Jury hears another wiretap of Mike McClain referring to Madigan as ‘real client’ CHICAGO – Under the stained-glass dome of the Capitol in Springfield, lobbyists often wander the building, popping into a quiet corner to make a phone call or ducking into an empty committee room to send emails. Some veteran lobbyists have longstanding arrangements…
Mike McClain’s job recommendations weren’t bribes – or even improper, witness says CHICAGO – For decades, electric utility Commonwealth Edison renewed its contract with top Springfield lobbyist Mike McClain – in part because of his strategic abilities, but also because of his close relationship with longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. But it was…
With one week until Election day, officials in Champaign County are urging the public to abide by voting rules after incidents where violence and unlawful political activity occurred at polling places. County Clerk Aaron Ammons said there was a physical fight Saturday at the Meadowbrook Community Church voting center. He said an individual wore a…
Election season is causing anxiety for some college students who are casting their ballots for the first time. Many students are voting early and taking advantage of the service being offered on campuses across Champaign County. One of several polling locations include Parkland College. Robin Fitzgerald, 19 was one of the first in line before…
In ex-speaker’s trial, former utility exec calls Madigan’s apparent involvement in contract talks ‘unusual CHICAGO – Commonwealth Edison’s top attorney was busy preparing for the General Assembly to take up major legislation the utility had spent months negotiating when ComEd’s top in-house lobbyist stopped by his office in late October 2011. A little over 13…
Prosecutors paint picture of Mike McClain’s extreme loyalty to ex-Illinois House speaker CHICAGO – By early 2019, Mike McClain had been a fixture around the Statehouse in Springfield for the better part of 50 years, first as a Democratic lawmaker in the 1970s and then for decades as a high-profile contract lobbyist. And though he…
Before he was elected president, Abraham Lincoln spoke in Urbana on Oct. 24, 1854, to denounce a law that allowed for the expansion of slavery. On Thursday, one hundred and seventy years later, a commemoration was held at the Champaign County Courthouse. Around 50 community members gathered to hear the history behind those remarks….
Cultivated meat – meat grown from animal cells – is touted as a way to meet growing global demand with far fewer climate impacts. Yet two states banned the sale of cultivated meat earlier this year, and there are proposals in several Midwestern states to do the same. The meat sizzling in the pan at…
Thousands of Illinois residents may have a check from the state waiting for them in their mailboxes. The Illinois State Treasurer’s office recently sent unclaimed property checks to 138,561 people in Illinois, totaling a record $13.2 million. Treasurer Michael Frerichs held a news conference Tuesday to remind Illinois residents to cash these checks. “We have…
The FBI “turned over heaven and earth” to find incriminating evidence against former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan but ultimately found nothing more than “legal favors,” an attorney for Madigan’s longtime friend and confidant told jurors Tuesday. That won’t be enough to convict Michael McClain, the former lawmaker and lobbyist now on trial alongside Madigan, defense attorney John…
The opening statements kick off the trial of the longest-serving state House speaker in the country, and one of the most powerful politicians in Illinois history. The FBI has pursued Madigan for more than a decade, and the probe forced him from power in 2021. A federal prosecutor accused former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan of…
A big question for many people on election day will be how a new president could impact health care –– particularly Medicaid, the public health insurance program for low-income adults. Much has been made of Project 2025, a nearly 1,000-page blueprint for if former President Donald Trump were to win the upcoming election. It’s authored by the…
Click here for early voting hours and locations in Champaign, Macon and Vermilion Counties.
The 12 primary jurors include a nurse who enjoys Marvel movies, a woman who works for Aramark and another woman who has worked in catering, including for an event tied to the recent Democratic National Convention. It took seven days and dozens of interviews, but 12 jurors have finally been chosen to decide whether Michael J….
Harris has done interviews with radio host Charlamagne tha God and Fox News anchor Bret Baier. Trump sat for a contentious interview with the editor of Bloomberg News at an economic forum in Chicago.