“7th Person Dies Day After Highland Park Parade Mass Shooting,” NBC 5 Chicago
More:
“Horror on the Fourth: Suspect in custody after 6 killed, dozens wounded at Highland Park Fourth of July parade,” Lynn Sweet, Manny Ramos, Elvia Malagón and Sophie Sherry, Chicago Sun-Times
“Guns Killed More Than 220 People Over July 4 Weekend Alone,” Alice Tecotzky, Daily Beast
“Marjorie Taylor Greene Tweets Predictably Fact-Free Theory About Highland Park Massacre,” Zachary Petrizzo, Daily Beast
“‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens,” The Onion
Adam Schock, the disgraced former GOP congressman, fraudster, and ticket scalper indicted on 24 felony counts, reached a sweetheart deal with Federal prosecuters in Chicago on Wednesday without actually pleading guilty. He agreed to pay a $25,000 FEC fine, will repay his campaign committees $67,956, and fork over unpaid 2010–2015 taxes and taxes on the $42,375 he made by scalping sports tickets. Mr. Schock has already repaid Congress $40,000 for redecorating his House office as Downton Abbey and $88,000 in phony mileage expense claims. In the “deferred prosecution” arrangement, if Aaron Schock doesn’t re-offend for six months, charges will be dropped and his criminal record wiped clean. He won’t rule out another run for public office.
It did not go unnoticed that Mr. Schock, the Prince of Peoria, avoided jail time, while another former Illinois Congrssman, Jesse Jackson Jr., was sentenced to 30 months in prison for misusing campaign funds.
More:
“Ex-congressman Aaron Schock strikes deal to avert prosecution,” Matt Zapotosky, Washington Post
Blair Garber, a member of the Illinois Republican Central Committee and chairman of the state’s Lottery Control Board, has resigned both positions after outcry over his tweet describing East St. Louis, Ill. as the “sh*thole of the universe!”
Guess that’s what they call an “East St. Louis Toodle-00.”
More:
“Parroting Trump: Illinois GOP official resigns after calling East St. Louis a certain vulgar name,” Fred Barbash, Washington Post
Top recording: “East St. Louis Toodle-O0,” written by Duke Ellington and Bubber Miley, recorded by Duke Ellington and his Washingtonians, 1927
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“Abraham Lincoln held this seat in Congress for one term. But few faced as many defeats in his personal business and public life as he did. His continual perseverance in the face of these trials, never giving up, is something all of us Americans should be inspired by, especially when going through a valley in life.”
Of course President Lincoln didn’t have the FBI and a grand jury investigating his possible misuse of campaign funds and taxpayer dollars.
Congressman Schock’s resignation is effective March 31st. He will be returning to his humble log cabin somewhere in the wilds of Illinois. Near a golf course, perhaps.
Related:
“Aaron Schock leaving Congress with $3.3M in campaign funds,” Chicago Tribune
“Ex-Schock aide dishes to FBI,” Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan, Politico
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“Illinois lawmakers approve gay marriage in historic vote,” Monique Garcia and Ray Long, Chicago Tribune
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Disgraced former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich bade farewell to the Chicago media before leaving for a 14-year Colorado vacation in Federal prison. The Democrat is the second Illinois governor in a row to serve time for corruption. His predecessor, Republican George Ryan, is serving a 6 1/2 year sentence in Terre Haute.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons gave Mr. Blagojevich a bon voyage gift, a new name. He’s now known as 40892-424. Here’s another number: 69. That’s how old Mr. B. will be when he finishes serving his time.
At his sentencing hearing,convicted former Ilinois governor Rod Blagojevich told the judge he was “unbelievably sorry” for his crimes. Judge James Zagel must have found this remorse “unbelievable,” too. He sentenced Mr. Blagojevich to 14 years in prison.
Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat, was convicted of corruption, a nonpartisan attribute of Illinois governors. His predecessor, Republican George Ryan, is also in the pokey for racketeering.
The Illinois Supreme Court asked former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich why his license to practice law should not be revoked. Uncharacteristically, Mr. Blagojevich was at a loss for words. The court pulled his ticket. The ex-Gov, convicted on federal corruption charges, is currently awaiting sentencing, and faces up to a zillion years in prison.
Mrs. Patti Blagojevich has a new business, selling employee benefit insurance policies. In an outbreak of Illinois irony, her husband may lose his pension.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources plans to process tons of fish and donate it to area food banks. The fish: Asian carp, several aggressive, invasive species bent on world domination. They can weigh over 50 pounds and jump 8 feet in the air, knocking over fishermen. They also destroy underwater habitat, vacuum up plankton and algae, crowd out other fish species, and have no natural enemies.
DNR pays commercial fishermen to take Asian carp out of the Illinois River. The result: Asian carp haven’t taken over Lake Michigan yet, and the state has a heap of dead fish, 150 tons in the last year.
Ousted Illinois Governor and failed Celebrity Apprentice Rod Blagojevich was convicted of lying to federal agents, a felony with a penalty of up to five years imprisonment. The jury deadlocked on 23 other counts, which prosecutors intend to retry. Blago will appeal his conviction.
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