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State Week: Corruption allegations surface again in Illinois government

State Week logo (capitol dome)
Brian Mackey
/
NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS
State Sen. Emil Jones III was arraigned this week on charges of bribery and lying to the FBI. The son of former Illinois Senate President Emil Jones Jr. is the latest lawmaker to be ensnared in the federal investigation surrounding a red light camera company.

State Sen. Emil Jones III was arraigned this week on charges of bribery and lying to the FBI. The son of former Illinois Senate President Emil Jones Jr. is the latest lawmaker to be ensnared in the federal investigation surrounding a red light camera company.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker urged Senator Jones and another Illinois Democrat, Sen. Michael Hastings, to relinquish their office. Hastings faces accusations that include domestic abuse.

Hastings has denied the accusations and Jones entered a not guilty plea in court.

Our panel features host Sean Crawford, Statehouse Editor Hannah Meisel, Professor Emeritus Charlie Wheeler and Capitol News Illinois Bureau Chief Jerry Nowicki.

Hannah covers state government and politics for Capitol News Illinois. She's been dedicated to the statehouse beat since interning at NPR Illinois in 2014, with subsequent stops at WILL-AM/FM, Law360, Capitol Fax and The Daily Line before returning to NPR Illinois in 2020 and moving to CNI in 2023.
The former 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.
Jerry Nowicki is bureau chief of Capitol News Illinois and has been with the organization since its inception in 2019.