* Today’s Jason Meisner story about Amit Gauri is a really interesting read. Gauri and his fuel business, Black Dog Petroleum, were both named in a federal search warrant of the Lyons Village Hall. He has ties to the so-called “Asphalt King” Michael Vondra, Sen. Martin Sandoval, Ald. Ed Burke, Cook County Commissioner Jeffrey Tobolski, former Rep. Luis Arroyo, etc.

Gauri was just awarded a big City of Chicago contract, but one of his companies recently filed for bankruptcy and Meisner took a look at the transcripts…

In recent sworn testimony as part of the bankruptcy proceeding, Gauri acknowledged that he was subpoenaed in late October by a federal grand jury, saying it was “in relation to a list of things in Lyons, relationships with senators and the mayor of Lyons.”

Gauri also revealed in his testimony that Black Dog recently went into business with Vondra refining recycled asphalt shingles for use in road construction, a controversial practice that was championed by Sandoval in Springfield and has caught federal investigators’ attention.

Gauri testified he’d met with Sandoval over the years, but his bankruptcy attorney cut off the questioning when he was asked about the subject of those talks.

Gauri, who has not been charged with any wrongdoing, declined to speak recently with a Tribune reporter at Black Dog’s main office, located next door to the Lyons Village Hall in a building that he rents from Vondra. […]

At the Black Dog bankruptcy hearing, Gauri acknowledged to lawyers for Parent Petroleum that he had met with Sandoval to discuss state contracts. He started to explain that the meetings were about minority business enterprise rules before being cut off by his attorney.

“I’m gonna stop this right now because you’re getting into questions that the grand jury subpoena would possibly be asking,” said the attorney, Scott Clar.

Go read the rest.

* Meanwhile, Commissioner Tobolski finally showed up for work…

Commissioner Jeff Tobolski returned to county business after a monthslong absence he blamed on health issues.

Tobolski, who doubles as mayor of McCook, attend a meeting Tuesday of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. It was his first appearance at a county meeting since his McCook Village Hall offices were searched by federal agents in September. […]

In part of an email exchange from November obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, Commissioner Sean Morrison, R-Palos Park, told Tobolski it was “good to hear your back in the saddle.”

Tobolski responded Nov. 6 with: “Post FBI Heart related issues. Released by Phy 10/31!!!!”