Jane Tuma

@aakashgupta Barely any of the restitution came from her assets. She had a boyfriend. I think they got most of her money out of the country.

Rita Crundwell made $80,000 a year as the comptroller of Dixon, Illinois. She also owned 400 quarter horses, a $2.1 million motor coach, multiple farms, and 52 world championships in competitive breeding. Nobody in a town of 15,000 ever asked how. The scheme was almost boring in its simplicity. In December 1990, she opened a single bank account at Fifth Third Bank, named it "RSCDA, Reserve Fund," and listed herself as the only authorized signer. She forged 159 fake invoices from the Illinois Department of Transportation, had the city cut checks payable to "Treasurer," and deposited them into the secret account. The bank saw one city account moving money to another city account. The city's own books never recorded the deposit at all. The math is brutal. Dixon ran on an $8 to 9 million annual budget. In her final six years, Rita was stealing 28% of the entire city budget. In 2008 alone, she pulled out $5.8 million from a town that couldn't keep its fire trucks staffed. Dixon paid for every dollar. The city cut firefighter positions, deferred road repairs, and raised property taxes while Rita sat in budget meetings and blamed the state of Illinois for slow payments. Every pothole and every laid-off city worker was subsidizing a quarter horse ranch in Wisconsin. The audit structure was the real failure. Clifton Gunderson audited Dixon's books every year for two decades and signed off on every statement. They were also Rita's personal accountant. The same firm was supposed to verify her professional numbers while filing her private ones. After she was caught, Dixon sued them and collected $35.15 million. Fifth Third Bank paid another $3.85 million. The auditor and the bank paid roughly 75% of every restitution dollar the city ever recovered. She was caught because she took 16 weeks of vacation in 2011 to run her horse show circuit. City clerk Kathe Swanson pulled the bank statements to prepare a treasurer's report and found an account she had never heard of with 179 unexplained deposits. The FBI arrived within days. She got 19 years and 7 months. Released early in 2021 after serving eight. Dixon auctioned her 400 horses, her farms, her trailers, and her motor coach and recovered about $9 million from her personal estate. The largest municipal embezzlement in American history ran through one account with one signer. Every small-town government in America has the same setup.

@Simply_meme_ @aakashgupta Biden commutation at very end of term.

@aakashgupta A true life monster. Why did she get released early again?

@InAweofArt @LynnBecker Yes, I signed it. It's a beautiful sculpture. The AIC should at least give a reason it is not on display.

@tuma_jane @LynnBecker Would you consider signing this petition? 12 Art Historians have signed it. The Art Institute also seems to be trying to erase Lorado Taft. c.org/MspYXZWyY5

Also at the Art Institute, what was once weekly free admission Thursdays 5-8 p.m., is now just once a month. Thank goodness for UNIQLO, but the Park District which subsidizes museums, is letting them get away with murder on scheduling mandated free days.

@markjaquith @Birdyword He looks 62 to me.

@Birdyword People are saying hair and clothes but I dunno man. I think this keeps everything else (weight, skin, hairline) roughly the same and he still looks 48 to me.

I know this is a popular topic but I'm the age James Gandolfini was when the pilot was filmed (35) and I don't know anyone who looks that old. Of hundreds of friends and acquaintances. Even the smokers, heavy drinkers, bad dieters. Not even close. Was it air pollution? Lead?

@gotrice2024 She should have called Environmental services. Restroom issues are not her job.

This nurse was busy at work at the hospital. A member of a patient’s family came up to her and told her that the bathroom was out of paper towels. She goes in there and looks for herself, the paper towels were full and the dispenser was functioning. The same family member then walks in after her and corners her in the restroom. He then proceeds to tell her how pretty she is as he tries to read her name tag. She immediately tells him to step aside so that she can exit. She’s visibly shaking and upset. She didn’t want to upset the patient that she’s caring for but she feels she needs to speak out, should she report him or do you feel he meant no harm?

@politacole @FrankCalabrese If Brandon is the only Black candidate, he will probably make the run-off. I can easily see him winning again.

@FrankCalabrese BJ won't make the runoff. He's more than lost the mandate of chicago heaven. Probably drops out so he doesn't have to go through that like Lightfoot. But he might be delusional enough to see it through and get 3rd or 4th place.

2027 Chicago mayor money race, 2026 Q1: Alexi Giannoulias: $18.3M Susana Mendoza: $1.63M Brandon Johnson: $813K

@anjewla90 I may still tip for good service but now 10% on the pre-tax, pre-fee total seems more than fair. This is going to be terrible for waiters.

