Madigan Conviction Upheld and Bradley Water Park Progress - Tuesday, April 28th, 2026

In this edition of the WVLI News Update, Rob West provides a comprehensive report on significant legal and local developments affecting the Kankakee County area. The update begins with a major ruling from the Chicago Federal Appeals Court regarding the conviction of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and details his potential next steps in the legal process.

The report also covers recent law enforcement activity across the region. This includes a gun-related arrest following a suspicious vehicle report in Bradley, a burglary investigation involving missing equipment in Kankakee, and a weekend traffic stop in Bourbonnais that led to firearm charges. Additionally, listeners will hear the latest on a shots-fired incident monitored by ShotSpotter technology.

Local government highlights include key decisions from the Bradley Village Board regarding the development of a new water park and the approval of the fiscal budget for 2026-2027. The update also details upcoming infrastructure maintenance projects and the results of the Kankakee County ballot placement lottery for the November general election.

The episode concludes with a full recap of scores and upcoming schedules for the White Sox, Cubs, and Cardinals, along with highlights from the NBA and NHL playoffs. Listen to the full episode for detailed accounts of these stories and local sports coverage.

Episode artwork photo: Capitol News Illinois photo by Andrew Adams.

Listen to more great shows on the WVLI Podcast Network:

This One Time in Kankakee  (Narrative Storytelling)

Kankakee Valley Community Happenings  (Businesses & Non-Profits)

The voices you trust, beyond the dial. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:42

Chicago Federal Appeals Court upholding the conviction of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Three judge panel rejected arguments from Madigan's defense team, the former House Speaker, currently serving a seven and a half year federal prison sentence that after he was convicted last year. Bradley police reporting a gun arrest. According to reports, it was about one o'clock Sunday morning. Officers called to a business in the 2000 block of North Bradley Boulevard by an employee who said there was a man in the parking lot of the business. He refused to leave when he was told the business was closing. Officers say when they got there, they talked to the driver of the car. He told them he wanted to take a nap before continuing his trip. When they asked him to get out of the car, officers allegedly spotted a handgun inside the car. They arrested 21-year-old Anthony R. Pinazzo of Moments for unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession of a controlled substance that, after a search of the car, allegedly turned up illegal drugs. A resolution passed last night's Bradley Village Board meeting that allows the village to enter into an agreement with Arco Murray for pre-construction services for the upcoming water park. The initial cost of the service is approved,$100,000, which is considered similar to a down payment for their services. Rob Romo, the village finance director, explained Arco Murray's role in building the water park.

SPEAKER_02 2:18

This way that there's no anticipated surprises when it's all said and done.

SPEAKER_01 3:26

Kankakee City Police say they responded to an alleged burglary at a business in the 100 block of East Brookmont Boulevard Saturday. According to reports, officers called to the business just before three o'clock Saturday afternoon for a burglary that had happened earlier in the morning. When police got there, an employee showed them footage of a man entering a storage shed attached to the northwest corner of the building. The business owner said he became suspicious when he discovered six heaters missing from the shed. Forty-one-year-old Jose Zambrano Garcia has been charged with burglary, possession of burglary tools, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, and other charges. Bradley trustees last night approved a budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year. Village Finance Director Rob Romo.

SPEAKER_02 4:33

And our capital improvement fund, which would leave a$100,000 surplus for the year.

SPEAKER_01 4:43

An ordinance passed last night amended the 25-26 budget, showing the village operated in the black,$23.7 million in revenue,$21.4 million in expenditures. Kankakee City Police say a home on the city's east side was burglarized sometime over the weekend. According to reports, officers called to the home in the 100 block of North Wildwood Avenue about 730 Sunday night for the reported burglary. When they got there, the owner told officers someone had forced their way into the home's garage and taken various tools, including a steel hedge trimmer and Troy air compressor. The victim told the officers he doesn't live at the home and locked up the garage with everything inside before he left Saturday night. No suspects have been identified. A traffic stop by Bourbon A police over the weekend led to a gun arrest. According to reports, officers stopped a car driven by 22-year-old David N. Moore. Search of his car allegedly turned up a gun. Moore arrested by Bourbon A police for unlawful use of a weapon and being a felon in possession of a firearm. A resolution accepting a bid for road maintenance was passed last night at the Bradley Village Board meeting. Village Public Works and Utilities Director Jeff Meeker.

SPEAKER_00 5:50

It's for uh some projects in the village where we're going to actually uh do some milling, where we're actually gonna, you know, grind up the street, some patching, some overlays, some crack ceilings, and uh at different locations throughout the village.

SPEAKER_01 6:03

Meeker says the list of roads getting attention will be posted on the Village of Bradley website on the public works page in the coming weeks. Meeker anticipated the projects will start in late summer or early fall, the winning bid from Kankakee Valley Construction Company for just over$923,000. And the Republicans have earned the top spot for the November general election. Kankakee County Clerk Dan Hendrickson says the lottery for ballot placement was held yesterday morning at the County Clerk's office. Republican Party Representative Eric Cavender drew the Jack of Hearts. Democratic Representative Lori Gadboys drew the three of clubs. By draw, the GOP will have the top spot on the ballot for the November 3rd, 2026 general election. In sports, White Sox beat the Angels 8-7 in Chicago last night. Sox host the Angels again tonight. Cubs on a three-game losing streak after dropping a 9-7 decision to the Padres in San Diego last night. Same two teams there tonight. Cardinals beat the Pirates 4-3 in Pittsburgh, Cards and the Pirates again tonight. Last night in the NBA playoffs, the Magic beat the Pistons, Thunder down the Suns, the Nuggets beat the Timberwolves. Action continues tonight when the Celtics host the 76ers, the Knicks entertain the Hawks, Spurs host the Trailblazers. Over in the NHL, last night's winners, the Penguins and the Golden Knights. On tap tonight, the Sabres host the Bruins. That is a look at news and sports here on this Tuesday. Have a good rest of your day. Be safe, everybody. I'm Rob West.