East Central Reporter

The corruption trial involving former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has taken a new turn with the involvement of Eddie Acevedo, a former Democratic State Representative from Chicago. Acevedo, who is currently serving a sentence for tax evasion, has been called to testify as a witness in the ongoing trial. Prosecutors allege that Acevedo was well-acquainted with Madigan's influential dealings and could provide insights into how the former Speaker allegedly used his position to benefit his private law firm.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, evidence presented in court suggests that AT&T Illinois provided Acevedo with a no-work contract and payments coinciding with the passage of favorable legislation for the company in 2017. The prosecution anticipates that Acevedo's testimony will be one of their final pieces of evidence against Madigan and his close associate Mike McClain.

In other news, more than 155,000 standardized IDs and driver’s licenses have been issued to non-U.S. citizens in Illinois since July when a new law came into effect. This legislation allows noncitizens to obtain state driver’s licenses without displaying labels indicating their immigration status. The Secretary of State's office reports issuing over 49,000 state IDs and more than 106,000 driver’s licenses under this law.

State Representative Chris Miller criticized President Joe Biden's recent commutation actions, which included reducing sentences for over 1,500 individuals such as Rita Crundwell, convicted of embezzling funds from Dixon city coffers. Miller expressed disapproval over what he perceives as leniency towards criminals by Democrats.

The Illinois Supreme Court has reaffirmed that the smell of cannabis provides probable cause for police to search vehicles despite cannabis legalization in 2020. This decision emphasizes that unsmoked cannabis must be transported in odor-proof containers within vehicles.

Illinois faces significant financial challenges with its unfunded pension liabilities reaching nearly $143.7 billion at the end of Fiscal Year 2024. This figure marks an increase from previous years and reflects obligations across five state-managed pension systems covering various public-sector employees. These liabilities pose potential risks to Illinois' credit rating, which remains below average compared to other states.