Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke valued the life of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald so little he had decided to shoot the teen before he even got to the scene, prosecutors told a Cook County jury Thursday.

Here’s a link to the story at the Chicago Tribune.

Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans released an executive summary of the FBI’s confidential supplemental background investigation into Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh late Thursday, which key swing-vote senators vowed they would continue to review Friday ahead of a major vote on his confirmation.

Here’s a link to the story at Fox News.

CARBONDALE — A new poll by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute shows Democrat J.B. Pritzker holds a “comfortable lead” in the race for Illinois governor, according to a Tuesday news release from the institute announcing the poll results.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

Making the risky decision to testify in his own defense, Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke took the witness stand in a packed courtroom Tuesday and told the jury haltingly — and at times tearfully — that he was forced to shoot Laquan McDonald as the teen advanced on him with a knife.

Here’s a link to the story at the Chicago Tribune.

HARRISBURG — A motion requesting a competency hearing for Brian Burns was withdrawn by his attorney Tuesday after his defense and the judge disagreed on whether the motion required an evidentiary hearing.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

Illinois has been warned by federal authorities that the state has significantly over-issued federal food assistance to individuals who didn’t qualify and may face a large fine as a result.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

JOHNSTON CITY — Goose calling legend and call-maker extraordinaire Tim Grounds, 60, of Johnston City, was killed on Sunday in an accident at his hunting club in rural Williamson County.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

Billionaire Democratic governor candidate J.B. Pritzker improperly received $330,000 in property tax breaks on one of his Gold Coast mansions as part of a “scheme to defraud” taxpayers, Cook County’s top watchdog concluded.

Here’s a link to the story at the Chicago Tribune.

The long-running soap opera of Illinois’ perilous finances has featured a governor touting a Squeezy the Pension Python mascot, a business group fronting an “Illinois is Broke” website and a torrent of sky-is-falling warnings from pension analysts, partisans, academics and newspaper editorial boards.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

The homecoming court donned bright gold sashes and waved to the crowd at Ross-Ade Stadium at Purdue University. Amid applause, two of those students were crowned “Homecoming Royalty” but no one was named king or queen — a deviation from a long-standing tradition at the Big Ten school.

Here’s a link to the story at the Chicago Tribune.