President Barack Obama is going to Springfield to speak to the Illinois General Assembly. The last time a President planned to visit Springfield, it was Ronald Reagan. George Ryan was House Speaker. Right before he was going to come, Reagan … Continue reading
Category Archives: George Ryan
Zachary Fardon, one of whose claims to fame was his prosecution and conviction of former Governor George Ryan, has been nominated by President Barack Obama to replace Patrick Fitzgerald as U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois. He is … Continue reading
The Chicago Sun-Times reports today that former Governor George Ryan is writing a “tell-all” book. Dan Walker, who also served time in Federal prison, although not for any crime committed while Governor, wrote a book that I enjoyed a lot. … Continue reading
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Editor’s note: I’m leaving this story near the top because I am so … Continue reading
I asked my friend and former colleague Penny Pullen to jot down some thoughts about Lura Lynn Ryan. She was gracious enough to do so. We have lost a great lady in Lura Lynn Ryan, former First Lady of Illinois, … Continue reading
The Federal Bureau of Prisons allowed former Governor George Ryan to visit his wife in the hospital for two hours Wednesday evening. That development was made public in a filing by the U.S. Attorney’s Office opposing early release from prison. … Continue reading
This is a long one and for that I apologize. But I want to have the basics of the U.S. Attorney’s case against former Governor George Ryan on McHenry County Blog and this seemed a good way to put it … Continue reading
An email from the Illinois Libertarian Party appears below: Illinois Libertarian Party Statewide Slate Survives Challenge, Seems to Have 33,545 Valid Signatures The Libertarian Party statewide slate of candidates in Illinois submitted approximately 45,000 signatures at the end of June, … Continue reading
Remember all the publicity that George Ryan would testify at his corruption trial. Rod Blagojevich is apparently following the same play book. Ryan didn’t take the witness stand. Now, the Chicago Tribune reports Blagojevich won’t either. “Bwaack…Bwaack…Bwaack!” This Chickenman isn’t … Continue reading
16th District Congressman Don Manzullo received an encouraging letter yesterday, March 18th. Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich wrote, “With respect to your suggestion to move forward whether (or not) detainees from Guantanamo are moved there, the President has directed the … Continue reading
If you looked at the front page of the Chicago Tribune Sunday, you saw five candidates on top of the page. They are ones that the Tribune’s poll found leading in both the Democratic and Republican Party primaries. It was … Continue reading
Never let it be said that McHenry County’s State Representative Jack Franks (D-Marengo) doesn’t have a good eye for what will attract media attention. Think of his four-year fight to get cheaper prescription drugs for seniors. Think of his many … Continue reading
McHenry County Blog relayed the Sunday before last that Jeff Berkowitz had discovered that McHenry County’s State Senator Pam Althoff was a weak link in the Republican opposition to the Democrats’ income proposed 50% tax hike. Now, Pete Gonigam’s First … Continue reading
The Springfield reporter for the Peoria Journal-Star used to turn out more stories than any other reporter at the State Capitol. He wrote all sorts of little articles on bills he thought might interest his readers. You could read his … Continue reading
That’s the headline of Tribune reporter Jon Hilkevitch’s article about Chicago State Senator Martin Sandoval’s press conference taking on the disproportionately low proportion share of Motor Fuel Taxes that the Chicago metropolitan area has been getting since 1999. As I … Continue reading
This press release tells of an April 8th meeting at McHenry County College on the death penalty sponsored by the McHenry County College Student Peach Action Network: MCC STUDENT PEACE GROUP TO HOST DEATH PENALTY FORUM The McHenry County College … Continue reading
First it was Republican Governor George Ryan who decided that increasing drivers license fees was the way to finance his Illinois FIRST in 1989. I didn’t support that bill because it took about 56% of its money from the six-county … Continue reading
Not before, but right after Rod Blagojevich took office in 2003, he asserted that the state had a $5 billion deficit. At the time, I thought he was probably adding figures for two years to get that high. Then, instead … Continue reading
One of former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson’s “Wunderkinds” has plead guilty to federal charges concerning the Edwards Hospital Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board scandal. Nicholas Hurtgen, who at the time was Managing Director of the Chicago office of Bear Stearns, … Continue reading