News December 2003
Grand jury indicts Ryan
A federal grand jury indicted former Illinois Gov. George Ryan December 17 on charges of racketeering conspiracy, mail and tax fraud. The corruption charges stem from Ryan’s terms of secretary of state and governor. He is the 66th person indicted in the U.S. attorney’s Operation Safe Road investigation. The indictment’s major allegations: Ryan and members of his family got illegal cash, gifts, trips and services. The U.S. attorney’s office also alleges that Ryan directed another illegal $300,000 to a friend and repeatedly lied during the federal investigation.
The Ryan indictment.pdf

Case summary of Operation Saferoad (updated December 17, 2003)
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/osr/osrcasesummary.pdf

Press release, the Ryan indictment
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/pr/2003/pr121703_01.pdf

Read our analysis: George Ryan's political career

llinois Issues, December 17, 2003

Kevin Stein is Illinois’ new poet laureate.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich chose the Bradley University literature professor from a list of 25 nominees. Stein is the author of A Circus of Want and other books. He has won numerous awards, including the Frederick Bock Prize from Poetry magazine.

llinois Issues, December 11, 2003

Paul Simon dies
Former U.S. Sen. Paul Simon of Makanda died December 9 in Springfield following heart surgery. Simon, known for integrity and high ethical standards, was 75. A Democratic presidential candidate in 1988, Simon was director of the Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale at the time of his death. The former newspaperman was a founder of Illinois Issues. He also was the first director of the Public Affairs Reporting Program at what is now the University of Illinois at Springfield.

Illinois Issues, December 10, 2003