He was in jail, then he was out… then in, and now he’s out again. 

Calvin Christian, who has several pending lawsuits against Springfield police, has been released after an overnight stay in the county jail on a contempt of court charge. 

The judge allowed Christian to go free after Christian promised to either pay a delinquent noise ordinance fine… or to turn over financial information to the city.  Christian has one week to comply or risk returning to jail.

With less than two weeks to go in the scheduled legislative session… and most of the major issues still unresolved… Illinois lawmakers are taking the weekend off. 

The legislature did send a medical marijuana bill to the governor’s desk for the first time.  But a vote on a concealed carry bill was postponed. 

And there’s little sign of progress on pension reform and no clear picture on a new state budget.

Springfield is preparing to lawyer up for a possible court fight with Chatham over water. 

The city says Chatham is in breach of its contract to purchase water from City Water Light and Power through this summer.  Chatham cut off those water purchases early when it joined the South Sangamon Water Commission. 

An ordinance that goes before Springfield aldermen this week would pay the law firm of Sorling Northrup up to $50,000 to handle the case against Chatham.

Even though there are only two weeks left in the scheduled legislation session, Illinois lawmakers are taking the weekend off.  Both the House and Senate adjourned for the weekend, leaving a number of major issues still hanging. 

The Senate had been expected to take up a controversial concealed carry bill that is opposed by the gun lobby, but did not vote on it before senators headed for home.  There’s no word on when that bill might be called. 

Major budget and pension questions are also still unresolved with the clock ticking toward the end of the month.

A Republican businessman who is considering a run for governor is taking direct aim at public sector unions. 

In an interview for 970 WMAY’s Michael Koolidge Show, Bruce Rauner said that groups like AFSCME and the major teachers unions in Illinois are running Springfield… using their leverage to get taxpayer-funded raises and benefits.  And Rauner says those groups then use that money to support friendly politicians, a practice he equates with bribery. 

Rauner is vowing to shrink union influence in the state’s politics and to reduce the tax burden for Illinois residents and businesses.

Springfield police say they caught two burglary suspects in the act… and think the pair may be responsible for other break-ins. 

Officers were called to an address on West Vine by a neighbor who reported seeing two people breaking into a garage.  The witness told police that the men entered the garage just seconds before officers arrived. 

Police surrounded the garage and found the suspects inside.  They also found a pair of gloves and a flashlight.  30-year-old Walter Cunninghman and 29-year-old Michael Brown face multiple charges for this burglary and perhaps others.

The plaintiff in multiple lawsuits against Springfield police is back behind bars.

As 970 WMAY News was the first to report, Calvin Christian was taken into custody Thursday afternoon after being held in contempt of court.

Christian refused to turn over personal financial information that was being sought by the city of Springfield, as it tries to collect more than $800 in fines that Christian owes for noise ordinance violations.

Christian told the court that he did not want to disclose the information while he has pending lawsuits against the city.

Christian has sued over the police department’s destruction of internal affairs records, and has also claimed a sweeping conspiracy among officers to target and harass him.

The full Illinois Senate could vote today on a more restrictive concealed carry bill that has drawn fierce opposition from the gun lobby.

Democratic Senator Kwame Raoul’s bill gives state police more latitude to reject concealed carry permit applications, and allows local communities like Springfield to set their own rules for where guns can be carried.

Pro-gun groups say Raoul’s bill is intended to make it difficult or impossible for most people to legally carry a firearm for self-defense.

In the House, Democrat Brandon Phelps says they are working on a bill that would have a "shall issue" standard, but says he is willing to concede banning loaded weapons on public transportation to get the "shall issue" provision.  Phelps appeared on 970 WMAY's Bishop On Air Thursday (mp3 download).

Springfield police have arrested two men in connection with a series of shootings on South Renfro Street… one of which sent a man to the hospital.

27-year-old VonTa Commer is facing multiple charges including unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon.

31-year-old Demetrious Commer is charged with aggravated battery.

In addition to the shooting that struck a man in the wrist and chest last week, another incident involved shots fired at a house just down the street.

The man who is suing the City of Springfield over those shredded internal affairs files has been taken into custody for the second time in two days.

Calvin Christian was arrested Thursday on a contempt of court charge after refusing to turn over personal financial information to the city.

City officials sought that information after Christian failed to pay $800 in noise ordinance fines, one of a series of tickets and fines he's received in recent months.

Christian told the court he did not want to reveal the information while he has pending litigation against the city over the internal affairs files, as well as his claim that police are conspiring to harass him.

Illinois’s jobless rate dropped slightly in April, compared to a month earlier. 

