Get the latest news from around Illinois.
WBEZ: ComEd ‘shadow lobbying’ portfolio filled with clouted contractors, hires
Before his offices were raided by the FBI last spring, lobbyist and Chicago public affairs impresario Jay Doherty was paid more than $3.1 million by Commonwealth Edison — vastly more than he had previously disclosed, federal records show.
Doherty is among dozens of clout-heavy contractors the utility employed to build a dominant political influencing machine, powered by ratepayer dollars from its more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois.
Chicago Sun-Times: Pritzker ‘committed’ to looking at a ban on lawmakers working as paid lobbyists — but not next week
With an ongoing federal probe of lawmakers fueling a drive for new ethics reforms in Springfield, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday said he’s “absolutely committed” to looking into a ban on legislators also working as lobbyists.
But the Democratic governor warned there’s not enough time to tackle all ethical problems plaguing the state during the veto session next week.
Chicago Tribune: Illinois House Republicans push ethics proposals in response to ongoing federal corruption probe
Seizing on a federal public corruption probe that has embroiled Democrats from City Hall to the state Capitol, Illinois House Republicans on Thursday proposed a series of changes to state ethics rules they say would provide greater transparency and help prevent future abuses of power.
The proposals include requiring lawmakers to provide more detailed information about their financial interests on annual disclosure statements; instituting special elections to fill vacant seats in the House and Senate; loosening the control House committee chairs have over the fate of bills; and barring lawmakers and close family members from working as lobbyists at the local level.
Chicago Sun-Times: Illinois sportsbooks to get license applications in next six weeks — but still no timetable for launch
State gambling regulators expect to release license applications for potential sports betting operators next month, marking the first major step toward launching the industry in Illinois since it was legalized over the summer.
Illinois Gaming Board administrator Marcus Fruchter announced Thursday the applications will be available on or before the agency’s next board meeting Dec. 19 “barring any unforeseen circumstances.”
Crain's Chicago Business: S&P dings CPS contract deal with teachers
In a statement issued this afternoon, S&P Global said that while it’s not changing its current rating of BB-, which is three levels below investment grade, the $1.5 billion settlement “compounds long-term (financial) pressures” on CPS and appears to lock the district into a less than desirable situation.
Chicago Tribune: Chicago’s next top cop critical to continued progress on police reform
With Superintendent Eddie Johnson set to step aside by year’s end, the Chicago Police Department needs a strong, visionary leader to push much-needed police reforms while not losing sight of the need to continue to bring down violence, say national and local experts contacted by the Tribune.
While Johnson, a 31-year veteran of the department, helped take some early, important steps, his successor will need to confront head-on the many challenges that remain — including the community’s deep distrust of police and the realization that police can’t arrest their way out of the still spiraling violence.
WBEZ: Can the right superintendent fix what’s wrong with policing in Chicago?
The last time the city of Chicago replaced its police superintendent, the dashcam footage of a police officer shooting down teenager Laquan McDonald was like a fresh wound on the city.
Community trust in the police was shattered.
Chicago Tribune: Amid scandal, Illinois Gaming Board blocks video gambling owners from selling their companies without state approval
The Illinois Gaming Board on Thursday moved to block video gambling operators from selling their companies without state approval in what regulators billed as an “emergency” step they hope will stop any business under investigation from turning a profit before facing disciplinary action.
The unanimous vote followed a Tribune story last month that revealed one of the state’s largest video gambling operators, Rick Heidner, is in business with a convicted illegal sports bookmaker as well as a banker accused by the FBI of involving organized crime figures in a failed Rosemont casino deal.
Chicago Sun-Times: Unfair assessments lawsuit dismissed after office makes changes — but assessor calls full reform a ‘years-long process’
Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi helped persuade a judge to toss out a 2017 lawsuit alleging Kaegi’s predecessor “systematically and illegally” shifted residential property tax burdens to minority and low-income homeowners.
The Cook County judge accepted the argument that reforms and transparency measures Kaegi has brought to the office over the past year addressed issues raised in the suit.
State Journal-Register: Manar to push bill making Daylight Saving Time permanent
If Sen. Andy Manar has his way, people in Illinois would move their clocks ahead one hour this coming spring, then never have to change them again.
