EXPANDED SPORTS COVERAGE SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE Questions? Call 1-800-Tribune Thursday, March 7, 2019 Breaking news at chicagotribune.com Prosecutors to drop charges against Schock unheard of in a high-profile with a clean record. Ex-congressman would have to corruption case. In a sur- As part of the deal, pay back IRS, $68K to campaign prise move, federal prose- Schock’s campaign commit- cutors in Chicago an- tee, Schock for Congress, By Jason Meisner Schock, of Peoria, was hit nounced they had agreed to pleaded guilty Wednesday Chicago Tribune with a sweeping criminal drop all charges against to a misdemeanor count of indictment alleging he used Schock in what’s known as a failing to properly report Once a rising Republican his government and cam- deferred prosecution. expenses. star, former U.S. Rep. Aaron paign funds as a personal Under the terms of the U.S. District Judge Schock’s public fall from piggy bank — with expendi- deal, Schock, 37, must pay Matthew Kennelly ap- grace began with stories of tures ranging from private back taxes to the IRS and proved the deal after prose- his lavish tastes, including jets and skybox tickets at $68,000 to his congres- cutors said they had taken a the extravagant remodeling Soldier Field to handing out sional campaign funds. If he fresh look at the charges of his Washington office exorbitant bonuses and pay- does so — and stays out of and decided this would be a inspired by the British tele- ing for travel to get a any new trouble for six “fair and just” outcome, vision series “Downton Ab- haircut. months — prosecutors especially given that Schock ANTONIO PEREZ/CHICAGO TRIBUNE bey.” On Wednesday, however, would drop all felony has no criminal record and Former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock faced charges he used his After he resigned in 2015 Schock’s story took a stun- counts against Schock in government and campaign funds as his own piggy bank. amid a federal investigation, ning turn — one virtually September, leaving him Turn to Schock, Page 10 Feds charge Harvey mayor kin 3 relatives, key aide of Kellogg touched by graft probe By Megan Crepeau, Zak Koeske and Jason Meisner Chicago Tribune A federal probe of south suburban Harvey appeared to be closing in on longtime Mayor Eric Kellogg as three of his relatives as well as a key consultant to Kellogg were charged in what au- thorities billed as an on- going investigation. Federal agents seized evi- dence during raids on both Harvey’s municipal build- ing and Police Department. Among those charged were Kellogg’s brother and a cousin for allegedly ex- torting regular cash payoffs from a Harvey strip club to protect its prostitution ac- BRIAN CASSELLA/CHICAGO TRIBUNE tivities. Construction on the Jane Byrne Circle Interchange will take at least another 3½ years and will cost at least $170 million more than expected. Separate charges accused Donald Luster, a twice- convicted felon and former mayor of Dixmoor, as well as an alleged “bagman” of What’s driving Jane Byrne soliciting bribes from the owner of a towing company in a nearby suburb. Luster was a consultant to the city given influence by Kellogg delay? IDOT files offer hint. over economic devel- opment and planning mat- It wasn’t just one prob- Illinois at Chicago campus slowed down work on the ters. Rerouting of utilities a factor in lem that caused this to where a building had sunk project while it made ur- In a third criminal com- increased length, cost of repairs happen, the Tribune and shifted, state records gent repairs to another key plaint made public Wednes- found, but a series of issues show. highway entry point into day, two Harvey police offi- By Joe Mahr and closed lanes and bountiful that contributed to unfore- Records obtained from the city, I-55 at Lake Shore cers — including Derrick Mary Wisniewski construction signs at the seen delays, conflicts over the Illinois Department of Drive. Muhammad, 70, another Chicago Tribune juncture of the Eisen- who was to blame and a Transportation also show IDOT has a special web- brother of the mayor — hower, Kennedy and Dan price tag that is now $713 delays due to the rerouting site for the project but has were charged with falsify- If all had gone as Ryan expressways west of million, a third higher than of utilities, with contrac- not provided much infor- ing a police report to protect planned, the remake of the the Loop, the effects of a the original estimate of tors blaming outside utility mation there on the proj- a father and son, both con- Jane Byrne Interchange