh
Indeed it does, Ryan. And that concludes part III. TL;DR:TLJ is TL.

By Ryan Dennet for directoryofslotc.som
​

Game review: The Angler

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Fishing themed video slots are among the most popular out there and my personal favorite, at land based and online casinos, because of the fun interactive bonus games that they offer. The Angler is no exception with its wonderfully innovative Time To Fish! bonus feature game, among its other features: Oyster Free Spins and Clingy Wilds.
The Angler Online Video Slot is set on a lake with misty mountains in the background. Otis stands on a pier to the left of the reels in his full fishing kit: fishing hooks in the hat, a fishing coat and boots, with a bait bucket in one hand and his fishing rod in the other. His boat floats behind the opaque online slot reels, with a quintessential lighthouse further back. The reels are held up by a system of pulleys and ropes, fitting in well with the theme of the online video slot. Look closely enough at the ropes on the sides and you’ll see the slot line numbers suspended between them. Clicking on any of them shows you the line in question, quite a neat little touch. But you didn’t think Otis would just stand around and watch the reels spin all day, did you? Not in a Betsoft online video slot, no way! On medium wins he’ll give you a hearty round of applause and on bigger wins he jumps up and exclaims “Yeah!” he sounds older than he looks, and on the biggest wins a dramatic steering wheel with ornamental fish on lines comes up, spinning this way and that, rocking to and fro, while counting up your casino cash winnings.
The standard icons come in the form of a J, Q, K and A. They’re very colorful but otherwise pretty standard. 3 or more of these on an active payline will trigger a win of between 3 and 75 coins. The higher paying icons are, from lowest to highest paying: an orange Goldfish, a green Blowfish, a blue Turtle, a Hammerhead Shark - but not a dangerous looking fellow, and, of course, Otis. With these you can expect wins between 20 and 350 coins...see more

Good morning traders and investors of the wallstreetbets sub! Happy Thursday to all! Here are your pre-market news this AM-

Today's Top Headlines for Thursday, April 18th, 2019

• Futures were lower this morning, signaling a possible end to three-week win streaks for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. The S&P is down 0.2% for the week, while the Nasdaq is up 0.2%. The Dow is slightly higher for the week but could lose that gain at the open. (CNBC) Blackstone (BX) shares surged 9.5% in pre-market trading after the investment firm announced it will become a corporation in July, shifting from its current status as a publicly-traded partnership. (CNBC)
• Pinterest (PINS) begins trading today on the New York Stock Exchange after its initial public offering (IPO) priced at $19 per share, valuing the company at $10 billion. That was above the initially projected range of $15 to $17 per share. (CNBC)
• Dow component Travelers (TRV) and Blackstone (BX) are among the companies reporting quarterly earnings this morning. Dow component American Express (AXP) and Intuitive Surgical (SRG) will report after today's closing bell. (CNBC)
• On the data front, the government will issue March housing starts at 8:30 a.m. ET, with consensus forecasts calling for a 4.1 percent increase to an annual rate of 1.21 million units. Housing starts had fallen 8.7 percent in February. (CNBC)
• Attorney General William Barr will discuss special counsel Robert Mueller's report today at a 9:30 a.m. ET press conference. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will accompany him, according to NBC News.
• The Mueller report is coming. Here's how we got here — and what's coming next (CNBC)
• CNBC has learned Pete Buttigieg's presidential run has drawn the support of more than two dozen top Democratic fundraisers, including people who bundled big-dollar donations for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
• Facebook (FB) said last night it may have "unintentionally uploaded" the email contacts of up to 1.5 million users on its site, without their permission or knowledge, when they signed up for new accounts since May 2016. (CNBC)
• Samsung's $1,980 Galaxy Fold phone is breaking for some users after a day or two of use. A review unit given to CNBC by Samsung is also completely unusable after just two days of use.
• Samsung shares tumble amid concerns its foldable phones are breaking (CNBC)
• Amazon (AMZN) is shutting down its domestic e-commerce marketplace business in China. It has faced stiff competition from Chinese e-commerce giants Alibaba and JD.com. It's also been less visible in terms of marketing. (CNBC)
• It may be entering its middle age, but there appears to be plenty of life left in Ford's (F) 55-year-old Mustang "pony car." Ford upped the power on iconic Mustang muscle car with new performance package at the New York auto show. (CNBC)
• Canopy Growth (CGC) is near a deal to buy rival cannabis producer Acreage Holdings, according to sources who spoke to CNBC. The transaction could be announced as early as today.
• Some 60 doctors, pharmacists and other licensed medical professionals in five states are being charged in connection with illegally prescribing more than 32 million pain pills, in some cases for sexual favors, federal prosecutors said. (CNBC)

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(CLICK HERE FOR THIS MORNING'S EARNINGS RELEASES!)

EARNINGS RELEASES AFTER THE CLOSE TODAY:

(CLICK HERE FOR THIS AFTERNOON'S EARNINGS RELEASES!)

YESTERDAY'S ANALYST UPGRADES/DOWNGRADES:

(CLICK HERE FOR YESTERDAY'S UPGRADES/DOWNGRADES LINK #1!)

(CLICK HERE FOR YESTERDAY'S UPGRADES/DOWNGRADES LINK #2!)

YESTERDAY'S INSIDER TRADING FILINGS:

(CLICK HERE FOR YESTERDAY'S INSIDER TRADING FILINGS!)

TODAY'S DIVIDEND CALENDAR:

(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S DIVIDEND CALENDAR LINK #1!)

(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S DIVIDEND CALENDAR LINK #2!)

THIS MORNING'S MOST ACTIVE TRENDING TICKERS:

• STNE
• AXP
• CGC
• BX
• AA
• TEAM
• SKX
• UNP
• HON
• WATT

THIS MORNING'S STOCK NEWS MOVERS:

(source: cnbc.com)

American Express — The financial services company earned an adjusted $2.01 per share for the first quarter, 2 cents a share above estimates. Revenue came in below Wall Street forecasts, however. American Express also reiterated its 2019 guidance.

STOCK SYMBOL: AXP

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Travelers — The insurance company reported adjusted quarterly profit of $2.83 per share, 9 cents a share above estimates. Revenue was slightly below forecasts. Travelers benefited from better underwriting results and lower catastrophe losses. The company also raised its dividend by 5 cents to 82 cents per share.

STOCK SYMBOL: TRV

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Honeywell — Honeywell earned $1.92 per share for the first quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.83 a share. Revenue beat estimates as well, with Honeywell seeing strong demand for its aerospace products. The company also raised its full-year forecast.

STOCK SYMBOL: HON

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Blackstone — The private-equity firm announced it would shift from a partnership to a corporate structure.

