The FBI on Wednesday raided the county offices of a former Illinois state senator who is a poker-playing buddy of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama.
According to Chicago authorities, the FBI visited the offices in Joliet, Ill., of Will County executive Larry Walsh, a longtime friend of Mr. Obama’s, and his chief of staff Matt Ryan.
Mr. Walsh, who served in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2005, was endorsed by Mr. Obama in his county executive election bid. With the support of some of Mr. Obama’s U.S. Senate volunteers, he easily defeated incumbent Republican Joseph Mikan.
Will County auditor Steve Weber confirmed that his office had been asked by the FBI to assist in an investigation, but he did not elaborate on the specifics.
Read More...“Senator Link needs to follow the law and be accountable to the citizens of Lake County,” Venturi said. “This is simply the latest incident in a continuing pattern of questionable and/or illegal activity on the part of Senator Link.”
Venturi also said that Link’s “refusal to even acknowledge that these are legitimate concerns of Lake County voters is especially troubling.”
Read More...The Pioneer Press has endorsed three incumbents for “Sewer Board”, that is, commisioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.
The paper touts efforts at “use of short-distance electric cars, the distribution of barrels to capture rain water that county residents can then reuse for gardening and landscaping purposes” and top priorities such as “environmental protection”.
It is baffling to read that the same people who managed the 900 Million Gallons of raw sewage poured into Lake Michigan last month, are somehow described as environmentally responsible due to support for electric cars.
The Deep Tunnel project is the least tractable public works in a Water District with a long history of uncontrolled spending and lack of results. Even after spending $3 billion on this 30 year project, the Metropolitan area still suffers from severe flooding, with no end in sight.
The MWRD has an answer though. You can Read More...
Contrary to 2000 when Chicago gained population (2,895,964) for the first time in several decades, the city lost 5.5 percent (2,737,996) of its residents as of 2007. Though Cook County’s loss was not as dramatic (1.7 percent), considering rapid increases experienced in what was once considered outlying counties like Will and McHenry in recent years, ever-expanding suburbanization further away from Chicago may be very much alive. In this ever-changing place, the composition of people and housing stocks are good indicators of the ways in which the city is perceived and utilized.
Read More...Carding the Palin-Biden debate, initially I made a mistake. As an old geezer, I showed my fondness for political tradition and was impressed with Joe Biden’s staccato recitation of facts and statistics…even lies…because that has been what I have grown up with. Having lived a span that extends from Franklin Roosevelt through most legislators who orate in that cavern known as the U.S. Senate, I have become at ease with those who rip off verbal paragraphs even if they have little relevance to the question involved. But I should have remembered. Ronald Reagan brought a new style of argumentation to modern politics-the conversational tone, the deferential bob of the head, shy smile and “there you go again.” So initially I was giving the debate to Joe Biden, albeit very thankful that Sarah Palin wasn’t gumming it up.
But midway through the debate I knew I was far wrong…and that Palin ... Read More...
Former Chicago Ald. Dorothy Tillman was found guilty today of criminal trespassing related to a confrontation with hospital officials in her native Montgomery, Ala., in March, her attorney said.
Municipal Judge Les Hayes found Tillman guilty during a bench trial and gave her a suspended sentence of 10 days in jail and fined her $350.
Tillman’s attorney, Dennis Sweet, said in a telephone interview from Alabama that Tillman was filing an appeal.
Tillman, 60, best known for her work with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and her colorful array of hats, was charged in March with misdemeanor criminal trespassing after a confrontation with hospital officials about her 86-year-old ailing aunt.
Police said Tillman became “very disorderly” when Jackson Hospital would not immediately turn over the medical records of her aunt, who was being released after an overnight stay. A hospital spokesman previously said medical records are only released after a ... Read More...