construction project that $535.5 million. companies and city of Chi- ect’s timeline and prob- victed felons, from possibly could have been done by will take at least another While drivers are bear- cago crews. lems causing delays. But facing weapons charges. now. 3½ years and will cost at ing the brunt of it, the State transportation of- that could be changing. Instead, drivers contin- least $170 million more problems have extended ficials also have told the Turn to Harvey, Page 10 ue to face snarled traffic, than expected. to the nearby University of Tribune that the agency Turn to IDOT, Page 9 Dissension ‘Alma Otter’ gains traction to be U. of I. face among House Push on for new tion asking if Alma Otter hopeful about Alma’s dropped in 2007 after the should become the chances. Sekiguchi said NCAA labeled it “hostile Democrats mascot to replace school’s official symbol. she’ll be handing out fly- and abusive,” but it has Vote on resolution con- Chief Illiniwek Now, as students prepared ers on campus — possibly remained a campus sym- demning anti-Semitism to vote Wednesday and in an otter onesie — with a bol. Students have contin- postponed indefinitely. By Morgan Greene Thursday, a campaign to handful of other pro-Alma ued to dress up as Chief Nation & World, Page 11 Chicago Tribune make the river otter the organizers over the next Illiniwek, and a Facebook face of the university is few days. group dedicated to its Students at the Uni- going mainstream — and “There’s always going preservation has thou- ABEL URIBE/TRIBUNE versity of Illinois may one the otter may join other to be Chief-forever peo- sands of likes. day be able to say they’re Big Ten mascots from the ple,” Sekiguchi said. “But I “I would say I’m R. Kelly jailed Townes, Loyola proud of their alma mater same animal family. still think there’s a lot of strongly against the Chief and their Alma Otter. Anna Sekiguchi, one of traction and a lot of buzz and Native American im- for not paying eyeing a second Last month, the Illinois the authors of the refer- for Alma Otter.” agery in general being Student Government pro- endum rallying for the The school’s Chief child support magical March posed a referendum ques- common otter, said she’s Illiniwek symbol was Turn to Otter, Page 9 Chicagoland, Page 4 Chicago Sports Chicago Weather Center: Complete $2.50 city and suburbs, $3.00 elsewhere High Low Tom Skilling’s forecast 30 24 forecast on back page of A+E section 171st year No. 66 © Chicago Tribune You know the feeling when you’re current on current events? Finally rolling over your old 401k can bring you that same sense of satisfaction, and our rollover specialists are here to help, every step of the way. Start now at tdameritrade.com/rollover All investments involve risk, including risk of loss. TD Ameritrade, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. © 2019 TD Ameritrade. 2 Chicago Tribune | Section 1 | Thursday, March 7, 2019 JOSE M. OSORIO/CHICAGO TRIBUNE John Kass Kids know the promise VINTAGE PHOTOS OF CHICAGO of March: Life, on its way The @vintagetribune Instagram, a photography account produced by the Somewhere there’s a kid with a on down there, wondering about the play on and in those gigantic pipes photo editors of the Chi- secret knowledge about the month of fish and the bugs and frogs. until we were chased out. One of them cago Tribune, has been March. I’ll tell you a secret. I’d daydream was set up with a mattress for the mining the archives. But he really hasn’t given it much about riding a dragonfly. It helped me naughty older boys and their make-out These are the images that thought. He won’t write it down. He keep my mind off a bully who would sessions. That was half the thrill … the would have been posted doesn’t care about the science of the punch me in the stomach whenever chase. had Instagram existed in, thing. he found me. We also had a crossing guard we say, 1932. This book is an It’s just there, in his head, like faith, March is the month wedged be- called Schultzie, who monitored the inspired portrait of one of not to be questioned. And what is on tween winter and the rains of April railroad tracks. She would go after us if the world’s great metrop- his right hand is not to be questioned, and it is a month that gets little if any she saw us cutting across the tracks. A olises, told through the either. respect. vicious cycle of repairing the fence and lenses of the countless feet-on-the-street photogra- A baseball mitt. The boy’s first It’s slushy and the snow turns someone cutting it open always ensued. phers from the city’s hometown paper.