-
In the weeks since FBI and IRS agents raided the home, Cicero and Springfield offices of State Sen. Marty Sandoval (D-Chicago) and swiftly turned their attention to the village halls of McCook and Lyons, it has become clear that a sprawling corruption investigation is underway — one that has the power to reshape Illinois politics.
But as the raids multiply — and more politicians are targeted — it has become a challenge with keeping all the players and the issues straight. This encyclopedia will be updated developments occur.
Federal agents are examining at least seven towns — as indicated by the existence of “Municipality 7” mentioned in the search warrant for Sandoval’s Springfield office, which instructed agents to collect documents related to its president and attorney.
-
OCT 14, 2019
UNLOCKED
Kat Merryfield was ready to share her farm-to-home oils, chocolates and creams with the rest of the country. But banks and credit card processors weren’t ready to work with her small business.
“We started out our website with PayPal, and it took about six months before they shut us down,” Merryfield said. “And then they seized our money.” -
Gov. JB Pritzker said Thursday the state must consolidate 649 downstate pension funds, promising such a change would dramatically increase the rate of return on investments in those funds.
“There have been reports and more reports and more reports. and nothing was done about it,” Gov. JB Pritzker said. “I really believe now is the time." [Hannah Meisel/The Daily Line]
-
Gov. JB Pritzker will unveil a long-awaited report from a task force looking at consolidating Illinois’ 641 downstate police and firefighter pension funds, while lawmakers are set to weigh bills promising to phase out the use of ethylene oxide in Illinois, or let local governments ban the chemical.
-
Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature on a new tax credit for large-scale data centers makes Illinois the 30th state with such a tax incentive, which advocates hope will beat back growing competition from neighboring states — and boost economic development in downstate Illinois.
-
Of the nearly 77,000 people in Illinois who are qualified through the state to use medical marijuana to treat a host of chronic conditions, more than 8,600 of them use cannabis to treat post-traumatic stress disorder — far and away the most frequent use of medical marijuana licenses, according to a new report from the Illinois Department of Public Health.
-
State law should be changed to prevent small towns with a population of less than 30,000 residents from creating their own public safety pension funds, the Department of Insurance recommended in its biennial report published this week.
-
The watchdog charged with investigating sexual harassment by aides to House Speaker Mike Madigan urged Attorney General Kwame Raoul to consider bringing criminal charges against Kevin Quinn, the brother of Ald. Marty Quinn (13), for harassing a former Democratic campaign worker, according to revelations in a long-awaited report released Wednesday.
Alaina Hampton addresses reporters in March 2018 at Chicago City Hall. [A.D. Quig/The Daily Line]
-
Chicago’s 9 percent amusement tax on streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and Spotify survived a second round of legal challenges this week when the First District Appellate Court upheld a Cook County judge’s ruling dismissing the suit last year brought by the libertarian-leaning legal advocacy organization Liberty Justice Center.
-
OCT 01, 2019
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services’ hotline is often referred to as the agency’s front door because it’s the primary way abuse and neglect can be reported, after which kids and families can receive services.
In recent years, the volume of calls coming into DCFS’ hotline — 800-25-ABUSE — has risen precipitously, and hotline staffers have not been able to keep up with the increase in calls. A May audit from Auditor General Frank Mautino’s office found that timeliness for completing investigations declined significantly between 2015 and 2017, both the focus of the biennial audit and the timeframe in which the state went without an operating budget for two years.
Meetings & Agendas- Chicago
- Springfield
