* 1:20 p.m.- Judge freezes Rezko account

A federal judge has frozen more than a quarter of a million dollars controlled by indicted businessman Tony Rezko, according to a court order made public today.

Judge St. Eve is expected to hear additional arguments from Duffy this afternoon on why Rezko should be released from jail to prepare for his Feb. 25 trial on corruption charges. She’ll also take up the frozen funds then.

More to come…

* 1:54 p.m. - The Judge has now ordered drug testing for star witness

St. Eve said Levine should submit to drug testing and any drug treatment that a pretrial services officer deems necessary. In a filing late Friday, Rezko’s defense team alleged that Levine had long abused drugs and questioned their impact on his memory of events.

Levine’s lawyer, Jeffrey Steinback, on Monday denied his client was a drug addict or had a drug problem.

* 2:10 p.m. - Daley backs Silverstein for ward race

Daley hinted strongly that Silverstein was planning to withold his support from Stone in the red-hot race for alderman against challenger Naisy Dolar last year. To firm up Silverstein’s support for Stone, Daley said he agreed to back Silverstein against Stone in the race for ward committeeman.

Daley said the Silverstein endorsement was hatched more than a year ago and had nothing to do with Stone’s decision to oppose the mayor’s tax-laden 2008 budget, which includes the largest property tax increase in Chicago history.

Stone called the mayor’s version “absolute bulls—.” The alderman said there was never any question he would have Silverstein’s support in the aldermanic race and the state senator needed no push from Daley.

“I don’t believe a word [Daley] says. I voted against his budget for the first time since he’s mayor and he’s teaching me a lesson. You give him 18 years of loyalty and he kicks you in the ass,” Stone said.

* 2:30 p.m. - The Governor denies knowing anything more about Rezko than what he reads in the papers

Blagojevich says candidates hope campaign donors are law-abiding and calls allegations against donors “one of the occupational hazards” of politics.

* 2:42 p.m. - More on Stuart Levine’s drug use

Rezko’s attorneys suggest that Levine called his source for drugs nearly 200 times between May 2002 and September 2004, according to the government’s own records.

* 3:30 p.m. - Rezko will remain in jail

A federal judge denied politically connected Chicago businessman Tony Rezko’s attempt to reinstate his bond Tuesday a day after his bond was revoked and he was sent to jail.

Rezko is due to start trial Feb. 25 on charges of mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and attempted extortion. He also is charged with swindling the General Electric Capital Corp. out of $10 million in loans involving the sale of a pizza business.

* 4:32 p.m. - Looks like FutureGen has fallen through. The Governor’s office just sent out a press release on it:

“The U.S. Secretary of Energy’s proposal to dismantle FutureGen is an example of politics at its worst. Secretary Samuel Bodman is not only jeopardizing the benefits FutureGen promises to deliver, but he deceived the people of East Central Illinois who spent time and resources competing for the project. We’re not giving up the fight to make FutureGen a reality in Illinois.

Just last night during his State of the Union Address, President Bush said that environmentally responsible energy is essential to keeping our economy growing, and that his budget provides strong funding for leading-edge technology, including clean coal. Secretary Bodman’s decision to reverse course on the most important clean coal project to date represents a striking contradiction to the President’s comments. I urge President Bush, who initiated FutureGen in 2003, to stand by the project and move it forward.”