Get the latest news from around Illinois.
The Center Square: As Democrats gather under sunny skies at state fair, Madigan cloud lingers
It was a sunny day Wednesday at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield for gathering Democrats, but looming overhead is the corruption cloud brought by former House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Aside from being speaker for decades, Madigan, D-Chicago, also controlled the Democratic Party of Illinois until 2021. Shortly after stepping down from office and from leading the state’s Democratic party, Madigan was charged with 22 corruption counts by federal prosecutors in a nearly decade-long scheme with utility ComEd. The allegation was that Madigan and others personally benefited from ComEd contracts in exchange for legislation favorable to the utility.
Chicago Tribune: Recommended changes to public transit, including fare hikes and a consolidation of agencies, could be on the table
A group tasked with making recommendations about the future of public transit is weighing changes to fares, sales taxes and the very concept of maintaining the CTA, Metra and Pace as separate agencies.
The ideas are on the table as the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning prepares a report to lawmakers recommending changes to public transit service and funding. CMAP was tasked by the legislature with presenting the report by the start of 2024, as the region’s three public transit agencies face a looming $730 million budget hole once federal COVID-19 relief funding runs out in the coming years.
Chicago Sun-Times: Jurors hear secret FBI recordings of ex-top aide to Madigan, then hear him allegedly lying to a grand jury
Two weeks after Tim Mapes was forced to resign as the longtime chief of staff to then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, Mapes had a long chat by phone with fellow Madigan confidant Michael McClain.
McClain filled Mapes in on a discussion he’d had with Madigan. And later, Mapes explained that he would “always try to protect” the powerful Southwest Side Democrat they’d both served.
Daily Herald: IDNR to install EV charging, build solar installation as part of new climate plan
The state Department of Natural Resources has announced climate-centered plans to install electric charging stations in state parks, build a pollinator-friendly solar installation and use more electric vehicles and equipment.
The “blueprint” is designed to help combat climate change and reach state greenhouse gas reduction goals, specifically Illinois’ ambition of reaching 100% clean energy by 2050. Organized into five key areas, strategies include utilities and buildings, sustainable site operations, climate-smart natural areas, equity, and learning and engagement.
CBS Chicago: West suburban parents rally, say some teachers members have put kids at risk
Fed-up parents made their voices heard Wednesday night outside the Wheaton Warrenville Community Unit School District 200 meeting.
As CBS 2’s Charlie De Mar reported, the parents feel that complaints from students about certain staff members are not being taken seriously.
Capitol News: Pritzker vetoes measure granting Ameren authority over transmission line construction
Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday vetoed a measure that would have granted existing utilities in downstate Illinois, notably Ameren Illinois, the “right of first refusal” for transmission line construction.
This would have given Ameren, the electric utility that serves much of downstate Illinois, authority to build new transmission lines without going through a competitive bidding process under federal regulations for any projects approved by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO, before the end of 2024.