Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a five-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.
This afternoon will be mostly cloudy with a high near 54 degrees. Tonight will be cloudy with a chance of rain and a low near 37. Similar weather is also expected tomorrow along with a high near 39.
Top story
Madigan quipped that his associates ‘have made out like bandits’ from ComEd deals, feds say
In summer 2018, months before it became apparent they were the targets of a federal investigation, then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was reminded by a longtime confidant about a contract they’d help someone land that tied the person to ComEd.
Madigan then interrupted his confidant, Michael McClain. The men were allegedly near the end of an almost decade-long scheme, in which they convinced ComEd to give Madigan’s associates jobs, contracts and money in order to curry favor with the speaker.
“Some of these guys have made out like bandits, Mike,” Madigan quipped, according to a newly released transcript of the conversation that was caught on a federal wiretap.
“Oh my God, for very little work too,” McClain said, coughing amid his response. “Very little work.”
Now, federal prosecutors say that conversation is evidence that Madigan and McClain understood that people employed by ComEd at Madigan’s request were doing little or no work for the utility. “Indeed,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu wrote, “many of the Madigan subcontractors made out like thieves, just as Madigan observed.”
That episode was contained in a 126-page legal document filed last night by prosecutors in anticipation of the fast-approaching March 6 trial of McClain and three others who are accused of trying to bribe Madigan to benefit ComEd.
The document, known as a Santiago proffer, offers a broad outline of the trial expected to last as long as two months before U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber. It identifies potential witnesses, their likely testimony and other pieces of evidence the feds will use to try to convict McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, ex-ComEd lobbyist John Hooker and onetime City Club President Jay Doherty.
Madigan is not expected to face trial on his own racketeering indictment until April 1, 2024. Still, the proffer continues to make clear he will be the central character in the trial set to begin in March. And though many details about the Madigan investigation have trickled out over the years, the document suggests there is still plenty of intrigue.
Various current and former members of the General Assembly are expected to take the stand to discuss Madigan’s formidable power in Springfield. Dick Simpson, a University of Illinois political science professor emeritus, is expected to discuss the Chicago political machine. Also expected to testify is Fidel Marquez, the former ComEd executive who cooperated with investigators and pleaded guilty in 2020 to a bribery conspiracy.
Madigan resigned from the legislature in 2021. Defense attorneys for Madigan and McClain declined to comment on the document. Attorneys for Pramaggiore, Hooker and Doherty could not immediately be reached.
Jon Seidel has more on the proffer and what it means for the forthcoming trial here.
More news you need
- Assault weapons can no longer be sold in Illinois. The state immediately banned the sale of the military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines yesterday evening, with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature on a bill the House had passed just hours earlier. Our Tina Sfondeles has more on how we got here.
- In a news conference yesterday, Ald. Chris Taliaferro said he wants to keep the heat on Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Police Supt. David Brown to fire an officer with alleged ties to the far-right Proud Boys. The alderman also said he wants to send a message that hate groups won’t be tolerated. The conference came just days after the Southern Poverty Law Center sent a scathing letter to the mayor and superintendent over the decision to suspend the officer, Robert Bakker, instead of firing him.
- A former Chicago police officer was sentenced to probation today after he pleaded guilty to firing at an unarmed man while off-duty and drunk. Joseph Cabrera, 40, pleaded guilty to reckless discharge of a firearm and was sentenced to 24 months of probation for the October 2020 shooting.
- Cook County Health officials for nearly 10 months have halted new clinical trials at one of the nation’s leading HIV/AIDS research centers as they investigate a nonprofit that handles grants that have funded landmark medical research. Research staff of CORE Center in Chicago may lose their jobs as the investigation continues, upending ongoing work and dimming the prospects for future funding, one HIV research advocate said.
- A new website launched yesterday by the University of Illinois’ Discovery Partners Institute and the Illinois Department of Public Health offers a glance at how widely COVID is circulating through measurements taken at 75 wastewater treatment facilities statewide. Leaders behind the Illinois Wastewater Surveillance System say the new info dashboard can help inform personal decisions on pandemic precautions.
- Airplanes today were grounded for hours nationwide by a cascading outage in a government system that delayed or canceled thousands of flights across the U.S. Hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled at Chicago’s airports after the Federal Aviation Administration outage.
- Leaders of Ladder Up, a nonprofit that provides free tax-filing assistance, say the organization is still well short of the number of volunteers it needs this tax season. Our Michael Loria has more on how you can get involved — or find some tax-filing assistance — here.
- Ald. Derrick Curtis (18th) said yesterday he’s having second thoughts about his support for Mayor Lori Lightfoot — and his role as her “No. 1 cheerleader.” Curtis cited the mayor’s “coldness,” including her failure to reach out to him after he accidentally shot himself while cleaning a gun last fall.
- Some of the city’s most-beloved museums are offering free admission days for residents this month and in February. Our Ellery Jones has the full list of when and where you can take advantage of this Illinoisan-only perk here.
