Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Sun-Times: From #MeToo to GoFundMe: Ousted Madigan aide’s sisters seek donations after his ‘life was turned upside down‘
A GoFundMe page has been set up by the family of Kevin Quinn — a former top operative to Illinois Speaker Mike Madigan — who was ousted over sexual harassment allegations that rocked Madigan’s political operation.
Quinn is also tied up in a contentious divorce and reportedly caught the eye of federal authorities who are looking into payments he received from Madigan-related lobbyists.
Chicago Tribune: Obama Presidential Center will have ‘adverse effect’ on Jackson Park’s historic design, new report says
Building the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park will have an “adverse effect” on the park and on the adjacent Midway Plaisance, a new report by city officials for state and federal agencies has revealed.
But while the massive project would alter portions of the property that justified listing it on the National Register of Historic Places, the newly released report is just one step in the federal review process.
Chicago Sun-Times: Ex-labor leader due to plead guilty in extortion case
A onetime labor leader with ties to several prominent Illinois politicians is set to plead guilty in federal court Tuesday in a lesser-known extortion case that still threatens to reach deep into the state’s halls of power.
A federal grand jury accused Teamsters leader John T. Coli in 2017 of extorting $325,000 from Cinespace Chicago Film Studios, the clout-heavy studio that is home to such hit TV shows as “Chicago Fire” and “Empire.”
Chicago Tribune: Gov. J.B. Pritzker fills two seats on Illinois Gaming Board as work toward Chicago casino, massive gambling expansion begins
A month after signing legislation authorizing a massive expansion of gambling in Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has filled two vacancies on the board charged with awarding licenses for new casinos, including one in Chicago, and overseeing the rollout of legalized sports betting.
Pritzker on Monday named Springfield attorney Charles Schmadeke as the Illinois Gaming Board’s new chairman and tapped Boeing senior counsel Anthony Garcia to fill the other empty seat.
Rockford Register-Star: Gorman: Downtown Rockford casino proposal in the works
Wisconsin-based Gorman & Company Inc. is in talks with several potential partners to submit a bid to develop a riverfront casino on 13 acres south of the downtown Embassy Suites Hotel and Rockford Conference Center that the company is developing.
Gorman & Company Chairman Gary Gorman confirmed Monday his company has an option under contract to purchase property south of the hotel where he envisions developing an entertainment complex and casino linked by pedestrian walkways to the hotel and to a train station that would bring in thousands of visitors from Chicagoland. Gorman said he is in talks with five casino operators that have expressed interest.
Daily Herald: Suburban towns struggle to repurpose vacant, failed shopping malls
Huntley is the latest suburban community struggling to repurpose a failed suburban shopping mall.
Many others have tried, and some have succeeded in reviving once vibrant shopping centers that have lost their luster.