20 Jan 2025

Court Reveals Madigan Vetted His Client List Assiduously, Excluding the Times He Didn’t

By Rich Miller

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s longtime law firm partner Vincent "Bud" Getzendanner testified in Madigan’s defense against numerous federal charges last week. One of the main themes of Getzendanner’s testimony was the property tax firm’s process of weeding out clients and potential clients who could pose a conflict of interest to Madigan.

15 Jan 2025

January 6th's Four-Year Fedsurrection Anniversary

By Kathleen McCarthy
Uncle Scam's First Amendment Jeopardy J6 Wheel of Misfortune - by Ed Newman Jan 2024

U.S. Attorney General William Barr testified before the J6 Select Committee (arguably illegitimate because it did not follow the procedural rules for convening a select committee), claiming he had investigated election irregularity and fraud allegations, and determined them to be unfounded. His testimony was one of the video presentations during the J6 Select Committee's nine prime-time investigative hearings.

15 Jan 2025

Welcome to 2025: Where Your Freedoms Go to Die

By John and Nisha Whitehead

Wondering what to expect from the government in 2025? So far, it looks like it will be more of the same ill-advised, costly, greedy, taxpayer-funded, dunderheaded power grabs, saber-rattling, graft, corruption, and make-works programming that leaves us no better off than where we started.

15 Jan 2025

Sheriff Tim Lane Vows to Pursue Ethics Complaint Against New Lieutenant Governor Chris Cournoyer

By Clark Kaufmann
Scott County Sheriff Tim Lane

The Scott County sheriff says although an Iowa Senate committee has rejected his ethics complaint against the state’s new lieutenant governor, he intends to pursue the matter.

13 Jan 2025

Sometimes Nothing Is a Cool Hand -- Just What Illinois Dems Played Over Hemp Regulation

By Rich Miller

Every now and then, you get a story that helps explain the Statehouse power dynamic. The saga of the “intoxicating hemp” regulation bill is one of those stories.

01 Jan 2025

Looking Back at the 2024 Arts Scene, and What’s Up for 2025

By Jonathan Turner

2024 was a tumultuous year for the country (myself included), and it’s a gift to be able to look back at arts and culture highlights I was able to witness, while looking forward to some 2025 events that are sure to be on my calendar.

23 Dec 2024

Poll Softly, Talk Boldly, and Swing: Illinois Dems Ponder Their Next Moves Four (or Two) Years Out

By Rich Miller

We’re less than nine months from when candidates can begin circulating petitions for the 2026 election, so we’re rapidly approaching the time when major figures will need to decide whether to run or not. Because of that, a lot of people are polling.

16 Dec 2024

Illinois Agencies Arguing Over Convex-Shaped Lump-Sum Funding That’s Actually Concave

By Rich Miller

The Democratic legislative leaders and the governor agreed to squirrel away $260 million in lump-sum appropriations to various state agencies last spring. But now some groups are figuring out that a big pile of state money is just sitting there and they are trying to stake their claims.

16 Dec 2024

The Next Act: New Village Theatre Owner Plans a New Course

By Jonathan Turner

The building that houses the Village Theatre (2113 East 11th Street, Village of East Davenport) has a long and colorful history. Recently sold, it faces an uncertain future, and likely will not be called a theatre in its next act.

09 Dec 2024

The Quid Quo Pros: Madigan and Solis Discuss the Art of the Deal via Wiretap

By Rich Miller

Whenever someone assures you that another person you’re both dealing with “understands” the “quid pro quo,” you’d be wise to run away as fast as you can and never look back. But that’s exactly how then-Alderman Daniel Solis assured then-House Speaker Michael Madigan in late June of 2017 that their mark – the developers of a West Loop apartment complex – would eventually be convinced to retain Madigan’s property tax appeals law firm.

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