THE iLLINOIS OBSERVER
Rod Blagojevich
Clout Heavy Chicago Firm Gets $3.2 Million Contract to Rebuild Rosenblum Park… and More
(Chicago, IL) – April 6, 2012. The Board of Commissioners of the Public Building Commission of Chicago just announced last week on March 28 a nearly $3.2 million contract award to a clout-heavy firm for the redevelopment of Rosenblum Park on the city’s south side. Continue reading
John Cullerton, Christine Radogno Say Caterpillar, Others Claim Illinois Business Climate Is More than Illinois Taxes
(Springfield, IL) — March 29, 2011. Illinois recent jump in income tax across the board is getting a lot of attention after the leader of Caterpillar Corp. says other states are wooing him to relocate. Continue reading
Gov. Pat Quinn’s Plan to Cut Illinois School Bureaucracy Draws Little Legislative Support
(Springfield, IL) — March 25, 2011. Illinois’ regional superintendents are realizing they might not make the cut for state money in Gov. Pat Quinn’s attempt to close the more than $13 billion budget gap. Continue reading
Doug Scott Tapped to Lead Illinois Commerce Commission, Manny Flores Gets Banking Post
(Chicago, IL) –February 28, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today shuffled his cabinet and named Doug Scott as chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission and Manuel “Manny” Flores as director of the Division of Banking of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Scott has served as director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency since … Continue reading
Gov. Pat Quinn Taps Jack Lavin as Chief of Staff; 3rd in 2 Years
(Chicago, IL) — December 13, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn today named long-time aide Jack Lavin as his Chief of Staff, replacing current Chief of Staff Michelle Saddler, appointed to the job in August, who will resume her previous post as Secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services. Continue reading
Gov. Pat Quinn Asks for Cabinet’s Resignation, Source Says
(Chicago, IL) — November 19, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn has already asked for the resignations from his entire cabinet, according to a highly placed source. Continue reading
Illinois Elections 2010: “Latinos for Brady” Want Bill Brady to Return Campaign Cash Raised by Top Blagojevich Aides
(Chicago, IL) — October 22, 2010. Illinois GOP governor nominee Bill Brady acknowledged on Thursday at a debate with Governor Pat Quinn that top aides to ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich had been raising cash for his gubernatorial campaign, and the acknowledgment prompted the leaders of Latinos for Brady to denounce the fund-raising and called on Brady to return the money. Continue reading
Illinois Governor Debate 2010: Conflict-of-Interest Votes, Ethics Questions Dog Bill Brady at WBEZ Debate
(Chicago, IL) — October 18, 2010. State Senator Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) faced an onslaught of ethics criticism from Governor Pat Quinn over controversial votes that Brady had cast relating to a downstate housing development project that potentially could have benefited his home building business. Continue reading
Illinois Elections 2010: Dan Rutherford, Robin Kelly Fight for Nickels-and-Dimes
(Chicago, IL) – October 14, 2010. State Senator Dan Rutherford (R-Chenoa) and Democrat Robin Kelly have both sketched out either small bore or undetailed ideas for the Illinois Treasurer’s office that will likely have little impact on the state, but more likely a greater impact on their campaigns. Continue reading
Bill Brady Criticizes Pat Quinn’s Labor Union Deal, Cuts His Own Labor Union Deal
(Chicago, IL) – October 7, 2010. Republican gubernatorial nominee Bill Brady has seized on Governor Pat Quinn‘s deal with his backers in one of the state’s largest labor unions as evidence that he is just another Rod Blagojevich. But the Bloomington senator may have his own endorsement deal to answer for, after a month of … Continue reading
Blagojevich Trivia: Is Rod Blagojevich Authorized to Practice Law in Illinois?
