Free Republic

(no need to look) Dolton, Illinois Mayor Tiffany Henyard is under FBI investigation for abusing her power after she shut down businesses that didn’t donate to her campaign.

Chicago Republican Party Chairman Steve Boulton has lost the election to save his 27th Ward Committeeman seat after he was originally knocked off the ballot for submitting an “insufficient number of valid signatures,” after receiving just 24 votes as a write-in candidate – falling far short while facing no opponent, and bringing a humiliating end to a term marked by controversy and losses. 111 signatures were required to appear on the March Primary ballot as a candidate for 27th Ward Committeeman. Boulton submitted a total of 310, but after careful review, it was discovered that only 103 signatures were valid...

Graphic bodycam footage released Tuesday revealed the chaos that unfolded when plainclothes Chicago cops fired nearly 100 gunshots during a traffic stop last month, killing one young man and leaving another injured. Dexter Reed, 26, was killed during a March 21 traffic stop in Humboldt Park after officers in an unmarked cop car pulled him over for allegedly failing to wear a seatbelt. The chaotic footage shows Reed rolling down the window of his SUV and then raising it before refusing to exit his vehicle as five officers scream commands and draw their weapons. Preliminary evidence showed Reed had fired...

Furious BLM activists have clashed with cops outside a Chicago police station after a video was released showing a deadly officer-involved shooting of a black man. Dexter Reed, 26, was killed during a traffic stop which erupted into a huge shootout also injuring an officer and which cops say Reed started. On Tuesday, Chicago Police released footage of the March 21 encounter which showed them firing 96 shots at Reed, even as he lay motionless on the ground outside his vehicle. The aspiring broadcaster's death has reignited conversations around excessive police force against black people, though officers maintain Reed opened...

Dozens of plastic bags containing “repulsive” antisemitic flyers and possible “rat poison” were found scattered around a Chicago neighborhood Monday — in the third disturbing incident this year. A resident came across the hateful leaflets in the Lincoln Park area Monday morning and reached out to their local official. “This is not the first time our ward has seen incidents like this. To the people who are spreading these flyers, I have a clear message: you are committing acts of hate,” Timmy Knudsen, alderman for Chicago’s 43rd Ward, said in a statement.

We graded Illinois’ candidates based on their previous 2A voting records, public statements on their constituents owning firearms, and their willingness to focus on 2A issues. Given our research on these criteria, we’ve assigned the following grades to those currently running for office: A – Joshua Loyd, James Marter B – Jerry Evans, Joe McGraw C – Mark Rice D – Nikki Budzinski F – Raja Krishnamoorthi, Bill Foster, Lauren Underwood, Eric Sorensen

A deputy press secretary for Barack Obama's reelection campaign married an ABC reporter over the weekend. The ABC reporter, Matthew Jaffe, "covering the 2012 presidential campaign," according to his biography on the website of ABC News. "For the past year he traveled around the country covering the Republican primary, from the Iowa Straw Poll to the various debates to this year's primaries and caucuses." The deputy press secretary Jaffe married is Katie Hogan. Many members of Obama's reelection team and the press celebrated the wedding together Saturday. Mike Allen of Politico reports on the wedding: MARRIED SATURDAY EVENING at Lake...

Black Democrat Voter Now Wears A Chicago For Trump Hat

A Chicago veterinarian and dog breeder was busted in an FBI sting for sharing child pornography and making disturbing comments about his soon-to-be-born son. Adam Stafford King, a veterinary ophthalmologist from Elburn, was charged with one count of knowingly distributing child pornography following a months-long investigation. The Elburn man has a history of viewing explicit images of children dating back to at least 2017, according to court documents. The charges stem from an incident beginning in September 2023, when King began communicating with a New York man through the gay dating app Scruff. He and the man spoke interchangeably on...

She’s the best they can find? The village of Dolton, Illinois, is considering hiring former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to investigate its own scandal-ridden leader, “dictator” Tiffany Henyard, as residents demand her resignation. Lightfoot, who lost her reelection bid in a landslide last year, would be tasked with probing numerous allegations against the self-proclaimed “Super Mayor” — including misusing taxpayer funds for lavish trips and sexual assault accusations, Fox 32 reported.

