* ICYMI: Madigan defense rests its case as landmark corruption trial winds toward an end. WTTW…

- Madigan’s team officially rested Thursday morning, nearly three months after opening statements and testimony began.
- Closing statements are expected to begin next Wednesday, followed by jury deliberations the following week.
- After the government rested, both defense teams for both Madigan and McClain renewed their motions seeking a judgment of acquittal — a standard move following conclusion of the prosecution’s case — but both were denied.

* Related stories…

∙ Sun-Times: Former speaker rests his case against fed claims he was a racketeer running criminal “Madigan Enterprise”
∙ ABC Chicago: Defense rests case in trial of former IL House Speaker Michael Madigan

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Sun-Times | Cook County judge reassigned from domestic violence cases after releasing man later accused of killing wife: Judge Thomas Nowinski made the request himself to be transferred to the court’s Third Municipal District in Rolling Meadows where he will hear misdemeanor and traffic cases starting Tuesday, according to a statement released Thursday by Evans. The move stems from Nowinski electing to release Constantin Beldie, 57, on GPS monitoring after he was charged Oct. 9 with choking and attempting to kidnap his wife, Lacramioara Beldie, 54.

* Silver Bulletin | Polling is becoming more of an art than a science: Natalie Jackson — pollster and Vice President at GQR Insights — thinks pollsters are hesitant to get too excited about this result but sees their mood as optimistic relative to the last few cycles — where large errors dominated the post-election conversation about the polls: “The good thing is it was better than 2020 and 2016. The not-so-good thing is that we still underestimated Trump, which is concerning. It’s concerning when the bias runs in the same direction three cycles in a row. So… it’s really nice that we don’t have a bajillion articles saying death to the polling industry, but I don’t think that means we’re home free either.”

* The Invisible Institute | Illinois law requires transparency when police kill people. Many cases stay in the dark: After fatal police shootings and other deaths at the hands of law enforcement in Illinois, investigating agencies are required to “publicly release a report” if no charges are brought against the officers. However, two Metro East prosecutors have proved to be reluctant participants in that process, giving up what should be public documents only after records requests and maintaining that they are following the law by doing so.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WTTW | Illinois Black Hemp Association Says Industry ‘Under Attack’ by Pritzker Amid Push for Stricter Regulation: Illinois’ legalization of recreational marijuana in 2020 was supposed to be a course corrective on the lopsided implementation of the war on drugs — an opportunity for Black people who were disproportionally prosecuted and imprisoned for drug-related crimes to get in on the ground floor of the legal cannabis industry. Giving Black and Brown people the opportunity was a priority for Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and he has considered it a crowning achievement — the state released a study last year showing that 60% of cannabis dispensary licenses went to businesses owned by minorities or women.

*** Chicago ***

* WGN | FBI Chicago sees bank robberies in city, suburbs plummet in 2024: New data shared with WGN News from the FBI’s Chicago field office shows a major drop in the number of bank robberies that happened last year in both city limits and throughout the suburbs within the field office’s geographic area. According to the data, there were 62 bank robberies in Chicago in 2023 compared to 31 in 2024, a sharp decline of 50%.

* Sun-Times | City Hall lobbyist repays $96,000 in tax breaks Sun-Times showed he never should have been given: Now, after a Chicago Sun-Times investigation uncovered the improper tax breaks, Saleh has paid up — $96,000 including penalties and interest. Saleh, a registered lobbyist for PepsiCo, won’t talk about why he repaid the money he saved as a result of the 34 tax breaks he’s gotten since 2017, along with the penalties and interest, and chose not to fight to prove he should have gotten them.

* Sun-Times | Chicago’s crypto ATMs are magnets for drug dealing and scams on elderly people: Legislation was introduced last year in the Illinois Senate to regulate crypto ATMs and cap usage fees, but the bills were never called for a vote. A state senator from Chicago says the issue may be addressed again after President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump has become a champion of cryptocurrencies and has promised to deregulate the industry.

* Tribune | Chicago Bulls’ and Blackhawks’ plan to begin remaking the neighborhood surrounding United Center wins commission approval: This initial step will include the privately financed construction of a 6,000-seat music hall, a boutique hotel and nearly 10 acres of green space, including play areas for all age groups. The initial phase also includes several parking garages topped by elevated parks open to the public, with retail spaces and cafes on the ground floors.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* WGN | Markham promotes home ownership with moratorium on new rental properties: Markham’s homeownership rate stands at 72 percent, higher than the rates in all of Illinois and Cook County, according to U.S. Census Data. But city officials say its growing number of rental properties account for a disproportionate number of police and fire service calls, as well as code enforcement and public works problems. […] Ideally, Agpawa said he’d like Markham’s homeownership rate to touch 90 percent. That goal may be challenging to reach, but Markham still took action by recently instituting a moratorium on new rental properties.

