Category: Chicago, Illinois Local News

Some enjoy the romance of history. Others prefer tales of adventure. But in Illinois, we are known for something else — corruption. From 1983 to 2023, our state averaged more than one corruption conviction a week at the federal, state and local levels, according to an analysis of U.S. Justice Department data by the Illinois Policy Institute.

This isn’t an accident. It is a failure by design.

Most people view democracy as a solid, immovable structure. After helping write House Bill 2795, an ethics bill aimed at forcing conflict-of-interest disclosures for legislators in the Illinois General Assembly, I’ve learned democracy is far more delicate. It’s a contact sport. It requires active participation, clear rules and a referee with the authority to blow the whistle. Unfortunately, our legislators have let the guardrails rust.

Hit the flux capacitor, Marty, and let’s go back in time: The Illinois Governmental Ethics Act was passed in 1967, back when a first-class stamp cost 5 cents and the Sears Tower didn’t exist.

Since then, we’ve only seen two significant updates. One was the creation of the office of the legislative inspector general. This office is designed to police the legislative branch, yet it has failed to do so. Upon her resignation, former Legislative Inspector General Carol Pope famously called the office a “paper tiger.” She was right.

The Illinois legislative inspector general lacks the power to launch independent investigations or even receive disclosures directly. Furthermore, the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act fails to define a “conflict of interest,” merely stating a legislator “should consider the possibility” of eliminating one. In Springfield, a suggestion is effectively a green light. No bite equals a paper tiger. Perhaps the reason we have had so many corruption convictions is because we lack the oversight needed to stop them.

While Illinois remains stagnant, other states have recognized “trust me” is not a policy. At least 40 states have laws limiting what a legislator can vote on when a conflict arises. Some force recusal; others allow the inspectors general or other ethics officials to issue formal advisory opinions. This seems like common sense to anyone reading. Apparently, it’s not so common in our state.

Illinois, meanwhile, asks for a three-page statement of economic interest that reveals next to nothing. This is a document the legislative inspector general cannot even legally look into.

You can find your representatives’ disclosures on the Illinois secretary of state’s website and see for yourself. Read the inspector general’s quarterly reports, and you’ll find “miscellaneous” claims while voters remain in the dark. This begs the question: Where do these disclosures go, and why isn’t the inspector general authorized to independently examine them?

Pass a law with teeth

Tired of watching from the sidelines, I put on my helmet and got on the field. I’ve spent the last several years as a private citizen and business owner meeting with the House, Senate and inspector general to resolve this.

It has been a privilege to work with legislators who admitted they needed “air support.” Together, we drafted what I believe is the most comprehensive overhaul of the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act in decades: House Bill 2795.

Our team has worked tirelessly to garner 15 bipartisan co-sponsors. This bill finally defines a conflict of interest and mandates disclosure. It gives the inspector general the authority to review those disclosures and issue public advisory opinions. It allows our state to finally police itself.

Despite this, the legislative branch has failed to even assign the bill to the Ethics Committee this session.

Democracy is not a butterfly-catching contest. It’s a struggle for the integrity of our home. Proper governance requires an audit, not an “option to consider.” If we continue to let elected officials act at their sole discretion, the system fails.

It is time for House Speaker Chris Welch to reassign House Bill 2795 to the Ethics Committee, push for a subject matter hearing and get it to the floor for a vote. My neighbors have seen enough paper tigers. It’s time to give the watchdog a whistle and get in the game.

Michael Sparrow is a Chicago-based advocate for government transparency and the primary catalyst behind Team FRWRD, a small Chicago-based grassroots movement of volunteers advocating for government reform and an end to systemic corruption in Illinois and the federal government.

For decades, residents of Chicago’s Far South Side have watched the city’s transit map end abruptly at 95th Street. Neighborhoods including Roseland, Altgeld Gardens, and West Pullman have long relied on multiple bus transfers to reach downtown, a gap that many viewed as a symbol of persistent disinvestment.

That divide is now closer than ever to being closed. As of February 2026, the Chicago Transit Authority has entered the final engineering phase of the $3.6 billion Red Line Extension project, clearing the last major technical step before full-scale construction begins later this year.

