Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Ryan was sent to a halfway house early Wednesday morning, the Chicago Tribune reports.
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Wednesday, January 30
Written by Morgan Delack Illinois residents can no longer say there are two former governors in prison. Get news in your inbox. Sign up for the Patch newsletter. Like Naperville Patch on Facebook. George Ryan arrived at a halfway house on Chicago’s west side early Wednesday morning after being released from an Indiana federal prison, the Chicago Tribune reports. WMAQ-TV reports Ryan was silent and dressed in a suit and tie as he entered the halfway house. He is not allowed to speak to the media until he leaves the home in July. The 78-year-old spent more than five years in prison for federal corruption charges after leaving the governor’s office. Ryan requested early release from prison in 2010, partially because his wife was diagnosed …
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Cook County wants 5 cents for every bullet sold • An open letter to Pat Brady from a guy who gives Democrats money • A Rod Blagojevich legacy: All Kids doesn't fly right, either
The NRA and a suburban gun dealer say Cook County's proposed taxes on bullets and guns will probably land in court. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, saying there is too much violence in Chicago, wants a 5-cent tax on every bullet sold in the county and a $25 tax on every gun sold. Dave Workman, of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Bear Arms, told the Associated Press that gun-rights advocates will not stand for this. "It's not the law-abiding citizens stacking bodies like cordwood in Chicago; it's the bad guys," he said. The tax also could drive business out of Cook County and into the collar counties. "Who's going to come to Tinley Park to buy ammunition?" asked Fred Lutger, owner of Freddie Bear Sport in Tinley Park, …
Sunday, May 13, 2012
It's always good to be caught up on state politics. Here's an easy guide to what happened this week.
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Sunday, May 13, 2012
Editor's Note: This article was created by aggregating news articles from Illinois Statehouse News that were written by various Illinois Statehouse News reporters. In a week foreshadowing drama to come in this legislative session’s final weeks, Illinois lawmakers passed a bill requiring retired government workers to pay for their health insurance. Meanwhile, Chicago's mayor weighed in on the state's pension crisis, a state representative accused of bribery proclaimed his innocence and a College Illinois! employee was accused of insider investing. House, Senate pass retiree health care payment bill Illinois pays more than $800 million annually for the health care of state retirees, 90 percent of whom pay nothing toward their health-…
Monday, December 19, 2011
Judge James Zagel told attorneys for Rod Blagojevich to apologize to a Naperville woman who was a juror in the former governor's corruption trial.
A federal judge told attorneys for Rod Blagojevich Monday that they owe an apology to a juror in the former governor's corruption trial. The Daily Herald is reporting that Judge James Zagel told the attorneys to write a letter of apology to juror Connie Wilson after they filed an emergency motion claiming that when Wilson revealed information related to her jury questionnaire she engaged in misconduct. Last week, Wilson, a Naperville resident who served as the jury's foreperson during Blagojevich's federal corruption trial, spoke at Metea Valley High School about her experience on the trial. Naperville Patch reported on one of Wilson's presentations. She spoke to students over two days and to several classes at the high school. Attorneys…
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Attorneys for Rod Blagojevich filed an emergency motion Friday in response to a presentation juror Connie Wilson made earlier this week at Metea Valley High School.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Connie Wilson, a Naperville resident who was the jury foreperson in the Rod Blagojevich corruption trial spoke to students about her experience earlier this week.
Update: Attorneys for Rod Blagojevich filed an emergency motion Friday asking for a court hearing to determine if Connie Wilson engaged in misconduct based on some of the information she provided during her visit at Metea Valley. When Rod Blagojevich heads to prison next year, he will be given a number. His new identification is thanks in part to a woman previously known as No. 146. Earlier this week Juror No. 146, now known to all by her real name Connie Wilson, spent time talking with students at Metea Valley High School. Wilson, a Naperville resident, spoke with students from government classes and Advanced Placement courses at the school. She shared her inside view of the courtroom, her views of the former governor, now a convicted …
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Here are four very different viewpoints of the punishment handed down to the former governor of Illinois.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
What are your thoughts on the sentence of Illinois' former governor?
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was sentenced this afternoon to 14 years (168 months) in prison for his June conviction on 17 counts of federal corruption charges. According to the Chicago Tribune, Blagojevich told federal judge James Zagel Wednesday morning that he was sorry for his actions in try to sell the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by President Barack Obama. He spoke for about 20 minutes at his his sentencing hearing. Blagojevich, who had faced 20 corruption charges in his second trial, was convicted on 11 Senate seat charges. He was also found guilty of attempting to shake down executives for campaign donations. Blagojevich is the fourth Illinois governor in the last 40 years to be found guilty of crimes. Former Illinois …
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Connie Wilson, who led the jury that found Rod Blagojevich guilty of 17 counts of federal corruption, said the jury relied heavily on timelines and photo boards and re-listened to every second of FBI tape before coming to a decision.
Connie Wilson recalls Rod Blagojevich playing on her love for music while she sat on the jury that ultimately found the former governor guilty of 17 of 20 federal corruption charges in June. Wilson said the former Illinois governor did the same for the librarian on the jury. And the Red Sox fan. And so on. Blagojevich, in an attempt to gain sympathy from jurors, was trying to connect to them on a personal level. It may have been the biggest reason that 11 out of 12 jurors were women—it was believed that they would have been more compassionate towards a father and family man, Wilson said. Those details and more were shared with a group of area residents Monday as Wilson discussed her experiences while on the Blagojevich retrial jury at the …
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Some things just don't want to go away.
Buford Pusser
9:01 pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
He served too much time! more ›