* ABC Chicago | Suburban school districts try to calm immigrant community’s fears of mass deportations: By law, Illinois schools must welcome students regardless of race, creed or immigration status. Most public officials in the state have expressed confidence that will continue. However, with the Trump administration about to take over leadership in Washington, some families in the immigrant community are on edge.

* Tribune | Winnetka house made famous by the movie ‘Home Alone’ sells for $5.5M: Now, the five-bedroom mansion has gotten its first new owners in 13 years — and seven years after the current owners renovated and expanded it. The home has six bathrooms, four fireplaces, an entry staircase that famously was showcased in the film, a recently added family room with 10-foot-high coffered ceilings, French doors and a kitchen with double islands, bespoke white cabinetry, a hidden pantry, an eight-burner Wolf range, a Sub-Zero refrigerator and a built-in banquette.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | U.S. Department of Justice, Sangamon County Sheriff settle investigation over Sonya Massey’s murder: The agreement they reached demands several changes from the county, but there is little in the way of punishments outlined in the deal for following not following through. […] The deal requires the Sheriff’s office to “review and update policies, rules, and procedures and provide training on a variety of topics, including non-discriminatory policing and interactions with individuals with behavioral health disabilities.”

* ABC Chicago | Amber Alert canceled for girl abducted in Rock Island; 5 arrested, police say: An 18-year-old man and four other teens were arrested and charged in connection to the kidnapping and vehicle theft, police said. Rock Island police said just before 3 p.m. a 4-year-old girl, who had been in her mother’s car when the vehicle was stolen Thursday morning, was later found safe. She has been reunited with her mother, and will be evaluated by EMS, police said.

* Capitol City Now | Monster Pawn at center of alleged retail crime operation: Two pawn shops in Springfield are named as part of an alleged organized retail crime ring, leading to charges against a Bloomington family and employees. On Thursday, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced charges against Monster Pawn owners Edwin Pierce, 65, and Kathleen Pierce, 58, as well as their son, Everson Pierce, 28. Four other employees also face charges in the case.

* WSIU | Governor Pritzker Announces Construction of Applied Technology Center for Olney Central College: Governor JB Pritzker announced that construction will begin on the $3.15 million Applied Technology Center at Olney Central College. The new facility will include additions to the college’s nursing and radiography programs. It will also feature new classrooms, simulation and skill labs, faculty office space, and a student lounge.

* WIFR | Zoning Board of Appeals denies Red Barn Golf Course’s request to build apartments on driving range: Barnes delivers an appeal to the board: allow his special use permit to build “luxury townhomes” on Red Barn’s driving range. The owner claims a 27% decline in business leaves him no choice but to pivot – potentially constructing multifamily housing on the property. In July, Summit Condos spoke out against Red Barn’s driving range: a TopTracer by Topgolf system that reportedly leads to golf balls crashing into nearby homes.

* WIFR | Illinois Snow Sculpting Competition preparation underway at Sinnissippi Park: The 39th annual Illinois Snow Sculpting Competition is back at Sinnissippi Park and organizers are preparing for the bitter battle. On Wednesday morning, crews were at the park constructing blocks of snow for participating teams to use as their canvases. Because of the lack of snow on the ground, the Rockford Park District had to make the snow earlier in the week.

*** National ***

* Bloomberg | Walgreens Replaced Fridge Doors With Smart Screens. It’s Now a $200 Million Fiasco: The digital displays had a distinct advantage over regular glass, at least for the retailer: ads. When proximity sensors detected passersby, the fridge doors started playing short videos hawking Doritos or urging customers to check out with Apple Pay. If this sounds disruptive—in the ordinary sense of the word, not Silicon Valley’s—that might have seemed a generous description in December 2023, when all the screens went blank.

* NYT | General Motors Is Banned From Selling Driving Behavior Data for 5 Years: The New York Times reported last year that G.M. was collecting data about people’s driving behavior, including how often they sped or drove at night, and selling it to data brokers that generated risk profiles for insurance companies. Some drivers reported that their auto insurance rates increased as a result.

* Mediaite | SCOTUSBlog Publisher Indicted for Tax Evasion, Accused of Misusing Funds to Cover Gambling Debts:
Tom Goldstein, the publisher of the popular Supreme Court news site SCOTUSblog and veteran practitioner before the nation’s highest court himself, was indicted Thursday for tax evasion related to a stunning series of alleged schemes to use funds from his law firm to cover millions of dollars of gambling debts, Law360 reported.