Newly released documents offer a glimpse of what the FBI was looking for in that Nov. 29 raid on Ald. Edward Burke's City Hall office. After papering over the glass doors, a move that both kept prying eyes of the media out and tantalized them, agents sought folders with information about a well-connected City Hall lobbyist, the major deal to renovate the old main post office, and tax increment financing, according to a search warrant released Wednesday night. Burke said as recently as Wednesday that he not only planned to continue his bid for re-election, but predicted he'd win. On Wednesday night he was on the dais for a 14th Ward aldermanic candidate forum. And while his challengers took their shots, he stayed quiet about his legal woes. Meanwhile, Cook County's top prosecutor Kim Foxx says she backs legalizing recreational marijuana use and will move to expunge the records of those convicted on misdemeanor marijuana charges, which can haunt someone's personal and professional life. And newly minted Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is reviewing former Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke's relatively lenient prison sentence in the shooting death of teen Laquan McDonald. It's an unusual move. And just as we're typing this, Lincoln Yards, one of the most ambitious real estate projects ever proposed for the city's North Side, was approved Thursday by the Chicago Plan Commission, an important step toward reshaping the city's skyline and a large swath of land along the Chicago River. Full story here. Welcome to The Spin. |
 The Tribune's Jason Meisner dug into that Burke search warrant and tells us what it means: "Among the items sought were documents and communications concerning Burke's "efforts to obtain employment, patronage jobs, or other benefits for his personal associates" in exchange for his official duties as alderman and chairman of the Finance Committee, according to the records." "Agents were looking for any evidence of 'referral fees, fee-splitting, fee-sharing, and consulting agreements' involving Burke's law firm, Klafter & Burke, the records show. They also demanded contact information and the work locations of all of Burke's employees." Read the full story here. A powerful lobbyist with ties to Ald. Solis' family: "Two folders taken by agents concerned Brian Hynes — an apparent reference to the longtime lobbyist and lawyer with deep connections to House Speaker Michael Madigan. Hynes grew up near Madigan on the Southwest Side, and later worked on Madigan's staff, according to a profile of him in Crain's 40 Under 40 list. :Hynes was a registered lobbyist for the city in 2011, 2012 and 2013, according to Chicago Board of Ethics records. State records show he was also a registered state lobbyist from 2010 to 2017. "Hynes also co-founded Vendor Assistance Program LLC along with Patti Solis Doyle, a sister of Ald. Daniel Solis, who the Sun-Times reported wore a wire for the FBI as part of an investigation into Burke. She no longer has an interest in the company." History: Burke was charged this month with attempted extortion. He's accused of using his position to threaten to shut down the renovation of a Southwest Side Burger King unless the franchisee hired his law firm to handle property tax appeals for the businesses. The longtime alderman's own words may be used against him; the criminal complaint notes that the feds had tapped his cellphone. But even the wiretap points to a broader investigation. As Meisner points out: "The FBI had won a judge's approval to wiretap Burke's cellphone and was already recording his calls before the alleged shakedown at the center of the charge began to unfold in May 2017." |   |
 After the report that Solis wore a wire to record conversations with Burke on behalf of the feds, Chicago mayoral candidate Susana Mendoza is donating money given to her campaign linked to Solis and his family. From the Tribune's Hal Dardick and John Byrne: "Mendoza said Thursday that she will donate nearly $142,000 in campaign contributions linked to Ald. Daniel Solis and a company founded by the alderman's sister." Read the full story, including details on the contributions, here. Patti Solis Doyle, a national campaign operative who worked for Hillary Clinton, had been scheduled to hold a fundraiser for Mendoza in Washington, D.C., next week, but that event has been canceled. Garry McCarthy won't say whether Laquan McDonald shooting was a crime: The one-time Chicago top cop, who was fired in the fallout of the police killing, struggles with the case as he campaigns for mayor, Tribune reporters Dan Hinkel and Jeff Coen report. Read the story here. | |
 So here's a head-scratcher out of Wednesday night's 14th Ward aldermanic candidates forum, courtesy of the Tribune's Gregory Pratt: "But at the first forum between the longtime alderman and his challengers, the moderator did not ask about the federal corruption charge that has beset Burke's campaign for a 13th term." That didn't stop his opponents. Jaime Guzman, a Pilsen law center attorney: "Every newspaper, not just locally (but) in the country, is exposing what is currently happening in the 14th Ward," Guzman said. "And with all due respect, alderman, extorting businesses is not economic development." Tanya Patino, an engineer: "I am frustrated with our current elected officials that only work in self-interest," Patino said. "They don't work for the community's interest. They don't work in honesty or transparency. That is needed and it's needed now." The incumbent's response? As Pratt noted: "Despite the criticism, Burke, did not respond in kind, refusing to outright attack any of his opponents." Read the full story here. | |
