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Pritzker re-appoints top tollway official despite Madigan tapes

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

A top official with the Illinois Toll Highway Authority was caught where no one wants to be: On an FBI wiretap. While tollway board vice chairman Jim Connolly was not accused of wrongdoing, the recordings played at a recent bribery trial appear to show him pledging allegiance to former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan, who is now under indictment, and his top lieutenant who was just found guilty of bribery conspiracy.“You know it always goes back to that you’re nothing without him,” Connolly is heard telling Madigan confidant Michael McClain on the recordings as they discussed Madigan.  The conversation centered around a lobbyist new to the profession - or “the dark side” as McClain called it – who had apparently crossed Madigan.“I always told these young pups when they start lobbying – I said: ‘Hey guys, you only have one client,” McClain said to Connolly on tape apparently referring to Madigan.  “Long as you treat that client well, you’ll do real well for the peo...

Cities with the most expensive homes in Illinois

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

Purchasing a home is one of the most important investments there is. More than a place to live, homeownership is an asset with the potential to tremendously rise in value. But with home prices reaching record heights, affordability plays a huge role for buyers. High mortgage rates are also making monthly payments more expensive; as of May 4, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate sits at 6.39%.Although home prices have inflated all across the U.S., there are some cities that command a higher price tag than others. Location, size, age, and condition are all contributing factors to home value.Stacker compiled a list of cities with the most expensive homes in Illinois using data from Zillow. Cities are ranked by the Zillow Home Values Index for all homes as of March 2023. The charts in this story were created automatically using Matplotlib.All 30 cities on the list are in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI metro area.Read on to see which cities made the list.1 / 30 Stacker#...

Heads up: Construction projects to impact weekend commutes in Chicagoland

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

CHICAGO — There are major construction closures planned across Chicagoland this weekend and in the weeks ahead. Detailed information on the closures is below to help you plan your commutes.   Kennedy Expressway construction: What you should know about adjusting to the delays DuSable Lake Shore Drive constructionCrews have been working on resurfacing the northbound lanes of DuSable Lake Shore Drive between LaSalle and Lawrence. Southbound lane closures will begin on Sunday with two full closures of the drive expected.  Northbound traffic will be reduced to one lane from 8 p.m. Thursday through 2 p.m. Friday from LaSalle to Lawrence with exit/entrance ramps at LaSalle, Fullerton, Recreation, Irving Park, Montrose, Wilson and Lawrence also closed. One lane of traffic will remain closed from 2 p.m. Friday through the morning rush hour on Monday.  Southbound traffic will be reduced to one lane from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday from Lawrence to Irving Park Road. The southbound entrance ramp ...

Travis County eyes $450M roads, parks bond package

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- New roadway improvements and parks enhancements in Travis County are on the table this November, with voters slated to weigh in on a $450 million mobility and parks bond package.The proposal comes six years after county voters last approved roadway and parks improvements in November 2017. The majority of Travis County voters approved both a $93.4 million transportation plan as well as $91.5 million in parks investments and conservation efforts.This latest consideration comes as both Travis County and the City of Austin continue to see tremendous growth, with more residents equaling a greater strain on local infrastructure. Travis County Judge Andy Brown told KXAN Thursday he hopes these investments can solidify and preserve county infrastructure for generations to come."Travis County and Austin have grown tremendously since [that last bond]," he said. "What this bond is doing is trying to make sure that we still have the same quality of life, the same ...

Austin busing migrants from San Antonio to AUS as Title 42 ends

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As Title 42 expires Thursday into Friday, Austin says it's working to help other Texas cities with the expected influx of migrants. Five days a week, Austin will bus roughly 50 migrants from San Antonio -- which has a migrant shelter -- to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. From there, migrants will fly to a more permanent spot. "That's gonna help them by being able to move asylum seekers to their sponsor's hometown and be able to bring the number that are in the migrant resource center that down to the level that they can handle," Juan Ortiz, the director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for the City of Austin, said. Title 42 ends tonight: Live updates from the border Ortiz said at this point, the city is only helping with transport and doesn't have the capacity to help anyone who isn't already sent to our city with a ticket, which migrants will get from a nonprofit in San Antonio. When asked why Austin hasn't opened a shelter itself, Ortiz exp...

