Illinois quick hits: Foreign national indicted for fraud; Chicago Public Schools budget approved

Illinois quick hits: Foreign national indicted for fraud; Chicago Public Schools budget approved

August 29, 2025/
Spread the love

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

Foreign national indicted for fraud

A foreign national has been indicted in U.S. District Court in Chicago for allegedly defrauding numerous individuals out of at least $2.6 million and willfully evading income taxes.

Jawad Fakroune, 45, also known by “Angelino Escobar” and other names, is facing 15 federal counts of wire fraud and tax-related charges.

Chicago Public Schools budget approved

The Chicago Board of Education has adopted a $10.2 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2026.

The board voted 12-7 to approve the spending plan, which did not include a high-interest loan favored by Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Teachers Union.

Former chancellor dies

Former University of Illinois Chancellor Michael Aiken has died at the age of 93.

Aiken served as the school’s sixth chancellor from 1993 to 2001. U of I officials said he died Monday in Cody, Wyoming.

Leave a Comment





Latest News Stories

Lawmakers spar with Fairfax County leaders over sanctuary policies

Lawmakers spar with Fairfax County leaders over sanctuary policies

By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square Lawmakers held another hearing on sanctuary policies Thursday, one of a series coinciding with President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts and a nationwide crackdown by...
Advocates call on tax reform to reduce national debt

Advocates call on tax reform to reduce national debt

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square Advocates called on lawmakers to redesign the United States’ tax system on Thursday in order to address the rising national debt. The national debt surpassed...
Supreme Court allows mail-order abortion drugs

Supreme Court allows mail-order abortion drugs

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that women can continue to access abortion drugs through the mail without making an in-person doctor's visit, while...
McCuskey, coalition of AGs urge SEC to review OpenAI

McCuskey, coalition of AGs urge SEC to review OpenAI

By Chris Dickerson | Legal NewslineThe Center Square West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey has joined a coalition of 10 states in a letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange...
Springfield strains for balanced budget; Illinois revenue forecast shifts down

Springfield strains for balanced budget; Illinois revenue forecast shifts down

By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois is projected to see less tax income than state agencies previously expected due to a variety...
DOJ targets healthcare fraud in California, Arizona, Nevada

DOJ targets healthcare fraud in California, Arizona, Nevada

By Zachery SchmidtThe Center Square The U.S. Department of Justice has created a new task force to fight healthcare fraud in three Western states. The West Coast healthcare Fraud Strike...
Beecher Baseball Bobcats

Beecher Holds Off Iroquois West in High-Scoring 12-10 Thriller

Beecher emerged victorious in a back-and-forth offensive battle on Wednesday, narrowly defeating Iroquois West 12-10 in a non-conference road matchup. The Bobcats relied on a 14-hit attack to outpace the...
Illinois Quick Hits: University of Chicago to offer free tuition

Illinois Quick Hits: University of Chicago to offer free tuition

By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – University of Chicago, a private university, will begin to offer free tuition to families with an income...
Human capabilities focused in student, teacher artificial intelligence guide

Human capabilities focused in student, teacher artificial intelligence guide

By Alan WootenThe Center Square Teacher’s guide learning modules and self-assessment tools for students are part of the third annual Student Guide to Artificial Intelligence, a production of Elon University,...
U.S. House to vote on bills targeting fraudulent, foreign election donations

U.S. House to vote on bills targeting fraudulent, foreign election donations

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square The U.S. House committee that oversees election laws advanced multiple bills Thursday to stop fraudulent campaign donations and foreign influence in elections. Three of the...
Responses due in Virginia redistricting appeal

Responses due in Virginia redistricting appeal

By Shirleen GuerraThe Center Square Responses are due by 5 p.m. Thursday in Virginia’s emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court over the commonwealth’s congressional redistricting dispute, as outside groups...
Pentagon seeks record budget despite failing every audit

Pentagon seeks record budget despite failing every audit

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square President Donald Trump is asking Congress to approve the largest military budget in American history for an agency that has never passed a financial audit....
GOP oversight report: Democrats created 'culture of fraud'

GOP oversight report: Democrats created ‘culture of fraud’

By Elyse ApelThe Center Square After two years of hearings, whistleblower testimony and document reviews, Minnesota House Republicans say they’ve uncovered what they describe as an “unprecedented” pattern of fraud...
Illinois Republicans blame taxes, lawsuits after Morton Salt exits Chicago

Illinois Republicans blame taxes, lawsuits after Morton Salt exits Chicago

By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Republican lawmakers are warning that the departure of iconic salt producer Morton Salt from Chicago is...
Data center regulations weighed; some worry over jobs, energy, taxes

Data center regulations weighed; some worry over jobs, energy, taxes

By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Major bills in both the state Senate and House may heavily regulate data centers in the state....