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State Week: Warrant Suggests Broad Corruption Probe; Report Details Harassment By Speakers' Aides

Brian Mackey
/
NPR Illinois
Credit Brian Mackey / NPR Illinois
/
NPR Illinois

More details come out about FBI raids on the home and offices of state Sen. Martin Sandoval. The Legislative inspector general is out with two reports about sexual harassment under House Speaker Michael Madigan's watch. And Planned Parenthood has been secretly building a new facility in Illinois near St. Louis.

The Illinois Senate responded to open-records requests for information about the Sandoval raids by releasing copies of the FBI search warrant and a list of items agents removed from the Capitol. Though the office of Senate President John Cullerton heavily redacted the documents, they nevertheless suggest a broad corruption investigation.

Meanwhile, Gov. J.B. Pritzker made his first public appearance in more than a month — since announcing he'd broken his leg — and called for Sandoval's ouster as chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. But Cullerton has so far decided to keep Sandoval in not only the committee chairmanship but also in a leadership postition in the Democrtic caucus.

Elsewhere in state government, Illinois' legislative inspector found that two former Madigan aides — chief of staff Tim Mapes and campaign worker Kevin Quinn — sexually harassed colleagues. She would have have recommended firing them, but since both already left government service, she recommended they be barred from future state jobs or contracts.

Finally, Planned Parenthood secretly built a large abortion clinic in Illinois just across the river from St. Louis. Missouri is among the states that have been limiting abortion access, and the last clinic there is fighting to stay open.

Sean Crawford hosts with regular panelists Charlie Wheeler and Brian Mackey, and guest Amanda Vinicky of Chicago Tonight, which airs on PBS station WTTW.

State Week | October 4, 2019

Copyright 2021 NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS. To see more, visit NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS.

Sean has led the NPR Illinois news operations since the fall of 2009.
Brian Mackey formerly reported on state government and politics for NPR Illinois and a dozen other public radio stations across the state. Before that, he was A&E editor at The State Journal-Register and Statehouse bureau chief for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.
Amanda Vinicky moved to Chicago Tonight on WTTW-TV PBS in 2017.
Amanda Vinicky
Amanda Vinicky moved to Chicago Tonight on WTTW-TV PBS in 2017.
The director of the Public Affairs Reporting (PAR) graduate program is Professor Charles N. Wheeler III, a veteran newsman who came to the University of Illinois at Springfield following a 24-year career at the Chicago Sun-Times.