CHICAGO (WLS) — It is week 11 in Michael Madigan’s bribery trial.

The government on Monday called to the stand a former legislator, who has already served prison time himself.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

The former Illinois House speaker is accused of using his position to get Eddie Acevedo two lucrative contracts that did not require him to do any work.

Former state Rep. Acevedo took the stand as a witness Monday afternoon.

A political ally of then-Speaker Madigan, Acevedo is a reluctant witness, who fought and failed to squash the subpoena issued to compel his testimony.

Acevedo waited patiently Monday morning for the handicap access doors at Dirksen Federal Courthouse to open for him. He then waited several hours more before taking the stand.

Acevedo served six months in prison for tax evasion in 2022, and is being given immunity in exchange for his testimony.

Mike Madigan trial live updates: Former state Rep. Acevedo to testify in ex-speaker trial

The government alleges the former assistant majority leader, who left the general assembly in 2017, used his relationship with Madigan to receive two no-work contracts: one from ComEd and one from AT&T, worth over $140,000.

Those contracts, prosecutors say, were bribes given in exchange for the speaker’s legislative help in Springfield.

On the stand earlier, former Madigan aide and AT&T contract lobbyist Tom Cullen, whose contract Acevedo was under, testified he never saw any real work from Acevedo, saying that a report he had been assigned to write “was just kind of a joke.”

Acevedo’s testimony continued Monday evening, and will continue into Tuesday, when the government might rest its case against Madigan.

Madigan and co-defendant McClain face bribery and racketeering charges.

Related Coverage: How we got to here

Opening statements begin in former IL House Speaker Mike Madigan corruption trial
Jury selection begins this week in corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan
ComEd to pay $200M in federal bribery investigation; Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan implicated in charge
House Speaker Michael Madigan polling Democratic caucus on whether he should step down
Special House committee to probe Michael Madigan bribery allegations stemming from ComEd investigation
IL House Speaker Michael Madigan continues to lose support amid ComEd investigation implications
Mike Madigan resigns as Democratic Party of Illinois chairman
Former IL House Speaker Mike Madigan indicted on charges including bribery, racketeering
Former IL House speaker Michael Madigan indicted on racketeering, bribery, more
Mike Madigan charged with crimes usually associated with Chicago mob
Michael Madigan indictment: Former House speaker pleads not guilty in federal corruption case
Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan enters not guilty plea on all counts in federal case
All defendants found guilty on all counts in ‘ComEd 4’ trial surrounding ex-Speaker Mike Madigan
Jury finds Mike Madigan confidant Tim Mapes guilty in perjury case
Former Speaker Mike Madigan lawyers ask judge to dismiss 14 counts, citing recent SCOTUS ruling

A Washington native and his creative firm were chosen as a top-10 finalist for the Illinois state flag design contest.

Clanin Creative submitted eight designs, and one was chosen out of roughly 5,000 entries.

Colleen Hayes, a Clanin Creative graphic designer, conceptualized the flag chosen as a finalist, receiving input from colleagues, including owner Scott Clanin, Oscar Aguilar, Jess Johnston and Jason Reitmann.

Clanin Creative’s flag features 21 stripes to depict rows of crops and open plains symbolizing Illinois’ agricultural history. Three six-pointed stars denote the northern, central and southern regions, and their 18 points reference the founding of the state in 1818. A rising sun, which captures a piece of Illinois’ current flag, symbolizes renewal. The flag’s colors — blue, green and yellow — symbolize unity, agriculture and a bright future, respectively.

Clanin Creative, based in Champaign, acknowledged there are strong feelings surrounding the possible redesign of the state flag. Clanin said his team’s goal was to respect the existing flag while giving it a fresh, contemporary look honoring the state’s diversity and shared values.

“My hope is that design inspires appreciation for Illinois’ past, present and future, while uniting everyone in our state, no matter where they’re from,” Hayes said in a press release.

The Illinois Flag Commission’s Top 10 selections are displayed online. Public voting will begin in January 2025. The public can vote for one of the 10 new designs, or for one of the previous flag designs, including the current state flag, the 1918 Centennial Flag and the 1968 Sesquicentennial Flag.

After the public votes, the Illinois Flag Commission will report the results to the Illinois General Assembly by April 1. Assembly members will vote on whether to adopt a new flag, return to a previous version of the flag or retain the current flag.

News: State unveils 10 finalists for new Illinois flag