Generations of Chicagoans accustomed to grimy politics might view former Ald. Ed Burke’s federal racketeering conviction last week as just another case in a long conga line of crooked aldermen.

But Burke was an undisputed Democratic kingpin. He not only set a record for serving 54 years in the City Council, but he departed in May as the last alderman who rose to power in the era of Mayor Richard J. Daley’s vaunted Democratic machine.

When Illinois’ ethics reform package was signed into law two years ago, it was hailed as an important first step in leaving the state’s sad, sorry legacy of political corruption behind.

We called it a “baby step” at the time — one that needed to be followed by another, and then another on the long road to building a climate of trust in a state where four of the last 10 governors have served time behind bars and the former all-powerful house speaker awaits trial on corruption charges.

A top aide to Mayor Brandon Johnson says city government is stepping up coordination of health care for migrants following the death of a five-year-old child who had been staying in Pilsen.

Cristina Pacione-Zayas, Johnson’s deputy chief of staff, stresses that an increasing number of asylum seekers are being sent from the U.S. Southern Border with advanced health problems.

Bicyclists are nearly always “permitted” users of the road — but are only “intended” users of the road when bike lanes or signage are present, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled last week.

That distinction means the city of Chicago is not liable for damages sustained by a bicyclist who was injured after he hit a pothole on a city street that had no such signage.

Four years after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a landmark consolidation of police and firefighter pensions with a promise of delivering property tax relief across Illinois, the measure’s effect on taxes remains murky while the constitutionality of the law itself is under challenge.

The legal question is now before the Illinois Supreme Court, which is expected to rule shortly on whether the law violates a state constitutional guarantee that public employee pension benefits “shall not be diminished or impaired.”

The Crystal Lake park board is continuing the discussion of possibly dissolving the park district police department or significantly cutting its budget.

Reasons to disband the department include saving money and resources, since some park police responsibilities are duplications of municipal police duties, according to park documents.

New laws passed by the Illinois General Assembly earlier this year will take effect on Jan. 1.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed more than 580 bills into law including one ending a 1980s-era nuclear moratorium and the $50.4 billion state budget.