Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Sun-Times: Feds file criminal case against ComEd, implicate Mike Madigan
Federal prosecutors implicated Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan on Friday in a brazen, Chicago-style bribery scheme involving ComEd that allegedly went on for years and involved payments to Madigan associates exceeding $1.3 million.
Though the stunning, lengthy details were revealed in documents that charged only ComEd — and not Madigan — with bribery, they said ComEd has agreed to “fully and truthfully cooperate” with federal prosecutors. The company has agreed to pay a $200 million fine and acknowledged that it sought Madigan’s help for legislation that could be worth more than $150 million to the utility company.
State Journal-Register: Pritzker: House Speaker must resign if involved in ComEd wrongdoing; feds subpeona Madigan
Utility giant Commonwealth Edison awarded jobs and contracts to associates of a top state official – identified as House Speaker Michael Madigan – “with intent to influence and reward” the official, federal prosecutors said Friday.
Madigan, the nation’s longest serving House Speaker, has not been charged with any wrongdoing. However, Gov. JB Pritzker said that if the allegations of wrongdoing by Madigan are true, the Speaker must resign.
The Center Square: Illinois lawmakers call for Madigan to resign
In light of utility company ComEd’s admissions about a broad scheme to advance its initiatives in Springfield by allegedly trading favors with House Speaker Michael Madigan, a growing chorus of lawmakers are demanding the Chicago Democrat’s resignation.
Madigan has yet to face any charges formally. However, U.S. Attorney John Lausch Jr. released details of a criminal complaint against ComEd Friday that describes how the utility company engaged Madigan’s allies in a vast quid pro quo that ensured legislation that ComEd favored would pass in Springfield. In a Friday statement, Madigan denied any wrongdoing.
Chicago Sun-Times: Read the court documents from ComEd criminal charges that implicate Mike Madigan
ComEd will pay $200 million to end a federal criminal investigation into a years-long bribery scheme, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced Friday.
State Journal-Register: Pritzker lawsuit seeks face mask order for Illinois schools
Gov. J.B. Pritzker took the unusual step Thursday of preemptively filing a lawsuit to ensure school children wear face coverings to prevent the spread of the coronavirus when schools reopen in a few weeks.
The action filed late Thursday in Sangamon County Circuit Court by the state attorney general seeks a judge’s approval of Pritzker’s order that schoolchildren, teachers and staff wear coverings over mouths and noses among other measures to reduce the chance that the highly contagious and potentially deadly virus can spread.
Chicago Tribune: North Chicago seeks to revoke pensions of disabled police officers who refused to come out of retirement
The city of North Chicago is attempting to revoke the pensions of three retired police officers who were disabled after being injured on the job.
The move comes after the city invoked a rarely – if ever – used provision in state law that allows it to recall retired officers in the event of an emergency which, in North Chicago’s case, was its inability to fully staff its now-closed 911 dispatch center.
WBEZ: Tune-up on Chicago's controversial impoundment program clears first hurdle in City Council
A proposal by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to revamp the city’s vehicle impoundment program cleared a major hurdle in City Council Friday.
After one hour of debate, the Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety approved the changes laid out in a 16-page ordinance.
Chicago Sun-Times: Feds cast wide net on Berrios, get records on gov’s Gold Coast mansion, 118 other properties
Federal prosecutors have made a series of requests to the Cook County assessor’s office over the past five months for records regarding the $330,000 property tax break that Gov. J.B. Pritzker got on a Gold Coast mansion — a break he got in part because the toilets were disconnected during a stalled remodeling job.
Records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times show the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago has asked Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi for all emails and any other communications dating to 2012 regarding the tax break that Kaegi’s predecessor, Joseph Berrios, gave Pritzker.
WTTW: Pay $500K to settle case that sought 48 Years’ worth of misconduct files: city lawyers
The city of Chicago should pay $500,000 to settle a lawsuit that sought to force the Chicago Police Department to turn over nearly five decades’ worth of secret files detailing allegations of misconduct by officers, city lawyers recommended.
In January, Judge Alison Conlon found that police and city officials had “willfully and intentionally failed to comply” with the Illinois Freedom of Information Act when it denied a request from Charles Green, who was sentenced to life in prison at age 16 after being convicted in a 1985 quadruple murder.
Chicago Tribune: Chicago Public Schools proposes hybrid of online and in-person classes for fall, despite union opposition
Chicago Public Schools has released a much-anticipated blueprint for fall instruction, saying it plans to adopt a hybrid-learning model that will bring most students back for two-consecutive days of in-person learning on a rotating basis if public health officials say it can be done safely.
Under the “preliminary framework” shared Friday, students in kindergarten through 10th grade will have two days of in-person learning and two days of remote work at home, plus real-time virtual instruction each Wednesday. When at school, students will be grouped into pods of 15 to minimize contact with classmates. High school seniors and juniors will mostly continue to learn at home, except for those who need additional support or those in vocational programs.