Better Government Association
WBEZ and the Better Government Association on Friday sued the southwest suburban village of Lyons to make public federal subpoenas and search warrants it received as part of an ongoing corruption investigation. Both organizations sought the records through the state Freedom of Information Act but were denied any documents in a blanket, unsigned rejection. The denial didn’t cite any legal exemptions.
The power company got the subpoena 10 days after federal agents searched state Sen. Martin Sandoval’s offices.
The line between embattled Chicago Ald. Edward Burke’s lucrative law practice and his public office is so thin that he has recused himself from hundreds of City Council votes that have sent millions of dollars in benefits to his private clients — from mega bond deals to tiny zoning changes. Burke’s dual roles as the most powerful alderman on the council and high-end tax attorney for companies with business before the city have played out for decades. But the potential for conflicts of interest have taken on heightened interest after federal investigators raided Burke’s City Hall and ward offices in recent weeks. An examination of every City Council vote in the last eight years by the Better Government Association and WBEZ — the most comprehensive review of Burke’s record to date — found that Burke has used a parliamentary maneuver to recuse himself a startling 464 times. The comparable total for all 49 other aldermen combined is 108.
A group of elderly residents has filed a federal complaint against the Chicago Housing Authority for failing to install grab bars in the bathrooms of their public housing units. The complaint accused the CHA of disability and civil rights violations and putting its elderly residents at risk of serious injury or death for failing to take a basic security precaution.
Elevators aren’t a luxury for some tenants of Chicago’s public housing buildings -- they’re a necessity.
A BGA/WBEZ probe revealed suburban police are never disciplined for shooting people despite dozens of questionable incidents. Legislation to address the problem is meeting little resistance in Springfield, but imposes only minor reforms.