Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Associated Press: State lawmakers seek emergency meeting of Legislature
Three members of the Illinois Legislature on Wednesday asked for an “emergency legislative session” to address the effects of violent demonstrations and looting on local communities and criminal justice reform.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that in a letter to House Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President Don Harmon, Representatives Kam Buckner, Curtis Tarver and Lamont Robinson, all Democrats, say communities can’t wait until the fall veto session to address the unrest resulting from the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The Center Square: Study ranks Illinois among states most in need of financial help amid COVID-19 pandemic
A new report found that Illinois needs more financial help than all but five other states because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The financial website WalletHub looked at 18 metrics to determine a state’s fiscal position during the pandemic, including a state’s preparedness for a severe recession, the number of unemployment claims and unfunded pension liabilities.
State Journal-Register: State allows summer school openings, opens testing to everyone
Summer schools can open with safety guidelines in place and state-run COVID-19 testing sites are now open to everyone.
The state made the latest two announcements as it encouraged anyone who has recently attended a mass protest to get tested for novel coronavirus disease.
Associated Press: Videos prompt 2 excessive force probes of Chicago police
Several Chicago police officers are under investigation after a video surfaced showing them yanking two women out of a car and throwing them to the ground, and one of the women alleges that one officer put his knee on her neck while restraining her.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability has launched an investigation into the encounter Sunday at Brickyard Mall on the city’s West Side in which police said in a statement that Mia Wright was charged with disorderly conduct. It has also started investigating another incident captured on video showing an officer chasing and punching a protester after a demonstration about the death of George Floyd last week.
Chicago Sun-Times: Federal subpoena draws ex-Rep. Edward Acevedo into feds’ political corruption probe
Former state Rep. Edward “Eddie” Acevedo has been drawn into the ongoing federal public corruption investigation that has gone quiet but not dormant, amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Days after Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued his stay-at-home order, federal prosecutors subpoenaed the Illinois Secretary of State’s lobbyist division for all records related to Acevedo, as well as Michael and Alexander Acevedo and the Acevedo’s lobbying company, Apex Strategy LLC, records show.
Chicago Tribune: Former state representative says feds interviewed him on lobbying activities, consultant fees he got from Madigan-connected ComEd lobbyists
Former Democratic state Rep. Eddie Acevedo said Thursday he was interviewed last fall by the FBI regarding lobbying activities and separate consultant fees paid to him by two ComEd lobbyists with ties to Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan.
The FBI’s interview of Acevedo, who has not been accused of wrongdoing, took place as federal authorities investigated the lobbying practices of ComEd and Exelon and kept pressing forward with a widespread corruption probe that reached from Chicago’s City Hall to the Illinois statehouse.
WTTW: Stalled by pandemic, push to create elected board over CPD gets new life amid protests
Efforts to put an elected board of Chicago residents in charge of the Chicago Police Department — stalled by the coronavirus pandemic — could get new life amid a renewed nationwide push to hold police officers accountable for misconduct.
However, Mayor Lori Lightfoot did not include that effort in her speech to the city Tuesday, vowing to deliver “fundamental change … that results in the respect, dignity and freedom that black people deserve in this country.”
WBEZ: In Chicago's poorest areas, recovery may be long, if it comes at all
On Chicago’s West Side the other day, Decoby Smith wanted to stop at a dollar store on the walk home from his shift at a jerk-chicken joint.
But the store’s windows were bashed in and its front doors swung freely. Water from somewhere inside flowed through the entrance, turning the parking lot into a pond.
Crain's Chicago Business: How badly will COVID, looting hurt CPS finances?
Odds are there will be damage, which at this point appears containable, Moody’s Investor’s Service says in a new report. But I think the bond rating agency may be being a big charitable, and indeed it says there is a real possibility of “material operating deficits and increased cash flow borrowing.”
Chicago Sun-Times: Lightfoot urged to throw struggling restaurants a financial lifeline
Mayor Lori Lightfoot was urged Thursday to throw a financial lifeline to Chicago restaurants fighting for survival after the one-two punch of rioting and the stay-at-home shutdown.
Ald. Ray Lopez (15th), the mayor’s most outspoken City Council critic, wants the city to grant a free, 60-day sidewalk café permit to “any restaurant or bar” meeting the city’s requirements for a sidewalk café.