Afternoon Briefing: New casino set to open earlier than expected
Good afternoon, Chicago.
For nearly five years, the Chicago Transit Authority paid a small group of employees to stay home and not work at least two days a week, a state watchdog found.
The employees in question worked in the agency's 'vault operations' unit, which is responsible for processing money taken from CTA fareboxes. Those workers could not actually perform any of their assigned duties from home, but were nevertheless assigned to work remotely at least two days a week since the beginning of the pandemic, continuing to do so even after the agency-wide return to office date in May 2022, according to a report from the Office of Executive Inspector General.
A total of 10 employees were paid just under $1.13 million for days they spent not working since the start of the pandemic, the OEIG found.
Here's what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
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A bill heading to Gov. JB Pritzker's desk is aimed at protecting local restaurants from third-party vendors that buy and resell reservations, which proponents say can lead to costly no-shows and consumer fraud. Read more here.
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Hollywood Casino Joliet, which is leaving its longtime riverboat home, announced today it is planning to move into its new land-based facility on Aug. 11, pending regulatory approval. Read more here.
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New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Power conferences hiring MLB exec to lead enforcement of new era as College Sports Commission CEO
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Advertisement The NCAA will still handle the enforcement of eligibility and academic rules, but regulating how athletes are paid will be in the hands of Seeley, the MLB as senior vice president of investigations. In more than a decade at the league, he rose to executive vice president for legal and operations, overseeing investigations, compliance, state government relations and sports betting. Seeley headed MLB's sign-stealing investigation that led to the Astros and Red Sox being disciplined. He also oversaw inquiries into sexual assault allegations against former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer and Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, who is currently on the restricted list and on trial in the Dominican Republic. Seeley's departure is a loss for MLB, but his successor is in place. 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Prosecutors describe their evidence in Wander Franco trial as 'convincing' and 'compelling'
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