(Chicago, IL) — August 20, 2010. In the federal corruption trial of ex-Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, the prosecutors routinely pointed to the fact that Blagojevich is a lawyer and should have known his actions were illegal. For you Blagojevich trivia hounds, is Blagojevich still authorized to practice law in Illinois? No. Has he been disbarred? … Continue reading
Blagojevich Trial: Senator Dave Syverson Suggests Blagojevich Juror Hold-Out Was “Trying to Make a Name for Themselves”, Blagojevich “Guilty”
(Rockford, IL) — August 19, 2010. State Senator Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) on Tuesday suggested that the jur0r that provoked the hung-jury in ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich‘s corruption trial was “trying to make a name for themselves” and said that Blagojevich is “guilty”. In a rambling press release posted on NBC-TV Ch.13′s Web site, Syverson stated: I … Continue reading
Illinois Election 2010: Governor Pat Quinn and State Senator Bill Brady Both Claim $2.3 Million Campaign Cash-on-Hand
(Chicago, IL) – July 19, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn’s campaign for governor today announced that it raised nearly $5.1 million in combined campaign contributions in the first half of 2010. The campaign had nearly $2.3 million cash in the bank on June 30th. Quinn’s campaign cash-on-hand equaled what GOP opponent State Senator Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) … Continue reading
Illinois Election 2010: Illinois Education Association “Recommends” Pat Quinn for Governor; Senator Bill Brady Says Union Choses “Status Quo”
(Chicago, IL) — July 6, 2010. Illinois’ largest education employees’ organization today announced that it is “recommending” Governor Pat Quinn and his running mate Sheila Simon in the November 2010 general election. The Board of Directors for the Illinois Education Association, which backed Comptroller Dan Hynes in the Democratic primary over Quinn, voted overwhelmingly to … Continue reading
Illinois Budget: Senator Bill Brady and Governor Pat Quinn Duel over Budget “Failure”
(Chicago, IL) — July 1, 2010. At the start of the new Illinois budget, Bill Brady and Pat Quinn yesterday were hurling some version of “fail” at each other in dueling statements. Welcome to the Illinois budget debate. Senator Brady was first out of the grate, criticizing Quinn on the new Fiscal Year 2011 budget … Continue reading
Illinois Governor Election 2010: Despite $1 Million of TV Ads, Bill Brady’s Campaign Tanks 9 Points, New Poll Says
(Chicago, IL) — June 25, 2010. Earlier this week, Chicago Sun-Times columnist Carol Marin bewailed Governor Pat Quinn’s political situation: “Gov. Quinn has problems. Big problems.” Marin pointed to State Senator Bill Brady and a GOP governor’s group burst of television advertising as Exhibit A to prove Quinn’s perilous political position. “Quinn’s GOP opponent has … Continue reading
Blagojevich Trial: Appointment of Lisa Madigan to U.S. Senate Was Blagojevich Lie, Alibi, John Harris Says
(Chicago, IL) — June 23, 2010. While Illinois was waiting for its newest U.S. senator to be named, FBI wiretaps reveal former Governor Rod Blagojevich was playing political games. And those games started almost immediately upon the election of Barack Obama to the presidency. “You’re pitting one team against another like a free agent,” he … Continue reading
Blagojevich Trial: Ex-Deputy Governor Bradley Tusk “Disgusted” by Blagojevich’s Actions; Judge Zagel Stymies Sheldon Sorosky
(Chicago, IL) — June 22, 2010. The jury in the federal corruption trial of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has repeatedly received firsthand accounts of the former governor’s alleged misdeeds, but the prosecution took a break from questioning co-conspirators on Monday and put one of the governor’s alleged victims, educator Donald Feinstein, on the stand. … Continue reading
Blagojevich Trial: State Rep Deb Mell Challenges Greg Hinz’s Trial Reporting
(Chicago, IL) — June 10, 2010. Rod Blagojevich‘s sister-in-law, State Rep. Deb Mell (D-Chicago), yesterday challenged Crain’s political reporter Greg Hinz’s reporting on the ex-governor’s corruption trial, posting a complaint on her Facebook page. “I didn’t see you in court Greg and I am sure Rod didn’t call you and tell you that. RT @GregHinz: … Continue reading
Blagojevich Trial: Blagojevich Buddy Lon Monk Admits Corruption Conspiracy Began in Summer 2002; Says Ex-Governor Knew of Law-Breaking
(Chicago, IL) — June 10, 2010. A man who was once one of Rod Blagojevich’s closest friends and a top aide said the former Illinois governor knew what he was doing was “wrong” when he met with now-convicted influence peddler Tony Rezko. Alonzo ”Lon” Monk, who served as Blagojevich’s chief of staff when he took … Continue reading
Illinois 2010 Elections: Dan Rutherford Blames Alexi Giannoulias, Robin Kelly on Task Force Launch Delay
(Springfield, IL) – April 26, 2010. State Senator Dan Rutherford (R-Chenoa), GOP candidate for Illinois Treasurer, last week charged Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and his chief of staff, Robin Kelly, are using the belated launch of a state task for “political benefit”. “To convene a good purposed task force, two years late, hold taxpayer funded public … Continue reading
Governors Pat Quinn, Jay Nixon Launch Mississippi River Bridge Project; 2,200 New Jobs Expected
