Illinois – News Stories About Illinois - Page 36

Jan 7, 2009 2:23 PM CST

Obama Pushed Dems to Take Burris

Aides made calls to senior senators before today's decision

(Newser) - Barack Obama may have had something to do with the Senate’s apparent about-face on Roland Burris, a congressional aide tells the Huffington Post. Obama reps contacted senior Democrats before they began moving today towards accepting the Blagojevich appointee, despite the Illinois governor’s ongoing corruption case. After meeting with...

Reid Backs Off,
Leaves Burris to Court

Jan 7, 2009 11:53 AM CST

Reid Backs Off, Leaves Burris to Court

Has 'no problem with him personally'

(Newser) - A far cry from the political shunning of just days ago, Majority Leader Harry Reid ushered would-be senator Roland Burris into his office this afternoon, and emerged saying that an Illinois court decision could go a long way toward seating the Blagojevich appointee. “We don't have a problem with...

Livid Softball Dad
Jailed for Tirade

Jan 6, 2009 7:20 PM CST

Livid Softball Dad Jailed for Tirade

Ill. man also spat at deputy, earning battery charge

(Newser) - Parents, take note: An Illinois man who exploded at an umpire during his daughter's softball game was sentenced to five days in jail and anger-management classes for battery and assault, the Chicago Tribune reports. Michael Beck, 47, also spat sunflower seeds on the deputy who responded to a worried...

Blago's Impeachment Is a Go, Even Without Tapes

Jan 6, 2009 10:38 AM CST

Blago's Impeachment Is a Go, Even Without Tapes

Panel says it has sufficient evidence

(Newser) - Members of Rod Blagojevich's impeachment panel say they will move forward despite the possibility that they might not get to hear federal wiretaps of the governor's conversations with aides and others. "These tapes are relevant evidence, we'd like to have them," said a lawyer for the impeachment panel,...

Burris Arrives at Senate,
Not Allowed to Take Oath

Jan 6, 2009 10:28 AM CST

Burris Arrives at Senate, Not Allowed to Take Oath

Franken also not seated

(Newser) - Roland Burris strode briskly past the cameras through the rain into the Capitol today, demanding to be seated as Illinois’ Senator but was denied entry, CNN reports. The secretary of the Senate rejected his credentials, preventing him from taking the floor or the oath of office. It was "improperly...

Senate Clerk Rejects Burris Paperwork

Jan 5, 2009 2:13 PM CST

Senate Clerk Rejects Burris Paperwork

But former AG says he's confident his appointment is legal

(Newser) - The secretary of the Senate blocked the appointment of Roland Burris to Barack Obama's former seat today on the grounds that Burris’ certificate of appointment lacked the signature of Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, CNN reports. White has refused to sign the certificate because of the controversy over Burris’...

Prosecution Gets 3 More
Months to Indict Blago

Jan 5, 2009 12:40 PM CST

Prosecution Gets 3 More Months to Indict Blago

(Newser) - A federal judge in Chicago today granted prosecutors an additional 3 months to present evidence and obtain an indictment in the corruption case against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Chief Judge James Holderman said the case against Blagojevich is too complex to expect prosecutors to obtain an indictment by a...

Blago Crisis Grinds Illinois Gov't to a Halt

Jan 4, 2009 4:03 PM CST

Blago Crisis Grinds Illinois Gov't to a Halt

Scandal pushes 'dysfunctional state' into 'total paralysis'

(Newser) - The Rod Blagojevich crisis hasn’t just tarnished the Illinois governor’s reputation—it’s frozen the whole state government, the Chicago Tribune reports. Social programs aren’t getting funding, health care and education changes are on the shelf, and Blagojevich himself is isolated and mistrusted. "Absolutely, we're in...

Senate Sends Mixed Messages on Burris

Talk Show Roundup

Jan 4, 2009 12:06 PM CST

Senate Sends Mixed Messages on Burris

Durbin says no, Reid open to talking, and Burris a no-show

(Newser) - Roland Burris dominated the Sunday morning tongue-wagging, though the would-be senator himself was a no-show, reports the Hill. Elsewhere, mixed messages on whether to seat him:

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin said on This Week that the Senate has no plans to seat Roland Burris. Burris was scheduled to appear alongside

...

Reid Pressured
Blago on Senate Pick

Jan 3, 2009 3:37 PM CST

Reid Pressured Blago on Senate Pick

(Newser) - Harry Reid called Rod Blagojevich after the election, but before the governor’s arrest, to discourage him from appointing unelectable candidates to Barack Obama’s Senate seat, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The Senate majority leader sought to put the kibosh on Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Danny Davis, along with...