STOCK SYMBOL: BX

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Pinterest — Pinterest begins trading Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange after its initial public offering priced at $19 per share. That was above the initially projected range of $15 to $17 per share.

STOCK SYMBOL: PINS

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

BB&T, SunTrust — The two banks — which announced plans to merge earlier this year — both beat Wall Street estimates with their first quarter earnings.

STOCK SYMBOL: BBT

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

STOCK SYMBOL: STI

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Las Vegas Sands — Las Vegas Sands reported adjusted quarterly profit of 91 cents per share, beating estimates by 4 cents a share. The casino operator's revenue came in above forecasts as well. The company's results were helped by strong growth in Macau, the world's largest gambling market.

STOCK SYMBOL: LVS

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Canopy Growth — Canpoy Growth s near a deal to buy rival cannabis producer Acreage Holdings, according to sources who spoke to CNBC. The transaction could be announced as early as today.

STOCK SYMBOL: CGC

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

JPMorgan Chase — Chief Financial Officer Marianne Lake is leaving that job to lead the bank's consumer lending unit, while JPM's current card services CEO Jennifer Piepszak will step into the CFO role.

STOCK SYMBOL: JPM

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

TSMC — The company formerly known as Taiwan Semiconductor reported its biggest profit decline in more than seven years during the first quarter. The world's largest contract chipmaker earned just under $2 billion, nearly 32% less than a year earlier.

STOCK SYMBOL: TSM

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Facebook — Facebook said it may have "unintentionally uploaded" email contacts of 1.5 million new users since May 2016. Facebook said the contacts were not shared with anyone and are being deleted, and affected users are being notified.

STOCK SYMBOL: FB

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Tesla — Funds operated by T. Rowe Price slashed their holdings in Tesla during the first quarter, according to data from Refinitiv. The funds sold off 92% of their stock in the automaker during the quarter.

STOCK SYMBOL: TSLA

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Pier 1 Imports — Pier 1 reported a bigger-than-expected loss during its fiscal fourth quarter, as well as lower than expected revenue and a 13.7 percent decline in same-store sales. Additionally, Chief Financial Officer Nancy Walsh is leaving the home furnishings retailer after being in that job for less than a year.

STOCK SYMBOL: PIR

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

E*Trade Financial — E*Trade earned $1.09 per share for its latest quarter, beating the consensus estimate of 93 cents a share. The online brokerage also reported 135,000 new accounts during the quarter, a 41% jump in new account adds compared to the same quarter a year earlier.

STOCK SYMBOL: ETFC

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

DISCUSS!

What's on everyone's radar for today's trading day ahead here at wallstreetbets?

I hope you all have an excellent trading day ahead today on this Thursday, April 18th, 2019! :)

Good morning traders and investors of the stocks sub! Happy Thursday to all! Here are your pre-market news this AM-

Today's Top Headlines for Thursday, April 18th, 2019

• Futures were lower this morning, signaling a possible end to three-week win streaks for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. The S&P is down 0.2% for the week, while the Nasdaq is up 0.2%. The Dow is slightly higher for the week but could lose that gain at the open. (CNBC) Blackstone (BX) shares surged 9.5% in pre-market trading after the investment firm announced it will become a corporation in July, shifting from its current status as a publicly-traded partnership. (CNBC)
• Pinterest (PINS) begins trading today on the New York Stock Exchange after its initial public offering (IPO) priced at $19 per share, valuing the company at $10 billion. That was above the initially projected range of $15 to $17 per share. (CNBC)
• Dow component Travelers (TRV) and Blackstone (BX) are among the companies reporting quarterly earnings this morning. Dow component American Express (AXP) and Intuitive Surgical (SRG) will report after today's closing bell. (CNBC)
• On the data front, the government will issue March housing starts at 8:30 a.m. ET, with consensus forecasts calling for a 4.1 percent increase to an annual rate of 1.21 million units. Housing starts had fallen 8.7 percent in February. (CNBC)
• Attorney General William Barr will discuss special counsel Robert Mueller's report today at a 9:30 a.m. ET press conference. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will accompany him, according to NBC News.
• The Mueller report is coming. Here's how we got here — and what's coming next (CNBC)
• CNBC has learned Pete Buttigieg's presidential run has drawn the support of more than two dozen top Democratic fundraisers, including people who bundled big-dollar donations for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
• Facebook (FB) said last night it may have "unintentionally uploaded" the email contacts of up to 1.5 million users on its site, without their permission or knowledge, when they signed up for new accounts since May 2016. (CNBC)
• Samsung's $1,980 Galaxy Fold phone is breaking for some users after a day or two of use. A review unit given to CNBC by Samsung is also completely unusable after just two days of use.
• Samsung shares tumble amid concerns its foldable phones are breaking (CNBC)
• Amazon (AMZN) is shutting down its domestic e-commerce marketplace business in China. It has faced stiff competition from Chinese e-commerce giants Alibaba and JD.com. It's also been less visible in terms of marketing. (CNBC)
• It may be entering its middle age, but there appears to be plenty of life left in Ford's (F) 55-year-old Mustang "pony car." Ford upped the power on iconic Mustang muscle car with new performance package at the New York auto show. (CNBC)
• Canopy Growth (CGC) is near a deal to buy rival cannabis producer Acreage Holdings, according to sources who spoke to CNBC. The transaction could be announced as early as today.
• Some 60 doctors, pharmacists and other licensed medical professionals in five states are being charged in connection with illegally prescribing more than 32 million pain pills, in some cases for sexual favors, federal prosecutors said. (CNBC)

STOCK FUTURES CURRENTLY:

(CLICK HERE FOR STOCK FUTURES CHARTS!)

YESTERDAY'S MARKET MAP:

(CLICK HERE FOR YESTERDAY'S MARKET MAP!)

TODAY'S MARKET MAP:

(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S MARKET MAP!)

YESTERDAY'S S&P SECTORS:

(CLICK HERE FOR YESTERDAY'S S&P SECTORS CHART!)

TODAY'S S&P SECTORS:

(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S S&P SECTORS CHART!)

TODAY'S ECONOMIC CALENDAR:

(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S ECONOMIC CALENDAR!)

NEXT WEEK'S ECONOMIC CALENDAR:

(CLICK HERE FOR NEXT WEEK'S ECONOMIC CALENDAR!)

NEXT WEEK'S UPCOMING IPO'S:

([CLICK HERE FOR NEXT WEEK'S UPCOMING IPO'S!]())

NONE.

NEXT WEEK'S EARNINGS CALENDAR:

(CLICK HERE FOR NEXT WEEK'S EARNINGS CALENDAR!)

