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As he prepared to get on a flight back to Chicago Tuesday night, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich expressed gratitude to President Donald Trump for commuting his 14-year prison sentence.
At least one person who was close to Blagojevich's case did not agree that releasing him was an act of justice.
Ex-Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has gone free, after President Donald Trump granted him clemency on Tuesday.
When all else failed, he and his wife Patti Blagojevich began what some call a direct, public plea to President Trump, hoping he'd sympathize and set Blagojevich free.
Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and President Donald Trump have a history going back many years – to a time well before Blagojevich went to prison and before Trump was best known as a politician.
CBS 2 Legal Analyst Irv Miller said, while Trump's clemency order reduced Blagojevich's 14-year prison sentence, it did not clear his criminal record, so he'll still be a convicted felon.
"It's important those found guilty serve their prison sentences."
Almost eight years after he left his home in Ravenswood Manor to begin serving a prison term in Colorado, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich soon will be winging his way back to Chicago, and his wife and daughters couldn't be more elated.
President Trump commuted Rod Blagojevich's 14-year prison sentence for corruption and will soon be a free man.
When Donald Trump commuted Rod Blagojevich's federal sentence on multiple corruption charges, Illinois' 40th governor was just one in a long list of crooked state chief executives.
President Trump on Tuesday commuted the corruption sentence for former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich.
President Trump mentioned he was considering commuting Blagojevich's prison sentence back in August.
President Donald Trump on Thursday suggested that he floated the idea of commuting former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's prison sentence just to see if it was popular.
In his one-one-one interview with Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown on Wednesday, CBS 2's Brad Edwards asked Brown to offer a word or short phrase she would use to describe 11 major political figures – most, but not all of them local.
Two balloons with "welcome home" printed on them could be seen outside the Blagojevich house Friday night, but it's not what it seems.
It could be a big break for Rod Blagojevich; President Donald Trump is "looking very seriously" at commuting the former Illinois governor's 14-year prison sentence.
"Our President's comments on Air Force One last night make us very hopeful that our almost 11 year nightmare might soon be over. We are very grateful," she wrote on Twitter.
Some of those responsible for putting former Gov. Rod Blagojevich behind bars were reacting Thursday to President Donald Trump weighing the option of commuting the former governor's sentence.
President Trump also has personally donated $7,000 to Rod Blagojevich's campaigns over the years before his conviction, and his hotel and casino organization donated another $2,000.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is not on board with President Donald Trump's idea of commuting the sentence of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
However, Comey's only tie to the Blagojevich case is a nebulous one.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he's considering commuting the sentence of imprisoned former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, which would mean an early release from his 14-year- prison sentence.
While Donald Trump considers commuting Rod Blagojevich's federal sentence on multiple corruption charges, Illinois 40th governor is just part of a long list of crooked state chief executives.
Rod Blagojevich began serving his 14-year prison sentence for corruption in March of 2012. Here are five facts about the former governor:
President Donald Trump says he doesn't know former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich very well, but the imprisoned former governor and his wife clearly know how to appeal to his personal sensibilities.
Chicago helped shape the nation in so many ways, including the pioneering of skyscrapers – the big, beautiful buildings the city of big shoulders introduced to the world.
A Chicago bus driver is out of a job after he was caught on camera with his hands off the wheel and his eyes glued to his cell phone.
Police in Chicago's south and southwest suburbs are teaming up to target thieves targeting video gambling machines, which have become an increasingly popular target for burglary crews.
An eagle-eyed drone pilot helped spot a missing foster puppy who had been out in the cold for more than two weeks in Chicago's northwest suburbs.
The city of Aurora is kicking off Black History Month by honoring a living legend, one of the last remaining Negro Leagues baseball players.
The footage is included in a video that promotes false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged against Mr. Trump.
The FBI has arrested "one of the key participants" behind the attack on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya, in 2012 that killed four Americans.
A new push to pass a GOP elections bill known as the SAVE America Act is underway in Congress, but Democrats warn the proposal could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters.
As immigration sweeps expand nationwide, the work of justifying detentions is overwhelming federal prosecutors, who are being forced to sideline a range of other cases in order to keep pace.
Marimar Martinez, the Chicago woman shot five times by a Border Patrol agent in October, plans to attend President Trump's State of the Union address to Congress later this month, according to her attorney.
This week marks Identity Theft Awareness Week, and Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza emphasized some safety tips Monday for avoiding and dealing with identity theft.
A controversial data center in Naperville, Illinois, could be the cause to pack a city council meeting there on Tuesday night.
Police in the west Chicago suburb of Geneva are warning of a scam involving spoofed phone numbers.
Protesters on Tuesday were cranking up the heat on Peoples Gas over a recently proposed rate hike that would add an additional $10 to $11 a month to utility bills.
