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Key Figure In Metra Scandal Gets Specially Crafted State Job
A key figure in last summer's Metra transit scandal is now working for the state of Illinois in a recrafted job after a referral from Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
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A key figure in last summer's Metra transit scandal is now working for the state of Illinois in a recrafted job after a referral from Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton sued after Gov. Pat Quinn used his veto power earlier this summer to cut money for legislators' salaries from the state budget.
Regional Transportation Authority board member William Coulson said former Metra chair Brad O'Halloran and director Larry Huggins sparked a clash with former CEO Alex Clifford over political hires at the agency.
A leading state lawmaker said a bipartisan pension reform committee has been making progress toward a deal, though not as quickly as they'd like.
"This is going to be a landmark case," said Gov. Pat Quinn, who used his veto power last month to block lawmakers' salaries over their failure to reach an agreement on pension reform.
House Speaker Michael Madigan's request to be investigated by the Legislative Ethics Commission is being granted.
Former Metra CEO Alex Clifford said Wednesday he does not believe House Speaker Michael Madigan broke any laws by requesting a pay raise for a political supporter, but believes it was "an ethical and moral character flaw."
Ex-Metra CEO Alex Clifford will testify to the Regional Transportation Authority about how House Speaker Michael Madigan asked him to raise the pay of a Madigan campaign worker and to hire another friend of the powerful Southwest Side Democrat.
Powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan said Thursday he asked senior staff at Metra to consider a pay raise for an associate who was employed at the commuter rail agency, but withdrew the recommendation after Metra's then-CEO expressed discomfort over it.
David Axelrod, the architect behind President Barack Obama's political ascent, said if he were advising Lisa Madigan, he would tell her that her father's position is an "issue" she needs to resolve if she wants to be governor.
There's no question that Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is personally popular statewide. However, while more than half of voters have a good opinion of her, her powerful father, Speaker Michael Madigan, could definitely be a campaign issue.
Gov. Pat Quinn and lawmakers are working on a new plan to solve the state's $97 billion pension crisis that involves forming a bipartisan committee and reconvening the Legislature again in July.
A meeting between Gov. Pat Quinn and the state's four legislative leaders ended Friday afternoon without much progress towards pension reform, and it appears next week's special session won't bring a solution.
House Speaker Michael Madigan has taken steps to replace Senate President John Cullerton's pension reform plan with his own plan, even though the speaker's plan was soundly defeated in the Senate last month.
Illinois House Republican Leader Tom Cross said Wednesday that he believes there's an ulterior motive behind the ongoing pension reform standoff between House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton.
Illinois' Attorney General says she hasn't made her mind up yet about running for the job now held by Pat Quinn, reports WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore.
After meeting with Gov. Pat Quinn for more than an hour and a half, House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton seemed friendly, but not much closer to resolving their differences over pension reform.
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan might not be in touch with Gov. Pat Quinn, but there might be some behind-the-scenes work ahead to resolve the state's pension reform impasse before a special session of the General Assembly on June 19.
Illinois State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka threw her support behind Senate President John Cullerton's pension plan on Tuesday, calling it the best bet for solving the state's $100 billion pension crisis.
A study by the We Are One Illinois coalition shows that if half of employees and retirees choose to forgo post-career health insurance as part of Senate President John Cullerton's proposal, the state's debt to two health insurance programs would be cut in half, by $26 billion.
The Democrat-controlled Legislature began piecing together a new state budget Tuesday that avoids the steep cuts of recent years and also gave final approval to a historic expansion of Medicaid, as Republicans accused their colleagues across the aisle of having "an insatiable appetite to spend money we don't have."
Majority Democrats on the committee drove the 10-6 vote in favor of the bill by Sen. Kwame Raoul Raoul said he doesn't know how many votes he has on the floor or when he'll call it.
Gun owners could carry concealed weapons in Illinois, the last state in the nation to prohibit it, under legislation that swept through the House Friday with the backing of the powerful Democratic speaker from Chicago, a city torn by violence despite what critics claim are the nation's toughest firearms restrictions.
A concealed-carry gun deal brokered by House Speaker Michael Madigan cleared a House committee Thursday, but its prospects were unclear across the Capitol in the Senate because of the way it would curb existing local gun laws.
The longtime backer of a push to expand gambling in Illinois has dropped his name from a pending bill over "perceived conflict of interest" with a law firm where he's counsel.
Tuesday starts out dry with humidity and highs in the upper 80s.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who CBS News estimates is now the likely Democratic presidential nominee, is heading to the key battleground state of Wisconsin to give a speech in Milwaukee.
The homeowners pleaded for relief at a townhall Monday night—with their bills increasing by thousands.
The Sox had gone ahead on Paul DeJong's solo homer in the ninth inning before their bullpen's MLB-high 25th blown save.
Michael Busch and Dansby Swanson each had two hits as the Cubs twice escaped based-loaded jams to end Milwaukee's three-game winning streak.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who CBS News estimates is now the likely Democratic presidential nominee, is heading to the key battleground state of Wisconsin to give a speech in Milwaukee.
This year could be the first time in decades that a major political party would go into its convention without a presumptive nominee.
