Illinois
Veteran Illinois lawmaker tells ComEd bribery trial jurors that Madigan ruled ‘through fear and intimidation’
Jurors in ComEd bribery trial will hear greater than 100 recordings, federal prosecutors say
Federal prosecutors instructed jurors Wednesday they might hear greater than 100 recordings over the subsequent a number of weeks, because the wide-ranging case in opposition to 4 allies of former Illinois Home Speaker Michael Madigan kicked off in earnest with opening statements.
CHICAGO – A veteran Democratic state lawmaker who sponsored main gaming laws within the Illinois Home of Representatives instructed a federal jury Monday that former Speaker Michael Madigan as soon as dominated that chamber “by worry and intimidation.”
When requested what Madigan valued most in different legislators, state Rep. Robert “Bob” Rita answered, “loyalty.”
And earlier than the trial of 4 former political energy gamers broke for the day, the Blue Island Democrat cited the case of a fellow Democrat who dared facet with Republicans — solely to have Madigan’s group activate him in an election.
Rita took the stand solely 40 minutes earlier than testimony ended for the day. He’s anticipated to renew his testimony Tuesday and additional clarify his feedback about Madigan.
Rita’s testimony got here in the course of the trial of Madigan confidant Michael McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, ex-ComEd lobbyist John Hooker and onetime Metropolis Membership President Jay Doherty. The 4 are accused of arranging for jobs, contracts and cash for Madigan’s associates whereas laws essential to ComEd moved by Springfield.
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Madigan resigned from the legislature in 2021 and faces a separate racketeering indictment. His trial is ready for April 2024.
Former Speaker Michael Madigan’s racketeering trial set for April 2024
The extremely anticipated racketeering trial of former Illinois Home Speaker Michael J. Madigan has been set for April 1, 2024.
Like former state Rep. Lou Lang, who took the stand final week, Rita’s testimony is predicted to additional underscore the notion that McClain acted as an agent for Madigan and handed alongside the speaker’s calls for. When requested who, exterior Madigan’s senior employees, had a detailed relationship with Madigan, Rita named McClain who served within the legislature many years in the past.
Rita known as McClain a “former member of the Home, and a lobbyist, and a buddy [of Madigan’s].”
He additionally defined to jurors how, after onetime Democratic state Rep. Ken Dunkin sided with Republicans on key votes, the Madigan-led Democratic Occasion of Illinois efficiently ran a candidate in opposition to him, forcing him out of workplace.
Rita has been often called a fixer of kinds in Springfield for taking over powerful points and getting them over the end line. That was definitely the case in 2020, when he helped shepherd the measure that cleared the way in which for a Chicago on line casino — a feat many years within the making.
Rita is now an assistant majority chief within the Illinois Home.
Federal prosecutors hoped to have Rita testify about McClain’s function within the gaming laws. They alleged in a courtroom submitting that Rita met with the speaker in his workplace in 2013, the place Madigan instructed Rita that Rita would sponsor a significant gaming invoice. When the assembly ended, Madigan walked Rita out of his workplace and McClain was standing close to the doorway.
Madigan pointed to McClain and stated “he’ll information you,” in line with the feds.
However U.S. District Decide Harry Leinenweber barred prosecutors Monday from moving into the subject, on the request of protection attorneys. As a substitute, Rita is prone to testify concerning the affect that McClain — a ComEd lobbyist — had on the passage of one other invoice Rita sponsored: the Future Power Jobs Act, or FEJA.
FEJA is among the key items of laws at problem within the trial.
Rita’s testimony capped a broader day of testimony Monday, during which jurors additionally heard recordings of Madigan complaining about former Senate President John Cullerton, and a ComEd govt discussing how FEJA and different laws turned the utility’s funds round.
In a recorded cellphone name from Sept. 5, 2018, McClain mentioned with Madigan a “silly Cullerton transfer,” which apparently concerned anti-Madigan political advertisements from Senate Democrats. It occurred two months earlier than the election during which Democrat J.B. Pritzker efficiently challenged then-Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican.
“It is a common election,” Madigan complained. “That is the time to be in opposition to the Republicans.”
McClain instructed him on the recording that “you’re extra of [a] road fighter than anyone is aware of, aside from perhaps guys like me. And if you wish to put the squeeze on the man, you might damage him fairly badly.”
“Yeah. Yeah, alright. I’ll give it some thought,” Madigan instructed him.
Scott Vogt, vice chairman of technique and vitality coverage for ComEd, additionally testified Monday. He defined that ComEd’s funds had been in “dire” form previous to the passage of the Power Infrastructure and Modernization Act in 2011, in addition to FEJA in 2016. The payments helped ComEd extra reliably predict the charges they may cost clients.
Vogt estimated the worth of FEJA to ComEd at $1.8 billion, and he stated the payments helped take ComEd from a low level of earnings in 2006 or 2007 to “highest earnings on document in 2022.”
Vogt additionally instructed jurors he was typically accustomed to the faces of ComEd’s many lobbyists in Springfield. However then prosecutors confirmed him photographs of 4 Madigan associates paid by ComEd by a third-party agency, supposedly as lobbyists.
Requested if he’d seen them earlier than, Vogt repeatedly stated, “not that I recall.”
A number of schools from Chicago and the suburbs were recognized as among the top elementary schools in Illinois, according to a new list.
The “2025 Best Elementary and Middle Schools” list from U.S. News and World Report examined more than 79,000 public schools in all 50 states, a press release revealed. Editors used publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education to analyze mathematics and reading performance at the state and district levels — while accounting for student background and achievement in core subjects.
