Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Sun-Times: Trump seriously considering Blagojevich clemency: ‘Treated unbelievably unfairly’
President Donald Trump said Wednesday night he was considering commuting the sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who is serving a 14-year sentence in a federal prison for corruption.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One as they flew back to Washington from El Paso, Texas, the president hinted he was open to giving Blagojevich, 62, a break.
Chicago Tribune: Born in Chicago, Scabby the giant inflatable protest rat may be banned from picket lines by national labor board
For nearly 30 years, Scabby the Rat, a giant inflatable balloon with sharp claws, a perpetual snarl and a menacing demeanor, has loomed over construction sites across Chicago and beyond to protest the hiring of nonunion labor.
Like deep dish pizza, skyscrapers and the Ferris Wheel, the giant inflatable rat is a Chicago creation that has found its way into the broader culture. Scabby had a memorable star turn on a “Sopranos” TV episode centered around a construction work stoppage.
Chicago Tribune: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announces hiring of top Detroit city planner to her administration
A top city planner from Detroit is in line to head Chicago’s planning department, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration announced Wednesday.
Maurice Cox, who most recently was Detroit’s director of Planning and Development, would replace Eleanor Gorski, the city’s acting Planning and Development commissioner who took over after David Reifman resigned. Gorski will stay on as the department’s first deputy, the release said. The hiring still would need City Council approval at its meeting next month.
WBEZ: Lower-Income, Minority Areas In Chicago Region Losing Out On Millions In Small Business Loans
A new report by a Chicago-based nonprofit research and policy organization revealed widespread racial and economic disparities in small business lending throughout Illinois.
The Woodstock Institute’s “Patterns of Disparity: Small Business Lending in Illinois” showed that businesses in nonwhite communities received fewer business loans and smaller loan amounts than their counterparts in predominantly white communities. The report, released Tuesday, also revealed similar disparities between businesses in lower-income areas and those in higher-income areas.