As someone who worked in the restaurant industry for years before, during, and a little after college, if they get minimum wage— I’m not tipping. That’s the deal. Minimum wage in Chicago is $16.60. To put it this way, an administrative assistant makes on average $19.66 an hour we don’t tip them.

New: a leaked internal email written by Dave Stieber shows that the Chicago Teachers Union does not intend to abide by the decision of the elected school board. If they cannot get schools officially closed on May 1, they are encouraging teachers to use personal days or take unpaid leave to force a shutdown. It's ironic that an organization planning to protest to "save democracy" is willing to ignore the decision of a democratically elected body when it doesn't go its way. Even more ironic is that the school board is elected, rather than appointed by the mayor, in part because the CTU fought for that change.

@Madssatbat All their drinks.

If someone buys your ticket to the game, you offer to buy their first drink … yes or no 💀

🚨 WOW. Border Czar Tom Homan just gave the PERFECT response to Pope Leo "I'm a lifelong Catholic. I wish they'd STAY OUT of immigration, they don't know what they're talking about." "Because if they wore my shoes for 40 years, and talked to a 9-year-old girl that got r*ped multiple times, or stood in the back of a tractor trailer with 19 dead aliens at my feet, including a 5-year-old boy that baked to death, if they understood the atrocities that happened on the open border, I think their opinion would change!" "And I welcome discussion with any of them, because they don't understand illegal immigration is not a victimless crime." "Where President Trump had the most secure border in the lifetime of this nation, right now, lives are being saved. He's saving thousands of lives a year because he has a secure border!" "Human traffickers are out of business, right? The cartels are going bankrupt because of that secure border. I wish they'd understand that." "Because if they did, I think they'd have a different opinion." Mic drop.

@BlondeOfWar I see no advantage to a woman marrying a gay man.

This guy is looking for a wife for a lavender marriage. He's gay but wants a woman to marry for financial and social reasons. He feels this is a great opportunity for someone because he's good looking and they will be a hot couple. Are there heterosexual women who would do this?

@KristyT Shop around-you can get better deals.

I signed up to bring the sodas for the teacher appreciation week. It’s 15 bottles. One of the teachers emailed me to make sure I intended to do that. I’m like yeah. I’m thinking 2Ls are still $2. Why are 2L bottles of soda damn near $5 each 💀💀💀

@paschutz If the teachers want to protest on Friday May 1, do it after school is over for the day. No reason there couldn't be a 5 pm protest.

BREAKING: CPS CEO King says schools should stay open May 1st, rebuffing CTU, Mayor and Board of Education Harden:

@CWBChicago Could you please let us know the name of the judge who sentenced him? Thanks.

A man who stabbed an ER doctor with a kitchen knife while being treated at Provident Hospital last year has been given a 4-year prison sentence. But, after receiving various credits, he’s expected to be released in about 90 days. cwbchicago.com/2026/04/patien…

@ThinkerChicago @SethGJones Not seeing the tickets.

We are pleased to welcome Seth G. Jones to the American Identity Summit. A leading voice on national security and foreign policy, Seth brings unparalleled expertise to the conversation on America’s role in the world. May 15–16. Tickets in bio. @SethGJones

@kokeshimum I worked two jobs in my early twenties until I got a job that required 60-80 workweeks. Lived frugally and saved my money for a down payment on a house. Many others also did to save for weddings, special trips, etc.

Why the fuck should my son have to work 55 plus hours a week when I didn’t and neither did his grandparents or great grandparents ffs. Stop fucking pretending that boomers and Gen X was out there working 80 hour weeks. We fucking weren’t.

@ScottMorgan1950 🙏🙏🙏

@thuggetsnation @JakeLandauTO Umm-he's a season ticket holder! Not hurting for money. He could buy and IPhone and go to the genius bar to learn how to use the MLB app.

@JakeLandauTO Bullshit. My 84 year old dad wouldn’t be able to find tickets on his phone if his life depended on it. Not to mention not everyone can afford a smart phone, much less a senior on a fixed income.

Let's be clear, this has nothing to do with age. Plenty of seniors are adept with modern technology, it has everything to do with personal motivation and stubbornness. Computers have been normal in the workplace for more than half this man's life.

@JaymalGreen Who is going to go at those prices? And you need to provide ID for a discount? Thought that was impossible for voters.

Wow.