With 74.4% of registered voters turning up in Orland Park in 2020, a total of 48% cast their ballots for Mr. Biden, 51% for then-President Trump.
Pritzker has been recognized as a future White House hopeful, but what does President Biden's decision to drop out of the race mean for the governor's political ambitions?
Many Democrats believe Biden's exit from the campaign will improve chances of beating Trump in November.
The hike was fueled mainly by the company's Safety Modernization Program to replace nearly 2,000 miles of dangerous, old, deteriorating natural gas pipes.
As of Tuesday evening, a total of five tornadoes had been confirmed in the Chicago area from the storms Monday night and six Sunday night.
The tax is up just 2 cents compared with Sunday. But it is quite a jump compared with the Illinois gas seven years ago.
One third of Chicago's roughly 400 new car dealers are using pen and paper to complete deals.
The family asked CBS 2 for help after they found themselves stuck with random stuff and boxes filling their space—and nowhere else left to turn.
A warning of a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak affecting 12 states, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, was issued by the CDC Friday afternoon linking infections to sliced meat at deli counters.
Lisa Gee's experience taught her the life-saving importance of organ donations for thousands of patients.
Keisha House said people trust their hairdressers and barbers, and great communication takes place while in those chairs.
The FDA found even some products that claimed to be "sterile" were contaminated.
Under state law, all children living in a high-risk ZIP code must be tested for lead exposure at 12, 24, and 36 months of age.
Bally's took possession of the River West property July 5.
The plant, which was indefinitely idled in February 2023, is expected to reopen next year.
Fiscal Year 2024 saw total cannabis sales exceed $2 billion, which exceeded the figures for Fiscal Years 2023 and 2022.
Kroger owns the Mariano's brand, while Albertsons owns Jewel-Osco.
The DNC arrives at the United Center from Aug. 19-22.
Newhart was an Oak Park native and an alumnus of Saint Ignatius College Prep and Loyola University in Chicago.
Bob Newhart, who starred in the long-running sitcoms "The Bob Newhart Show" and "Newhart," has died at age 94.
Nominations for the 76th annual Emmy Awards were announced Wednesday, with "Shōgun," "The Bear," "Hacks," "Only Murders in the Building" and "Baby Reindeer" all earning multiple major nods. See the full list of nominees for the 2024 ceremony here.
"Big Brother" announced Tuesday the 16 new Houseguests who will move into the "Big Brother" house and, for the first time ever, have the power to vote in a 17th houseguest.
After many people criticized Andress' rendition of the National Anthem online, comparing her with Fergie, the singer says she's going to rehab.
Meteorologist Laura Bannon has the forecast.
Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon has your 10 p.m. First Alert Weather forecast for Monday, July 22, 2024.
Homeowners pleaded for relief at a townhall Monday night—with their bills increasing by thousands. Marybel Gonzalez reports.
Mayor Brandon Johnson hosted the budget roundtable at Malcolm X College. It is the first of four public roundtables planned for this month.
In Virginia, Vance accused the Democrats of a “corrupt” process in the wake of President Biden bowing out of the contest.
The video shows the chaotic scene after a sheriff's deputy shot Massey, who is Black, in the face during a tense moment over a pot of water.
Pritzker has been recognized as a future White House hopeful, but what does President Biden's decision to drop out of the race mean for the governor's political ambitions?
Pritzker has endorsed Harris to be the new Democratic nominee for the White House after President Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris on Sunday. Pritzker has yet to say if he would be interested in filling a vice presidential role on the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket.
The homeowners pleaded for relief at a townhall Monday night—with their bills increasing by thousands.
Tuesday starts out dry with humidity and highs in the upper 80s.
Former Secret Service agent McCarthy said security for both conventions is now even under more scrutiny since the assassination attempt on former President Trump.
The department has now confirmed they will be providing emergency medical support both inside the secure perimeter that will be going up around the United Center.
Data show the 4th of July has historically been one of the deadliest days of the year.
The former University of Illinois football player had been hired at Aunt Martha's despite having a criminal conviction on his record.
Two battalion chiefs told CBS 2 Investigators said hiring needs to be a priority for the Chicago Fire Department, and they plan to protest their working conditions.
The Sox had gone ahead on Paul DeJong's solo homer in the ninth inning before their bullpen's MLB-high 25th blown save.
Michael Busch and Dansby Swanson each had two hits as the Cubs twice escaped based-loaded jams to end Milwaukee's three-game winning streak.
Left guard Teven Jenkins said he felt like the offense was "ahead of the curve" from where they were last year.
Rome Odunze was practicing with the Chicago Bears on Sunday after missing Saturday for personal reasons.
Seth Lugo retired 14 straight batters in his first career complete game as the Kansas City Royals rallied past the Chicago White Sox for a 4-1 win and series sweep on Sunday.
All were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition.
Late Monday, no one was in custody.
Ulyesee W. Burns, of Calumet Park, was charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery with a firearm.
Bodycam video of the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey was released Monday afternoon. The video shows the chaotic scene after a sheriff's deputy shot Massey, who is Black, in the face during a tense moment over a pot of water in her home.
Police said the victim had gotten into a fight with the shooter, who shot him in the chest and hip.