Watchdogs in 2020 – Some of our highlights:

Edgar County, IL. (ECWd) –

ECWd – 2020

Time for our annual report on some of our activities throughout 2020, so here goes:

• We finished up 2019 with a long-awaited report from the Attorney General, which determined that the College of DuPage had violated the Freedom of Information Act. . . in 2016 (here) when it withheld the W-2 tax forms of its then-president Robert Breuder. The PAC acknowledged its mistake in a previous determination on W-2 forms, and corrected it with this one.
• We were the first entity to expose the violation of Due Process by Illinois Governor Pritzker and his draconian orders.  Months later what we wrote became the mainstream arguments by attorneys and prosecutors across the state.  (here)
• We wrote extensively on Joliet Township, and particularly Supervisor Vera’s activities, including his comments on women not being able to do the job of men, improper use of tax levy funds, improper use of township road district employees on his personal property, improper use of compensation, township jobs created and gifted jobs in exchange for resignations, ghost payroll, his racist comments towards animal control employees, all of culminating this year when he was not slated on a party slate for the upcoming 2021 election (here)
• Paris Fire Protection District employee charged with stealing fuel from the district (trial scheduled for early 2021) (here)
• DuPage Township – too much to mention, but hardly a month goes by without new information (here)
• Shelby County Board with its improper hiring of a private attorney, Sheriff’s illegal guns sales, County Engineer’s illegal use of the public property for a private business, and much more (here)
• Lincoln-Way East High School’s Associate Principal arrested and lied about it (here)
• Mattoon’s illegal appointment to the Coles County Airport Authority (here)
• Pecatonica Township’s flagrant abuse of power, civil rights violations, and FOIA and Open Meetings violations (here)
• Convictions of Local Union 395 Iron Workers (here)
• NECAS’ $10k in Christmas gifts while crying about being broke, and employee problems (here)
• Sex crime allegations against McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks (here) and his banning from state capitol grounds without a police escort
• $350k settlement against Edgar County Sheriff and a Deputy (here)
• Avon Township Supervisor’s illegal transfer of township vehicles and purchase of real estate without board approvals, and illegal annual town meeting of the electors (here)
• Alorton Mayor arrested again (here)
• Algonquin Township sanctioned by Court – ordered to pay ECWd’s attorney fees (here)
• Edgar County Sheriff’s employee caught padding her payroll (here)
• Bellmont Mayor Gary Lance’s illegal use of village property, lying to Judge in court, and his failed attempts as silencing critics (here)
• Channahon Park District’s illegal compensation of elected commissioner – they eliminated the compensation at a later meeting (here)
• Onarga Library District’s various Open Meetings Act violations (here)
• Governor Pritzker’s failed attempt at banning reporter from briefing rooms (here)
• Former Urbana Park District employee inciting riots – he was later arrested out of state and brought back to Illinois (here)
• AG determined College of DuPage violated the Freedom of Information Act – in 2014 (here)
• Madison County Sheriff’s FOIA violations (here)
• Shelby County Corrections Officer’s DUI – “Everyone drinks and drives” (here)
• Springfield Mass Transit employee charged with 6 felonies (here)
• Political Action Committee’s receipt of public funds (here)
• Carlinville’s continued battle, and their loss in Court, on forming a private company with the purpose of contracting from it (here) – this case is awaiting an Appellate Court Hearing
• Prohibited Political Activity by Madison County officers and employees (here)
• SIU Professor’s electioneering with university email (here)
• Paris Councilman arrested on sexual abuse charges (here)
• Kankakee County Auditor sued the county board and its chairman (here)
• Village of Bradley’s Village Manager accused of gay slurs, charged with domestic abuse in Illinois and Indiana, she was terminated from her job (here)
• Orland Park violated FOIA by not providing a list of accounts blocked from their social media pages (here)
• Court ordered Hancock County Sheriff to turn over the names of people who purchased guns from the Department (here)
• Coles County Assistant State’s Attorney quits after allegations of misconduct (here)
• We sued the Illinois State Police, City of Urbana, Danville Police Department, City of Bloomington, and Chicago Police Department for refusing to provide public records
• We sued the City of Urbana for its unreasonable public comment policy during public meetings
• Selected as a NOAA Ambassador
• Continued our coverage of Pecatonica Township (here)
• Continued our coverage of Avon Township (here)

This work has lead to multiple public officials leaving office in 2020 as well as numerous ongoing criminal investigations.

Places we have worked in the past several years are colored in (pic does not include work in states outside of IL and IN):