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Champaign News-Gazette: Madigan's rehabilitation campaign
Illinois is about to swear in six Democratic statewide officeholders and a host of new Democratic lawmakers, but the star of a new 30-second TV spot is the party’s wildly unpopular chairman, House Speaker Michael Madigan.
The blue wave that swamped Illinois politics in November will translate into a bigger Democratic majority in the General Assembly that will be sworn in Wednesday. And on Jan. 14, six Democrats will be inaugurated as statewide officeholders, occupying every one of the constitutional offices from governor to treasurer.
But who’s the star of a 30-second TV commercial that is running statewide through Tuesday? Why it’s Michael Madigan, the 76-year-old chairman of the Democratic Party, a fixture in the Statehouse since 1971 and the man who last year was found to be the least popular among the friendless few of Donald Trump, Bruce Rauner and himself. Polling last February by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute found that Madigan had a 21 percent approval rate and a 68 percent disapproval rate, including 49 percent who strongly disapproved of him.
Associated Press: Democrats head to Springfield with historic control — can they get work done?
The Illinois General Assembly convenes next week, ushering in the Prairie State’s third century with historic numbers of Democrats running the show and a pent-up demand for action.
Can they get any work done?
Chicago Tribune: Damage control: How Toni Preckwinkle is addressing her ties to the Ald. Edward Burke corruption scandal
Nearly seven weeks from the election for Chicago’s next mayor, Toni Preckwinklefinds herself in a familiar position: playing defense against a high-profile problem that could threaten to derail her status as a front-runner in the race.
The Cook County board president is facing the revelation that federal authorities have accused one of Chicago’s most entrenched old-school politicians, Ald. Edward Burke, of shaking down a restaurant magnate for a financial contribution to her campaign.
Chicago Sun-Times: Daley family, friends and associates have long been generous to embattled Burke
As longtime political rivals, Ald. Ed Burke and former Mayor Richard M. Daley never seemed to trust each other much and weren’t always on the friendliest terms.
But Daley’s family, friends and associates have been among the generous donors to Burke’s campaign funds over the past year, according to a Chicago Sun-Times analysis.
Chicago Sun-Times: CTA bus services losing riders in the last decade, data shows
CTA bus ridership has been declining in the last decade, including on its most popular route, data from the transit system shows.
Based on the first nine months of every year, bus ridership has dropped 26 percent since 2008. About 180 million rides were taken last year compared with 245 million in 2008, the data from the CTA reveals.
Northwest Herald: Trail of court troubles follows Algonquin Township Highway Department attorney
Robert Hanlon, the $400-an-hour attorney representing Algonquin Township Highway Commissioner Andrew Gasser, has a long history of missing important court deadlines.
The Woodstock lawyer’s most recent miss was revealed in December, when he appeared in a Lake County courtroom alongside Gasser to defend a contempt charge brought against him in a complex and expensive labor case on its way to appeals court after being dismissed multiple times.
Peoria Journal-Star: Many of state’s worst-performing schools are outside Chicago
More than half of Illinois’ worst-performing schools are nowhere near the concrete jungles of Chicago that most people associate with low test scores and high dropout rates.
Lewis Lemon Elementary School in Rockford is surrounded by modest, wood-frame homes, many of which are more than 100 years old and in varying states of disrepair. Several houses within walking distance of the school have boarded-up doors and windows.