Former House Republican Grant Wehrli, who sat on the Special Investigative Committee, claimed Welch and his Democratic colleagues shut down the 2020 probe because it was revealing damning information about how Madigan wielded his power to place his political allies on corporate boards.
“We had one witness, and that one witness shed new light on Speaker Madigan’s operations. And so they did not want any more witnesses coming forward because they didn’t want any new information coming out.”

Jim Dey: “The indictment alone is an epic event, but the ever-resilient Madigan is a long way from trial and conviction.”

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin says the U.S. can not continue to purchase fuel from Russia while Vladimir Putin engages in war with Ukraine.

The NRDC estimated as of last June, Illinois had between 700,000 and 1.4 million lead lines. Last summer, the Illinois General Assembly passed a separate measure to begin replacing the state’s lead lines. The Chicago Sun-Times reports Illinois will receive $288 million to support the efforts via the federal plan.

“Federal prosecutors have trained their sites on legislative leaders in other states, too. The Ohio House last year expelled former speaker Larry Householder after he was indicted for his part in a $61 million bribery scheme from First Energy Corp., which secured a $1.3 billion bailout under Householder’s leadership. Last month, federal prosecutors in Hawaii charged two lawmakers, including a former state senate majority leader, with bribery. The FBI raided the home of former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada last year. But Madigan may be the biggest target of them all.”

Jim Kaitschuk of the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association said, “The safety of the citizens that are on the Eisenhower, or any expressway or road for that matter, has just become an unprecedented crisis. A lot of times, law enforcement doesn’t have the ability to do things that people would like us to do to make sure that they’re safe – and this is shining example of just that problem.”

Sheldon Zenner will serve as Madigan’s lead attorney, according to court records. Zenner spent seven years as an assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago.

So far, the sportsbooks have come out on top with almost $651 million in revenue, generating $98 million in state tax revenue plus another $7.3 million for Cook County. The state’s $8.9 billion all-time handle would shake out to about $903 wagered for every adult resident — nearly $13.5 million bet every day, or $9,341 every minute.

U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth joined Representatives Danny K. Davis and Brad Schneider to introduce the “Continued Waiver of Interest on State Unemployment Loans during the Pandemic Act.” Durbin said, “Illinoisans endured incredible hardships during the pandemic. To ease the financial burden on Illinois and other states, we must extend the waiver of interest payments on federal unemployment loans. By extending the waiver, we can give our communities time to recover from the economic pain of the pandemic.”

State health departments have tracked millions of doses that went to waste, including ones that expired, were in a multi-dose vial that couldn’t be used completely or had to be tossed for some other reason like temperature issues or broken vials. Nearly 1.5 million doses in Michigan, 1.45 million in North Carolina, 1 million in Illinois and almost 725,000 doses in Washington couldn’t be used.

“If you read the indictment, it’s not just an indictment of Madigan; it’s almost an indictment of the whole political system in Illinois,” said John Shaw, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

The average cost of gas in Illinois is sitting at $4.15 a gallon. The highest average the state has seen is $4.32 back in 2011.

From Oglesby… Through Oakwood… The convoy is heading toward the nation’s capitol. “The energy is just so amazing… and nobody’s angry, or trying to cause any problems… we’re just here, we’re peaceful… we’re just tired of it,” “Illinois Freedom Fighters” leader Kristi Hickam said.