Free Republic

More than five years after Jussie Smollett staged a phony hate crime against himself, and nearly three years since his conviction by a Chicago jury, lawyers for the former Empire actor are asking the Illinois supreme court to overturn the guilty verdict. Defense attorney Nenye Uche argued on Tuesday that Smollett’s case should never have gone to trial because the actor had already entered into a binding agreement with the Cook County state’s attorney’s office not to prosecute him in exchange for him voluntarily agreeing to forfeit his $10,000 bond and perform community service, according to a report in the...

Self-professed “progressive” Chicago Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson got an earful over his failed migrant policies from an elderly black resident at a recent town hall. The woman, who said she was 80 years old and grew up in the Jim Crow South, said that Johnson’s pro-migrant policies are literally destroying the Windy City’s black communities. “All I can say to you is that you are a disgrace,” the distraught woman said at the outset of her comments. “I’m an 80-year-old woman, and I’ve never seen anything like this. I grew up in the Jim Crow South, and the policies that...

The Gateway Pundit has reported extensively on allegations and investigations against Dolton, Illinois, Mayor Tiffany Henyard dubbed ‘the worst mayor in America.’ While investigations are still ongoing, Henyard decided spending on a lavish party that was sparsely attended seemed like a great idea. Henyard reportedly spent $85,000 on a party that featured R&B singer Keke Wyatt and rapper J. Holiday in August that, according to media reports, only 70 people attended.

(WTVO) — Soon Illinoisans will no longer be able to buy fluorescent light as a result of the Clean Lighting Act. The main goal of the act is to stop pollution that comes from fluorescent lights. Fluorescent lighting is known to be incorrectly disposed of which leads to mercury and other toxins being released into the air. The act changes the wording of the Illinois Environmental Protection Act. The law will take partial effect in 2026 by banning screw-based or bayonet-based compact fluorescent lamps from being produced or sold. By 2027, the law will take full effect and will also...

An Illinois woman was arrested after she reportedly attacked a staff member of an elementary school Wednesday — and baggies of cocaine spilled upon the floor sparked the alleged assault, according to authorities. Officers with the Rockford Police Department arrested Shakeda Barfield, 33, on Wednesday after accusations that she battered an elementary school employee. According to WREX, the Winnebago County State’s Attorney’s Office filed the following charges against Barfield: possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, aggravated battery/strangulation, aggravated battery to a school employee, and disorderly conduct.

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Next week marks one year since Illinois outlawed cash bail, and advocates and critics of the change have been waiting patiently to see it if has been successful — or as some predicted, a disaster. A panel of stakeholders, including Cook County Chief Public Defender Sharone R. Mitchell Jr., spoke Wednesday about the largely positive outcomes of ending cash bail. "There were a lot of predictions about things that did not happen," said Mitchell.

Former Congressman Adam Kinzinger predicted that late Republican President Ronald Reagan would be backing Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential election. Kinzinger, among Trump's most outspoken GOP critics and a member of the House January 6 committee while serving in Congress, endorsed Harris during the Democratic National Convention last month despite remaining a Republican. On Tuesday, hours before Trump and Harris were set to face off in their first and possibly only presidential debate, Kinzinger speculated that Republican icon Reagan would have taken a similar stance by supporting Harris over Trump. "Reagan would...

On August 30, 2024, Judge Iain D. Johnston of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois issued an order and opinion showing the ban on carrying concealed weapons on public transportation is unconstitutional. The ban is “as applied”. It is only applicable to the individuals before the court in this case. The Chicago Transit Authority is commonly referred to as the CTA. From the opinion and order: After an exhaustive review of the parties’ filings and the historical record,as required by Supreme Court precedent, the Court finds that Defendants failed to meet their burden to show...

CHICAGO – There have been a number of recent requests to speak with White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, which stands to reason as his team fell to 33-114 after a 6-4 loss to the Guardians on Wednesday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field.Following this franchise-worst 15th straight home setback, Reinsdorf issued the following statement through the team.“Everyone in this organization is extremely unhappy with the results of this season, that goes without saying. This year has been very painful for all, especially our fans. We did not arrive here overnight, and solutions won’t happen overnight either

CV NEWS FEED // Several parishes in the Diocese of Rockford, Illinois, will host prayer services this month in observance of the National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children. The Day, which is observed on the second Saturday of September, falls this year on September 14, according to the Day of Remembrance’s website. The official Rockford diocesan newspaper, The Observer, reported that St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Parish in West Dundee will observe the Day of Remembrance with a memorial service at 9 a.m., with a breakfast preceding. A rosary will be prayed at the Memorial Garden for the Unborn...