The proposal to extend the Red Line dates back more than 50 years, first promised under Mayor Richard J. Daley. The current phase will finalize plans for 5.6 miles of new elevated track and four fully accessible stations at 103rd Street, 111th Street, Michigan Avenue, and 130th Street.

“The Far South Side has been promised for 50 years that the Red Line would be extended to the city’s southern border,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr., during a recent project update. “Today, we can say that the promise is significantly closer to being met. We are no longer just talking about a plan; we are finishing the designs that will change the face of this city.”

Economic Impact Beyond Transit

City officials frame the extension as more than a transportation upgrade. The project is expected to generate more than 6,000 direct construction jobs. The CTA has also set a 30 percent participation goal for Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs), aiming to ensure minority-owned, women-owned, and small businesses play a central role in the buildout.

More than 120 DBE firms have already secured contracts for design and preliminary work. City leaders say prioritizing local contractors is intended to keep much of the $3.6 billion investment circulating within the communities the project is meant to serve.

“This isn’t just a train line; it’s an artery for economic equity that our community has waited 50 years for,” said 9th Ward Alderman Anthony Beale, a longtime supporter of the extension. “It’s about making sure a kid in Altgeld Gardens has the same access to a job downtown or an internship in the North Side as anyone else in Chicago.”

Shorter Commutes, Broader Access

Residents of the Far South Side currently face some of the nation’s longest commute times, with many traveling more than an hour each way to work. The CTA projects the extension could cut up to 30 minutes from a single trip, reducing weekly commute times by several hours.

Mayor Brandon Johnson underscored the broader implications of expanded access. “Reversing decades of disinvestment starts with providing accessible transportation for all residents of this city,” Johnson said. “We are creating a more connected and accessible Chicago where your zip code does not determine your level of opportunity.”

Timeline and Long-Term Vision

While final engineering moves forward, the CTA is conducting advanced construction work, including relocating utilities and acquiring property. Groundbreaking for the mainline tracks is expected by the end of 2026, with completion targeted for 2030.

The plan also includes a new rail yard and maintenance facility near 120th Street, designed to improve operational efficiency on the Red Line — the busiest in the CTA system — and support more frequent service.

City planners are simultaneously exploring Transit-Supportive Development initiatives aimed at encouraging new housing, retail, and grocery stores near the four future stations. Officials envision the stops evolving into neighborhood hubs that serve as engines of economic and community activity.

As engineering plans are finalized and construction prepares to begin, the Red Line Extension marks a pivotal moment for Chicago — an effort to reconnect neighborhoods long separated from the city’s transit backbone and reshape opportunity on the Far South Side.

“Three Points” to keep in mind with three weeks to go in college basketball’s regular season:

1. It’s Michigan, man

With Arizona having lost two in a row — not to mention hotshot freshman Koa Peat to an unspecified injury — Michigan will be the no-doubt-about-it new No. 1-ranked team on Monday.

Some of us already thought the Wolverines (24-1) were the best team, just saying. They’ve won 10 straight. They trailed by 16 in the second half at Northwestern last week, yet still won by a dozen. They came back Saturday and blew out UCLA by 30. When this team — off to the best start in school history — puts the pedal down, it’s flippin’ scary.

Oh, and guess who plays at Purdue on Tuesday?

2. Purple pain

Northwestern, loser of five straight, is tied with Penn State at the bottom of the Big Ten at 2-13. Going by conference record, it’s the worst team 13th-year coach Chris Collins has had and the worst Wildcats team since the 2007-08 squad went 1-17.

The Wildcats did beat Penn State in late January, giving them the tiebreaker just in case.

So they’ve got that going for them, which is, you know, whatever.

3. Sooner or later

Oklahoma is on a two-game winning streak. Other than that, coach Porter Moser’s experience this season has been like an out-of-control Sooner Schooner. Did you know that losing eight straight SEC games isn’t ideal? Now Moser, the former Loyola hero, knows it, too.

But wait — it’s his fifth straight sub-.500 SEC season since leaving Rogers Park for the big-time. Things just aren’t working. His seat is hot. There are fans shouting for his dismissal. Any chance football can start half a year early? That might be the only thing that would save him. That, or an out-of-nowhere SEC tournament title run. Pray for the man.