Ill. Puts Blago
Impeachment
on Fast Track

Jan 3, 2009 9:38 AM CST

Ill. Puts Blago Impeachment on Fast Track

Gov's access to Homeland Security info yanked

(Newser) - The Illinois House speaker is calling lawmakers back to session early for a possible impeachment vote on Rod Blagojevich next week, the Chicago Tribune reports. The move could help Democrats block Blago nominee Roland Burris from taking Barack Obama's Senate seat, reports the New York Times. Illinois House officials say...

Blago's the 'Gift That
Keeps On Giving'

OPINION

Jan 2, 2009 3:50 PM CST

Blago's the 'Gift That Keeps On Giving'

No end to antics for Governor Dead Meat

(Newser) - Covering Rod Blagojevich—aka “Gov. Dead Meat”—has been so much fun for Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass that in today’s mailbag column, a reader asks how much he’s paying Blago for the “gift that keeps on giving.” Kass’ reply: “As our esteemed...

Drunk Drivers Must Install Breathalyzer Ignition Locks

Jan 2, 2009 1:38 PM CST

Drunk Drivers Must Install Breathalyzer Ignition Locks

Six states institute laws requiring gadgets

(Newser) - Motorists convicted of driving drunk will have to install breath-monitoring gadgets in their cars under new laws taking effect in six states this week, the AP reports. The ignition interlocks prevent engines from starting until drivers blow into the alcohol detectors to prove they're sober. Alaska, Colorado, Illinois, Nebraska, and...

A State of
Shameless
Opportunism

OPINION

Jan 1, 2009 12:55 PM CST

A State of Shameless Opportunism

Like all of its shameless politicos

(Newser) - Illinois politicians are swiftly revealing themselves as a pack of opportunists. Rod Blagojevich saw Obama’s seat as an opportunity to make a buck, Illinois Dems see an opportunity to oust their hated governor, and Roland Burris sees an opportunity to vault himself into the Senate—“no matter what...

Well Played, Blago

opinion

Dec 31, 2008 7:25 PM CST

Well Played, Blago

'Skin pigment trumps ideas' among Dems: Kass

(Newser) - Roland Burris says this is his media moment, but Illinois' "circus of the politically bizarre" still belongs to Rod Blagojevich, John Kass writes in the Chicago Tribune. No hapless jester, the brazenly calculated governor has dumped Democrats back into the racial politics Obama was supposed to transcend.

Confident Burris:
'I Am the Senator'

Dec 31, 2008 5:14 PM CST

Confident Burris: 'I Am the Senator'

'I am the senator,' former Illinois Attorney General said

(Newser) - Roland Burris is declaring himself the junior senator from Illinois, and he's confident that Democrats will "come around" and ditch their efforts to block his appointment, the Wall Street Journal reports. If they don't, he's got a team of lawyers ready to fight, but he doesn't think it will...

Illinois House Revives Chance of Special Election

Dec 31, 2008 4:03 PM CST

Illinois House Revives Chance of Special Election

Bill returns to committee hearing scheduled for next week

(Newser) - Add this to the confusion over a certain Senate seat in Illinois: Democrats may try to hold a special election to fill it after all. One day after Rod Blagojevich surprised all by naming his own appointment, the Illinois House speaker quietly revived the possibility of holding an election by...

Burris: Don't
Hold Blago
Against Me

Dec 31, 2008 12:19 PM CST

Burris: Don't Hold Blago Against Me

He says guv has power to appoint, objections might just be racist

(Newser) - This should be about me, not Rod Blagojevich, Ronald Burris has been saying in TV interviews since Blago named him to fill Barack Obama’s open Senate seat yesterday. Last night, he told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, “I have nothing to do with the problems of the governor.”...

Fitzgerald Asks for More Time
in Blago Case

Dec 31, 2008 11:00 AM CST

Fitzgerald Asks for More Time in Blago Case

Citing complexities, attorney seeks to push back Jan. 7 deadline

(Newser) - US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has asked for more time to bring his indictment against Rod Blagojevich, citing the complexity of the case and holiday distractions as the reasons for the hold up. Unless he gets the extension, Fitzgerald will have to present his evidence to the grand jury on Jan....

Burris Flap Rouses
Ghosts of Obama's Past

ANALYSIS

Dec 31, 2008 10:44 AM CST

Burris Flap Rouses Ghosts of Obama's Past

President-elect probably wants to forget these guys

(Newser) - If Barack Obama caught Rod Blagojevich’s press conference yesterday, in which he named Roland Burris to fill the vacant Senate seat, Obama probably saw everything he doesn’t miss about Illinois. Each member of the trio on stage—Blagojevich, Burris, and Rep. Bobby Rush—claims a history with Obama,...