Don’t Miss This: Hamilton’s ex ran housing office that processed contracts he won

Don’t miss these stories Tuesday at BND.com:

▪ The East St. Louis Housing Authority awarded Oliver Hamilton’s private construction company eight contracts totaling $628,966 while a woman with whom he had a child managed the agency’s contracts department, according to public records.

The contracts were issued from 2008-12 for work that included cleaning and repairing drywall at public housing units, according to documents obtained under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. Hamilton became East St. Louis Township supervisor in 2011.

Hamilton is the subject of a federal investigation that came after the Belleville News-Democrat reported Hamilton spent more than $200,000 over four years on his township American Express credit card on personal trips to Las Vegas, car washes and auto detailing, tens of thousands of dollars in gasoline, and building and construction equipment at local big box hardware stores.

▪ Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed legislation that requires an attorney to be present when police question juveniles younger than 15 in murder or sex offense investigations.

Illinois already mandates legal representation for children younger than 13 in those cases, even if they're not the targets of the criminal probe. But lawmakers who sponsored the legislation argued 14- and 15-year-olds should receive legal protection, too.

▪ An electrician won a $9.4 million verdict from a St. Clair County jury last week after a construction worker stepped on the man’s head while climbing down a ladder during construction of the Prairie State Energy campus in 2010.

Spencer was injured in October 2010 when he was studying plans at the power plant in Lively Grove. Two employees of API Construction, who were hired to provide insulation, descended a ladder and stepped on Spencer’s head, knocking his hard hat off and injuring his neck. Neither of the two men reported the incident to their employer.

This story was originally published August 23, 2016 at 6:47 AM with the headline "Don’t Miss This: Hamilton’s ex ran housing office that processed contracts he won."