The family of Illinois' First Lady, Patti Blagojevich, has come to her defense in the wake of the charges brought against her husband by federal agents. State Rep./sister Debra Mell, Chicago Alderman (33rd Ward)/ father Dick Mell, and brother Rich Mell sat down with NBC 5 for an interview in which they sought to set the record straight on the woman some media outlets have referred to as "Lady Macbeth." Said sister Deb, "That is not my sister. My sister is a good woman, a good mother, a great friend, my closest friend, that's not my sister, no." Ald. Mell, who's relationship with his daughter has been strained since Mell accused the governor of promising positions in exchange for campaign contributions, said, "This is a pressure cooker that she's living in. And right, wrong, indifferent, whether they put themselves there, I don't know. All I know is what I see...She said, as rough as it is, what happened two years ago when her mother died was harder." The family denied any talk of a federal investigation into Patti's real estate dealings. more ›

If you're looking for a quick way to score an easy 20% on the AlderTrack Challenge, here's your crib sheet. Yesterday we told you about five of the ten aldermen who, through luck, the will of the community, or (more likely) legal wrangling, have the political good fortune of running unopposed. Today, let's take a look at the rest of the bunch. Much has been written about how Alderman Mary Ann Smith skillfully removed her... more ›

With all the screw-ups going on with the Brown Line reconstruction project, there’s no lack of things to complain about: cost overruns, customer dissatisfaction and sculptures that look like giant schlongs. Oh you missed that last one, did you? Well the office of Alderman Dick Mell certainly hasn’t. According to a report from Pioneer Press published in the Sun-Times, Ravenswood sculptor Josh Barger has created two 10-foot-tall lotus blossoms made out of aluminum to be... more ›

The Chicago Tribune released a poll on Saturday showing Governor Rod Blagojevich's approval ratings at a bottom-scraping 35% among 1,200 voters polled across Illinois. The poll results, conducted between May 5-10, came only days after the Governor's proposed campaign finance reform took a dive in the General Assembly. And on same day as the poll release, Saturday, news came that Attorney General Lisa Madigan served Alderman Dick Mell (33rd) and the governor's office with subpoenas for a grand jury investigation. Mell confirmed the report, but the governor's office would neither confirm or deny the report. more ›

In a strange new twist of the Mell-Blago Saga, Capital Fax has been doggedly reporting the unravelling relationship between Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Mell captain, Dominic Longo. Longo, once convicted of voter fraud, and now the head of Alderman Dick Mell's patronage organization, The Coalition for Better Government, has recently sent the Governor (who's real first name is apparently "Milorad") a cease and desist letter for defamation, claiming that the Governor should stop saying he... more ›

It's official, the Alderman Dick Mell (33rd) and Governor Rod Blagojevich family feud is offically an overblown soap opera. Or is it? more ›

It was a heated weekend for Illinois' First Political Family. With little warning Gov. Rod Blagojevich excercised a seldom used power to close a Will County garbage dump that was allegedy operating illegally. Trouble is, the dump is owned by one of his wife's cousins. And oh yeah, his wife is the daughter of long-time Chicago Alderman Dick Mell. Mell didn't take this too kindly, and managed to make comments to a Chicago Tribune reporter while he was vacationing in Florida. more ›