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WTTW: Despite Federal Indictment, Michael Madigan Still Bringing in Campaign Cash as Ward Committeeman
Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is under federal indictment on corruption charges and no longer holds a reputation as the state’s most powerful politician.
Despite all that, he is still a successful fundraiser.
The Center Square: Democrats blocked from intervening in lawsuit challenging Illinois’ 2-week window to count mail-in votes
A lawsuit over an Illinois law that allows mail-in ballots to be counted up to two weeks after polls close on election day is advancing after a federal judge ruled against Democrats looking to intervene.
Election day is Nov. 8. Early voting has been underway for weeks. Mail-in ballots have also been sent out to voters throughout the state. As of Monday, state elections board data indicates there were 841,270 mail-in ballots sent, with 400,385 received back by the elections authorities. That leaves 440,885 ballots that have yet to be mailed in.
Chicago Tribune: After a tumultuous first term, Gov. J.B. Pritzker spends big and plays it safe in reelection bid
In late August, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, billionaire scion of one of America’s wealthiest families, sat at a folding table at City Hall in Christopher, a town of fewer than 3,000 people 300 miles south of his Gold Coast mansion.
The first term Democratic governor was meeting with a group of area mayors in a spare room whose white cinder block walls were adorned with photos from the town’s past, including one documenting a visit from Republican Gov. Frank Lowden a century earlier.
Chicago Sun-Times: For Chicago schools parking deal, Board of Ed turned to Lori Lightfoot fundraiser
For three years, the Chicago Board of Education has been trying to collect more than $360,000 from a parking company co-owned by former Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios’ son-in-law James T. Weiss, who is under federal indictment for bribery on an unrelated matter.
According to Chicago Public Schools officials, Weiss and his company, Blk & Wht Valet, owed CPS that much for using school lots, mostly near Wrigley Field, for paid parking.
Daily Herald: Ex-tollway executives file suit, allege cronyism
Two former high-ranking Illinois tollway executives accuse the agency’s now-retired chairman of cronyism and overstepping his authority.
A lawsuit by former Chief Administrative Officer Kimberly Ross and former Chief Procurement Officer Dionna Brookens says both were “terminated without cause” after pushing back against Will Evans and other officials.