Rod R Blagojevich

Former Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich blames overzealous prosecutors and political enemies for his downfall in a new book that offers glimpses of his rocky six-year tenure and his upcoming defense against federal corruption charges. "The Governor" describes his arrest on charges that included trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama last year. In keeping with the governor's long-held position that he's been victimized by rivals and "unethical" prosecutors, Blagojevich writes that his guiding thought in selecting a new senator was, "How much do I love the people of Illinois?"

A federal judge heard pleas Tuesday from Rod R. Blagojevich's wife and one of his daughters urging leniency for the former Illinois governor, who was convicted last summer of 17 corruption counts, including an attempt to sell an appointment to the U.S. Senate. "Your honor, I ask you humbly with the life of my husband and the childhood of my daughters in your hands, be merciful," Patti Blagojevich wrote to U.S. District Judge James Zagel in a letter read to the court by lawyer Aaron Goldstein.

Worker sit-in: A photo caption in Tuesday's Section A with an article about a worker sit-in at the Republic Windows and Doors plant in Chicago misidentified Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich. He is at the center of the photo shown above

Former Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison Wednesday and fined $20,000 for what U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald referred to as a criminal corruption crime spree at the time of Blagojevich's arrest three years ago. Blagojevich was convicted of corruption charges including trying to trade President Obama's vacated U.S. Senate seat in exchange for money or favors. He will have to serve a minimum of nearly 12 years under federal rules that say defendants must complete 85% of their sentences.

Ousted Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich has pleaded not guilty to federal racketeering and fraud charges. "I'm glad this process has finally begun," the impeached former governor said after he and his brother, Robert, were arraigned. The charges against Blagojevich, 52, include attempting to sell the Senate seat vacated by President Obama.

Re "Senators call appointment unwelcome," Dec. 31 Isn't Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich's appointment of Roland Burris less scandalous than Richard Nixon's appointment of Gerald Ford as vice president? In the latter case, we had a president clearly in trouble appointing his successor. In this case, we have a boneheaded governor showing that he, foolishly or not, has guts. I think the appointment should be weighed on its merits. Let all of the outrage be focused on simply removing Blagojevich from office because, honestly, that is the real engine behind this fury.

Tribune Co. would have received as much as $45 million and a 5% stake in a leased Wrigley Field under a deal involving a state loan of $300 million toward restoring the ballpark, a proposal found in state documents shows. The media company, which owns the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, is trying to sell the Chicago Cubs and its ballpark. Secret talks about the pact between Tribune Co. and state officials came to a halt Dec. 9 when then-Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich was arrested on federal corruption charges.

President-elect Barack Obama is resigning his Senate seat effective Sunday. In a statement, he called his four years in the Capitol "one of the highest honors and privileges" of his life. Under state law, Democratic Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich will appoint Obama's replacement, who will serve the remaining two years of his term. Blagojevich has ruled out appointing himself. The vice president-elect, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, may remain in the Senate until January. His vote could be needed in the lame-duck session of Congress that begins next week.

At least one sign in Illinois -- welcoming drivers to the state's International Port District -- still proclaims Rod R. Blagojevich to be governor. After Blagojevich was impeached and ousted from office following his arrest on federal corruption charges, Gov. Pat Quinn called for a cleansing of the Blagojevich name from signs across the state. The 32 such signs above Illinois Tollway plazas were removed immediately.

Former Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich on Friday accused prosecutors of trying to criminalize political horse-trading and said that he would not accept any plea deal. And he said the lone juror who held out against convicting him on major corruption counts this week confirmed his faith in God. "I've always had a deep and abiding faith in God," he said on NBC's "Today" show. "And when I look at that, it just confirms, 'Praise God.' And I certainly thank her for her good judgment.

— A federal jury convicted former Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich on Tuesday of just one of the 24 corruption counts against him and deadlocked on the other 23 — including whether he tried to sell the Senate seat formerly occupied by President Obama. The single conviction came on one of the least serious charges, lying to federal agents, which carries a maximum of five years in prison. He could have faced up to 20 years on some of the more serious charges, such as racketeering.

ILLINOIS 3.8 earthquake shakes northern part of state A magnitude 3.8 earthquake shook northern Illinois, but no damage or injuries were reported, authorities said. The quake was centered about 3 miles underground in a farm field near Hampshire. The temblor hit at 3:59 a.m. and was felt over a wide area -- from Wisconsin to Tennessee -- according to the Kane County and DeKalb County sheriff's departments, which are closest to the epicenter. "We got hundreds of calls," DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott said.

The Democratic gubernatorial primary in Illinois is a tossup between Gov. Pat Quinn and Comptroller Dan Hynes as controversy over an inmate early-release program and an imploding state budget has cut into Quinn's once-sizable advantage, a Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV poll has found. On the Republican side, three candidates also are in a close battle ahead of the Feb. 2 primary. Former state GOP Chairman Andy McKenna, former Illinois Atty. Gen. Jim Ryan and state Sen. Kirk Dillard lead the field, but none had reached 20%, according to the new poll.

Former Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich long has thought that his best chance of beating the sweeping federal corruption charges against him was to take his case directly to the public -- whether through media interviews, writing a book or glad-handing people on the street. But things haven't always gone swimmingly. On Monday, Blagojevich moved quickly to apologize for saying in an Esquire magazine interview that he was "blacker than Barack Obama." Even before many had heard about the interview, Blagojevich was standing outside his home, pointing out that it was a dumb thing to say. "What I said was stupid, stupid, stupid," Blagojevich said, using the word 16 times in a few minutes.

Federal prosecutors plan to revise the charges against former Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich next month to avoid possible delays in their case because of a looming Supreme Court decision on a well-used public corruption law, the U.S. attorney's office said Monday. The high court is expected to hear oral arguments today on limiting the "honest services" fraud law, which criminalizes "a scheme or artifice to deprive another of the intangible right of honest services." The law has been a mainstay of federal public corruption cases, and prosecutors are relying on it for several of the charges against Blagojevich, accusing him of illegally leveraging his position to benefit himself.

Christopher Kelly, a key figure in the federal corruption investigation of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, has died. A onetime confidant and top fundraiser for Blagojevich, Kelly was accused of using his office to leverage campaign donations and benefits for himself and his family. In a surprise move Tuesday, a day before his scheduled trial, the roofing business owner pleaded guilty to two counts of mail fraud as part of a kickback scheme to illegally obtain $8.5 million in work at O'Hare International Airport.

Former Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich blames overzealous prosecutors and political enemies for his downfall in a new book that offers glimpses of his rocky six-year tenure and his upcoming defense against federal corruption charges. "The Governor" describes his arrest on charges that included trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama last year. In keeping with the governor's long-held position that he's been victimized by rivals and "unethical" prosecutors, Blagojevich writes that his guiding thought in selecting a new senator was, "How much do I love the people of Illinois?"