Vol. VI No. 31 Something to cheer about, PAGE 2
AUGUST 3, 2022
vfpress.news
Proviso suburbs to get share of $750M opioid settlement
Bellwood library renovations, PAGE 9
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Melrose Park, Maywood among suburbs to get most money
Alexx Roga Ale g ls/Staff Photographer
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced plans July 29 for how the state will distribute its share of funds from a national settlement with opioid companies. Illinois expects to receive approximately $760 million over 18 years from a $26 billion national settlement with three opioid distributers – Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen – and one opioid manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson. “The opioid crisis will go down as one of the most disturbing examples of corporate greed and medical mismanagement in human history, giving way to an epidemic that has become more deadly almost every year of the last 40 years,” Pritzker said at a news conference in Chicago. Under an executive order that Pritzker said See SETTLEMENT on page 7
Meet Chicago’s footworking BBQ grill master Westchester resident James Gurley, nicknamed ‘Beynze,’ recently launched his own catering service By ATAVIA REED Block Club Chicago
James Gurley used to hate barbecue. Gurley learned to cook as an adult, but he didn’t take to the grill until he got his first taste of decent barbecue in 2014, enjoying smoked meats that were moist and flavorful instead of dry and bland.
As the Austin native perfected his skills behind the grill, he incorporated his lightning-fast dance moves mastered through his years of making waves in the West Side footworking scene. Thus, the “FootWerkn Grill Master” was born. Gurley went viral this summer when a video of him footworking holding a pair of tongs while chicken sizzled on a low fire blew up on the Chicago Media Takeout Instagram page. Chicago names like actor Jason Weaver began commenting on the post, cheering Gurley on as he repped the city’s iconic dance. The video garnered more than 100,000 views.
That groundswell of attention came as Gurley, nicknamed “Beynze,” launched his own catering service, 10 Thirteen Cuisine. Gurley’s footworking skills are good — but once more people get a taste of his famed recipes, they’ll discover his food is even better, he said. “In my heart, I’m an entertainer,” Gurley said. ”Whether it’s putting a show on the grill, feeding everybody, hosting a party, performing on stage or dancing at a party, I always want to stay connected to the people.”
See GRILL MASTER on page 8