(Springfield, IL) — April 19, 2010. Score a big one for Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. Quinn today joined Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood at the Eads Bridge in St. Louis to break ground on the new $667 million Mississippi River Bridge project. Quinn’s disgraced predecessor Rod Blagojevich had earlier in … Continue reading
Illinois Legislature: Daily Herald Flashing Red on Senate President John Cullerton’s Red Light Cameras Moves
(Chicago, IL) — March 22, 2010. It was an odd rant. A few days ago, the Daily Herald editorial board was flashing red over Illinois Senate President John Cullerton‘s exposure of a lawmaker’s lie and exposure to information in a routine meeting regarding pending red-light-camera legislation. “Democratic Senate President John Cullerton has turned fixing red-light-camera … Continue reading
Rod Blagojevich to Talk “Ethics in Politics” at Northwestern University
(Chicago, IL) — February 23, 2010. From the Department of Believe It or Not, former Governor Rod Blagojevich is bringing his circus to Northwestern University to lecture students on–”Ethics in Politics”. From the Daily Northwestern: Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich will speak to the Northwestern community at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 2 at Cahn … Continue reading
State Reps Chapin Rose, Pat Verschoore Want Governor Pat Quinn to Avoid Campaign Speech for State-of-State Speech
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are hoping Governor Pat Quinn uses his State of the State address for solutions instead of stumping. Continue reading
Illinois Politics: “One Year after Rod Blagojevich” with Ray Hanania WJJG 1530 AM Radio
Looking back on the year without Blagojevich, Ray Hanania, radio host of “Mornings with Ray Hanania” on WJJG 1530 AM Radio today brought on a series of guests to chew on Rod Blagojevich’s ankle, arrest, and his legacy. Continue reading
Illinois 2010 Elections: David Schroeder Survives Petition Challenge from Ken Dunkin Allies
The Chicago Board of Elections dismissed a challenge to the candidacy of David Schroeder that clears the way for Schroeder to face incumbent State Rep. Ken Dunkin (D-Chicago) in the Democratic primary for the 5th legislative district seat on February 2, 2010. Continue reading
Illinois 2010 Elections: Pat Quinn Gets Fritchey, Lang, Silverstein Endorsements–Chicago Tribune Says “…Former Blagojevich Allies”
(Chicago, IL) — November 6, 2009. Illinois Democratic lawmakers State Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago), Deputy House Majority Leader Lou Lang (D-Skokie), and State Senator Ira Silverstein (D-Chicago) today endorsed Governor Pat Quinn in the Illinois 2010 Democratic primary for governor over Comptroller Dan Hynes at a press conference on Chicago’s North Side. Hynes, a constituent … Continue reading
David Ormsby, Editor
Gov. Pat Quinn
- Pat Quinn On Gay Marriage: Illinois Governor Endorses Marriage ... The Huffington Post News Editors
- Hon. Pat Quinn, Governor, State of Illinois « City Club Chicago Videos city club chicago
- FREEDOMISMIST: PAT QUINN MAY BE ABLE STAY OUT OF ... Eileen
- Governor Pat Quinn Puts His Foot Down On Gambling Expansion ... Mark
- Teachers picket against pension changes : News : ConnectTriStates ... KHQA Newsdesk
- Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn Endorses Gay Marriage unknown
- Democurmudgeon: Gov. Pat Quinn exposes Scott Walker as a fake ... Democurmudgeon
- Quinn Launches “Save Our State" Website | Chicago Tonight | WTTW Yasmin Rammohan
- McHenry County Blog | Pat Quinn Tells Truth about Pension ... Cal Skinner
- Pat Quinn Criticizes Scott Walker On Jobs The Huffington Post News Editors
IL General Assembly
- Illinois General Assembly Approves Money to Keep Day Care Center Open, Bill ... - WJBD Online May 18, 2012
- State's Minimum Wage Could Become Highest in Country - Patch.com May 18, 2012
- Legislative update: Budget, pension, Medicaid await Illinois General Assembly ... - NIU Today May 15, 2012
- General Assembly puts health exchange bill on back burner - Crain's Chicago Business May 10, 2012
- American Progressive Bag Alliance Urges Illinois General Assembly To Pass ... - MarketWatch (press release) May 1, 2012
- Personal property tax diversion goes nowhere in legislature - The State Journal-Register May 16, 2012
- American Progressive Bag Alliance Urges Illinois General Assembly To Pass ... - PR Newswire (press release) May 1, 2012
- Feds give Illinois more money for insurance exchange as Legislature stalls - Crain's Chicago Business May 17, 2012
- Chicago Cubs, Obama controversy part of final days of legislative session - Examiner.com May 19, 2012
- Mayor John Spring: Public safety will suffer if state cuts funds to Quincy - Quincy Herald Whig May 18, 2012
The Capitol Fax Blog
- Reader comments closed for the weekend May 18, 2012 Rich Miller
- Chicago Tribune: Coal plant closures could send electricity costs soaring May 18, 2012 Advertising Department
- Protected: *** UPDATED x5 *** SUBSCRIBERS ONLY: This just in… May 18, 2012 Rich Miller
- Question of the day May 18, 2012 Rich Miller
- OK, so where’s your plan? May 18, 2012 Rich Miller
- Caption contest! May 18, 2012 Rich Miller
- Topinka: Cigarette tax hike a “common sense solution” May 18, 2012 Rich Miller
- Slots at tracks a possibility? Maybe May 18, 2012 Rich Miller
- AFSCME loses appeal over canceled raises May 18, 2012 Rich Miller
- *** UPDATED x2 - Ricketts gave preliminary approval, lauded TV ad *** Cubs owners try damage control May 18, 2012 Rich Miller