THIS MORNING'S PRE-MARKET EARNINGS CALENDAR:

($SKX $SLB $AXP $HON $BX $UNP $SYF $ALLY $CHKP $PM $BBT $KEY $TRV $RF $STI $GTLS $DHR $GOLD $PPG $TSM $PPG $CFG $GPC$LAWS $MAN $RCI $SNA $DOV $EWBC $CTG $BPOP $HOMB $PZN $UL $SASR $WBS $SON $ICBK)

(CLICK HERE FOR THIS MORNING'S EARNINGS CALENDAR!)

THIS AFTERNOON'S POST-MARKET EARNINGS CALENDAR:

([CLICK HERE FOR THIS AFTERNOON'S EARNINGS CALENDAR!]())

N/A.

EARNINGS RELEASES BEFORE THE OPEN TODAY:

(CLICK HERE FOR THIS MORNING'S EARNINGS RELEASES!)

EARNINGS RELEASES AFTER THE CLOSE TODAY:

(CLICK HERE FOR THIS AFTERNOON'S EARNINGS RELEASES!)

YESTERDAY'S ANALYST UPGRADES/DOWNGRADES:

(CLICK HERE FOR YESTERDAY'S UPGRADES/DOWNGRADES LINK #1!)

(CLICK HERE FOR YESTERDAY'S UPGRADES/DOWNGRADES LINK #2!)

YESTERDAY'S INSIDER TRADING FILINGS:

(CLICK HERE FOR YESTERDAY'S INSIDER TRADING FILINGS!)

TODAY'S DIVIDEND CALENDAR:

(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S DIVIDEND CALENDAR LINK #1!)

(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S DIVIDEND CALENDAR LINK #2!)

THIS MORNING'S MOST ACTIVE TRENDING TICKERS:

• STNE
• AXP
• CGC
• BX
• AA
• TEAM
• SKX
• UNP
• HON
• WATT

THIS MORNING'S STOCK NEWS MOVERS:

(source: cnbc.com)

American Express — The financial services company earned an adjusted $2.01 per share for the first quarter, 2 cents a share above estimates. Revenue came in below Wall Street forecasts, however. American Express also reiterated its 2019 guidance.

STOCK SYMBOL: AXP

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Travelers — The insurance company reported adjusted quarterly profit of $2.83 per share, 9 cents a share above estimates. Revenue was slightly below forecasts. Travelers benefited from better underwriting results and lower catastrophe losses. The company also raised its dividend by 5 cents to 82 cents per share.

STOCK SYMBOL: TRV

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Honeywell — Honeywell earned $1.92 per share for the first quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.83 a share. Revenue beat estimates as well, with Honeywell seeing strong demand for its aerospace products. The company also raised its full-year forecast.

STOCK SYMBOL: HON

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Blackstone — The private-equity firm announced it would shift from a partnership to a corporate structure.

STOCK SYMBOL: BX

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Pinterest — Pinterest begins trading Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange after its initial public offering priced at $19 per share. That was above the initially projected range of $15 to $17 per share.

STOCK SYMBOL: PINS

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

BB&T, SunTrust — The two banks — which announced plans to merge earlier this year — both beat Wall Street estimates with their first quarter earnings.

STOCK SYMBOL: BBT

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

STOCK SYMBOL: STI

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Las Vegas Sands — Las Vegas Sands reported adjusted quarterly profit of 91 cents per share, beating estimates by 4 cents a share. The casino operator's revenue came in above forecasts as well. The company's results were helped by strong growth in Macau, the world's largest gambling market.

STOCK SYMBOL: LVS

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Canopy Growth — Canpoy Growth s near a deal to buy rival cannabis producer Acreage Holdings, according to sources who spoke to CNBC. The transaction could be announced as early as today.

STOCK SYMBOL: CGC

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

JPMorgan Chase — Chief Financial Officer Marianne Lake is leaving that job to lead the bank's consumer lending unit, while JPM's current card services CEO Jennifer Piepszak will step into the CFO role.

STOCK SYMBOL: JPM

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

TSMC — The company formerly known as Taiwan Semiconductor reported its biggest profit decline in more than seven years during the first quarter. The world's largest contract chipmaker earned just under $2 billion, nearly 32% less than a year earlier.

STOCK SYMBOL: TSM

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Facebook — Facebook said it may have "unintentionally uploaded" email contacts of 1.5 million new users since May 2016. Facebook said the contacts were not shared with anyone and are being deleted, and affected users are being notified.

STOCK SYMBOL: FB

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Tesla — Funds operated by T. Rowe Price slashed their holdings in Tesla during the first quarter, according to data from Refinitiv. The funds sold off 92% of their stock in the automaker during the quarter.

STOCK SYMBOL: TSLA

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Pier 1 Imports — Pier 1 reported a bigger-than-expected loss during its fiscal fourth quarter, as well as lower than expected revenue and a 13.7 percent decline in same-store sales. Additionally, Chief Financial Officer Nancy Walsh is leaving the home furnishings retailer after being in that job for less than a year.

STOCK SYMBOL: PIR

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

E*Trade Financial — E*Trade earned $1.09 per share for its latest quarter, beating the consensus estimate of 93 cents a share. The online brokerage also reported 135,000 new accounts during the quarter, a 41% jump in new account adds compared to the same quarter a year earlier.

STOCK SYMBOL: ETFC

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

DISCUSS!

What's on everyone's radar for today's trading day ahead here at stocks?

I hope you all have an excellent trading day ahead today on this Thursday, April 18th, 2019! :)

Good morning traders and investors of the StockMarket sub! Happy Thursday to all! Here are your pre-market news this AM-

(CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL SOURCE!)

