
Afternoon Briefing: State trooper arrested on child porn charges
An Illinois state trooper who also served as a youth hockey referee was arrested on child pornography charges this week while at work at the agency's Des Plaines headquarters, authorities said.
Colin Gruenke, 38, of Deerfield, was charged in a criminal complaint unsealed in U.S. District Court yesterday with one count of distribution of child pornography, court records show. Prosecutors are seeking to have Gruenke held without bond pending trial, and a detention hearing is set for Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Young Kim.
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Walter Redmond Burnett knows what you're thinking. The 29-year-old seeking a City Council seat is well prepared for the question lingering around his quest to lead the 27th Ward: Is it fair he be appointed to succeed his father? Read more here.
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Struggling to pay your rent? Need to get paid for rent you are owed? There's a solution for those issues again after a two-month hiatus: Illinois' court-based rental assistance program reopened July 31. Read more here.
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The Bulls will open Oct. 22 at home against the Detroit Pistons, followed by a road game against the Orlando Magic on Oct. 25. They finish the regular season April 12 in Dallas against the Mavericks. Read more here.
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Fire up your AM transistor radio and get ready to travel back in time tonight to the heyday of the Top 40, when WLS-AM 890 and WCFL-AM 1000 battled it out for supremacy on the Chicago airwaves. Read more here.
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Tropical Storm Erin was expected to strengthen into a hurricane today as it approached the northeast Caribbean, prompting forecasters to warn of possible flooding and landslides. Read more here.
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San Francisco Chronicle
19 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Former city manager sues Santa Clara, claims scrutiny of 49ers led to her firing
The former city manager of Santa Clara filed a lawsuit alleging a pro- San Francisco 49ers bloc on the City Council harassed, bullied and ultimately fired her because she insisted on scrutinizing the team's financial management of Levi's Stadium. In the lawsuit against the city filed Thursday, Deanna Santana accused the so-called '49ers Five' of orchestrating a campaign of intimidation to prevent her from 'blowing the whistle' on suspected legal violations involving the city and 49ers. At one point, the lawsuit claimed, the city even hired an unknown person to conduct surveillance on her and her family when they were on a weekend trip to their vacation home in Pacific Grove. Santana, who served as city manager from 2017 until her 2022 firing, reported the alleged surveillance to police, 'who said they feared for her safety,' according to the complaint. The incident caused her and her family to suffer 'extreme fear, stress, anxiety, insomnia and health consequences," she complained. Soon thereafter, Santana told the council 49ers President Al Guido had potentially illegal conflicts of interest in connection with the team's effort to bring World Cup soccer matches to publicly owned Levi's Stadium. Two days later, she was fired. The council's rationale for firing Santana was a 'lack of confidence' in her, according to actions passed on the day of her dismissal. Mayor Lisa Gillmor had said she believed the 49ers wanted Santana fired because of her suggestion Guido had conflicts of interest involving the World Cup bid. Guido and the 49ers have denied wrongdoing. Thursday's lawsuit, filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court, said her firing was orchestrated by council member Anthony Becker, leader of the 49ers' bloc. Becker was convicted of perjury last year and lost his council seat in connection with election improprieties involving a 49ers lobbyist. A Santa Clara spokesperson declined comment, beyond acknowledging the city has been 'engaged in ongoing settlement negotiations' with Santana and her attorneys. After she was fired, Santana contends the city failed to comply with her termination agreement, withholding promised severance pay and even meddling with her CalPERS pension to deprive her of benefits. The lawsuit doesn't specify how much money is at stake in the dispute. As city manager, Santana was paid about $469,000 per year, according to the Openpayrolls website. She is now acting city manager of Milpitas. Many of the lawsuit's allegations concerning the 49ers and the City Council were first contained in a 2022 civil grand jury investigative report called 'Unsportsmanlike Conduct.' The watchdog agency rebuked pro-49ers officials, saying they 'put the 49ers' interests ahead of the city's interests.' The report also praised Santana and Gillmor for raising 'financial, safety and ethical concerns' about the city's relationship with the team. Santana, a former Oakland city administrator, came to Santa Clara when the council was dominated by 49ers critics. She led a move to replace the 49ers with an independent stadium management company, saying she feared the city was being short-changed on revenue from concerts and other non-NFL events at the stadium. The effort infuriated the 49ers, and in 2020 then-CEO Jed York (now owner) spent $2.9 millionto elect a team-friendly council majority. The new council dropped efforts to replace the 49ers as stadium manager and fired city attorney Brian Doyle, who had defended the city in a series of lawsuits brought by the team. The new council members also began complaining Santana was overpaid and rebuked her, often in sharply personal terms. At one point, council member Kevin Park referred to her as a "dog," the suit says. The allegations about surveillance appear related to a Jan. 26, 2022 article posted on a news website called San Jose Inside. The story accused Santana of being overpaid and reported that she and her husband had just bought the Pacific Grove home. The post was illustrated with a photo of the home, with Santana's car in the driveway. Both the story and photo were attributed to a writer named Alexander Cicak. Days later, the website re-posted the story, replacing the photo of Santana's house with a photo (credited to Cicak)of a public beach. The website soon re-posted the story yet again, this time removing the writer's name from both the byline and photo credits.


