Plea deal drops felony against former Lake Forest city manager who pushed for Amtrak stop

By Vincent Caruso

02/27/2020

Hiding lobbyist payments led to a felony indictment in October against Lake Forest’s longtime former city manager. His plea bargain drops the felony and could eventually leave his record clean.

TAGS: Amtrak, Bob Kiely, felony, investigation, Lake County, Lake Forest, laundering, lobbying, misconduct

Where you can and can’t buy recreational marijuana in Illinois

11/15/2019

Many Illinois municipalities have voted to ban or restrict marijuana sales when it becomes legal for sale. Here’s a list of where pot will, won’t and might be legally bought.

TAGS: Arlington Heights, Bolingbrook, Buffalo Grove, cannabis, Carbondale, Carol Stream, Chicago, City of Springfield, collar counties, Collinsville, Danville, Decatur, Downers Grove, DuPage County, Edwardsville, Elmhurst, Grayslake, Highland Park, Joliet, Lake Forest, Lake Zurich, legalization, Libertyville, Lombard, marijuana, Mundelein, municipal government, Naperville, Northbrook, Oak Park, Plainfield, prohibition, Schaumburg, Urbana, Waukegan, Wheaton, Winnetka

Former Lake Forest city manager indicted following Amtrak lobbying scandal

By Vincent Caruso

10/27/2019

A grand jury indicted Lake Forest’s longtime city manager for making $200,000 in unauthorized payments to a lobbying firm in an effort to attract funding for an unpopular proposed Amtrak stop.

TAGS: corruption, Lake Forest, lobbying

Nearly half of joint filers in Lake Forest would see income tax hike if voters approve Pritzker’s ‘fair tax’

By Bryce Hill, Chena Underhill

10/07/2019

Voters statewide will decide whether 2,610 Lake Forest taxpayers should send $92 million in additional income taxes to Springfield.

TAGS: fair tax, graduated income tax, income tax, JB Pritzker, Lake Forest, progressive income tax, taxes

Outgoing Lake Forest official poised to collect large pension following Amtrak lobbying scandal

By Vincent Caruso

07/18/2018

Months after an investigation found Lake Forest’s city manager to have squandered $200,000 on unauthorized lobbying payments, the north suburban official announced plans to retire next year.

TAGS: Bob Kiely, Chicago City College, city manager, Lake County, Lake Forest, property taxes, taxes

A city charter could bring order to Chicago’s dysfunction. How can it get one?

Report Archive

Aziza Butler

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students