Quick hits: Illinois news in brief for Monday, April 4, 2022
More charged in gun trafficking case
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced a 21-count indictment against three Army soldiers charged last year with gun trafficking, and now has expanded it to include nine more people alleged to be gang members in Chicago.
The nine additional people included in the latest indictment are allegedly members of the Gangster Disciples street gang in the south side of Chicago. Six of them are in custody and police are still looking for three of them.
Measure would suspend pensions of retired lawmakers facing criminal charges
Legislation in Springfield aims to suspend the pensions of former legislators if they are facing criminal charges for corruption.
House Bill 5737 states that any pension a lawmaker receives in retirement would be suspended if they are indicted or charged with a felony determined to be related to their service as an elected official.
The bill comes weeks after former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was charged with 22 federal counts of corruption.
Madigan still has political influence
Former Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan is still planning political strategy for the state’s June primary election, even though he was indicted on bribery and racketeering charges last month.
Sources told NBC 5 in Chicago that Madigan on Saturday led a meeting at an office on Chicago’s Southwest Side where he has directed political meetings for decades. Madigan remains the 13th Ward Democratic committeeman and a member of the Democratic State Central Committee.
Hostage video surfaces
A Lombard man kidnapped in Afghanistan two years ago is seen in a video pleading for his release.
Mark Frerichs, a Navy veteran and civilian contractor who is believed held by a Taliban-affiliated group, appears in the video posted by The New Yorker magazine. An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment on the video’s authenticity, but Frerichs sister issued a statement calling it public confirmation of the family’s long-held belief that he is alive.
U of I DEI officer gest $330K a year
A study by the Heritage Foundation shows the University of Illinois has some of the highest paid Diversity, Equity and Inclusion staffers in the country.
The U of I ranks seventh highest in the nation with 71 DEI staff. Sean Garrick, vice chancellor of DEI at the U of I, earns nearly $330,000 annually.
Online program connects farmers with consumers
Illinois farmers who had never considered selling products online made the move because of the pandemic.
Food 4 All is a free online platform for farmers being used by thousands of Illinois farmers selling farm products directly to consumers. Buyers can make one-time purchases or sign up for subscription boxes.
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