The jobless rate for April was 9.3%, down from 9.5 in March.  But the rate was higher than it was in April of 2012, even though the state reports 40,000 more payroll jobs now than at the same time last year. 

State officials say the up-and-down employment numbers in Illinois reflect an ongoing uncertainty about the national economic recovery.

Congressman Aaron Schock says resignations are not enough… he wants criminal prosecutions for the IRS scandal. 

Schock is reacting to the resignation of acting Internal Revenue Service commissioner Steven Miller, following revelations that IRS agents improperly targeted conservative groups for extra scrutiny over their request for tax-exempt status.  The Peoria Republican says getting rid of Miller does not restore public trust in the IRS. 

Schock will participate in a House hearing Friday, and says he wants to know why the IRS misled lawmakers about the scandal for so long.

The City of Springfield has agreed to preserve all remaining records… including any electronic files… pertaining to the police department internal affairs files that were shredded under an accelerated timetable.

The agreement came during a court hearing into an emergency request by reporter Calvin Christian to prevent the loss of any computer files that may contain information about those destroyed documents.

Christian is suing because the shredded files included documents he had requested under state public records laws.

Any information retrieved by the city will be turned over to the court under seal while the case continues.

Investigators looking into the fire that destroyed three homes on North Fourth Street early Wednesday have not ruled out anything… including the possibility that the fire was foul play.

The blaze began in one structure… which collapsed shortly after firefighters arrived. That spread the fire to two other houses, one on each side.

All three buildings are a total loss… and nine people have been displaced.

Springfield’s unemployment picture may not be as bad as recent state numbers suggest.

The most recent monthly numbers, from March, put unemployment in the city at 7.8%... up from the same time a year earlier.

But city economic development director Mike Farmer says the city has objected.

Farmer says the state overestimated job losses in some sectors and failed to account for seasonal employment.

Farmer says the state is reviewing its numbers and could revise the figure.

The City of Springfield has agreed to search for and preserve whatever electronic remnants still exist of police internal affairs documents that are now the subject of several lawsuits and investigations. 

The hard copies of those records were destroyed weeks ago, but could still exist on the city's servers, if they haven't already been overwritten. 

The agreement came after a reporter sought an emergency court order to preserve any remaining records in the case.

Springfield economic development officials say they have been very generous in their support of the proposed downtown Kidzeum. 

The city is defending its recommendation to provide $675,000 in downtown TIF money for the project, far less than what the Kidzeum wanted.

The city says even that smaller amount makes it one of the biggest contributors to the non-profit museum project.

A coalition of labor and business groups says an agreement is now in place to allow hydraulic fracturing... also known as "fracking"... to move forward in Illinois. 

The deal would set strict regulations on the practice, which uses high-pressure extraction techniques to release oil and gas from deep below the Earth's surface. 

Opponents are still concerned that fracking could cause environmental damage.

Regardless of how the Illinois General Assembly acts on passing some kind of carry legislation, a Springfield alderman wants to get a concealed carry ordinance passed giving gun owners the ability lawfully carry in the capital city.

Ward 10 Alderman Tim Griffin says that if the state legislature fails to pass a law by the court ordered June 9th mandate, or if they pass something that gives local municipalities the ability to craft their own measures, he wants to be ready.

Some initial ideas include having individual business owners decide if they want to allow carrying of concealed firearms in their business.

If not, they will be responsible for posting a sign.

Griffin also wants to have a database of Springfield businesses that won’t allow carrying concealed firearms accessible online so people can chose whether they want go to that establishment.

Griffin hopes to have a measure in front of aldermen in a few weeks.

Springfield aldermen are moving ahead with two ordinances filed in response to the controversy over the early shredding of police department internal affairs records.

The City Council committee of the whole advanced a measure that would require aldermanic approval for any memorandum of understanding that alters a labor contract, like the one that authorized the document destruction.

And aldermen are also pressing ahead with a request for an attorney general investigation of the matter… despite a request from Mayor Mike Houston’s corporation counsel that they hold off.

Mark Cullen says the A.G.’s office requested a delay in any additional action, but Alderman Sam Cahnman says he also talked to the attorney general’s office and got no such request.

The brother of murder suspect Christopher Harris is expected to take the stand today at Harris’s trial in Peoria.

Jason Harris was also originally charged with murder in the deaths of five members of a Beason family in 2009.

He will testify as part of a plea deal that will land him a 20-year sentence for pleading guilty to lesser charges.

A Lanphier High School music teacher has been named the District 186 Educator of the Year, in ceremonies sponsored by Horace Mann.

Maryna Mitchell had been a finalist several times previously before winning the award on Tuesday.

The honor also continues a family tradition… Mitchell’s husband Bob was also recognized as Educator of the Year, back in 2000.