Former Illinois Governor George Ryan Released From Prison

Ryan was sent to a halfway house early Wednesday morning, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Updated at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 30. Just hours after his release from prison, former Gov. George Ryan, 79, was released from a halfway house and sent to his home in Kankakee, the Chicago Tribune reports. Ryan is under house arrest but reportedly will not have to wear an electric monitor. He was allowed to bypass the halfway house due to his age, according to his attorney, former Gov. Jim Thompson. Original story: Written by Morgan Delack Illinois residents can no longer say there are two former governors in prison. George Ryan arrived at a halfway house on Chicago’s west side early Wednesday morning after being released from an Indiana federal prison, the Chicago Tribune reports. WMAQ-TV reports Ryan was silent and dressed in a suit and tie as …

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Patch on Politics

Guns-and-Ammo Tax Likely to Land in Court

Cook County wants 5 cents for every bullet sold • An open letter to Pat Brady from a guy who gives Democrats money • A Rod Blagojevich legacy: All Kids doesn't fly right, either

The NRA and a suburban gun dealer say Cook County's proposed taxes on bullets and guns will probably land in court. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, saying there is too much violence in Chicago, wants a 5-cent tax on every bullet sold in the county and a $25 tax on every gun sold. Dave Workman, of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Bear Arms, told the Associated Press that gun-rights advocates will not stand for this. "It's not the law-abiding citizens stacking bodies like cordwood in Chicago; it's the bad guys," he said. The tax also could drive business out of Cook County and into the collar counties. "Who's going to come to Tinley Park to buy ammunition?" asked Fred Lutger, owner of Freddie Bear Sport in Tinley Park, …

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Political Rewind: Pensions, Health Care Take Center Stage in Illinois

It's always good to be caught up on state politics. Here's an easy guide to what happened this week.

Editor's Note: This article was created by aggregating news articles from Illinois Statehouse News that were written by various Illinois Statehouse News reporters. In a week foreshadowing drama to come in this legislative session’s final weeks, Illinois lawmakers passed a bill requiring retired government workers to pay for their health insurance.  Meanwhile, Chicago's mayor weighed in on the state's pension crisis, a state representative accused of bribery proclaimed his innocence and a College Illinois! employee was accused of insider investing. House, Senate pass retiree health care payment bill  Illinois pays more than $800 million annually for the health care of state retirees, 90 percent of whom pay nothing toward their health-…

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Political Rewind: Exodus of Illinois Taxpayers Means Loss of $26 Billion for State

It's always good to be caught up on state politics. Here's an easy guide to what happened this week.

Editor's Note: This article was created by aggregating news articles from Illinois Statehouse News that were written by various Illinois Statehouse News reporters. Exodus of IL taxpayers means loss of $26B in taxable revenue Illinois’ reputation for political corruption and government mismanagement could have cost the state billions of dollars and an income tax increase. Illinois netted a loss of 366,616 tax-paying households between 1995 and 2009, according to a study ofInternal Revenue Service figures from 1995 through 2009 released Tuesday by the Illinois PolicyInstitute, a free-market think tank with offices in Springfield and Chicago.  Those households took with them $26 billion in taxable revenue, according to the study. In 2009 …

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Blago Gets 14 Years -- Take Our Poll

Despite Rod Blagojevich's final admission of guilt and his wife's plea for leniency, the judge gave him a stiff sentence. Was it too much?

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich was sentenced today to 14 years in federal prison today, a term that was more than double the 6.5 years former Gov. George Ryan is currently serving. In handing down the sentence, the judge explained his sentence by saying, "When it is the governor who goes bad, the fabric of Illinois is torn and disfigured and not easily repaired," according to a story published in the Chicago Tribune. Do you agree? Take our poll below and feel free to leave a comment in the box below offering your thoughts on the sentence.

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Political Rewind: No More Pension Checks for Blagojevich

It's always good to be caught up on state politics. Here's an easy guide to what happened this week.

Editor's Note: This article was created by aggregating news articles from Illinois Statehouse News that were written by various Illinois Statehouse News reporters. Not a good week to be an Illinois governor This week didn’t hold a lot of good news for Illinois governors, past and present.  The legislature bucked Gov. Pat Quinn on several hot-button issues and moved to prevent former Gov.Rod Blagojevich from receiving his state retirement checks during its first week of a two-week fall veto session. Illinois Supreme Court: State money cannot be special The Illinois Supreme Court may have opened the door for Gov. Pat Quinn and state lawmakers to grab hundreds of millions of dollars for the next state budget. In a 6-to-1 decision Thursday, …

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Share Your Reaction: Blago Guilty on 17 Counts

No sentencing date set yet but prison term likely. What do you think of the jury's decision?

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was found guilty Monday afternoon of trying to sell President Barack Obama's Senate seat. Blagojavich was found guilty on 17 of 20 federal corruption charges. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, U.S. District Judge James Zagel did not immediately set a date for sentencing, but he said Blagojevich can’t travel outside the northern district of Illinois without his permission. Blagojevich is the fourth Illinois governor in the last 40 years to be found guilty of crimes. “Patti and I are obviously very disappointed,” Blagojevich said outside the courtroom after the verdict was announced, according to the Sun-Times. “I, quite frankly, am stunned.” Former Illinois governors George Ryan, Dan Walker and Otto …

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Joel Craig

8:08 am on Tuesday, June 28, 2011

What's sad is that the media and the people of this state were well informed that a lot of this stuff was going on, and yet despite it all he was elected (albeit thanks mostly to Cook Co. voters) to a second term. Someone on the radio yesterday said at least $2 Billion of our state's debt can be directly attributed to corruption and non-governance during the Blagojevich years. You think your vote…   more ›

We Asked

Have You Been Paying Attention to Blago's Second Trial?

We ask these Average Joes and Janes if they know or care about the retrial of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, which started in earnest last week.

Rod Blagojevich’s retrial for corruption charges began on April 20, but the real fireworks kicked off May 2 with opening statements from federal prosecutors and defense attorneys. Since then, multiple witnesses have been called to testify, audio tapes of the former governor have been played and a request from Blagojevich’s lawyers for a mistrial was denied. While the courtroom has hosted plenty of action, the second trial hasn’t seemed to garner the same level interest from the public or media as when Blagojevich first went on trial in 2010. We hit the streets of downtown Plainfield to ask people about their interest in the case, if they thought the second trial is a good idea and whether the outcome will be different from his first trial…

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