Illinois news in brief: Ex-Big Ten Network staffer gets 2 years in embezzlement case

July 22, 2026/

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By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

Ex-Big Ten Network staffer gets 2 years in embezzlement case

A former Big Ten Network employee has been sentenced to 28 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $4 million in restitution after he pleaded guilty to embezzlement charges. Prosecutors said Weston Goldstein, 48, used company credit cards and the Big Ten Network’s procurement process to buy electronic devices and sell them online over a period of eight years.

EPA announces $5 million to address non-point source pollution

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Director James Jennings has announced $5 million for projects addressing non-point source pollution. The agency said NPS pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground, picking up pollutants and depositing them into sources of drinking water.

State recovers unpaid wages, prevailing wage penalties

The Illinois Department of Labor has recovered more than $67,000 in unpaid wages for eight employees after an investigation found prevailing wage violations by Absolute Home Improvements & Cleaning Service on a public works project in Lake County. The investigation found the employer failed to pay required fringe benefit rates to employees and did not comply with payroll reporting requirements under the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act. The company also paid more than $6,700 in penalties.

Grocery stores that got taxpayer money may close

All seven Save A Lot stores across Chicago could shut down this Saturday after the company decided to end its partnership with grocery operator Yellow Banana. NBC Chicago reports that city officials attributed the end of the partnership to the recent death of Yellow Banana CEO Joe Canfield and cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. The city gave $13.5 million in taxpayer funds to refurbish the grocery stores in 2022. A Save A Lot spokesperson said Yellow Banana is exploring options to keep the stores open.

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