A former aldercreature going to prison? Who'd believe that?
- State Sen. Rickey Hendon, a flamboyant former West Side alderman known for his nickname "Hollywood" and his controversial mouth, abruptly quit Thursday.
[...] The surprise announcement by the veteran lawmaker comes months after revelations that a federal grand jury issued subpoenas for records on dozens of state grants, some of which he sponsored. On Thursday, Hendon repeatedly said he was hanging up as a reporter tried to ask whether his decision to resign was related to the federal subpoenas.
The subpoenas sought state agency records about dealings with more than 50 individuals and nearly 40 entities, according to copies of the August subpoenas served state agencies and obtained by the Tribune. Included are groups that won grants for after-school programs, job training and health programs, including several that were part of a 2008 Tribune investigation into Hendon's sponsorship of after-school grants.
Will he be the latest in a long line of "public servants" headed to the federal pokey? Got to keep up that 50% conviction rate somehow.