Illinois

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Rezko Guilty on 16 Counts of Fraud, Corruption

Obama has links to Chicago developer, but trouble worse for Ill. Gov. Blagojevich

(Newser) - Chicago developer Tony Rezko was found guilty today of 16 federal counts, including wire fraud, mail fraud, corrupt solicitation and money laundering, WLS-TV reports. Rezko, whose links to Barack Obama have brought the Democrat some controversy, also has fundraising ties to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich; witnesses said Blagojevich OK'd giving...

Calm and Collected, Obama Makes History
 Calm and Collected,
 Obama Makes History 
ANALYSIS

Calm and Collected, Obama Makes History

Obama has played it cool throughout his career

(Newser) - Barack Obama is not merely the first black presumptive presidential nominee of a major party—he's also only 46, having entered the Illinois state Senate just 11 years ago. He's also a brilliant, imperfect, unstoppably ambitious man with an astounding ability to remain calm throughout a manic campaign, writes the...

Obama's Campaign Manager Denies Being a Lobbyist

Does David Axelrod qualify for the title?

(Newser) - As John McCain struggles to purge his campaign staff of lobbyists, Barack Obama’s campaign manager is denying he fits the bill, too. "I've never lobbied anybody in my life," says David Axelrod, who is the senior partner at a consulting firm that has done what Newsweek calls...

Wreck Flattens Oreos; No Trace of Girl Scouts

10 tons carpet Illinois freeway in early-morning crash

(Newser) - An Illinois freeway got an unscheduled repaving this morning when a truck crash dumped 20,000 pounds of Oreos onto I-80, the Chicago Tribune reports. Police are still investigating what caused the big rig to hit a median, so no word on whether the driver (who was unhurt) had eaten...

Lucky Alaska First to Hit $4 Gas
 Lucky Alaska First to Hit $4 Gas 

Lucky Alaska First to Hit $4 Gas

Others could join '$4 club' after Memorial Day

(Newser) - It's here. Alaska has the painful distinction of becoming the first state where gas is selling for an average of $4 a gallon, Reuters reports. The average for the rest of the US is hovering at $3.76, but Connecticut, California, New York, and Illinois could all join Alaska in...

Obama's Pragmatism Rooted in Hyde Park

Dem learned to pay his due on Chicago's South Side

(Newser) - Barack Obama was once a no-name politico on Chicago’s South Side with an Ivy League degree and few supporters, the New York Times reports. But he found allies by courting opposing groups, a balancing act that has proven effective on a national scale. “He’s looking for ways...

How Obama Won Blue Collars in Wisconsin
How Obama Won Blue Collars in Wisconsin
ANALYSIS

How Obama Won Blue Collars in Wisconsin

Repeat in Indiana could wrap things up

(Newser) - Given Barack Obama’s much-ballyhooed problems with white, working-class voters, it's instructive to remember that he clobbered Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin by 17 points in February, notes Mike Madden in Salon. If he can reconnect with those voters in Indiana—another state close to his Illinois home—he could wrap...

Peterson Offers $25K Reward for Wife's Return

Murder suspect should collect it himself, says family

(Newser) - Suspected wife killer Drew Peterson is offering a $25,000 reward for information about his wife's disappearance, the Chicago Tribune reports. The Illinois ex-cop said he believes his fourth wife, Stacy, left with another man when she vanished six months ago. Stacy's relatives slammed the offer as a publicity stunt...

Rezko Pal, Rove Tried to Oust US Attorney, Witness Says

They deny allegations about Patrick Fitzgerald

(Newser) - One of Tony Rezko's associates conspired with Karl Rove to try to get US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald fired to quash a federal investigation of Rezko, the Chicago Tribune reports. Prosecutors hope a judge will allow testimony to that effect in Rezko's corruption trial. Rove denies the allegations, as does the...

Another Earthquake Shakes Up Illinois

No damage reported in 4.5-magnitude rattling

(Newser) - A magnitude 4.5 earthquake rattled southern Illinois early this morning in the strongest aftershock since the area was shaken by Friday’s 5.2 tremor, CNN reports. The rumble was centered in the same spot as last week's quake near the town of Mount Carmel, and began after midnight....

