Everything is set for a confusing Senatorial election on November 2. Two years after then-governor Blagojevich eschewed the need for a special election and appointed Roland Burris to the "fuckin' golden" seat, the people of Illinois will finally get a chance to properly select the replacement for Barack Obama. Yesterday U.S. District Judge John Grady ruled that the candidates in the general election for the U.S. Senate seat will also be the candidates for the special election and current Sen. Roland Burris will not be allowed on the ballot for the special election. Whoever wins the special election will serve as Senator until January 3, 2011 when the winner of the general election will be sworn in. Judge Grady said the State Board of Elections must have a winner in the special election certified no later than November 24 though it could be done prior to that date, meaning we'll be bidding Burris adieu by Thanksgiving. more ›

Get ready for a confusing Election Day here in Illinois. Gov. Quinn gave the O.K. to a special election for the U.S. Senate seat that's been the subject of much consternation for almost two years and could be one of the reasons a former governor gets thrown behind bars. Voters will cast two ballots on November 2: one to elect a temporary Senator who will be in place until January 2011 when the officially elected Senator takes over. more ›

Day 15 of the Blagojevich Trial picked right back up without missing a beat in the direct testimony of former chief-of-staff John Harris. And it stepped straight into the surreal even as it focused on something we already knew: Rod considered Oprah for the U.S. Senate seat left vacated by Barack Obama. From Sarah Ostman's report for the Sun-Times on Blago suggesting Oprah, a tape played featured this exchange: more ›

Wednesday was yet another day on the stand for Rod Blagojevich's former Chief-of-Staff John Harris, who referred to himself as Blago's "Prince of Darkness," and while Tuesday's talk centered around then-Presidential candidate Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat, yesterday's chat continued that but took aim at Obama himself, including accusations that Obama knew Blago was trying to leverage the seat for a cabinet post. The day started off with more of the Blago Tapes, including one from the day after the election in which Blago was hoping to be appointed to the head of a charitable agency a la Elizabeth Dole (though Rod himself seemed to know little about the varying agencies). There was also more talk of Blago's pressure on the Tribune's editorial board as well as prep for a meeting with union leader Tom Balanoff; Blago believed Balanoff was a messenger that would relay Obama's preference for his replacement (Valerie Jarrett) and vice-versa. more ›

The political wheels of Illinois never seem to stop turning. State Rep. Mark Kirk - also the GOP candidate for U.S. Senate - had once stated on his website that he was given the Navy's Intellgence Officer of the Year Award (which is one of its highest honors that is awarded to one person per year) in 1999, for his service during NATO's conflict with Serbia. However, after being tipped off by someone from the Giannoulias campaign, an inquiry made by the Washington Post reports Kirk has never held such a title granted by the Navy. The Washington Post also reveals that Kirk has acknowledged his mistake and revised his biography on his website, in which he states that he was actually given a different award: more ›

Even as Illinois voters set out today to begin the process of electing his replacement, U.S. Senator Roland Burris is in trouble. It seems his growing legal debt has grown by well over a half a million dollars since last spring. Yesterday, Politico reported that filings released this week show that Burris' legal debt now tops a whopping $600,000 while money raised was around $6,000 for third quarter 2009 and nothing for the fourth quarter. Burris was scrutinized for perjury during 2009, relating to his appointment to the the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama when he won the presidential election in the fall of 2010. Last summer, he got off the hook for perjury from the state of Illinois and was ultimately cleared of wrong-doing by the Senate Ethics Committee, even as the issued a letter of admonition against Burris. Burris announced last summer he wouldn't be seeking to keep his seat. more ›

Just a few days after formally announcing that she'll be running for the seat that Roland Burris (maybe) is going to vacate, Cheryle Jackson's name is in the news, and it isn't because she's running for federal office. Her name is coming up in conjunction with emails that Illinois Auditor General William Holland has retrieved as part if his investigation into what may be one of Blago's biggest political fiascoes and certainly a hilarious fuck up. more ›

• The Sun-Times uncovered Blair Hull's bid to be appointed to President Obama's vacant senate seat.
• The Trib takes a look at Naperville's red light cameras.
• It wasn't just Chicago dealing with a cool July; for the entire state, it was the coolest July in 85 years.

Surrounded by supporters and wrapped in the mantle of Illinois's favorite son, State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias made official his intention to run for the state's open Senate seat next year. "A few years ago, Barack Obama inspired me to run for public office with the simple belief that it was possible for good people to build a state and a nation where everyone, not just the privileged few, had a real chance to succeed," Giannoulias said Sunday. "In this very building, Barack Obama endorsed my candidacy for state treasurer." And while the White House tried to recruit Attorney General Lisa Madigan to run for the seat, Giannoulias struck a tone of camaraderie and partnership in reference to his relationship with the president. "I think the President and I will be just fine. We're excited about this and, again, there's a lot of work. People have very real problems every single day and its important that we do everything we can to turn them around," he said. more ›

• The WHO has declared the swine flu outbreak a global pandemic, the first in 41 years. One company who is benefiting is local company Baxter.
• The Supreme Court has turned down Conrad Black's request for release on bail pending his appeal.
• Mayor Daley surfaced long enough today to confirm layoff notices to city workers will be going out tomorrow.

Today the Associated Press is reporting that a few weeks before his arrest, then-governor Rod Blagojevich considered giving the then-vacant U.S. Senate seat to Attorney General Lisa Madigan "in return for concessions on his pet projects." The information came from two aides to U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin speaking on the condition of anonymity. more ›

In an about-face from his recent calls for Senator Burris to resign and for a special election to be held to fill the U.S. Senate seat, Governor Quinn today backed off of Burris and said the focus of Illinois should instead be on things like the economy. Said Quinn: more ›

Governor Pat Quinn has called on Roland Burris to resign his senate seat in light of recent revelations about the newly minted senator's contact with impeached governor Rod Blagojevich. But not everyone is ready to call for his resignation just yet. In statements to the press late last week, Mayor Daley, who has been in the Persian Gulf, refused to call on Burris to step down. “Let’s put everything in perspective and give him an opportunity to explain himself," Daley said. "Automatically, every time something happens people want everybody to resign. Is it becoming very common now to tell people to resign after he was appointed?" When asked if Burris can effectively represent Illinois in congress given the controversy, the mayor waxed poetical: “He’ll have to explain that himself,” Daley said. “If there’s a cloud, I guess he’ll have to say what cloud it is. Is it a heavy or a light cloud? It’s up to him … I don’t know," he said, noting that the economic recovery bill "never would have passed" without Burris. more ›

And here we thought the Saga of The Lord's Senator™ was all played out. But yesterday came the revelation that then-Governor Rod Blagojevich's brother had asked Roland Burris for a campaign contribution. The incident occurred prior to Blagojevich's appointment of Burris to replace Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate, but Burris failed to mention the incident while testifying under oath to the state house committee investigating Blagojevich for impeachment. And now that Burris has changed his story (again), he finds himself facing calls for a perjury investigation against him. more ›

The Illinois Supreme Court has rejected Roland Burris's writ of mandamus to force Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White to sign paperwork making Burris's appointment to the U.S. Senate official. While U.S. Senate leaders have said the lack of a signature is the reason they won't seat Burris, White himself has already said that his refusal to sign is purely symbolic and not legally required. The State Supreme Court agreed.

Because the secretary of state had no duty ... to sign and affix the state seal to the document issued by the governor appointing Roland Burris to the United States Senate, petitioners are not entitled to an order from this court requiring the secretary to perform those acts. Under the secretary of state act, the secretary's sole responsibility was to register the appointment, which he did.

Painting by our own talented Lauri Apple