Elon Musk says he's found a woman to lead Twitter as new CEO

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

Elon Musk said Thursday he has found a new CEO for Twitter, or X Corp. as it’s now called — and it's a woman. He did not name her but said she will be starting in about six weeks. Musk, who bought Twitter last fall and has been running it since, has long insisted he is not the company’s permanent CEO. The Tesla billionaire said in a tweet Thursday that his role will transition to being Twitter's executive chairman and chief technology officer. In mid-November, just a few weeks after buying the social media platform for $44 billion, he told a Delaware court that he does not want to be the CEO of any company.While testifying, Musk said “I expect to reduce my time at Twitter and find somebody else to run Twitter over time.”More than a month later, he tweeted in December: “I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job.” The pledge came after millions of Twitter users asked him to step down in a Twitter poll the billionaire himself created and promised to ...

Trump’s defiance at the CNN town hall may scare off many voters — but not the GOP base

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

NEW YORK — The Republicans in the audience laughed when former President Donald Trump mocked a woman who accused him of rape. They cheered when he defended his role during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. And they applauded again after he said he was “honored” to “terminate Roe v. Wade.”Trump’s defiant performance at the CNN town hall on Wednesday may ultimately hurt his standing with key groups of voters in next fall’s general election, especially women, suburbanites and independents. But the reaction of those who attended also demonstrated his extraordinary grip on the conservative voters who will soon decide the fight for the GOP presidential nomination.The magnitude of the challenge ahead for Trump’s Republican rivals was clear as the former president repeatedly turned his greatest political liabilities into jokes and applause lines for the GOP base. On Thursday, a day after the town hall, Trump’s Republican critics conceded they don’t know how to stop him.“GOP voter...

All 40 Lynx regular-season games will be televised this season, including seven on local broadcast TV

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

Each of the Lynx’s 40 games this season will be televised on a variety of outlets, the team announced Thursday.Bally Sports North will again be the primary carrier, broadcasting 31 games that will air on Bally Sports North or Bally Sports North Extra.The other nine games will be televised nationally, with two on ESPN — a July 22 game against Las Vegas and an Aug. 1 meeting with Connecticut — and the other seven airing on Ion. Ion is a new national partner of the WNBA this season that will air games every Friday night throughout the regular season.Ion is channel 41.1 on broadcast television in the Twin Cities.Related ArticlesMinnesota Lynx | Refreshed Kayla McBride hopes to lead young Lynx Minnesota Lynx | In third season with team, Kayla McBride in Lynx’s training camp for first time Minnesota Lynx | Newcomers shine as Lynx top Mystics 72-69 in preseason opener Minnesota Lynx | Rachel Banham is confident, comfort...

Gophers, Tommies hockey to open 2023 season with Oct. 13 doubleheader at the X

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

With the University of Minnesota already a mainstay in the college hockey ranks, and the University of St. Thomas trying to catch up, the schools have set their first date for this fall.The weekend doubleheader between the Gophers and Tommies will start on Oct. 13 at the Xcel Energy Center with the women’s teams playing at 4 p.m. and the men’s teams playing at 7:30 p.m.“We are excited to play the Gophers, one of the best programs in all of college hockey,” Tommies men’s hockey coach Rico Blasi said in a release. “It’s also a great opportunity to play in one of the best hockey venues in the country, and we are appreciative of the hospitality from Xcel Energy Center staff and the Minnesota Wild.”“We are very excited to play in a premier venue like Xcel Energy Center,” Tommies women’s hockey coach Joel Johnson added in a release. “The opportunity to have this matchup in downtown Saint Paul, in the ‘State of Hockey,’ against a storie...

Carlos Correa’s clutch double in seventh lifts Twins to second straight win over Padres

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:10 GMT

Carlos Correa knew this was coming. Even if some Twins fans had their doubts.For the second time in 18 hours, Correa delivered a key hit as the Twins knocked off San Diego. On Thursday, it was a tie-breaking two-run double in the seventh inning, lifting the Twins to a 5-3 victory over the Padres.Correa has struggled offensively so far this season, and Minnesota’s $35 million man was greeted with more than a smattering of boos on Tuesday after a 4-for-25 road trip dropped his season batting average to .193.He responded on Wednesday with a blast off the bullpen fence for a RBI double.On Thursday, he one-upped himself, lacing a shot down the third-base line and into the corner, driving home two runs.“A hit like that was coming,” said Correa, who had noticed recent trends indicating that a course correction was imminent. “I’ve been feeling pretty good for the last week, hitting some balls hard. Eventually things are going to come, so just keep trusting the process, keep working in the c...