Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Tribune: FBI raids downstate home of longtime ComEd lobbyist who is close confidant of Speaker Madigan
The FBI has raided the downstate home of a high-powered former Springfield lobbyist who for decades served as one of House Speaker Michael Madigan’s closest confidants, the Chicago Tribune has learned.
The raid of Mike McClain’s home in Quincy took place in mid-May, around the same time the FBI executed search warrants at the homes of two other Madigan associates — former 23rd Ward Ald. Michael Zalewski and political operative Kevin Quinn, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.
Chicago Sun-Times: Madigan’s 700K Club: Seven pols give big bucks to speaker — as his legal bills pile up
Seven legislators gave Mike Madigan a whopping $751,400 within the last few weeks — just as the powerful Illinois House speaker’s legal bills mount and federal investigations touch some of his allies.
The lawmakers who spoke to the Chicago Sun-Times about what for most were six-figure donations insist it’s business as usual, routine fundraising by the powerful Southwest Side Democrat, who also serves as Illinois Democratic Party chairman.
Chicago Tribune: City inspector accused of lying to FBI about relationship with developers involved in Ald. Carrie Austin probe
A Chicago city inspector lied to the FBI about his relationship with developers who have come under scrutiny as part of the FBI investigation into Ald. Carrie Austin, a newly unsealed federal indictment alleged.
The city worker also falsely claimed to have inspected rehabbed porches, leading the city to pay out a company that hadn’t completed its work, the indictment alleged.
Crain's Chicago Business: Utah company is front-runner to operate Chicago's port
Savage Enterprises, headquartered in Midvale, Utah, is the preferred bidder for a master lease to operate the Southeast Side port, according to minutes from a March 1 meeting of the nine directors for the Illinois International Port District. The board for the city-state agency plans to discuss the lease at a meeting tomorrow and may vote on whether to award the contract, said board Chairman Michael Forde.
WTTW Chicago Tonight: Chicago Public Transit Leaders Talk Influx of State Funding
After a 10-year drought, Chicago’s public transit system is set to receive billions in state capital funding.
Last month, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law a $45 billion capital infrastructure plan, which allocates money for roads, bridges and mass transit across the state, including in Chicago.
WBEZ: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Acknowledges Fumble On Casino Announcement
Mayor Lori Lightfoot has acknowledged that she could have handled the rollout of potential Chicago casino locations better. That was after some aldermen complained they weren’t given notice of five locations the city said it will study.
“The headline should never be, ‘Aldermen Surprised.’ That should never happen and if that happened that’s a failure on our part. We will own it and we will correct it,” Lightfoot said Thursday.
WBEZ: Cook County Health Debuts An Ambitious Roadmap
Cook County Health, the county-run healthcare system, wants to become a go-to medical provider for the county’s roughly 22,000 government workers, as well as for other employers. It also wants to court more patients who have insurance, and beef up services at its Provident Hospital on the South Side.
Another part of the plan: woo more expectant moms. After all, they and their growing families could become lifelong patients.
Daily Herald: With Route 53 extension scrapped, will $13 million in studies go to waste?
The Illinois tollway washed its hands of extending Route 53 to Lake County last week, but does that mean $13 million spent on consultants will go down the drain?
Executive Director Jose Alvarez cut short an environmental impact study into expanding Route 53 a week ago, citing a lack of consensus in Lake County and the need to focus on more immediate construction projects.