Illinois news in brief: Ex-Big Ten Network staffer gets 2 years in embezzlement case

Illinois news in brief: Ex-Big Ten Network staffer gets 2 years in embezzlement case

Spread the love

Ex-Big Ten Network staffer gets 2 years in embezzlement case

A former Big Ten Network employee has been sentenced to 28 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $4 million in restitution after he pleaded guilty to embezzlement charges. Prosecutors said Weston Goldstein, 48, used company credit cards and the Big Ten Network’s procurement process to buy electronic devices and sell them online over a period of eight years.

EPA announces $5 million to address non-point source pollution

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Director James Jennings has announced $5 million for projects addressing non-point source pollution. The agency said NPS pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground, picking up pollutants and depositing them into sources of drinking water.

State recovers unpaid wages, prevailing wage penalties

The Illinois Department of Labor has recovered more than $67,000 in unpaid wages for eight employees after an investigation found prevailing wage violations by Absolute Home Improvements & Cleaning Service on a public works project in Lake County. The investigation found the employer failed to pay required fringe benefit rates to employees and did not comply with payroll reporting requirements under the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act. The company also paid more than $6,700 in penalties.

Grocery stores that got taxpayer money may close

All seven Save A Lot stores across Chicago could shut down this Saturday after the company decided to end its partnership with grocery operator Yellow Banana. NBC Chicago reports that city officials attributed the end of the partnership to the recent death of Yellow Banana CEO Joe Canfield and cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. The city gave $13.5 million in taxpayer funds to refurbish the grocery stores in 2022. A Save A Lot spokesperson said Yellow Banana is exploring options to keep the stores open.

Leave a Comment





Latest News Stories

GOP, Dems compete in Arizona congressional races

GOP, Dems compete in Arizona congressional races

By Zachery SchmidtThe Center Square Arizona Republicans and Democrats in the 7th and 8th congressional districts are battling it out to see who will advance to the general election. Primaries...
Abbott directs state investigation into ICE Houston shooting

Abbott directs state investigation into ICE Houston shooting

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday said the Texas Rangers are investigating the fatal shooting of a Mexican national in Houston last week by a U.S....
Industry leaders: Feds can more effectively combat fraud, but privacy rights at risk

Industry leaders: Feds can more effectively combat fraud, but privacy rights at risk

By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square The federal government faces fraudsters utilizing technology more powerfully than ever before to take advantage of taxpayer-funded programs and steal taxpayer dollars. But it must...
Union sues to stop $110B Paramount-Warner Bros. merger

Union sues to stop $110B Paramount-Warner Bros. merger

By Chris WoodwardThe Center Square State attorneys general are not the only ones suing to block the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance. The Writers Guild of America...
Bipartisan bill would force vote before Social Security cuts hit

Bipartisan bill would force vote before Social Security cuts hit

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation that would fast-track a floor vote on Social Security's looming insolvency, using an independent board to draft a...
Court OKs $45M verdict in talc asbestos case, including $30M for ‘reduced lifespan’

Court OKs $45M verdict in talc asbestos case, including $30M for ‘reduced lifespan’

By Jonathan Bilyk | Legal NewslineThe Center Square (Legal Newsline) - An Illinois appeals court has thrown open a new avenue for personal injury lawyers and others to claim potentially...
Taxpayers to fund $424.9M soccer stadium infrastructure

Taxpayers to fund $424.9M soccer stadium infrastructure

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The Chicago Fire may be building their own soccer stadium, but city taxpayers will be on the...
Illinois Quick Hits: Benton pulls name from ballot after resignation

Illinois Quick Hits: Benton pulls name from ballot after resignation

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Former state Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, who resigned from his seat in the Illinois House of Representatives...
Fraud enforcement, weaponization swirl around Blanche's nomination

Fraud enforcement, weaponization swirl around Blanche’s nomination

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square A marathon Wednesday confirmation hearing for Todd Blanche, President Trump’s nominee for attorney general, touched on fraud enforcement, the anti-weaponization fund, documents associated with Jeffrey...
Income tax cut on Missouri ballot; Illinois may see more outmigration

Income tax cut on Missouri ballot; Illinois may see more outmigration

By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A ballot measure in front of Missouri voters next month could give some Illinois residents in the...
Michigan's U.S. Senate primary heats up as El-Sayed holds lead

Michigan’s U.S. Senate primary heats up as El-Sayed holds lead

By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Recent polling in Michigan's open U.S. Senate race shows Democrat Abdul El-Sayed leading establishment-backed U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens as the Democratic primary approaches. The winner...
Decades of policy choices makes gas more expensive for Blue states: Report

Decades of policy choices makes gas more expensive for Blue states: Report

By Tate MillerThe Center Square Policies made decades ago cause gas prices to be on average higher in Blue states than Red states, with a 55 cent gap per gallon,...
EXCLUSIVE: New ethics complaint targets U.S. Sen. Gallego

EXCLUSIVE: New ethics complaint targets U.S. Sen. Gallego

By Zachery SchmidtThe Center Square A nonpartisan oversight organization filed a Senate ethics complaint on Wednesday against U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona, over a social media statement he made about...
DOJ releases evidence related to Operation Metro Surge shootings

DOJ releases evidence related to Operation Metro Surge shootings

By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Six months after two people were killed during Operation Metro Surge, the U.S. Department of Justice has handed over evidence related to the deaths to...
Iranian in Massachusetts convicted of violating US sanctions against Iran

Iranian in Massachusetts convicted of violating US sanctions against Iran

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square An Iranian businessman has been convicted in federal court in Boston, Mass., after a 14-day jury trial for charges related to violating U.S. sanctions against...