“So we’re going to give this a whirl next week in the #ILSenate. SB 533 would end the arbitrary time change & IL would join other states,” Manar tweeted.
Chicago Tribune: Former Lake Forest city manager pleads not guilty after being indicted with official misconduct over lobbying payments
A former city manager in Lake Forest pleaded not guilty Wednesday nearly two weeks after a Lake County grand jury indicted him on a charge of official misconduct following an investigation into payments made to a lobbying firm while he was the city’s top administrator.
Robert Kiely entered the not guilty plea while appearing before Lake County Judge Victoria A. Rossetti, according to a spokesman with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office. After the appearance, Kiely was released on a $75,000 bond with notice to appear in court Dec. 9.
Chicago Tribune: Hundreds of Grayslake teachers take to the picket line on first day of strike
Bundled up in winter gear, ready to face a chilly morning, more than 100 teachers and support staff from the Park Campus School in Round Lake walked the picket line at Cedar Lake Road and Route 120 Thursday — the first day of a strike by 400 Grayslake Community Consolidated School District 46 teachers and support staff.
Negotiations that had been taking place for months were set to resume Thursday evening. Talks stalled Tuesday after Lake County Federation of Teachers Local 504 and the Grayslake Paraprofessionals and School-Related Personnel (PSRP), which represents the support workers, rejected an offer from the Board of Education and announced they would go on strike Thursday.
Chicago Sun-Times: Aldermen urge Lightfoot to pick an insider to replace retiring Supt. Eddie Johnson
Two weeks after becoming Chicago’s $260,0444-a-year police superintendent, New York native Garry McCarthy started getting calls from aldermen with their picks for district commander.
It’s no surprise, then, that aldermen interviewed Thursday would like to see Mayor Lori Lightfoot choose an insider to replace retiring Supt. Eddie Johnson.
WTTW: How a small-town city employee stole nearly $54M in public money
Dixon, Illinois, is a small town about a hundred miles west of Chicago. It’s long been known as the boyhood home of former President Ronald Reagan, but it’s gained notoriety in recent years as the site of one of the most outrageous cases of municipal fraud in modern times.
Former Dixon Comptroller Rita Crundwell was convicted for stealing nearly $54 million from the town over the course of 20 years and spending it on a lavish lifestyle, including multiple homes in Illinois and Florida and a farm to house her award-winning quarter horses. A documentary airing Thursday on WTTW attempts to find out how she got away with it for so long.
Daily Herald: Buffalo Grove approves 11% water and sewer rate hike
When Buffalo Grove residents receive their water bills next year, they may feel some sticker shock.
But some might also take solace in knowing that not only could it have been worse but that village officials say the upcoming rate hike will address current and long-range infrastructure needs.
On Monday, the village board approved a one-time 11% water and sewer rate increase for 2020, after which increases will settle back to the 4% annual hike that has been imposed since 2012.
Chicago Tribune: Aldermen looking to rework Chicago’s rules on Airbnb, other vacation rentals, to increase power to clamp down on problem operators
Fed up with what they say is the ability of vacation rental companies to easily skirt city rules meant to track the proliferation of home rental units in Chicago neighborhoods, aldermen are talking about reopening the controversial ordinance to tighten the controls on Airbnb and other similar companies.
During a Wednesday License Committee meeting at City Hall, South Side Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson, 11th, and Southwest Side Ald. Marty Quinn, 13th, brought forward ordinances to ban vacation rentals such as Airbnb in certain precincts in their wards. Both said they’re dealing with problem rental units where neighbors complain about parties.
Daily Herald: Round Lake Park borrowing $1.37 million for police pensions
Police pensions in Round Lake Park will be nearly fully funded after village officials this week authorized $1.37 million in borrowing to reduce their outstanding obligation.
The village board on Tuesday approved issuing $1.37 million in bonds, which will bring pensions to 89% funded, a day-and-night turnaround from a few years ago.
State Journal-Register: Teachers union, District 186 reach tentative agreement
The Springfield Education Association and Springfield School District 186 have reached a tentative agreement after a late-night meeting Thursday with a local federal mediator.
About 1,200 District 186 teachers and other personnel had been working under terms of the previous contract which expired Aug. 15.