JULY 1, 2011 — A BGA/CBS2 investigation finds that a city worker at Midway Airport had allowed his friends to bypass security because they were running late for a flight. The BGA and CBS2 also find that city officials, rather than fire the worker when this came to light, put him on paid leave, then gave him another job with more pay. Only after the story aired did supervisors
Follow-Up
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
City Is Slow To Discipline Worker Who Breached Airport Security
A city employee helped friends get through security at Midway Airport, but only got a slap on the wrist—and, arguably, a paid vacation—for his misconduct. BGA and CBS 2 investigate.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
More Trouble for Country Club Hills Mayor?
Just days after a BGA/WGN-TV investigation of Country Club Hills Mayor Dwight Welch’s spending habits, the city council canceled municipal credit cards. And, it turns out, the state’s attorney is taking an interest in what’s going on there.
Posted inFollow-Up, Legal, Results & Reforms
CREDIT CARDS CANCELLED
JUNE 27, 2011 — After a BGA/WGN-TV investigation into Country Club Hills Mayor Dwight Welch’s spending, the city council eliminates all but one city credit card.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
Suburban Mayor Living ‘Country Club’ Lifestyle, Courtesy Taxpayers
Times may be rough, but in Country Club Hills, the mayor is rolling in the green, courtesy of taxpayers and donors to his campaign fund, according to a review by the Better Government Association.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
Country Club Hills’ Big-Spending, Unabashed Mayor
This BGA/WGN-TV investigation shines a light on Mayor Dwight W. Welch and his hefty expense account. He says he spends (taxpayer) money to make money for the south suburban town — is he missing the basic principles of good government?
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
Elmwood Park Leaders Get Home Improvements on Village’s Time
“At the very best it’s a conflict of interest,” Andy Shaw, BGA president and CEO, said. “A good reform would be to make it illegal for a public sector employee to do work for his employer, even on his own time.”
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation, Newsroom
Special Investigation: The High Costs of Wrongful Convictions
This seven-month investigation with the Center on Wrongful Convictions tracked exonerations in Illinois from 1989 through 2010 to determine the financial and human costs, and proposes several reforms.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation, Newsroom
Illinois Taxpayers Forced To Pick Up Big “Injustice Tab”
The BGA/CWC investigation of 85 wrongful convictions revealed that it is far cheaper to incarcerate the innocent than to compensate them afterward. The cost of keeping them in jail and prison for 926 years came to $18.5 million. Litigation and compensation expenditures afterward were more than ten times that.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation, Newsroom
Reform Blueprint: Changing Law Enforcement’s Culture, Tactics
The BGA/CWC compiled a list of best practices already in place elsewhere in the country, proposals from blue-ribbon commissions, and recommendations made during previous reform efforts in Illinois, chosen because nearly all involve only minimal expense. This list should be considered as a starting point toward reducing the escalating human and financial toll of wrongful