MADISON CO., IL. (ECWd) - A member of a public body cannot sue that public body, and then turn around and settle the lawsuit without creating a prohibited interest in a contract (settlements are contracts). Michael Parkinson is a Granite City Police Officer and a member of...
CARLINVILLE, IL. (ECWd) - The April 2, 2018, Carlinville City Council meeting was, for the most part, uneventful, considering what transpired at their previous meeting. The city council behaved itself during comments from the public, the attorney stayed quiet for the most part, and the only short...
SPRINGFIELD, IL. (ECWd) - The State Journal-Register reported (here) that Frank Vala was resigning as Woodside Township Trustee, "rather than go through a legal battle that could cost taxpayers money." Sounds good on the surface, doesn't it? First, any legal battle would not have cost the taxpayer anything,...
HUME, IL. (ECWd) - On Decenber 14, 2017, at approximately 10:40 a.m., I observed the Shiloh School District's van being used for apparent personal business, and I notified the Superintendent of what I saw, and was told it would be looked at. I observed this van at...
Will Co. (ECWd) - All too often we find Township Supervisors that have taken the position that since they are the Treasurer for the Township, they can pretty much do whatever they want without following the laws. Wesley Township Supervisor appears to have followed that same...
Will Co. (ECWd) - Wesley Township has been in turmoil for several years due to what appears to be incompetence and total disregard for the law. The Township Code is not hard to comprehend nor apply...
McHenry Co. (ECWd) - ECWd filed our Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit this week against the Algonquin Township and Road District. After months of non-compliance from our FOIA requests it became crystal clear the Township Clerk and keeper of the records, Karen Lukasik, has no...
NEWTON, IL. (ECWd) - Once again, Jasper County School District is making up its own rules which we believe violate the letter and intent of the law. We wrote about it in a previous article (here) and now the Attorney General's Public Access Counselor is reviewing this...
SPRINGFIELD, IL. (ECWd) - Frank Vala was Gov. Rauner's appointee to Chair the Illinois Procurement Policy Board in 2017, he was appointed Commissioner to the Springfield Airport Authority in 2002 by the Sangamon County Board, and was Elected as Woodside Township Trustee in 2017. Vala had previously...
[caption id="attachment_44060" align="alignleft" width="393"] ECWd photo Clarksburg Schoolhouse - July 2017[/caption] CLARKSBURG, (Shelby County) IL. (ECWd) - History up in flames. After months of sometimes heated debate about the future of Illinois' last known two-room wooden schoolhouse, the building is gone. Some residents wanted to restore the building,...