No. 18 Saint Louis extended its winning streak to 18 games Friday night, pulling away in the second half for an 86-59 road victory over Loyola Chicago.
Trey Green and Ishan Sharma led the Billikens with 14 points apiece, while Quentin Jones contributed 12 points and six rebounds. Amari McCottry added 11 points and seven boards for Saint Louis (24-1, 12-0 Atlantic 10).
Justin Moore paced Loyola (6-20, 2-11) with 12 points, and Daniil Glazkov finished with 11 points and six rebounds. The loss marked the Ramblers’ 11th in their past 12 games.
Saint Louis seized control after halftime, outscoring Loyola 47-30 over the final 20 minutes.
The Billikens were efficient from long range, shooting 43.8% from 3-point territory (14 of 32), while Loyola struggled at 26.3% (10 of 38). Saint Louis’ bench provided a significant lift, outscoring the Ramblers’ reserves 38-21. The visitors also dominated inside, holding a 38-14 advantage in points in the paint.
Loyola opened the game with a 3-pointer from Moore, but then misfired on its next 12 attempts from beyond the arc. After breaking the drought, the Ramblers found a rhythm and went on a 15-7 run. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Glazkov, along with long-range shots from Deywilk Tavarez, Kayde Dotson, and Moore, trimmed the deficit to 31-29 late in the first half.
Saint Louis capitalized on four consecutive Loyola turnovers to close the half on an 8-0 run. run. Kellen Thames converted a layup off a half-court pass from Jones, and Green and Jones followed with 3-pointers to give the Billikens a 39-29 halftime lead.
Early in the second half, Xavier Amos made two free throws to cut the margin to 43-36, but Loyola would get no closer.
Sharma knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to stretch the lead to 60-42 with 13:16 remaining. The Billikens later pushed the advantage to 71-48 on Thames’s offensive rebound and finger-roll putback during an 8-0 surge.
Saint Louis controlled the glass for second opportunities, finishing with 10 second-chance points compared to Loyola’s two.
Overall, the Billikens shot 50.8% from the field (33 of 65), while the Ramblers converted 33.9% (20 of 59).

Managing editor of the Chicago Morning Star

A CTA bus crashed into a Near West Side apartment building Saturday night after a driver with a baby in her car ran a red light and struck the bus, according to authorities.

The bus was traveling south on Damen Avenue around 9 p.m. Saturday when a 32-year-old woman driving a white sedan ignored a red light and turned on to Damen and hit the bus, according to Chicago police. The bus then crashed into an apartment building in the 2000 block of West Washington Boulevard, a couple blocks away from the United Center.

The driver and her 11-month-old passenger suffered minor injuries and were taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition. A 59-year-old passenger on the bus was also injured and taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition, police said.

The sedan driver was issued a citation, police said. The Damen bus route was rerouted around the crash until 5 a.m. Sunday, according to the CTA.

Ofelia Giselle Torres Hidaldo, a Chicago teen who successfully fought for her father’s release from federal immigration detainment, died Friday after battling a rare and aggressive form of cancer, according to a news release.

Ofelia, a junior at Lake View High School, had been battling metastatic alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer, since December 2024. Last year, the cancer progressed to stage 4 and she began receiving chemotherapy treatments.

One day after she was released for the weekend from Lurie Children’s Hospital to see family and friends in mid-October, her father, Ruben Torres Maldonado, was detained by ICE agents in Niles. Doctors said she was unable to continue treatment “because of the stress and disruption” caused by the arrest.

Following widespread demands for his release, including a video made by Ofelia on social media, Maldonado was released on bond from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention in late-October.

“Ofelia was heroic and brave in the face of ICE’s detention and threatened deportation of her father,” said Kalman Resnick, the attorney representing Torres, in a statement Saturday. “We mourn Ofelia’s passing, and we hope that she will serve as a model for us all for how to be courageous and to fight for what’s right to our last breaths.”

On Tuesday, an immigration judge in Chicago conditionally entitled her father to receive a “cancellation of removal,” due to the impact his deportation would have on his children who are citizens in the U.S. According to the news release, this would provide him with a pathway to lawful permanent residency and eventually U.S. citizenship.

Ofelia was able to watch her father’s hearing via Zoom.

A GoFundMe page was started for Ofelia in October and has collected more than $119,000.