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Pope, a former judge and Menard County state’s attorney, blasted an ethics overhaul proposal that was passed by lawmakers this spring and is sitting on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk. The measure, which she cited as a driving force behind her departure, has been widely criticized by good-government groups for failing to go far enough to address the state’s pervasive public corruption, and Pritzker himself has said more work remains.

“A lot of what we’re expecting in the forecast here is going to hinge heavily on how far south this initial batch of thunderstorms over Iowa can make it this far east. So, it’s kind of like a ‘Choose Your Own Adventure,’ where if this happens, then you go this route, and if that happens, you go that route,” he said.

Yarbrough said in a statement that, “pursuant to the recent concerning report in the Chicago Sun-Times, the Clerk’s Office temporarily suspended the calculation of tax rates in an abundance of caution. This was not undertaken as a legal matter, per se, but rather out of genuine concern for the senior community and in the interest of all Cook County taxpayers.”

Casteel, 32, of Ankeny, Iowa, was arrested at the hotel in the 600 block of North DuSable Lake Shore Drive on July 4 and charged with two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. In addition to the rifle, police recovered several rifle magazines and a .45-caliber handgun from his 12th floor room, prosecutors have said. He posted bond last week and has not entered a plea.

According to the 18-page indictment, Abedelal and several administrative underlings at Brennemann, including the assistant principal, a clerk and a business manager, ran the scheme over a seven-year period beginning in 2012. None of the other administrators has been criminally charged, and they are not identified by name in the indictment.

Four days earlier on March 1, Town Hall District Officer James Daly, 47, shot himself to death in a locker room inside the district’s police station, 850 W. Addison St., on the North Side. A 21-year Chicago police veteran, Daly worked the overnight shift and was expected to retire that week, sources have said.

When Uche signed on to represent Smollett earlier this year, the Osundairo brothers alleged that he spoke with them about representing them early in the process, and had substantive conversations about the case. If true, that could mean Uche has a conflict of interest barring him from representing Smollett.

Evidence technicians examine two motorbikes and a tricycle at the scene where a 2-year-old boy was shot in the leg and a 32-year-old man was shot in the face in the 1500 block of North Tripp Avenue in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood July 13, 2021 in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune) (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

Hynes’ teammates refer to him as “Skip,” as in “Skipper,” a joking reference to the colloquial name for the captain of a baseball team. During his first at-bat in a recent league game, which ended in a base hit, a friend cheered him on and called him “Big Cat,” a nickname from high school. He hadn’t been called that in years, he said, and his high school coach at St. Ignatius in University Village gave the nickname to him. He was a catcher in high school, and catchers are supposed to have quick, catlike reflexes. But Hynes didn’t, he said, so it was another lighthearted quip.

In the lawsuit, filed July 8, lawyers for the six people alleged the building’s owner, Matanky Realty Group, “improperly operated, managed, maintained, and controlled” the property and “negligently and carelessly” violated Chicago city codes, resulting in injuries to the occupants.