Today's Top Headlines for Thursday, April 18th, 2019

• Futures were lower this morning, signaling a possible end to three-week win streaks for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. The S&P is down 0.2% for the week, while the Nasdaq is up 0.2%. The Dow is slightly higher for the week but could lose that gain at the open. (CNBC) Blackstone (BX) shares surged 9.5% in pre-market trading after the investment firm announced it will become a corporation in July, shifting from its current status as a publicly-traded partnership. (CNBC)
• Pinterest (PINS) begins trading today on the New York Stock Exchange after its initial public offering (IPO) priced at $19 per share, valuing the company at $10 billion. That was above the initially projected range of $15 to $17 per share. (CNBC)
• Dow component Travelers (TRV) and Blackstone (BX) are among the companies reporting quarterly earnings this morning. Dow component American Express (AXP) and Intuitive Surgical (SRG) will report after today's closing bell. (CNBC)
• On the data front, the government will issue March housing starts at 8:30 a.m. ET, with consensus forecasts calling for a 4.1 percent increase to an annual rate of 1.21 million units. Housing starts had fallen 8.7 percent in February. (CNBC)
• Attorney General William Barr will discuss special counsel Robert Mueller's report today at a 9:30 a.m. ET press conference. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will accompany him, according to NBC News.
• The Mueller report is coming. Here's how we got here — and what's coming next (CNBC)
• CNBC has learned Pete Buttigieg's presidential run has drawn the support of more than two dozen top Democratic fundraisers, including people who bundled big-dollar donations for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
• Facebook (FB) said last night it may have "unintentionally uploaded" the email contacts of up to 1.5 million users on its site, without their permission or knowledge, when they signed up for new accounts since May 2016. (CNBC)
• Samsung's $1,980 Galaxy Fold phone is breaking for some users after a day or two of use. A review unit given to CNBC by Samsung is also completely unusable after just two days of use.
• Samsung shares tumble amid concerns its foldable phones are breaking (CNBC)
• Amazon (AMZN) is shutting down its domestic e-commerce marketplace business in China. It has faced stiff competition from Chinese e-commerce giants Alibaba and JD.com. It's also been less visible in terms of marketing. (CNBC)
• It may be entering its middle age, but there appears to be plenty of life left in Ford's (F) 55-year-old Mustang "pony car." Ford upped the power on iconic Mustang muscle car with new performance package at the New York auto show. (CNBC)
• Canopy Growth (CGC) is near a deal to buy rival cannabis producer Acreage Holdings, according to sources who spoke to CNBC. The transaction could be announced as early as today.
• Some 60 doctors, pharmacists and other licensed medical professionals in five states are being charged in connection with illegally prescribing more than 32 million pain pills, in some cases for sexual favors, federal prosecutors said. (CNBC)

STOCK FUTURES CURRENTLY:

(CLICK HERE FOR STOCK FUTURES CHARTS!)

YESTERDAY'S MARKET MAP:

(CLICK HERE FOR YESTERDAY'S MARKET MAP!)

TODAY'S MARKET MAP:

(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S MARKET MAP!)

YESTERDAY'S S&P SECTORS:

(CLICK HERE FOR YESTERDAY'S S&P SECTORS CHART!)

TODAY'S S&P SECTORS:

(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S S&P SECTORS CHART!)

TODAY'S ECONOMIC CALENDAR:

(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S ECONOMIC CALENDAR!)

NEXT WEEK'S ECONOMIC CALENDAR:

(CLICK HERE FOR NEXT WEEK'S ECONOMIC CALENDAR!)

NEXT WEEK'S UPCOMING IPO'S:

([CLICK HERE FOR NEXT WEEK'S UPCOMING IPO'S!]())

NONE.

NEXT WEEK'S EARNINGS CALENDAR:

(CLICK HERE FOR NEXT WEEK'S EARNINGS CALENDAR!)

THIS MORNING'S PRE-MARKET EARNINGS CALENDAR:

($SKX $SLB $AXP $HON $BX $UNP $SYF $ALLY $CHKP $PM $BBT $KEY $TRV $RF $STI $GTLS $DHR $GOLD $PPG $TSM $PPG $CFG $GPC$LAWS $MAN $RCI $SNA $DOV $EWBC $CTG $BPOP $HOMB $PZN $UL $SASR $WBS $SON $ICBK)

(CLICK HERE FOR THIS MORNING'S EARNINGS CALENDAR!)

THIS AFTERNOON'S POST-MARKET EARNINGS CALENDAR:

([CLICK HERE FOR THIS AFTERNOON'S EARNINGS CALENDAR!]())

N/A.

EARNINGS RELEASES BEFORE THE OPEN TODAY:

(CLICK HERE FOR THIS MORNING'S EARNINGS RELEASES!)

EARNINGS RELEASES AFTER THE CLOSE TODAY:

(CLICK HERE FOR THIS AFTERNOON'S EARNINGS RELEASES!)

YESTERDAY'S ANALYST UPGRADES/DOWNGRADES:

(CLICK HERE FOR YESTERDAY'S UPGRADES/DOWNGRADES LINK #1!)

(CLICK HERE FOR YESTERDAY'S UPGRADES/DOWNGRADES LINK #2!)

YESTERDAY'S INSIDER TRADING FILINGS:

(CLICK HERE FOR YESTERDAY'S INSIDER TRADING FILINGS!)

TODAY'S DIVIDEND CALENDAR:

(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S DIVIDEND CALENDAR LINK #1!)

(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S DIVIDEND CALENDAR LINK #2!)

THIS MORNING'S MOST ACTIVE TRENDING TICKERS:

• STNE
• AXP
• CGC
• BX
• AA
• TEAM
• SKX
• UNP
• HON
• WATT

THIS MORNING'S STOCK NEWS MOVERS:

(source: cnbc.com)

American Express — The financial services company earned an adjusted $2.01 per share for the first quarter, 2 cents a share above estimates. Revenue came in below Wall Street forecasts, however. American Express also reiterated its 2019 guidance.

STOCK SYMBOL: AXP

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Travelers — The insurance company reported adjusted quarterly profit of $2.83 per share, 9 cents a share above estimates. Revenue was slightly below forecasts. Travelers benefited from better underwriting results and lower catastrophe losses. The company also raised its dividend by 5 cents to 82 cents per share.

STOCK SYMBOL: TRV

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Honeywell — Honeywell earned $1.92 per share for the first quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.83 a share. Revenue beat estimates as well, with Honeywell seeing strong demand for its aerospace products. The company also raised its full-year forecast.

STOCK SYMBOL: HON

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Blackstone — The private-equity firm announced it would shift from a partnership to a corporate structure.

STOCK SYMBOL: BX

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Pinterest — Pinterest begins trading Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange after its initial public offering priced at $19 per share. That was above the initially projected range of $15 to $17 per share.

STOCK SYMBOL: PINS

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

BB&T, SunTrust — The two banks — which announced plans to merge earlier this year — both beat Wall Street estimates with their first quarter earnings.

STOCK SYMBOL: BBT

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

STOCK SYMBOL: STI

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Las Vegas Sands — Las Vegas Sands reported adjusted quarterly profit of 91 cents per share, beating estimates by 4 cents a share. The casino operator's revenue came in above forecasts as well. The company's results were helped by strong growth in Macau, the world's largest gambling market.

STOCK SYMBOL: LVS

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Canopy Growth — Canpoy Growth s near a deal to buy rival cannabis producer Acreage Holdings, according to sources who spoke to CNBC. The transaction could be announced as early as today.

