Get the latest news from around Illinois.
The Center Square: Opening statements could begin Wednesday in ComEd bribery case
Opening statements could begin Wednesday in a two-year-old case accusing four former ComEd executives and lobbyists of a multi-year scheme to corruptly influence longtime former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Judge Harry Leinenweber led the jury selection process Tuesday with input from prosecutors and defense attorneys. Most of the jury selection questioning was done via sidebar, which could only be heard by the prosecutors, defendants and their attorneys listening through headphones.
Chicago Tribune: Arguments over controversial no-bail law aired before Illinois Supreme Court
Kankakee County State’s Attorney James Rowe on Tuesday was making his argument for why a law eliminating cash bail violates the state constitution when Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis cut in with questions about his lawsuit’s legal standing.
“How does this statute adversely impact the rights of elected state’s attorneys and sheriffs?” Theis asked Rowe during the roughly 45-minute hearing in a packed courtroom.
WTTW: Vallas Vows to Limit Aldermanic Prerogative to Boost Development on Chicago’s South, West Sides
The centerpiece of mayoral candidate Paul Vallas’ plan to reverse decades of disinvestment on the South and West sides of Chicago is the creation of an independent community development authority that would limit the ability of Chicago City Council members to have final say on ward-level issues.
That proposal takes a page from Mayor Lori Lightfoot, whose 2019 campaign centered on promises to end aldermanic prerogative as part of efforts to root out the corruption that led to the criminal conviction of 37 members of the Chicago City Council since 1969.
NBC Chicago: Cook County, Chicago Not Included in Illinois' New Mandatory Paid Leave Act. Here's Why
Illinois’ new mandatory paid leave law will take effect next year, offering nearly all workers in the state paid time off, but for Cook County and Chicago, different rules apply.
Ordinances in Cook County and Chicago already require employers to offer paid sick leave, and workers in those locations will continue to be covered by the existing laws rather than the new bill.
Capitol News: Moody’s gives Illinois another credit upgrade
Moody’s Investors Service announced Tuesday that it has upgraded Illinois’ bond rating to A3, up from Baa1, marking the eighth credit upgrade the state has received in less than two years.
Moody’s is now the second major rating agency to put Illinois in the ‘A’ category following S&P’s decision on Feb. 23 to upgrade the state to A- on its scale.
Chicago Tribune: Defund the police or take their handcuffs off? Paul Vallas, Brandon Johnson deny controversial statements at public safety forum
Chicago mayoral candidates Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson had one thing in common during a Tuesday debate focused on public safety: They both denied making controversial comments attributed to them.
Asked about his previous support for the “defund the police” movement — including a declaration that it isn’t a slogan but a “real political goal” — Johnson said, “I said it was a political goal. I never said it was mine.”
CBS Chicago: Efforts to stop smoking on the CTA highlights challenges – and limits – to policing Chicago's public transit
The Chicago Transit Authority is fuming – and the customers are also mad.
CTA riders have slowly started to return three years after the start of the pandemic. But the return to office has been marred by commutes, often filled with cigarette and weed smoke.