Politics
CHICAGO – After nearly six weeks, a federal jury has heard almost all the evidence in the bribery trial of three ex-lobbyists for electric utility Commonwealth Edison and its former CEO who are accused of bribing former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Prosecutors allege the four arranged for Madigan allies to get jobs and contracts…
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SPRINGFIELD – Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson said Wednesday his goal was to unify the state while calling Illinois a “vanguard for progressive policy all over this country” in an address to a joint session of the General Assembly. Johnson, a former middle school teacher and one-time staffer for Senate President Don Harmon, said he came…
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CHICAGO – When the former CEO of Commonwealth Edison was interviewed by federal prosecutors and agents in September 2019, she denied knowing the substance of the case the government was building against her and her colleagues. Specifically, Anne Pramaggiore said that until the feds’ investigation into ComEd became public four months prior, she was unaware…
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QUINCY — Incumbent Democratic Alderman Ben Uzelac took all three votes in the 7th Ward that were verified Tuesday afternoon by the Adams County Clerk’s Office. Uzelac defeated Republican challenger Tim Siemer 208 votes to 205 votes. Write-in candidates received 13 votes. About 20 people were in attendance, including Siemer and Uzelac as well as…
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CHICAGO – In May 2018, Commonwealth Edison CEO Anne Pramaggiore called the utility’s longtime top contract lobbyist, Mike McClain, with some news: she was about to be promoted to CEO of Exelon Utilities. In that role, she would oversee ComEd and five other utilities under the parent company’s umbrella. “Never would’ve happened without you and…
Read Full Article CHICAGO — Near the end of a long day of animated testimony Monday, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore’s voice grew quiet. The jury in the “ComEd Four” bribery trial had just heard for the second time a wiretapped recording on which she told a close associate of then-House Speaker Michael Madigan, “You take good care of me,…
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The Illinois Supreme Court has denied a motion to disqualify two justices from hearing a challenge to the state’s new gun ban over perceived conflicts of interest. The two justices also declined to recuse themselves. Before Elizabeth Rochford and Mary O’Brien were elected to the Illinois Supreme Court in November 2022, Gov. J.B. Pritzker gave…
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Differences between the House and Senate on how strict a ban on certain transgender health care could spell trouble for the proposal’s chances as the Missouri legislative session nears completion. Republican leaders in both chambers told reporters on Thursday that they wanted their versions passed and sent to the governor. The Senate passed a version last…
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SPRINGFIELD – Some Illinois lawmakers are calling for a review of one of the tests prospective teachers must pass in order to be licensed in Illinois. The test is known as the Teacher Performance Assessment, or “edTPA,” and it is intended to determine whether a prospective teacher has the knowledge and skills necessary to be…
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CHICAGO — As university faculties around Illinois strike for better pay and working conditions, budget analysts have found that state spending on higher education has fallen dramatically over the past 20 years. When adjusted for inflation, state spending on higher education fell 46 percent between 2000 and 2023, according to a new research report from the left-leaning…
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CHICAGO — Federal jurors have spent five weeks listening to the voice of former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, caught in a cache of secret FBI recordings in which prosecutors say she conspired with her colleagues to bribe then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. But late Thursday, the polished former energy executive and theater major finally got the chance to…
Read Full Article Anne Pramaggiore to take rare – and risky – step of defending herself to jury CHICAGO – Federal prosecutors on Wednesday rested their case against three ex-lobbyists and the former CEO of electric utility Commonwealth Edison in a trial where the four stand accused of orchestrating a yearslong bribery scheme to influence Illinois’ most powerful…
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A legendary precinct captain for former House Speaker Michael Madigan told jurors in the “ComEd Four” bribery trial Tuesday that the speaker got him a $45,000-a-year contract with one of the utility’s top lobbyists but made it clear the deal would disappear if he stopped working on campaigns. Edward Moody, for years one of Madigan’s…
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SPRINGFIELD – The overall financial health of Illinois school districts has been improving in recent years, according to a recent state report, but a bill moving through the General Assembly seeks to rein in the amount of money some districts are saving. Senate Bill 1994, which passed unanimously out of the Senate last week and now…
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CHICAGO — Chicago has been selected as the host of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, a huge economic and prestigious boon to the city, national Democratic Party officials announced Tuesday. Chicago was selected over Atlanta and New York among the finalists to host the anticipated re-nomination of President Joe Biden. Though the choice was announced…
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SPRINGFIELD – While Illinois has recently experienced a prolonged stretch of good financial news, a new state fiscal forecast notes that if spending continues to grow at its recent pace it could lead to future budget deficits. It would mark the reversal of a recent trend during which the state logged considerable surpluses this fiscal…
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More than 200,000 lead service pipes carry drinking water to Missouri families, according to a new estimate from the Environmental Protection Agency. New lead water pipes have been banned for more than 30 years. But the EPA estimates that 9.2 million American households still get their water through aging lead pipes. Just over 2% of those…
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CHICAGO — When Juan Ochoa was appointed to the board of Commonwealth Edison in April 2019, it was after a year and a half of delays and behind-the-scenes wrangling on his behalf by some of the most powerful people in Illinois politics and Chicago’s business community. But four years later, the emails and calls on…
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Marijuana will soon be more expensive in dozens of municipalities around the state following Tuesday’s elections where almost all of the local sales tax measures passed handily. Many voters around the state saw an extra question on their ballots, asking if they wanted to add a 3% tax to marijuana and other items sold by…
Read Full Article Former McPier boss Juan Ochoa took the stand Thursday in the trial of four political power players and told the tale of his appointment to ComEd’s board — a seemingly typical Chicago backroom deal involving then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Then, prosecutors played another set of phone calls secretly recorded by the FBI in which ComEd…
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QUINCY — No chads are hanging, no Brooks Brothers are rioting and the Supreme Court won’t get involved (we hope). The Adams County Clerk’s office began Thursday the process of sorting out the votes still arriving via the U.S. Mail, as long as they have been postmarked by Election Day, April 4. Three election judges…
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Jay Ashcroft, Missouri’s secretary of state and son of one of the most successful Republican politicians in state history, announced Thursday morning he was joining the 2024 race for governor. In a statement announcing his candidacy on social media, Ashcroft said Missouri “stands at a crossroads.” “Red states like Florida, Texas, Tennessee, even Indiana and…
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While the prosecution’s case against the Com Ed 4’s alleged bribery of former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan is still underway, witness testimony shows how the control Madigan exercised over the legislative process made him a ripe target and warped the system. What is more, the structures Madigan used to make himself the most powerful…
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CHICAGO — Cook County Commissioner and Chicago Teachers Union lobbyist Brandon Johnson has been elected Chicago’s 57th mayor, according to The Associated Press. Johnson won 51% of the vote with 99% of precincts reporting as of 9:45 p.m. April 4, according to the news wire service. One of the issues that divided Johnson and opponent Paul Vallas…
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CHICAGO – It was sunny and approaching 75 degrees when FBI agents arrived at the Quincy home of Mike McClain on a Tuesday in May 2019. McClain, a close friend of longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, had a habit of printing out emails and keeping hand-written notes. That made the agents’ job a bit…
Read Full Article November 13, 2024
DAILY MUDDY: QUINCY HOBBY CENTER CLOSING AND EFB COFFEE TALK
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