Lawyers and defendants in the Ed Burke trial appear before Judge Virgina Kendall on Nov. 30, 2023. (WTTW News)
,

Former TriCity Foods official Jeff MacDonald told the jury a meeting with former Ald. Ed Burke “felt like a shakedown” because Burke made it clear “we were not going to get this permit until there was some neighborhood or philanthropic effort. Something to be involved with the city and the community.”

Bullet holes can be seen on the vehicle the agents were driving in on July 7, 2021. (U.S. Attorney's Office)

Eugene McLaurin, 31, pleaded guilty to three counts of assaulting a federal officer and two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence, more than two years after he opened fire on an unmarked vehicle in Chicago’s Morgan Park.

Former Ald. Ed Burke in federal court before U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Kendall on Dec. 5, 2023. (WTTW News)
,

A restaurant group official said he was “taken aback” when Ald. Ed Burke brought up possible work for his property tax law firm as the pair discussed driveway permits for a Burger King undergoing a remodel in Burke’s 14th Ward in 2017.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

New data from the Chicago Police Department on Tuesday shows that through the end of November, the number of homicides has dropped by 11% while shootings dropped nearly 13% compared to the same time in 2022.

Former Ald. Ed Burke in federal court before U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Kendall on Nov. 16, 2023. (WTTW News)
,

Gabriella Garcia-Martinez, a firm administrator with Burke’s property tax practice, was allowed to testify Monday because she is set to undergo a medical procedure that would make her unavailable for the remainder of the trial.

Jen Trejo holds a photo of her son Christopher as she is comforted outside the Supreme Court Monday, Dec. 4, 2023, in Washington. Her son was 32 when he died and she said about Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, “You can’t just kill my child and just pay a fine.” (AP Photo / Stephanie Scarbrough)

The agreement hammered out with state and local governments and victims would provide billions of dollars to combat the opioid epidemic. The Sacklers would contribute up to $6 billion and give up ownership of the company, but retain billions more. 

This undated photo provided on Mon., Oct. 16, 2023, by the Chicago chapter of the Council On American Islamic Relations, shows Wadea Al-Fayoume. (CAIR-Chicago)

Oday Al-Fayoume filed the lawsuit last month against the suburban Chicago landlord charged in the attack that left his child dead and the boy’s mother seriously wounded. 

An Illinois State Police squad car is pictured in a file photo. (Jerry Nowicki / Capitol News Illinois)

Credible cases will be pursued by the Illinois State Police Special Investigative Unit, a group of agents dedicated to investigating public corruption cases.

Lawyers and defendants in the Ed Burke trial appear before Judge Virgina Kendall on Nov. 30, 2023. (WTTW News)
,

Former Ald. Ed Burke faces 14 criminal charges, including racketeering, bribery and extortion, in a case that accuses Burke of using his powerful position at City Hall to force those doing business with the city to hire his private law firm, formerly known as Klafter & Burke.

A photo federal prosecutors allege shows Joseph Pavlik in Washington D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (U.S. Attorney’s Office)

Joseph Pavlik, 66, was sentenced to two months in prison, six months of home confinement and 24 months of supervised release. He also must pay a $6,000 fine and $2,000 in restitution.

Jussie Smollett pleads not guilty at Leighton Criminal Court Building, Thursday, March 14, 2019. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Pool / Chicago Tribune)

In a 2-1 decision published Friday, the First District court rejected the actor’s claims that he had faced double jeopardy when a special prosecutor filed renewed charges against him after Cook County prosecutors dropped their initial criminal case.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is shown before administering the oath of office to members of the Texas Supreme Court, Jan. 6, 2003, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo / Harry Cabluck, File)
,

Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra O’Connor died of complications related to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness, the Supreme Court said in a news release.

The Illinois Supreme Court chamber is pictured in Springfield. (Peter Hancock / Capitol News Illinois)

The justices ruled against a pair of nurses who sued their employers over their use of fingerprint-enabled medication storage — a technology many hospitals have adopted to curb abuse or theft of certain drugs.

The Illinois Supreme Court building is pictured in Springfield. (Jerry Nowicki / Capitol News Illinois)

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled Thursday that people may obtain records about their own Firearm Owners Identification cards, but they may not use the state’s Freedom of Information Act to do so.

U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Kendall denied a defense motion for a mistrial on Nov. 30, 2023. (WTTW News)
,

Some of Ald. Ed Burke’s turns of phrase have already become an indelible part of Chicago’s long history of political corruption. They are also now evidence in a federal trial.

A rendering of a planned new Ryan Field in Evanston. (Credit: Northwestern University)
,

The group filed a lawsuit to invalidate the Evanston City Council’s recent vote to change the city’s zoning law to allow the renovated stadium to host as many as six concerts per year.