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Illinois comptroller withholds funds from Dolton as ‘Dictator Mayor’ Tiffany Henyard orders cops to obey disgraced department ally

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Illinois comptroller withholds funds from Dolton as ‘Dictator Mayor’ Tiffany Henyard orders cops to obey disgraced department ally


The Illinois state comptroller took the extraordinary step of withholding some funds from the troubled village of Dolton on Thursday, blaming scandal-scarred Tiffany Henyard for the first-of-its-kind action — as the self-proclaimed “Super Mayor” told cops to follow orders from her disgraced department ally who was placed on leave before being indicted.

State Comptroller Susana Mendoza said she would immediately suspend all “offset” monies typically doled out to municipalities because Dolton leader Henyard “refuses” to turn over financial reports to the state.

Mayor Henyard was slammed by the state agency on Thursday. @tiffanyhenyard / Instagram

The village was on track to gain $135,000 this year — but instead could start facing fines if the problems drag on. If the issues are fixed, the comptroller will restart the payments.

Mendoza said while her office tries to assist municipalities that struggle to file required annual reports, “Dolton is different.”

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“The Mayor’s office has refused to communicate with us or address the problem,” she said in a statement. “If Mayor Henyard refuses to follow state law, my office will use the tools at our disposal to safeguard the interests of Dolton’s citizens.”

The village did not send reports to the comptroller’s office in 2022 and 2023, the comptroller said.

The state collects the “offset” funds when it withholds part of a resident’s income tax return or lotto winnings if they don’t pay a parking or speeding ticket at the local level, according to a comptroller spokesperson.

Those funds are then distributed back to the municipality, according to the office.

The state agency made clear it would not give Dolton — which is already facing financial hardship — the money until it gets into compliance with its financial records.

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But the village could face fines totaling $78,600 over the delinquent paperwork if municipal officials don’t release the records, the comptroller’s office said.

Henyard, who was elected in 2021, has faced mounting allegations of maleficence in office, including misuse of taxpayer funds. Federal investigators reportedly subpoenaed financial information and documents tied to her and the village earlier this year as part of a probe.

Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza made the move on Thursday.

‘Silly games’

Henyard’s ally in the police department, Deputy Chief Lewis Lacey, was federally indicted on bankruptcy fraud and other charges on Monday, though the criminal case is not connected to the village.

He was placed on administrative leave last week by trustees opposed to Henyard before the indictment, but a lawyer for the trustees reportedly said he’s still going to work.

The confusion over his job status persisted into this week.

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Henyard ordered police officers to continue following orders from Lacey on Thursday, according to video obtained by WGN.

“Stop playing these silly games,” Henyard is heard saying.

Lacey also issued a warning that cops better fall in line, according to the station.

“Do what you want; but anything after this is insubordination,” he said.

But Village Administrator Keith Freeman told officers in an email Lacey was no longer employed by the village.

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“Mr. Lacey is not allowed in any spaces reserved for employees with an escort,” he said, according to WGN.

Just last week, former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot revealed the village’s coffers were in shambles under Henyard leadership while outlining high spending, including $43,000 in one day on Amazon.

Dolton is facing financial problems. Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

The pulled funds come as a local CBS report claims Henyard is nowhere to be found this week, but a trustee told The Post Thursday that wasn’t the case.

“She is not MIA, I think [the] news has been stating that. She is on social media and was at a meeting today, but has little comments about [the] report,” trustee Kiana Belcher said in reference to the Lightfoot report.

The comptroller’s office also cited an undated email from a Dolton village clerk that claims Freeman doesn’t allow department heads to relay information to the clerk’s office when the public seeks records and documents from the village.

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Freeman was federally charged earlier this year with bankruptcy fraud that also is not tied to village business. While Henyard said this month he was fired, trustees opposed to her have said she doesn’t have the sole power to make that personnel move.

Freeman used to be an ally of Henyard before the two had a falling out, WGN reported.



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Illinois

Multiple people shot in Centralia, Illinois: REPORT

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Multiple people shot in Centralia, Illinois: REPORT


CENTRALIA, Ill. – An investigation is underway after multiple people were shot Sunday in Centralia, Illinois, according to a report from WFCN News in southern Illinois.

FOX 2 has confirmed the Illinois State Police is investigating a shooting and taking over the investigation, but ISP could not confirm many further details as of 9 p.m. Sunday.

“The investigation is in its infancy and to protect the integrity of the investigation, no additional details will be released at this time,” ISP said in a statement to FOX 2.

According to WFCN News, the shooting happened around 5 p.m. near the 900 block of East Kell Street in Centralia. Multiple law enforcement agencies have since responded to scene and multiple victims are hospitalized, according to the report.

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It’s unclear how many people may have been injured and what led up to the shooting.

Centralia, Illinois is about 70 miles, or just over an hour, east of St. Louis.

This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.



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Weather service assessing damage across Iowa, Illinois and Missouri

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Weather service assessing damage across Iowa, Illinois and Missouri


The National Weather Service has teams of storm surveryors in the field April 18 investigating several reports of severe storms and tornado touch downs across eastern Iowa, northwest Illinois and northeast Missouri.

According to the weather service’s website, windgusts of up to 60 to 70 mph along with teacup-sized hail and several tornadoes were reported April 17.

Many homes and outbuildings were damaged, trees were uprooted and power lines were downed in Lena, Illinois, where the most significant damage occurred, the site pointed out.

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Very strong winds also were reported near Washington, Iowa, and Colmar, Illinois, where several outbuildings and grain bins were destroyed.

The weather service received reports of confirmed and possible tornadoes in the areas of Lena, Pecatonica, Shirland, Rockton, Roscoe and Capron.

The teams will be assessing damage this weekend into next week along with county emergency management teams to determine what types of storms occurred and their paths.

Dozens of power outages were reported, as well.

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As of the afternoon of April 18, ComEd was reporting 85 active power outages across northern Illinois, down from 241 on April 17, and 6,751 customers affected, down from more than 18,000.

The bulk of those outages and the most customers impacted are concentrated in Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties.



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Illinois

5 tornadoes confirmed in Illinois from Friday’s storms

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5 tornadoes confirmed in Illinois from Friday’s storms


Freeze Watch

from MON 12:00 AM CDT until MON 9:00 AM CDT, Lake County, Kankakee County, La Salle County, DuPage County, Northern Will County, DeKalb County, Southern Will County, Kendall County, Southern Cook County, Northern Cook County, Grundy County, Eastern Will County, Kane County, McHenry County, Lake County, Newton County, Jasper County, Porter County



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