STOCK SYMBOL: CGC

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

JPMorgan Chase — Chief Financial Officer Marianne Lake is leaving that job to lead the bank's consumer lending unit, while JPM's current card services CEO Jennifer Piepszak will step into the CFO role.

STOCK SYMBOL: JPM

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

TSMC — The company formerly known as Taiwan Semiconductor reported its biggest profit decline in more than seven years during the first quarter. The world's largest contract chipmaker earned just under $2 billion, nearly 32% less than a year earlier.

STOCK SYMBOL: TSM

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Facebook — Facebook said it may have "unintentionally uploaded" email contacts of 1.5 million new users since May 2016. Facebook said the contacts were not shared with anyone and are being deleted, and affected users are being notified.

STOCK SYMBOL: FB

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Tesla — Funds operated by T. Rowe Price slashed their holdings in Tesla during the first quarter, according to data from Refinitiv. The funds sold off 92% of their stock in the automaker during the quarter.

STOCK SYMBOL: TSLA

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

Pier 1 Imports — Pier 1 reported a bigger-than-expected loss during its fiscal fourth quarter, as well as lower than expected revenue and a 13.7 percent decline in same-store sales. Additionally, Chief Financial Officer Nancy Walsh is leaving the home furnishings retailer after being in that job for less than a year.

STOCK SYMBOL: PIR

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

E*Trade Financial — E*Trade earned $1.09 per share for its latest quarter, beating the consensus estimate of 93 cents a share. The online brokerage also reported 135,000 new accounts during the quarter, a 41% jump in new account adds compared to the same quarter a year earlier.

STOCK SYMBOL: ETFC

• CLICK HERE FOR CHART!

(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)

FULL DISCLOSURE:

bigbear0083 has no positions in any stocks mentioned. Reddit, moderators, and the author do not advise making investment decisions based on discussion in these posts. Analysis is not subject to validation and users take action at their own risk. bigbear0083 is an admin at the financial forums Stockaholics.net where this content was originally posted.

DISCUSS!

What's on everyone's radar for today's trading day ahead here at StockMarket?

I hope you all have an excellent trading day ahead today on this Thursday, April 18th, 2019! :)

Setup: Recoil w/ flavor barrel, Dual 15 wrap 26g 3mm Nifethal 70 coils @.17 ohms. 60w power, 450F temp limit. Full Cotton Wicks.
Testing: FA Caramel @ 2%, 60/40 VG/PG, Steeped 9 days.
Flavor Description:
Gritty caramelized sugar, not really a smooth caramel sauce or full-on caramel candy. Tastes quite a bit like caramel without having anything approaching the kind of mouthfeel you'd expect. Overall a bit thin and sharp, almost approaching unpleasant solo. Definitely a caramel for mixing as opposed to a primary note.
Inhale is sweet, almost raw sugar. Mouthfeel is a bit thin for the actual taste. Strange kind of gritty vibe fitting with the raw sugar thing. Caramel comes out in the exhale. Sugar is moderately caramelized with no real dark, burnt notes. Mouthfeel never really gets smooth, still fairly thin. Really light creamy notes, almost a margarine type of taste in the middle of the exhale. Raw sugar comes back on the tail-end of the exhale with some gritty exhale that lingers.
Off-flavors: A handful of raw sugar that somehow managed to get caramelized without turning into a syrup. So the entire thing? Not bad, just not really a smooth caramel flavor.
Throat Hit: Moderate.
Uses & Pairings: Lower percentage use is basically going to be a sweetener. Creams, custards, darker fruits, nuts, tobaccos. It's too dark of a flavor to blend well with anything particularly bright and you're really going to want to have some cream or density to round the edges and grittiness off.
If you start increasing percentages, you move into more of a candy caramel flavor if not texture. This concentrate has a tendency to sit on top of other flavors when used a bit higher. Casino Pier by enyawreklaw/ uses it up at 3% with a whole lot of cream backup to get a caramel coating on an apple. Would also work well for a caramel sauce with something to clean up that mouthfeel.
Notes:
S&V Concentration testing, this is a warm carmelized type flavor at .5% percent. Sweetness is a bit muted, and the flavor is pretty indistinct, but the effect is nice. 1% starts to get you into that gritty mouthfeel along with a pronounced sweetness. 1.5% has even more grit, and by the time you hit 2% you're definitely going to need something dense or creamy to chill this out a bit. 3% gets pretty intense, with a good caramel flavor but the mouthfeel is pretty distracting. Just seems to dry out after that, with that raw sugar taking on an aggressive sugar-alcohol sweetener note. I'd mix at .5% for a subtle boost to darker flavors. 1% is probably the max you'd want as strictly a sweetener. The use as an actual caramel is going to depend on heavy and creamy your actual recipe is. 2% seems like a good starting point, and then work up seeing just how much of the weird mouthfeel issues your cream base can handle.
Worth noting, I didn't get any real noticeable coil gore solo testing this.
Similar in construction to FLV Caramel, but a lot less roasted. Good middle of the road sweetener, but it's going to need a lot of help with creams to get a smooth caramel.
Second Opinions:
Obligatory HIC notes:
"More like caramel ice-cream topping than a hard-candy flavor. It never tastes burnt or cracker-jacks-like. It is sweet, but less sweet than other brands.It will add rich caramel flavor to tobaccos without transforming the mix into a candy flavor.Mix FA Caramel with FA Butterscotch (and perhaps sweet, creamy flavors) for a candy-like caramel.
Adding nut flavors can produce buttery effects as a mix ages."
Used in a metric fuckton (technical term) of ELR Recipes. Notes are pretty sparse though. Does have some of Flavour Art's website copy which is suuuuuper creepy:
"Indulge yourself in the forbidden world of vaping pleasure, but be warned, you might never leave! How can one man give so much pleasure to so many people? This smooth, delicious, creamy Caramel creation oozes onto the palate and languishes shamelessly!" I'm simultaneously a little turned on and scared reading that.
ECX reviews basically say to use it low, it mixes well, and it's a bit dry.
DIY_eJuice Flavor Reviews