A Chicago woman is being praised by her neighbors after fending off a would-be intruder trying to enter her home through her daughter's window. Police were initially called to the home on a report of a shooting around 10:45 Saturday evening, and found a man with a gunshot wound to his leg. It didn't take long for officers to learn that the man wasn't an innocent victim, but had been shot after allegedly trying to make his way inside the home. “I’m just super shaken up. I’m a single mom. I live here with my children, so that’s the last...

Postal contractor Midwest Transport Inc. is winding down... An Illinois-based trucking and logistics company, which contracted with the U.S. Postal Service to haul mail has notified over 650 employees, including more than 480 drivers, that the carrier is ceasing operations ... Former truck drivers for Midwest Transport Inc. (MTI), headquartered in Robinson, Illinois, told FreightWaves that they received telephone calls from their regional managers late Thursday notifying them the company was winding down operations. ... According to an email sent to MTI employees and drivers about the closing late Friday, which was obtained by FreightWaves, the company stated that postal...

Selling Michael Jordan’s ultra-personalized compound has been anything but a slam dunk. The massive home has remained on the market for 12 years and slash its price twice. Jordan made his mark on the Chicago area estate: His name is painted on the basketball court, flags wave with his Air Jordan logo, and his jersey number adorns the gate, according to the Wall Street Journal. Jordan first listed the mansion at 2700 Point Lane in Highland Park, Illinois for $29 million in 2012, chopping it down to $16 million in 2014, and to $14.9 million in 2015, Compass shows.

In Illinois, they've figured out how to save the planet: They're snatching the mini-shampoo bottles off your sink at that pricey hotel you're staying at and making you use a big communal bottle instead. No more cute souvenirs of your travels for you. According to Illinois Policy, which appears to be a local think tank:The days are numbered for small shampoo bottles in Illinois hotels because of a new law signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.Hotels with more than 50 rooms are banned from providing single-use plastic bottles of shampoo, mouthwash and other toiletries starting July 1, 2025.If a hotel has...

CHICAGO — This week, workers began tearing down the vacant Sears world headquarters in Hoffman Estates before the site is turned into a data center, a trend that has grown popular in the suburbs and now, a Chicago alderman wants to bring more of them into the city. That alderman is the 36th Ward’s Gilbert Villegas, who is advocating for a plan at City Council to convert vacant Chicago land into data centers. At a cost of millions annually, city government stores its data at centers locate outside of Chicago. Villegas, chairman of the Council Technology Committee, has written an...

Faith Church is a non-denominational ‘word of faith’ church in St. Louis, MO. Led by pastor and pastrix duo David and Nicole Crank, they claim “18,000 members across eight campuses in Missouri, Illinois, and Florida” and have the ethos of your typical “You’re-David-and-here-are seven-life-tips-to-help-you-kill-your-Goliath-of-debt” kind of church. David Crank has a long and sordid history of being unable to preach himself out of a paper bag if his life depended on it, with a lobotomized monkey with a pen taped to its hand frequently giving him a run for his money over who can write a more coherent sermon with...

A U.S. District Judge ruled Friday that Illinois’ ban prohibiting concealed carry for self-defense on public transportation violates the Second Amendment. The judge, Ian D. Johnston, issued his opinion in Schoenthal v. Raoul. The plaintiffs in the case, Benjamin Schoenthal, Mark Wroblewski, Joseph Vesel, and Douglas Winston, all claimed the ban violated the Second Amendment. Schoenthal, Wrogblewski, Vesel, and Winston’s case was supported by the Second Amendment Foundation and the Firearms Policy Coalition. Judge Johnston noted: In Illinois, openly carrying firearms is unlawful. Under the Firearm Concealed Carry Act, an individual with a concealed-carry license may generally carry a concealed...

The man accused of fatally shooting 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Whitewater gymnast Kara Welsh has been identified as a former wrestler at the college, police said. Chad T. Richards, 23, of Loves Park, Illinois, was arrested Friday night after allegedly shooting the award-winning gymnast multiple times at an apartment about a block from the university’s main campus, the Whitewater Police Department said. Whitewater police have requested charges from the district attorney’s office of first-degree intentional homicide, endangering safety by the use of a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct while armed, cops said.

Chad T. Richards, 23, of Loves Park, Illinois, just north of Rockford, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, endangering safety by the use of a dangerous weapon, and disorderly conduct while armed, according to Whitewater police.

American citizens have been watching in shock as Venezuelan gangs are taking over apartment complexes in Aurora, Colorado, just outside of Denver. ... Denver is a hot spot for dumping Venezuelans who’ve crossed our open-borders while Joe Biden’s Border Czar Kamala Harris sat back and the crisis unfold. ... Last night, a shocking 911 call was shared by Libs of Tik Tok on X, that revealed 32 armed Venezuelan migrants were attempting to overtake an apartment complex in Chicago last night. ... Winter is right around the corner. Did anyone honestly think these Venezuelan gangs who ruled the countries they...