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ROUNDUP: Evans Steps Up, Levar Steps Down, Huggins Steps Quietly
>> JUDGE ASSESSES FIELD FOR BERRIOS SEAT As the dust settles from the Nov. 2 election, it seems that one of the biggest winners locally was Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans—and not only...
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Illinois’ Fiscal Crisis: We’re No. 2!
One of the nation’s most influential financial analysts sees big trouble ahead for Illinois. Meredith Whitney is sounding the alarm about the dire fiscal condition of the nation’s 15 largest states....
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Clearing the air under the CTA’s June subway fire probe
The safety and security of passengers should be the CTA’s top priority. So it was encouraging to see the transit agency produce a hard-hitting and scathing internal report delving into the...
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Candidate for Cook County Pension Post Pleaded Guilty In 1985 Vote Fraud Case
A former Cook County government employee who pleaded guilty to vote fraud in 1985 is now running for election to the Cook County Pension Board, an estimated $6.9 billion retirement fund serving nearly...
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Miami Spice
The Cook County state’s attorney’s office has opened an investigation to determine whether Calumet City Ald. Thaddeus Jones misused taxpayer and campaign funds during last year’s trip to a Miami film...
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Dog Gone: Oak Brook Leader Returning Donation From Hot Dog Honcho
Earlier this year, Oak Brook Village President John Craig insisted “there is not a cent of money in my campaign fund from a bar or a restaurant, nor will there ever be.” That remark came during the...
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Cash from a Crook: Niles Mayor Takes Campaign Money from Imprisoned Predecessor
Like a child with tapeworms, politicians in Illinois are insatiable—although it’s campaign cash they crave. That being said, many political figures have the willpower to restrict their fundraising...
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After Gas Heater Arrest, County Worker on Hot Seat
Cook County government employees are feeling the heat these days as newly seated Board President Toni Preckwinkle imposes layoffs and makes significant budget cuts. But one politically active county...
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CBS 2 Reports On Ex-Dixon Comptroller’s Mini-Mansion
U.S. authorities say Rita Crundwell allegedly funneled money from city coffers into building and furnishing a mini-mansion near Sarasota, Fla. before being arrested and indicted for allegedly stealing...
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Short-Term Appointment is Deciding Vote on Taxes, Death Penalty
As published on The Welles Park Bulldog News, by Patrick Boylan Kathleen C Moore, a retired school teacher from Lincoln Park, was appointed by 11th legislative district Democratic committeemen to fill...
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Metra ‘Observers’ Monitoring Ticket Collection on Crowded Trains
It’s a common scene on Metra after events such as Lollapalooza and the Navy Pier fireworks: hoards of passengers pile into train cars, conductors can’t easily navigate through the crowded aisles to...
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Dispatch from DuPage: What about Bob?
>> BIG BUCKS SAY BYE-BYE DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom wasn’t terribly happy fielding our questions the other day following a County Board meeting. To paraphrase his initial...
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Call for Entries: 2011 BGA Investigative Journalism Awards
With the support of the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the BGA Investigative Journalism Awards recognize the best in government-related investigative reporting from across the Midwest region. The...
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$20K Worth of Copper Cable Stolen from ‘Secure’ City Warehouse
The warehouse at 940 W. Exchange should be one of the most secure municipal buildings in Chicago. Not only is it home base for city crews that install and maintain security systems at local government...
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The Shame of Profiling, and Politics
Couple things caught our eye today that we wanted to pass along. First was an intriguing story by FOX 32’s Dane Placko about alleged racial profiling in Evergreen Park, where a black man was pulled...
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ROUNDUP: Give and you shall receive + sleuthing from the inside
>> RIDING THE GRAVY TRAIN Maybe he should be dodging these types of campaign donations. Metra board member Jim Dodge — in his unsuccessful run for Illinois comptroller earlier this year —...
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IMRF Vs. TRS: Getting More For Less
Over the past decade, another major public employee pension fund reaped a higher investment return, paid less in financial fees and used fewer advisers than the Teachers Retirement System (TRS) of...
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Conflicted? Metra Heavy Claims ‘Rules’ Justify Questionable Campaign...
Metra board member Jim Dodge says he followed all the rules in his failed run for Illinois comptroller earlier this year. But maybe the rules need to be changed. We’ve already documented how he...
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BGA Investigates, County Official Resigns
The long-time chairman of the Cook County Board of Ethics resigned this week, just a day after the Better Government Association, in concert with WGN-TV and Chicago magazine, released a report raising...
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Arrest of Ex-Maywood Cop a Symptom of Larger Problems in Town
In another sign that Maywood’s police department is in need of a dramatic overhaul, a now-former officer has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman he met on duty. The disclosure...
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