The Hill
a day ago
- The Hill
New Orleans mayor indicted on federal corruption charges
New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell (D) was indicted on federal charges Friday after an alleged affair with a local police officer. Cantrell, the city's first female mayor, is accused of engaging in a romantic relationship with Jeffrey Paul Vappie II, a police officer in the executive protection unit. Court documents allege she orchestrated out-of-state trips to maximize their opportunities to engage in 'personal activities' that cost the City of New Orleans over $70,000 in addition to travel expenses for Cantrell. Prosecutors say both Cantrell and Vappie were warned about misconduct in 2022. The Democratic mayor is in her final term as the city's leader and is now charged with making false statements and false declarations before a grand jury, conspiracy to obstruct justice and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. 'Aware their conduct violated rules, policies, and criminal laws, Cantrell and Vappir attempted to distract and impede inquiries and investigations, including a federal grand jury investigation, about the true nature and circumstances of their relationship and their scheme to defraud,' the indictment reads. 'They did this by using an encrypted messaging platform, intimidating and punishing subordinates, lying to colleagues and advisors, making false public pronouncements, harassing a o colleagues and advisors, making false public pronouncements, harassing a private individual who took pictures of them in public together, deleting electronic evidence, making false statements to federal law enforcement agents, authoring an affidavit signed under oath and penalty of perjury containing false information, and testifying falsely while under oath before a federal grand jury,' it continues. Cantrell will face charges in the U.S. District Court's Eastern District of Louisiana. This is a sad day for the people of New Orleans,' said Monet Brignac, a spokesperson for City Council President JP Morrell told The Associated Press. 'Our thoughts and prayers are with the Cantrell family as they navigate through this difficult time.' Cantrell previously alleged she was targeted as a Black woman and faced 'very disrespectful, insulting, in some cases kind of unimaginable' treatment, according to the AP.

a day ago
New Orleans mayor indicted over allegations of trying to hide bodyguard relationship
NEW ORLEANS -- A federal grand jury indicted New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Friday on conspiracy, fraud, obstruction charges in a probe into allegations that she tried to hide a romantic relationship with her bodyguard. The indictment is the culmination of a long-running federal investigation into the first female mayor in the city's 300-year history. Her bodyguard, Jeffrey Vappie, has pleaded not guilty following his indictment on charges of wire fraud and making false statements. He is accused of hiding a romantic relationship with Cantrell and filing false payroll records claiming he was on duty. Vappie, who retired from the police department last year, is scheduled to stand trial in January. Federal prosecutors have accused Vappie and Cantrell of exchanging encrypted messages through an app to avoid detection and then deleting the conversations. The mayor and Vappie have said their relationship is strictly professional. Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Simpson called it a 'three-year fraud scheme that we allege exploited their public authority and positions.' They met in an apartment while Vappie claimed to be on duty, and she arranged for Vappie to attend 14 trips, Simpson said. The trips were described by her as times 'when they were truly alone, he said. In 2021, 'Cantrell and Vappie developed a personal and intimate relationship. To hide their relationship and to maximize their time together, Cantrell and Vappie exploited their public positions to develop and implement a scheme to defraud' the city, the indictment states. The mayor's office didn't immediately respond to a phone message or email from The Associated Press seeking comment. Cantrell, who is term-limited, will leave office in January. The Democrat has clashed with City Council members during a turbulent second term and survived a recall effort in 2022. 'This is a sad day for the people of New Orleans,' said Monet Brignac, a spokesperson for City Council President JP Morrell. 'Our thoughts and prayers are with the Cantrell family as they navigate through this difficult time.' Cantrell hasn't sent out a message on her official feed on X, formerly known as Twitter, since July 15, when she said the city was experiencing historic declines in crime. As she heads into her final months in office, Cantrell has alienated former confidants and supporters, and her civic profile has receded. Her early achievements were eclipsed by self-inflicted wounds and bitter feuds with a hostile city council, political observers say. The mayor's role has weakened following voter-approved changes to the city's charter meant to curb her authority. Cantrell and her remaining allies allege that she's been unfairly targeted as Black woman and held to a different standard than male officials, her executive powers sabotaged. Earlier this year, Cantrell said she's faced 'very disrespectful, insulting, in some cases kind of unimaginable' treatment.