Sunday:
NORTH:
· 1. Pickup truck crashes into Round Lake house; no injuries reported (ABC 7)
· 2. Mundelein man killed in shooting near University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus; three other people injured (Chicago Tribune)
· 3. 67-year-old woman in critical condition after apparently falling off pier in Evanston (Chicago Tribune)
· 4. Five teens hospitalized after overdosing on Xanax, drinking alcohol at party in Tower Lakes (NBC 5)
· 5. Woman dies after her car veered off the road and struck a tree in Wadsworth (Chicago Tribune)
· 6. Man stabbed outside Ingleside bar; undergoes surgery for non-life-threating wound (Chicago Sun-Times)
NORTHWEST:
· 7. Judson University becomes first Christian college in Illinois to offer classes for students with intellectual disabilities (ABC 7)
· 8. Inaugural Kickstand Classic bicycle race rolls through downtown Bartlett (Daily Herald)
WEST:
· 9. Naperville student's anti-cyberbullying app lands $100,000 investment on 'Shark Tank' (Chicago Tribune/Naperville Sun)
· 10. Glen Ellyn Historical Society's Tavern Day teaches community lessons about the 1840s (Daily Herald)
· 11. Nordstrom Rack officially opens at Rosemont's Fashion Outlets of Chicago (Daily Herald)
SOUTH:
· 12. Park Forest woman killed in crash on I-80 in Frankfort Township (CBS 2)
NORTHWEST INDIANA:
· 13. Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority, South Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau talk about need for convention center in wake of decision to demolish Star Plaza complex in Merillville (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 14. Westville motorcyclist struck and killed by minivan that ran a stop sign (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 15. Questions linger as East Chicago Housing Authority prepares to move 1,000 people out of West Calumet Housing Complex (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 16. Homeless man's body discovered in woods in Valparaiso (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 17. Work begins on new subdivision near Valparaiso elementary school (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 18. Construction of flood-relief project in Hobart could start after new 3rd Street bridge is completed (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 19. St. John to raise sewer rates 10 percent to buy larger portion of capacity at Schererville water-treatment plant (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 20. Portage police, fire station openings to have chain of handcuffs, fire hose in place of ribbons (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 21. Michigan City to take residents' input online about parks master plan (Northwest Indiana Times)
Monday:
NORTH:
· 22. Niles grandfather sues 13-year-old grandson over grandmother's death after she was struck by a vehicle she'd given grandson the keys to in order to shift the gear (CBS 2)
· 23. Former owner of Walgreens Charles R. Walgreen III dies at age 80 at his Lake Forest home (Chicago Tribune)
· 24. Gun-control advocates converge on downtown Glencoe, urging shop owners to put up 'no guns' stickers (Chicago Tribune/Northbrook Star)
NORTHWEST:
· 25. Mount Prospect's Jelly Café steps up to help after waitress' son has near-fatal brain hemorrhage (Daily Herald)
· 26. Proponents of charter school for at-risk kids in Elgin Area Unit School District U-46 revive proposal, with hopes of getting federal funds (Daily Herald)
· 27. Body of man found dead in burning vehicle in Chicago identified as Barrington Hills man, co-owner of Elgin-based Omega Demolition (WGN TV)
· 28. Electric fire at Union Station in Chicago forces cancellation of train on Milwaukee District West Line (FOX 32)
· 29. Arlington Heights Memorial Library board still discussing possibility of north branch, but no decision has yet been made (Daily Herald)
· 30. Elgin man sentenced to 87 days in jail, 30 months probation, $654 in fines for intentionally striking an acquaintence with his car (Daily Herald)
· 31. Des Plaines City Council considering $1,000 limit or complete ban on campaign contributions from companies that do business with the city (Daily Herald)
WEST:
· 32. 793 people participate in Walk Against Alzheimer's at Busse Woods in Elk Grove Village (Daily Herald)
· 33. Oak Brook man becomes second in U.S. to undergo aortic-valve replacement surgery (Daily Herald)
· 34. 15-year-old Lombard student dies after apparently choking on food in Villa Park high school cafeteria (CBS 2)
· 35. Chicago gang member with numerous weapons offenses charged with murder of Berwyn man following shooting near Millennium Park (NBC 5)
· 36. Bloomingdale woman pleads guilty to stealing more than $10,000 from school PTO's bank account to pay personal expenses (Chicago Tribune)
· 37. West Chicago City Council appoints new 6th Ward alderman (Daily Herald)
SOUTHWEST:
· 38. Woman killed, brother and daughter wounded in shooting along Washington Street in Joliet (Chicago Tribune)
· 39. Illinois State Museum's Lockport Gallery reopens as state funding starts to flow again (Chicago Tribune)
· 40. Montgomery teen held on weapons, traffic violations found hanging in LaSalle County Jail (Chicago Tribune/Aurora Beacon-News)
SOUTH:
· 41. Riverdale man charged with robbing Matteson bank on Friday, Sept. 23 (CBS 2)
NORTHWEST INDIANA:
· 42. Man shot, wounded by Hammond police officer after allegedly pointing shotgun at police investigating report of shots fired in home (Chicago Tribune/Gary Post-Tribune)
· 43. Police: Speed a factor in car crash that claimed life of Michigan City man, injured passenger (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 44. More than half the $36,000 cost raised for bronze police-officer statue that will stand in front of Michigan City Police Station (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 45. Three Chicagoans and a woman from Pennsylvania charged in theft of laptop from Crown Point tattoo parlor (Chicago Sun-Times)
· 46. Lake County Council approves $161.6 million budget, which includes pay raises for elected officials and county employees (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 47. Burns Harbor man arrested after crashing van into liquor store and injuring store employee; four other people arrested at nearby motel where an underage-drinking party took place (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 48. Video helps police track down alleged drunk driver from Union Mills (Northwest Indiana Times)
REGIONAL
· 49. Some suburban school districts are giving tens of thousands of dollars in bonuses to retired teachers and administrators, despite state law limiting such payments (Chicago Tribune)
· 50. Lake County member of Metra board of directors likely to replace current chairman when current term expires on Nov. 2 (Crain's Chicago Business)
Tuesday:
NORTH:
· 51. Northwestern University officials to review concerns over dorm proposal, other options (Chicago Tribune/Evanston Review)
· 52. Blue Island man found dead in field near strip mall along Golf Road in Niles (Chicago Tribune/Niles Herald-Spectator)
· 53. Evanston Post Office renamed for former Congressman, judge Abner J. Mikva (Chicago Tribune/Evanston Review)
· 54. Experts discuss living near coyotes (Chicago Tribune/Lake Forester)
· 55. Libertyville reviewing proposal for large new subdivision on University of St. Mary of the Lake property (Daily Herald)