The story began March 22, when a group called Behind Enemy Lines organized a protest near Chicago’s City Hall. The group says its purpose is to “stop the U.S.-Israel War Machine” and keep “Genocide Joe” Biden out of Chicago. “People are like, we want to confront some Zionists . . . we want to burn an Israeli flag, we want to take this protest to the next level.” As for the DNC, the group says it aims to “make bruises from Chicago police batons the 2024 back-to-school Fall fashion.” Democrats can’t be eager to have Joe Biden’s moment turn into...

DeMar DeRozan is a six-time NBC all-star, a devoted family man, and a quiet, unassuming NBA superstar. When he heard in early January that Oron Beilin, one of the victims of the Hamas massacre of Jews at the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7, was a huge Chicago Bulls fan, he autographed a special jersey for Beilin’s family with Oron’s name and the infinity symbol underneath.It was a simple, graceful act done without fanfare or press coverage. The gesture caught the attention of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which decided to honor DeRozan for his act of kindness. The Simon Wiesenthal...

Two men arrested for allegedly trying to lure children into a van were let go after a Chicago area judge released them under the impression that the recently posted no-bail SAFE-T Act prevented the men from being held. The two men detained by police in Cicero were also charged with violating parole and probation, according to CWB Chicago. The two suspects, Kenchi Edwards, 60, and Kraig McCauley, 55, allegedly tried to lure several 14-year-old children into their van with promises of “games” and the promise of meeting a “famous athlete.” The children did not get in the van, and the...

The Quaker Oats Company announced Wednesday it is permanently closing its factory in Danville, Illinois, with upwards of 500 employees to be impacted. The News-Gazette reports Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. confirmed the news to the wider community, with city officials saying: Today, we learned that after 65 years of production in Danville, Pepsico will close Quaker Oats effective June 8, 2024. The business has already ceased production but will continue to pay their employees through that time. While this shocks and saddens us, we will unite as a community to help those who have lost their employment. Williams said he...

The Village of Dolton, Illinois' monthly town hall meeting has made national headlines yet again for fiery confrontations with scandal-ridden mayor Tiffany Henyard. Henyard has been accused of misdeeds ranging from weaponizing police in retaliatory business raids to spending taxpayer money on luxuries like traveling to Las Vegas. Last month, Henyard reportedly vetoed the board’s resolution to probe her spending over purported misuse of funds. While the FBI has allegedly already begun to investigate Henyard for purportedly misusing her local police force, the board’s resolution had called for the FBI to do further investigation into her spending of the town’s...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois Senate's minority leader proposed legislation Tuesday to overhaul Gov. J.B. Pritzker's Prisoner Review Board after it released a convicted domestic abuser who then attacked a pregnant Chicago woman with a knife and fatally stabbed her 11-year-old son. Republican Leader John Curran criticized Pritzker and said he plans legislation to require that board appointees have 20 years of criminal justice experience as a prosecutor, defense attorney, probation officer or judge, and that each member undergo annual training on domestic violence and sexual assault and the warning signs that precede repeat attacks. Other proposed measures would...

A resounding message, “Go Red… No More Blue, No Matter Who!” has become the battle cry of frustrated Chicagoans facing neglect from long-standing Democratic leadership.

Top staffers for Democrat John Fetterman are leaving his office for more progressive jobs as the Pennsylvania senator moves more to the center on key issues. The everyman Democrat, who loves Carhartt hoodies and dawning a disheveled goatee, has staunchly supported Israel's war on Hamas and denounced calls for a ceasefire. He's also expressed support for increased U.S. border security, another position that puts him at odds with his party. The freshman Democrat was elected after securing support from some of the most liberal members of Congress in 2022. The towering 6 foot 8 inch senator, previously supported Democrat Socialist...

After almost two weeks of uncertainty, Burke edged out Clayton Harris III for the nomination, with mail ballots tallied Friday sealing the most hotly contested race of the primary a full 10 days after the polls closed. The Associated Press called the race over — and the two candidates agreed.

It’s another horrific, tragic story, the likes of which we’ve been seeing all too often these days. A convict serving a 16-year sentence for a home invasion and aggravated assault was released early in Illinois in early March, and the very next day, he invaded the Chicago apartment of Laterria Smith and stabbed her and her 11-year-old son, killing the boy.The brave youngster was trying to save his mother from the attack, and was stabbed in the chest.The killer, Crosetti Brand, 37, who was previously in a relationship with Smith, was let loose on March 10. He was cut free...