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Carol Pope lasted only about two years as the Illinois General Assembly’s inspector general before quitting in frustration.
When Pope, whose job was to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by legislators and their staffers, asked for more autonomy amid a burgeoning corruption scandal in the legislature, lawmakers instead passed a law limiting her powers.
The legislative inspector general “has no real power to effect change or shine a light on ethics violations,” Pope, a former state prosecutor and judge, wrote in a scathing resignation letter in 2021. “The position is essentially a paper tiger.”
In Chicago, aldermen shut down the inspector general’s office charged with overseeing the City Council nearly a decade ago after the first occupant, attorney Faisal Khan, repeatedly butted heads with council members as Khan looked into complaints of misconduct.
While a plethora of inspectors general and ethics commissions across Illinois’ various levels of government gives the appearance of robust protections, the shortcomings enable public officials to operate in an atmosphere of impunity.
Read the latest in the Tribune’s ongoing series “Culture of Corruption” from Dan Petrella and Gregory Royal Pratt.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.
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With prosecutors set to rest in Madigan corruption trial, tapes will help jury take measure of the man
Unless Michael Madigan shocks the Illinois political world and testifies at his own federal corruption trial, the only thing the jury will have heard from him when it soon comes time to decide his fate is what’s on federal tape.
Over the past eight weeks, prosecutors have brought forth an onslaught of evidence in a case that sprawls over nearly a decade and involves big-ticket legislation, large utilities, nitty-gritty ward politics and glitzy real estate developments from the West Loop to Chinatown.
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s new budget plan has no property tax hike, proposes extending $40M in debt
Johnson’s latest plan to try to get aldermen to pass his budget for 2025 contains no increase in property taxes thanks to a combination of cuts and a controversial idea to extend the deadline to pay back $40 million in debt, according to aldermen briefed on the proposal Sunday.
Three sources present at the meetings with Johnson’s budget team said his $68.5 million property tax hike for next year has been zeroed out entirely, the latest development in a remarkably fraught budget process that started with the first-term mayor breaking his signature campaign promise against raising that levy.
In Downers Grove, whether to elect library board exposes old political rifts
A west suburban library that became a battleground for national culture wars is on the defensive again.
Two years after the Downers Grove library was forced to cancel a planned drag queen bingo over right-wing threats, leaders of the western suburb are considering a controversial proposal to replace the appointed members of the library board with an elected one.
Gov. Pritzker calls on lawmakers to crack down on hemp products
Pritzker is calling on lawmakers to crack down on hemp products like delta-8 THC, saying they let minors get high on untested, mislabeled cannabis — but it’s a move which hemp shop owners say would also close legitimate businesses.
S&P issues Chicago Board of Education a warning: Find revenue or ‘scale down’ operations to fund CTU contract
Global credit ratings firm S&P rang the alarm on Chicago Public School finances last week, weighing in on the ongoing political gridlock between district leadership, the Chicago Teachers Union and Mayor Brandon Johnson with a warning: How the Board of Education opts to fund the CTU’s forthcoming contract will determine the financial health of the district for years to come.
Column: Only way for the Chicago Bears to break the cycle? Find the best coach who fits their needs.
In a span of seven months, the Chicago Bears have gone from having the best situation a rookie No. 1 quarterback has ever walked into to being the most appealing head coaching vacancy in the upcoming hiring cycle.
Life comes at you fast, writes Brad Biggs. The NFL moves faster.
- 3rd Bears player declared out for ‘Monday Night Football’ with a concussion
- Bears at Minnesota Vikings: Everything you need to know about the Week 15 game before kickoff
Column: Has Jed Hoyer changed the Chicago Cubs narrative with the bold move for slugger Kyle Tucker?
Acquiring a player of Kyle Tucker’s caliber was a big coup for Jed Hoyer, who was in desperate need of a big splash entering the final year of his contract, writes Paul Sullivan. The risk is that Tucker could leave as a free agent next winter, but that’s a risk other executives often take, like the New York Yankees did last year in dealing five players for Juan Soto.
Christmas shoppers pack State Street in downtown Chicago on Dec. 20, 1947. (Al Phillips/Chicago Tribune)
Elaborate State Street windows display a memory of Christmases past
Once there was a regular countdown to Christmas in Chicago. When Field’s rolled up the curtains hiding its windows’ themes, it cued rivals to do similarly.
Stay sober and have a jolly holiday season with these expert tips
Sobriety has been having a moment, says Jessica Jeboult, founder of the website and online community A Sober Girl’s Guide.
If you are planning to stay sober this holiday season, here are tips from sober coaches, sober bar managers and happily sober people.
The 2024 nonfiction Biblioracle Book Awards
Hard to believe we’ve arrived at yet another installment of the Biblioracle Book Awards in which John Warner reflects back on his 12 months of reading and invents awards for books published in the 2024 calendar year.
Best of 2024: TV, movies, live music, theater and much more around Chicago
With 2024 coming to a close, Tribune writers, columnists and critics took a look back at their favorite moments of the year, from the stage performances that captivated us to the books that kept us turning the page and much more.