· 56. Skokie man gets 2 years probation, must register as a sex offender for 10 years for sexually abusing teenage girl he called his 'girlfriend' (Daily Herald)
NORTHWEST:
· 57. Early-morning truck fire causes major delays on Tri-State Tollway near Dundee Road in Northbrook (ABC 7)
· 58. Parents in Elgin Area Unit School District U-46 cheer and jeer school board over transgender locker-room policy (Daily Herald)
· 59. Hanover Park man sentenced to four years in prison for Streamwood burglary (Daily Herald)
· 60. Some Hoffman Estates schools locked down after report of armed person at large following intentional car crash on Kent Road (Daily Herald)
WEST:
· 61. Bodies of deceased veterans that go unclaimed being left in Hines V.A. Hospital morgue for months, according to a whistleblower (CBS 2)
· 62. Woman dies of injuries one day after car crash in Maywood (Chicago Sun-Times)
· 63. Suspect in three bank robberies in DuPage County apprehended following Warrenville heist on Monday (Daily Herald)
· 64. Warrenville, DuPage County officials hail completion of flood-control projects (Daily Herald)
SOUTHWEST:
· 65. Operator of Homer Glen tobacco shop charged with defrauding Illinois of more than $400,000 in sales taxes (Chicago Sun-Times)
SOUTH:
· 66. Lansing man killed in shooting on Chicago's South Side (Northwest Indiana Times)
NORTHWEST INDIANA:
· 67. Two of three suspects arrested in Michigan City in theft of box trucks and tires (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 68. Bunker Hill man facing charges after striking two pedestrians in Hammond (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 69. Merrillville man sentenced to five years in prison as part of plea deal for breaking into Indiana University Northwest building in Gary (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 70. 16 houses, five apartment buildings to be torn down to make way for stormwater detention pond in Hammond (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 71. United Foundation of LaPorte County deeds Unity Park to City of LaPorte (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 72. Hobart's Southlake Mall to be home to Porkchop restaurant, La Senza lingerie store, Jimmy Jazz streetwear retailer (Northwest Indiana Times)
Wednesday:
NORTH:
· 73. Warrant issued for arrest of man who shot Mundelein resident to death in downstate Champaign (WGN TV)
· 74. Knife-wielding man robs business in Norridge after hitting two Chicago stores (CBS 2)
· 75. Eight schools in Buffalo Grove, Deerfield, Green Oaks, Lincolnshire, Long Grove awarded National Blue Ribbon status (Daily Herald)
NORTHWEST:
· 76. Village of Mount Prospect, chamber of commerce, library, Downtown Merchants Association receive bronze star for entrepreneurs initiative (Daily Herald)
· 77. Palatine man who pleaded guilty to fourth DUI sentenced to four years in prison following June 13 crash (Daily Herald)
· 78. Schaumburg Village Board approves purchase of office buildings to make way for new entertainment district (Daily Herald)
· 79. Woman charged with unlawfully buying and selling guns, some of which ended up in hands of Chicago gang members, for profit (CBS 2)
· 80. Three Barrington elementary schools recognized with National Blue Ribbon School awards (Daily Herald)
· 81. 12-year-old persuades West Dundee officials to consider preserving historic pump house (Daily Herald)
WEST:
· 82. Man robs U.S. Bank branch in Wood Dale (Chicago Sun-Times)
· 83. Kane County Forest Preserve Board expects to end tax-levy freeze in 2017, as revenues decline (Daily Herald)
· 84. Warrenville-based Two Brothers Brewing opens The Craftsman, a three-floor bakery/café/juice badeli/market/restaurant, with cocktail bar coming soon in Naperville (Chicago Tribune)
· 85. Elk Grove Village, public-works union sign off on 5-year contract, which includes raises from 2 to 2.5 percent (Daily Herald)
· 86. Kennedy Junior High School in Lisle named National Blue Ribbon School for third time in its history (Daily Herald)
· 87. Attorneys say police unlawfully searched cell phone of Naperville graffiti artist known for 'Simpsons' art (Daily Herald)
SOUTHWEST:
· 88. Skokie man charged with armed robbery of Plainfield Target store on Aug. 28 (Chicago Sun-Times)
· 89. Oswego-based Community School District 308 to repay $1.5 million in state aid because daily attendance figures were off by 243 students (Chicago Tribune/Aurora Beacon-News)
SOUTH:
· 90. Fire destroys abandoned Harvey house (ABC 7)
NORTHWEST INDIANA:
· 91. Parent company of Horseshoe Casino in Hammond reaches deal to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 92. Konrady Plastics to hire 14 new workers following expansion that will nearly double its Portage factory (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 93. Merrillville police officer strikes pedestrian with vehicle while on patrol (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 94. Ex-Lake Station mayor sentenced to four years in prison, repay $26,755 for using campaign, food-pantry funds to gamble; wife sentenced to two years in prison (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 95. Merrillville surgeon facing charge of battery for striking an assistant with medical instruments at Hobart hospital (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 96. Portage man accused of beating woman collecting boyfriend's $500 debt (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 97. Man seriously wounded in East Chicago shooting (Northwest Indiana Times)
REGIONAL
· 98. Cook County Health Department reports three deaths from West Nile virus, only such deaths in Illinois so far during 2016 (FOX 32)
· 99. Rusty patch bumblebee may be placed on endangered-species list (CBS 2)
Thursday:
NORTH:
· 100. Mundelein woman pleads guilty to sexually assaulting music student at Webster Middle School in Waukegan, sentenced to 14 years in prison (Daily Herald)
· 101. Mundelein High School District 120 ends block scheduling; new bell schedule to begin with 2017-18 school year (Daily Herald)
· 102. Chicago man sentenced to five years in jail for 2015 stabbing inside Skokie bar (Chicago Tribune/Skokie Review)
· 103. Family, supporters of Housing Opportunity Development Corp. president who died in 2013 for opening of afforable-housing complex in Glenview (Chicago Tribune/Glenview Announcements)
· 104. Employees of Riverwoods-based Discovery Financial Services and KaBOOM! build playgrounds in Park City, Zion (Daily Herald)
· 105. Evanston woman charged with felony disorderly conduct for sending profanity-laced letter with 'granular substance' in envelope to Illinois Tollway Authority (NBC 5)
NORTHWEST:
· 106. Bartlett village president to seek re-election to second term (Daily Herald)
· 107. Woman's body found at Bensenville golf course; authorities believe she was killed near Melrose Park (Chicago Tribune)
· 108. Ford donates $10,000 to Hoffman Estates-based GiGi's Playhouse on The Steve Harvey Show (Daily Herald)
· 109. D'licious Crepes and Roti in Bartlett gets liquor license (Daily Herald)
· 110. Video causes stir in controversial plan to close Palatine's oldest elementary school and build two new buildings (Daily Herald)
WEST:
· 111. Jury deems 63-year-old Hillside man 'sexually violent' (CBS 2)
· 112. Illinois auditor general releases College of DuPage audit, recommends 19 ideas to improve oversight, operations and transparency (Chicago Tribune/Naperville Sun)
