Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — When Elizabeth Pollock took over as the Champaign County public defender in 2022, one of her team’s attorneys was handling 500 cases by herself in a courtroom that should have been staffed by at least three public defenders. “That is a recipe for disaster because it’s not just taxing on…

Capitol News Illinois CHICAGO — After nearly five days of testimony, state Sen. Emil Jones III’s federal corruption trial appeared to be nearing its end Tuesday afternoon — until the senator unexpectedly took the witness stand. Over the last week, the jury has gotten to know Jones’ voice and mannerisms through several hours of secretly…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — For over 65 years, Bernice and Frank Monteleone have been raising minks on their farm in Elgin. The couple bought their first mink in 1959 — a red female who was pregnant at the time. She quickly produced seven babies, or kits. “Before then, I had never seen a mink…

Capitol News Illinois CHICAGO — On a still-warm early fall morning in September 2019, federal agents walked into the Illinois Capitol building in Springfield and left with boxes of evidence collected from the legislative office of then-state Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Chicago. Roughly 200 miles north, more agents executed search warrants on Sandoval’s home on Chicago’s…

Capitol News Illinois A bill that would tighten homeschooling regulations in Illinois missed a key deadline on Friday. But its sponsor, Rep. Terra Costa Howard, said it’s still alive — and she’s working on changes recommended by fellow lawmakers to get it passed. “We recognize that there’s some more changes that need to be made…

Capitol News Illinois CHICAGO — Christopher Katz didn’t question why he began receiving $300 weekly payments from an executive at Chicago-based red-light camera company SafeSpeed in the summer of 2019 — despite not yet having sat for a formal interview or done any work. He didn’t question why his first check was made out from…