For a school corporation to receive a district-level ranking, at least two of the top performing schools must rank in the top 75% of the overall elementary or middle school rankings, according to the website. In all, 47,573 elementary schools and 23,861 middle schools were assessed.
In Illinois, a total of 3,421 schools were ranked. Seven of the top 25 schools in the state were Chicago Public Schools, including the top school, Edison Elementary Regional Gifted Center.
Almost all of the top 25 schools were in either the city or suburbs — except for No. 10 – Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Rockford and No. 22 – Congerville Elementary School in downstate Woodford County.
Following behind Edison Elementary Regional Gifted Center was Hinsdale’s Oak Elementary School and Naperville’s Meadows Glen Elementary School at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Lenart Elementary Regional Gifted Center, a Chicago Public School, and Brook Forest Elementary School rounded out the top five.
Here’s a look into the top 25 elementary schools in Illinois, according to the report.
- Edison Elementary Regional Gifted Center – Chicago
- Oak Elementary School – Hinsdale
- Meadows Glen Elementary School – Naperville
- Lenart Elementary Regional Gifted Center – Chicago
- Brook Forest Elementary School – Oak Brook
- Elm Elementary School – Burr Ridge
- Forest Hills Elementary School – Western Springs
- The Lane Elementary School – Hinsdale
- Eisenhower Academy – Joliet
- Thurgood Marshall Elementary School – Rockford
- Skinner North Elementary School – Chicago
- Greenbriar Elementary School – Northbrook
- Westmoor Elementary School – Northbrook
- Ellsworth Elementary School – Naperville
- Prospect Elementary School – Clarendon Hills
- Walker School – Clarendon Hills
- Lincoln Elementary School – River Forest
- Highlands Elementary School – Naperville
- Bronzeville Classical Elementary School – Chicago
- George B Carpenter Elementary School – Park Ridge
- Madison Elementary School – Hinsdale
- Congerville Elementary School – Congerville
- Decatur Classical Elementary School – Chicago
- Lincoln Elementary School – Chicago
- Hawthorne Elementary Scholastic Academy – Chicago
Redshirt freshman 125-pounder Dedrick Navarro’s gutsy decision win over No. 27 Blake West set the tone for Northwestern’s statement 29-8 victory over Northern Illinois Saturday.
NU entered its dual season opener with a point to prove, having lost to Northern Illinois 18-17 to start last year.
“After dropping a match to them that stung for a whole year, it was nice to go out there and not just win, but to really put it on them and win in dominating fashion,” coach Matt Storniolo said.
The night got off to a flying start as Navarro pulled off a stunning upset over West. An escape and a takedown by West put Navarro in a 0-4 hole entering the third period, but he battled back, scoring a takedown of his own before a trip with seconds left vaulted him to a 7-6 decision win.
Navarro said he tried to push the pace in the moment, and it felt good to get his first win of the dual season.
“We’ve only got a few years of this, so I’m just soaking it in and being grateful, having fun and putting on a show,” Navarro said.
The Huskies notched their first team points of the night in the 133-pound bout as redshirt sophomore Markel Baker won by major decision over sophomore Massey Odiotti. Three Baker takedowns in the first period cemented his 14-3 victory.
Graduate student 141-pounder No. 10 Chris Cannon made his NU homecoming with a 9-3 decision win over NIU’s Charles Curtis.
A two-time All-American for the Wildcats, Cannon transferred to Michigan before the 2024 season but missed nearly all of it after suffering a head injury in his dual season opener exactly one year ago Sunday. Storniolo said Cannon was not back to full strength yet, but that didn’t stop him from competing and winning.
“It was good for him to know that he’s still got that fight inside him,” he said.
No. 20. redshirt freshman 149-pounder Sam Cartella’s 15-0 win by technical fall put the ’Cats in the driver’s seat, and they didn’t look back from there. Dominant decision wins by No. 12 graduate student 157-pounder Trevor Chumbley and No. 16 redshirt senior 165-pounder Maxx Mayfield ran up the team score. Then, redshirt sophomore 174-pounder Joseph Martin secured his first dual meet win of his career, lasting nearly a minute underneath NIU’s Jake Evans without conceding a takedown and holding onto a narrow 4-0 lead.
Graduate student 184-pounder Jon Halvorsen secured extra team points by scoring a late takedown in his match, upgrading his victory from a decision win to a major decision win. He said his feelings after the win were unexplainable.
“The guys around me believe in me, and the coaches I have believe in me,” he said. “It’s just a reflection of my team and how awesome these guys are.”
A professional 19-4 win by No. 25 redshirt junior 197-pounder Evan Bates put the finishing touch on the NU rout.
Redshirt freshman 285-pounder Dirk Morley lost his match with NIU’s Jacob Christensen to end the night. An initially strong defensive performance unraveled in the third period, ending the night with a 12-2 loss by major decision.
In its return to the mat nine months after posting a 1-9 record, NU matched last season’s win total in one night. Storniolo attributed the team’s improvement to Cannon’s return to Evanston, Cartella’s continuing dominance in the 149-pound weight class and new faces like Navarro entering the lineup.
“Guys are hungry this year,” Storniolo said. “They feel like they really have something to prove after last year. They want to let the rest of Division I wrestling know that we’re a strong program, and last year doesn’t represent who we are as a team.”
The ’Cats are back at Welsh-Ryan Arena Sunday at 2 p.m. to take on Little Rock.
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