· 113. Addison man sentenced to 10 years in prison for possessing child porn (Chicago Sun-Times)
· 114. Former Calamos Investments employee sues Naperville-based asset manager, claiming he was fired for telling top execs about 'imminent risks' to the company (Crain's Chicago Business)
SOUTHWEST:
· 115. Supporters, opponents of Donald Trump clash outside GOP presidential candidate's fundraiser in Bolingbrook (Chicago Tribune)
SOUTH:
· 116. Lincoln-Way High School District 210 teachers-union president calls for hiring of full-time compliance officer (Chicago Tribune/Daily Southtown)
NORTHWEST INDIANA:
· 117. Munster-based startup Sonam Technologies creates device that assesses concussion risk on playgrounds, athletic fields (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 118. Chicago man pleads guilty to armed robbery of St. John store (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 119. Indiana Congressman introduces legislation to turn Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore into national park (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 120. Guns taken during burglary at Griffith sporting-goods store (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 121. Crown Point teen walking around in clown mask apparently spooks neighbors, who call police (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 122. Portage begins $2.1 million in paving projects (Northwest Indiana Times)
REGIONAL
· 123. RNC rolls out Gigabit Internet service in Chicago area (Chicago Sun-Times)
Friday:
NORTH:
· 124. Cook County State's Attorney's Office drops perjury case against four police officers, including one Glenview cop, after attorney alleges charges were under out-of-date law (Chicago Tribune)
· 125. Lake County judge removes former Woodland Elementary School District 50 board member from lawsuit over her husband's company getting contract for athletic uniforms, school-spirit wear (Daily Herald)
· 126. Man sought for shooting death of Mundelein man in Champaign turns himself in to police (Daily Herald)
· 127. Judge lets guilty verdict stand against worker from Lincolnshire daycare center in death of Deerfield toddler (Chicago Tribune)
· 128. Fox Lake man charged with burglary, theft, electronic telephone harassment after threatening to kill a police officer (Chicago Tribune/Lake County News-Sun)
· 129. Winnekta man indicted on commodities, wire fraud charges for having falsely inflated value of options, costing now-defunct Rock Capital Markets $13 million (Chicago Tribune)
· 130. Waukegan man charged with sending inappropriate text to teenage girl while working as bus aid for Illinois Central Bus Company (Chicago Sun-Times)
· 131. Emmons Elementary School District 33, Grass Lake Elementary School District 36 to explore consolidation of one-school districts in Antioch area (Daily Herald)
· 132. New York-based Mrs. Green's Neighborhood Market to close Winnekta location on Oct. 16 (Crain's Chicago Business)
· 133. Bennison's Bakery in Evanston tracking sales of U.S. presidential candidate-inspired sweets (CBS 2)
NORTHWEST:
· 134. Fox River Grove resident Richard Trentlage, who wrote the classic Oscar Mayer jingle, passes away at 87 (ABC 7)
· 135. Rolling Meadows Mayor Tom Rooney sworn in as state Senator for Illinois' 27th District (Daily Herald)
· 136. Boston Fish Market looking at possible location in Wheeling (Daily Herald)
WEST:
· 137. Joliet man sentenced to 25 years in prison for 2014 murder during drug deal in Aurora (CBS2)
· 138. Naperville golf club remembers course designer and golf legend Arnold Palmer, who passed away this week at 87 (Chicago Tribune/Naperville Sun)
· 139. Elderly woman killed in car crash as she exited Countryside bowling alley's parking lot onto Joliet Road (Chicago Sun-Times)
· 140. Two people in custody in stabbing death of Melrose Park woman whose body was found at Bensenville golf course (Chicago Tribune)
· 141. Ex-Aurora priest pleads not guilty to charges he sexually abused two children over three years (Chicago Tribune/Aurora Beacon-News)
· 142. Downtown Wheaton Association to have Witches of Wheaton event on Thursday, Oct. 15, with drinks and promotions for women (Daily Herald)
· 143. National Research Center to mail citizen surveys to 3,000 randomly selected Lombard residents during mid-October (Daily Herald)
SOUTH:
· 144. Teen from Calumet City/Lansing area shot to death on first day of school in Chicago (Chicago Tribune/Daily Southtown)
· 145. Surveillance camera catches man trying to abduct woman in Harvey (Chicago Sun-Times)
· 146. Judge issues guilty verdict in 5-year-old DUI/reckless-homicide case involving an accident that killed a man and maimed his wife in Matteson (ABC 7)
NORTHWEST INDIANA:
· 147. Portage Board of Works declares emergency to expedite walkway repairs along Burns Waterway (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 148. Crown Point working to eliminate triple-billing for hydrants in Prairie View subdivision (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 149. Two men sought in armed robbery of East Chicago Dollar General (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 150. Police classify Hobart man's train death in Lake Station as suicide (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 151. U.S. EPA scheduled to begin East Chicago lead cleanup on Sunday (Northwest Indiana Times)
REGIONAL
· 152. Positive-train control still a challenge for Metra (CBS 2)
· 153. Legal Roundup: Naperville teen charged with forgery for sending out phony Illinois Tollway violation notices (Daily Herald)
Saturday:
NORTH:
· 154. Fremd High School football players help wheelchair-bound coach/Navy veteran stand for national anthem at Friday night's game (NBC 5)
NORTHWEST:
· 155. Man found guilty but mentally ill in brutal beating and murder of Island Lake woman in 2014 (Chicago Tribune)
· 156. Elk Grove Village woman charged driving in violation of a restriction, improper passing of a vehicle dropped at a crosswalk in June 10 crash that killed bicyclist in Mount Prospect (Chicago Sun-Times)
· 157. Students with Down syndrome crowned Homecoming king and queen at Barrington High School (NBC 5)
· 158. Randall Oaks Zoo in West Dundee celebrating autumn through Oct. 30 (Daily Herald)
WEST:
· 159. Boyfriend charged in stabbing death of woman whose body was found at Bensenville golf course (CBS 2)
SOUTH:
· 160. Huffing chemicals may be responsible for Blue Island man's death near Niles strip mall (Chicago Tribune/Daily Southtown)
· 161. Sunnybrook Elementary School District 171 reports zero detentions, suspensions since beginning of school year (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 162. Toxic heroin additive found in Will County (Chicago Tribune/Naperville Sun)
NORTHWEST INDIANA:
· 163. Valparaiso man killed while working at Gary Works steel mill (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 164. Tri-Creek School Corp. board makes moves on bond issues to save $1.8 million (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 165. City of Portage transfers former Crisman school property to Redevelopment Commission in hopes of selling, redeveloping it (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 166. NIPSCO offers no explanation for power outage affecting 931 Munster customers on Friday (Northwest Indiana Times)
· 167. Porter County implements stormwater fees to help fund improvements to reduce flooding, drainage concerns (Northwest Indiana Times)