 From the Tribune's William Lee: "Announcing her support for legalizing marijuana in Illinois, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx said her office plans to help expunge all misdemeanor marijuana convictions in an attempt to help those hurt by the criminal record. "Foxx's comments came during a luncheon speech before the City Club of Chicago at which she touted improvements to her office since taking over in December 2016. "The speech marked the first time that Cook County's top prosecutor responsible for enforcing the state's drug laws had voiced support for legalizing marijuana." Read the full story here. | |
 From the Tribune's Megan Crepeau and Stacy St. Clair: "In a highly unorthodox move, the Illinois attorney general's office is "reviewing" former Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke's relatively lenient prison sentence, a spokeswoman for the office said Thursday. "We are going to do a careful review of the record and the law and make a determination based on our review," spokeswoman Maura Possley said in an email. "Possley declined to elaborate on what exactly the office is examining, but legal experts told the Tribune the attorney general might try to persuade a higher court to force a resentencing or have state lawmakers reconsider the state's somewhat confusing sentencing laws." Read the full story here. | |
 Outgoing Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Thursday spoke at the United States Conference of Mayors meeting in Washington, D.C., thanking the nation's mayors for their support during his two terms in office, touting his education policy and managing to take a swipe at the media and national leaders over the partial government shutdown — all in about 10 minutes time. I listened in via YouTube. "To all my friends here in the mayor's conference and all the mayors I want to thank you for your friendship … through all 8 years. And to the new mayors … everyone of us have experienced the same challenges, the same opportunities, the same struggles. You're going to learn more from your fellow mayors who all have gone through what you're going" through. "I know you think your challenge is unique and different. No, the media is hard on all of us. They're not just hard on you," drawing laughs. "And they don't give you a fair break for what you've done." He instructed them to lean on their fellow mayors, pick their brains to gain "greater insight on how to resolve issues." That was a windup to the impasse over the partial government shutdown. "Because at the end of the day, no mayor can afford 39 days of shut business. We don't get the luxury of 39 days of not paying bills. We have to open up schools, plow streets, cut trees, fix lights and bring companies and jobs and opp and we don't get one day off doing it," Emanuel said. Either the mayor got a bit ahead of himself or the onetime beltway insider knows something we don't. The government's actually been shutdown for 34 days, to date. | |
 From the Tribune's Tony Briscoe: "Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed an executive order Wednesday to join the United States Climate Alliance, aligning himself with 17 other governors who have committed their states to reduce carbon emissions consistent with the Paris Agreement after President Donald Trump vowed to withdraw the United States from the pact." What it means: "By joining the coalition, Pritzker has pledged Illinois will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 26 to 28 percent by 2025 compared to 2005 levels. Pritzker said Illinois is on track to get 25 percent of its power from renewable sources, referring to a requirement by the Future Energy Jobs Act, the bill that resulted in a boom in solar energy across the state," Briscoe writes. Political perspective: "Pritzker became the first of three newly elected Midwestern Democratic governors to make good on his promise to join the Climate Alliance after Trump's rollbacks of Obama-era environmental regulations and attacks on climate science. If Michigan's Gretchen Whitmer and Wisconsin's Tony Evers follow suit, the additions of their states to the climate alliance would mean half the country's population was represented." New today: The new governor was in Aurora on Thursday signing an executive order he says will make the state more friendly to immigrants, the latest stop on his first-weeks tour to distinguish himself from former Gov. Bruce Rauner. | |
 Former Illinois reporter Dan Vock has a major project in Governing magazine about racial segregation in downstate cities such as Peoria, Springfield and Danville. It's a multipart, multiple-cups-of-coffee read. From the summary: "The Peoria area had the sixth-highest level of segregation measured between blacks and whites of any metro area in the country, while the Danville area ranked 12th nationally. Kankakee, Rockford and Springfield were similarly among the top third most segregated metro areas between black and whites." And the lead anecdote will be familiar to people who know Springfield: "Springfield cleaved in two along racial lines, with railroad tracks again marking the split. This time, it was the Norfolk Southern tracks alongside Ninth Street. East of the tracks, the neighborhoods were predominantly black, and many blocks were pockmarked by vacant houses and boarded-up businesses. West of the tracks, the neighborhoods got progressively whiter and wealthier." Here's the full story. ldonovan@chicagotribune.com Twitter @byldonovan | |
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