A special prosecutor was appointed by a judge on April 23, 2012, to re-investigate the homicide of David Koschman, who died after allegedly being punched by a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley in 2004. Nobody was ever criminally charged in the case. The special prosecutor — whose appointment was pushed by Koschman’s family, with legal wing support from the BGA — will
Follow-Up
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation, Newsroom
A Suite Deal for Village Officials in Bridgeview
Municipal leaders in suburb get free access to a stadium suite during special events, including concerts and games.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation, Newsroom
Sticker Shock: Lofty Fees, Low Returns
The mammoth state teachers’ pension fund spent $1.3 billion for 10-years worth of financial expertise. Critics argue that’s way too high; Teachers Retirement System says it’s a cost of doing business.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation, Newsroom
Is a New Sheriff Coming to Your Town?
As talk of streamlining government intensifies in Cook County, the sheriff suggests that one way to save taxpayer money is for his police force to assume more policing duties from suburban departments.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
Are Double-Dipping Days Over For Suburban Mayors?
New legal opinion says municipal leaders shouldn’t be allowed to simultaneously serve on county board. That’s worrying several political figures in DuPage and Cook counties – and it’s prompted legislation that would protect dual officeholders.
Posted inFollow-Up, Legal, Results & Reforms
CHICAGO SCHOOLS INVESTIGATING POLITICALLY CONNECTED MILK CONTRACTOR
The Chicago Board of Education’s inspector general is investigating the school system’s largest milk-delivery company, McMahon Food Corp., which recently lost its certification as a woman-owned business. A Chicago Sun-Times/Better Government Association investigation last month found that the school system is paying more for milk than many suburban districts that are a
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation, Newsroom
City Watchdog to Get Sharper Teeth?
What happens if you lie to Chicago’s inspector general? Not a lot, it seems, if you’re a City Clerk employee who was investigated by the in-house watchdog for, among other things, allegedly keeping pornography on his work computer and then lying about it.
Posted inFollow-Up, Legal, Results & Reforms
GRASSROOTS EMPOWERMENT
Prompted by revelations from the BGA and FOX Chicago, residents of Stone Park and surrounding communities banded together to oppose the construction of a strip club next to a convent, question whether village officials violated the law in approving the project and keep a closer eye on local elected leaders.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
“I Deserve Every Penny”
Oak Brook’s clout-heavy former police chief is unapologetic about benefitting from a taxpayer-funded pension sweetener quietly passed by the General Assembly in 2007.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation, Newsroom
Does Obama Need Schooling on Scholarships?
Add President Barack Obama to the list of current and former Illinois lawmakers who may have violated the lone rule of the controversial legislative scholarship program: that the recipient live within the awarding lawmaker’s district.