The Latest Breaking News from Edward Burke

Back in 2014, Donald Trump wrote an op-ed for this newspaper titled “Why I love Chicago and My Sign.” Trump was fighting back against Chicagoans who objected to five massive letters affixed to Trump’s International Hotel and Tower, viewing them as an affront to the city’s architectural glory. The letters,…

It’s the end of an era as indicted Ald. Edward Burke (14th) is choosing not to seek reelection and petitions are filed by Mayor Lightfoot and her many challengers.

Today’s update is a 5-minute read that will brief you on the day’s biggest stories.

Indicted Ald. Edward Burke (14th) chose not to seek reelection to a record 15th term in a ward dramatically redrawn to eliminate his most favorable precincts.

“It appears more likely that he’s not going to run. That he’s moving in the direction of retiring,” said veteran political operative Victor Reyes, who has known the Burkes for years. “Redistricting put him at a significant disadvantage.”

In March, the Democratic congressman all but ruled out a mayoral campaign — despite calling Lightfoot more vulnerable than any Chicago mayor in 40 years. Now, he’s pegging the odds that he will run at 50-50.

The most dramatic and controversial of Lopez’s proposals is to reduce the size of the City Council from 50 members to just 25. Alderpersons and mayors have talked about it for decades.

Ald. Edward Burke’s brother hopes he retires. “The last election — under these very adverse circumstances, he pulled it off. He walked the streets at, what was he, 76 at the time?” said former state Rep. Dan Burke. “Do the math. Seventy-eight years old. Come on. When is enough enough?”

CHICAGO — After years of delay, Alderman Edward Burke finally has a trial date in his blockbuster federal racketeering case. But don’t hold your breath.

Joe Ferguson’s 12-year run made him Chicago’s longest-serving watchdog. Now he wants to take a deeper look at the mayor’s office, city departments, the City Council, local government agencies under the mayor’s control — all to show it is “different from everywhere else” and how those differences…

CHICAGO — A federal judge on Monday ruled against Ald. Edward Burke and his co-defendants in a slew of pretrial motions seeking to suppress evidence and toss certain charges in his racketeering indictment, putting the case on track for a trial next year.