- Rebecca George, owner of Volumes Bookcafe, was sent reeling by a customer who spent about $800 on art books — only to ask to return them this month after merely using them to “stage their home for the holidays.” After going viral for venting her frustrations about the setback on Twitter Monday, George said the Wicker Park bookstore has been getting “tons of orders” from across the country.
- In an attempt to reduce the number of ghost buses, the CTA announced today that it is redoing schedules for nearly half of its bus routes. The new schedules will better align with the agency’s available workforce, officials said.
- Lastly, we’ve got a happy update on Zari, the African lion we told you in yesterday’s Afternoon Edition was expecting. According to Lincoln Park Zoo officials, Zari has given birth to three healthy cubs.
A bright one
Silver Skates competition kicks off, harking back to when skating ruled Chicago
Jerome Scott has fond memories of gliding along the ice in front of a cheering crowd in his first Silver Skates race about 15 years ago.
Scott, 57, didn’t come out on top, but the experience stayed with him, and he’s attended the event nearly every year since, turning it into a family affair. His 11-year-old daughter, Tirzah, has skated in the competition along with him for the last four years.
“I like just racing around and being able to skate,” Tirzah said. “I also like winning.”
Last night, Tirzah and her father joined a handful of other skaters at the rink at Midway Plaisance Park as the Chicago Park District kicked off this year’s Silver Skates competition. The free event has been held in Chicago for more than 100 years and is part of the city’s rich speedskating history.
The park district will hold five other Silver Skates events this month across the city. Youth skaters, ages 6 to 17, who qualify from the neighborhood races will be invited to compete at the citywide competition June 21 at McFetridge Sports Center. Adults can race in June without having to qualify in the local races.
The crowd at the park last night was small, but they still cheered with enthusiasm as skaters completed laps around the rink. Gabriel Brown, 11, still enjoyed getting to skate against other kids his age.
“I like competing and trying to win the medals,” said Gabriel, who got into skating when someone recommended it to him. He’s added it to a long list of other sports he enjoys.
Gabriel’s mom, Shannon Callahan, said they have attended the Silver Skates event every year since he was about 4 or 5 years old. “It’s a wonderful free event and generally generates a lot of community spirit,” she said. “It’s easy fun.”
Emmanuel Camarillo has more on the competition and its legacy here.
From the press box
- The past few years were painful for Bears fans, but now they’ve been rewarded with a franchise QB and the No. 1 pick, Laurence Holmes writes.
- Could Bears GM Ryan Poles be “blown away” by the college QB who’s available with the No. 1 pick? Don’t be so sure the team is married to the idea of keeping Justin Fields, Rick Morrissey writes.
- David Ross shared his excitement for the upcoming Cubs season in a recent conversation with our Steve Greenberg: ‘‘There’s been so much good about this offseason. In my eyes, it’s go time.’’
- A monumental upset in local high school basketball yesterday: Kenwood defeated Simeon, the area’s No. 1 team, for the first time in the school’s history. Dai Dai Ames sank two free throws in the final seconds to seal a 46-43 win, the first for the Broncos in decades of playing the Wolverines.
Your daily question☕
What’s the first thing every new Chicago resident should do upon moving here?
Send us an email at newsletters@suntimes.com and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.
Yesterday we asked you: Name one Chicagoan who has inspired you. Tell us why.
Here’s what some of you said...
“One Chicagoan who has inspired me is Christopher LeMark from Coffee, Hip-Hop and Mental Health.” — Deborah Peltz
“Irv Kupcinet inspired me. He knew everybody, went everywhere and could speak intelligently about everything. I want to live like that.” — Jo Ann Reksel
“The Chicagoan who has most inspired me is Mike Royko, who spoke truth to power in a straightforward and humorous way.” — Mark Mardell
“Mike Royko — he was a great Chicago journalist and 16-inch softball player.” — Mark Curi
“The late Cardinal Joseph Bernadin was a Catholic cleric who embraced people of all ages, religions and ethnicities. His concern for people truly showed how we should all live our lives and care for each other. Even in the last months of his life, he inspired me through his lack of complaint and continued faith in humanity.” — Irene Nowak
“Walter Peyton. When I moved to Chicago, this man stood out to me. I became a Chicago Bears fan, and he was such an inspiration, not only on the field, but off the field. His words of encouragement and strength really stayed with me and he had passed so young but his legend lives on.” — Kay Boudreau
“Gwendolyn Brooks. A Pulitzer prize winner and U.S. poet. laureate who wrote poetry inspired by her life in. Chicago. Her poetry is as relevant in 2023 as when she wrote it decades ago.” — Judy Panko Reis
“Harold Washington — because he broke a major barrier.” — Bejay Outla
“My high school biology teacher, Mr. Klein. He not only taught us biology, he taught us the skill of research. We spent as much time in the library as we did in the lab. I went on to be a NEH-funded researcher @ UCSD, and then on to a career in education.
Thanks for reading the Chicago Sun-Times Afternoon Edition. Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.
