It seems like everybody in town knows Tony Rezko's name. And why not? Besides being under federal indictment, he's a big player in Illinois politics. He's also gotten some national attention, with Former Gov. Jim Edgar musing that Rezko isn't really Obama's problem, and a photo of him with former President Bill Clinton surfacing on the Today show. So who is Tony Rezko, and why is he under indictment? Rezko immigrated to Chicago after high......

21st Ward Alderman Howard Brookins accepted Jesse Jackson's endorsement for Cook County State's attorney Sunday at Jackson's South Side Rainbow/PUSH headquarters. A Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV poll published today shows that there is no clear front-runner in the race for State's Attorney, and most of the county's Democratic power brokers have stayed out of the race. Jesse Jackson Jr endorsed Larry Suffredin earlier this year, ostensibly as part of the on-going feud between the Jacksons and Bill......

Sangamon County Circuit Judge Patrick Kelley ruled Wednesday that Governor Blagojevich's administration must disclose subpoenas from federal prosecutors in the ongoing investigation into state hiring. When the governor's office denied a Freedom of Information Act request for copies of the subpoenas last year, the Better Government Association, a Chicago-based government watchdog group, sued. US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald is investigating charges that the Blagojevich administration traded state jobs for campaign contributions. Blagojevich had claimed, among other......

- The Illinois Appellate Court ruled the city is not liable for negligence in the 2003 Lincoln Park porch collapse. - Hollinger Inc., the majority shareholder in Sun-Times Media Group, has taken control of the board, leading to speculation that it's stepping up efforts to sell the Bright One. - "Someone filmed a documentary about Thax Douglas?" Yup. View the trailer here. - William Heirens, the state's longest-serving prison inmate at over sixty years,......

That Mayor Daley. What a guy! When he isn't busy saving us from being the next Detroit, he's addressing the media with frustration and consternation. After a 48 - 0 vote in the council yesterday, Daley's plan to divorce the Office of Professional Standards from the Police Department was approved. As part of his new plan to "restore public confidence", Da Mare will be bringing Los Angeles attorney Ilana B.R. Rosenzweig in to be the......

Now we know why Sun-Times columnist Robert Novak kept quiet for so long about who told him CIA Agent Valerie Plame's name; he needed to save that information (at least until 2006) so he could one day publish a tell-all book. Well done, Novak, well done. Novak's book, The Prince of Darkness, (which should not be confused with the Ozzy Osbourne box set of the same name) chronicles Novak's 50 years of work as a......

Chicagoist woke up to the headline "Feds subpoena governor's campaign fund records" in the Tribune. Oh no, we thought, this can't be good for ol' G-Rod. For a governor that has seen friends indicted, had a public feud with his father in-law that has resulted in charges of gross misconduct and confirmation by prosecutors that they are looking close and hard at very real accusations of wrong doing, this news certainly can't bode well. At......

So much has happened in politics this week, all across our little city. From the ministers in the West Loop, to construction and development on the South Side, to Top Cops Downtown getting notice in DC, it's like Chicago is just one big happy village, people. Let's take a look: Blago's Budget Puts Him in Touch With God. Governor Rod Blagojevich is on a "crusade," bringing tax fairness, education and health care to all of......

Chicagoist is not at all shocked that Lake Forest's own Vince Vaughn has been named by People Magazine as one of the sexiest men alive. We here at Chicagoist have wanted to tap that ass for months now and we knew it wouldn't be long before the rest of the world came to Jesus on the matter. He may not be the sexiest, but just you wait: it's only a matter of time before he's......

It was only a matter of time before Lord Conrad Black was indicted on criminal fraud charges. Just a few minutes ago, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald announced that Black would stand trial for looting millions of dollars from Hollinger, his once-mighty media empire which owns the Chicago Sun-Times. The company also owns dozens of suburban newspapers and once owned the Daily Telegraph (UK) and the Jerusalem Post. The indictments also named three former Hollinger execs,......

Not only has Journey’s Steve Perry been an inspiration to your World Champion White Sox, but now apparently Governor Blagojevich is taking a cue from the crooner’s sweet stylings. A federal investigation seeking to examine the hiring practices of Blago’s hiring practices is under way, and Blagojevich said yesterday that he welcomes the investigation because he has done nothing wrong, and wants to prove it to the good people of Illinois. In other words,......

In a significant expansion of the U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation of the Hired Truck Scandal, seven new sets of indictments were handed down from the bench yesterday, four former city employees and three trucking company operators, bringing to fourteen the number of defendants resulting from the investigation. Yesterday's charges reveal the federal prosecutor's interest to aspects of city government other than just the hired truck program. While hired trucks from the city water department......

Today, the FBI indicted 47 members of the Black Disciples, one of Chicago's largest street gangs. Rap record producer Marvel Thompson was identified as the "king" of the citywide drug conspiracy that lasted over 15 years and netted $200,000 to $300,000/day. All 47 are charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute powder and crack cocain, heroin, and marijuana. Along with bulletproof vests, 11 guns and $320,000 was seized. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said, "These defendants......