A lawsuit filed late last month took Chicago-based McDonald's to task over the McRib sandwich, calling its name a form of false advertising.
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital announced this week that it is planning to open a new pediatric hospital in the west Chicago suburb of Downers Grove.
It has been nearly six years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and one of the many questions doctors are still working to answer concerns the long-term effects.
Leaders from Cook County, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Greater Chicago Food Depository denounced changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Wednesday.
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center has received a grant from The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation for a new cancer center.
Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital said Tuesday that it is no longer initiating gender-affirming medical treatment for minors.
A Near West Side diner known for drawing in Blackhawks fans and players is up for sale.
January may be the coldest time of the year, but Chicago is already looking forward to summer farmers' markets.
A development proposal issued this month calls for the replacement of a building housing a Giordiano's pizzeria in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood with a new mixed-use building with 28 residential units.
United Airlines flight attendants picketed outside Chicago's Willis Tower Thursday morning as they fought for a new contract.
WSCR-AM, 670 The Score, will begin a simulcast on 104.3 FM next month.
Gamers across the world can now recreate drone strikes in Ukraine from the comfort of their own home, with this newly released game.
The members of Ratboys were teenagers when they met by chance, and now in their 30s, the Chicago band formed by two college friends almost two decades ago appears to be on the brink of something big.
Chuck Negron, a founding member of Three Dog Night whose lead vocals powered a string of hits for one of the top rock acts of the late 1960s and early '70s has died. He was 83.
Bad Bunny used his Grammy acceptance speech on Sunday to denounce U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and call for the end of the ongoing immigration crackdown.
The 2026 Grammy Awards recognized the best of the best in music from last year, with big wins for Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny. Here's the full list of winners and nominees.
Meteorologist David Yeomans has the latest First Alert Weather forecast.
Chicago helped shape the nation in so many ways, including the pioneering of skyscrapers – the big, beautiful buildings the city of big shoulders introduced to the world.
A Chicago bus driver is out of a job after he was caught on camera with his hands off the wheel and his eyes glued to his cell phone.
Police in Chicago's south and southwest suburbs are teaming up to target thieves targeting video gambling machines, which have become an increasingly popular target for burglary crews.
An eagle-eyed drone pilot helped spot a missing foster puppy who had been out in the cold for more than two weeks in Chicago's northwest suburbs.
Police in Chicago's south and southwest suburbs are teaming up to target thieves targeting video gambling machines, which have become an increasingly popular target for burglary crews.
An eagle-eyed drone pilot helped spot a missing foster puppy who had been out in the cold for more than two weeks in Chicago's northwest suburbs.
A source close to the investigation said the woman worked for the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
A federal judge in Chicago has ruled key evidence in the Marimar Martinez shooting, including bodycam video and text messages, can be released.
Chicago helped shape the nation in so many ways, including the pioneering of skyscrapers – the big, beautiful buildings the city of big shoulders introduced to the world.
Fewer Chicago kids are getting the dental care they need, and some dentists are blaming Chicago Public Schools.
Cynthia Eason recounted the moment Chicago police officers raided her family's home in 2018.
Water bills could be going up in several Chicago suburbs and other parts of Illinois, as Illinois American Water seeks a rate increase to fund infrastructure improvements.
The case involves a Chicago grandmother, her daughter, and her four grandchildren, who all said that Chicago police officers pointed guns at them during the botched raid.
Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel no longer will have to testify about an alleged "code of silence" at the Chicago Police Department, after a federal judge reversed an earlier ruling that would have allowed him to take the stand in a lawsuit over a botched police raid.
Two west suburban high schools have something extra to celebrate Sunday, when alumni from their schools make their Super Bowl debuts.
The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are underway after the lighting of the Olympic cauldrons and the Parade of Nations at the opening ceremony.
Caleb Williams certainly had plenty of big throws to celebrate in 2025, but it wasn't hard to pick his most memorable one after he launched a 46-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore to beat the Packers in overtime in Week 16.
Brandon Ingram scored 33 points, Immanuel Quickley had 24 and the Toronto Raptors beat the new-look Chicago Bulls 123-107.
Chicago Bears guard Joe Thuney was named the NFL's top offensive lineman of 2025 on Thursday, winning the inaugural Protector of the Year Award.
A South Side community came together on Friday, hoping for justice after a woman was shot and killed while her baby was in the back seat of their car earlier this week.
A Chicago city employee was found shot to death Friday morning inside an apartment in the West Ridge neighborhood.
Actor Timothy Busfield has been indicted on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child, officials said Friday.
A burglary crew smashed into a restaurant in Chicago's southwest suburbs, leaving the owner cleaning up a big and frustrating mess.
Six months after a well-known charter boat captain was found dead at DuSable Harbor in downtown Chicago, a man has been charged with his murder.