Illinois Quake? Wow
 Illinois Quake? Wow 

Illinois Quake? Wow

Today's 5.2 temblor is 'not unusual' for region, expert says

(Newser) - A geologist has sent a ripple of curiosity through the media by calling today's Illinois earthquake “not unusual," ABC News reports. The 5.2 temblor, which caused no injuries or major damage, is one of many the state has experienced since 1795. One rocked 500,000 square miles...

Mild 5.2 Earthquake Shakes Up Chicago

No major damage reported in 20-second tremor

(Newser) - A moderate earthquake in southern Illinois was enough to wake far-off Chicago-area residents this morning, but no major damage was reported, the Chicago Tribune notes. The shake-up reached 5.2 on the Richter scale, shy of an area record of 5.4, but enough to move furniture. “For people...

Peterson Faces Lawsuit in Third Wife's Death

Family to file wrongful death action as judge cites murder findings

(Newser) - A judge yesterday replaced the executors for the estate of murder suspect Drew Peterson's third wife, paving the way for a wrongful death suit against the ex-cop. The judge cited recent autopsy findings saying Kathleen Savio was murdered. Her family now plans to file a wrongful death suit within weeks,...

Midwest Flood Death Toll at 16
 Midwest Flood Death Toll at 16  

Midwest Flood Death Toll at 16

Flood crests expected over weekend; snow blasts Minnesota, Chicago

(Newser) - Storms that caused flooding across the country's midsection have killed 16 people, and bad weather remains a threat, the AP reports. A snowstorm battering Minnesota and Illinois grounded hundreds of flights, and forecasters predicted a 9-inch total. Thousands were forced into shelters as rivers continued to swell; in many states,...

13 Dead in Midwest Floods
 13 Dead in Midwest Floods 

13 Dead in Midwest Floods

Three people remain missing; Missouri especially hard hit

(Newser) - Massive flooding across the central US has left 13 people dead and three missing, the AP reports. Record or near-record crests were reported across Missouri; Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio also saw flooding. Rescuers were searching for a Texas teenager washed into a drainage pipe and for two people in...

Obama: Rezko Raised $250K, Asked No Favors

Candidate gives the lowdown on his dealings with Chicago tycoon

(Newser) - Barack Obama, hoping to head off future controversy, has given newspapers an extensive account of his dealings with indicted Chicago tycoon Tony Rezko. Obama told the Chicago Tribune that Rezko, his first big political donor, raised as much as $250,000 for his campaigns over the years—$90,000 more...

Icy Roads? Beet Juice Just the Right Tonic

New mixture cuts salt, works colder, but side effects still unknown

(Newser) - Road workers in the Chicago area are shaking up their winter ice-busting cocktail with an odd new mixer: beet juice. Sanitation officials are pleased with the combination, which reduces the necessary rock salt (harmful to plants and water supplies) by up to 30% and is effective at temperatures far lower...

Dem Physicist Nails House Seat in Ill. GOP Stronghold

Foster wins Hastert's spot in special election

(Newser) - Little-known Democratic physicist Bill Foster beat Illinois Republican Jim Oberweis yesterday in a special election to fill Dennis Hastert's vacated seat in Congress. The Democrat's victory in the GOP suburban stronghold west of Chicago may herald more trouble for Republicans during fall elections, writes the Chicago Tribune. "Voters are...

Stacy Called Kathleen's Divorce Lawyer

Drew Peterson's missing wife followed slain predecessor

(Newser) - The Illinois attorney who represented Drew Peterson's slain third wife, Kathleen Savio, in her divorce from Peterson said yesterday that missing fourth wife Stacy had also made tentative contact with him about a divorce, just days before her disappearance. Drew Peterson told the Chicago Tribune he was "pretty shocked"...

Rezko Corruption Trial Begins
Rezko Corruption Trial Begins

Rezko Corruption Trial Begins

Jury selection gets under way for accused Chicago businessman with ties to governor, Obama

(Newser) - With jury selection beginning for the corruption trial of Chicago businessman and political fundraiser Tony Rezko, the Chicago Sun-Times offers some background on the key facets of the case. Rezko, a Syrian-born real estate and fast-food tycoon who established footholds in the Illinois governor's circles, is accused of pocketing illegal...

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