Investigative reporter Tim Novak dug up the rest of the story involving U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's connection to indicted real estate developer Tony Rezko, raising questions about the presidential candidate's involvement with a guy accused of demanding kickbacks from companies seeking state business from Gov. Blagojevich's administration.
Here's some story highlights:
Rezko and a business partner developed in what was Obama's state Senate district, particularly 30 buildings in Englewood that were rehabbed "in a series of troubled deals largely financed by taxpayers."
More than half of them went into foreclosure, Novak writes.
Obama worked for a small Chicago law firm that helped get Rezko's firm more than $43 million in government funding to rehab 15 of the 30 buildings.
Obama accepted $54,416 in campaign contributions from Rezko and his associates.
It's unclear how much legal work Obama did on those deals, but ...
At his best, Mark Konkol is a White Sox fan. He lives on the South Side. He
enjoys cold beer. At one time or another over the last 10 years, he's covered Chicago and Cook County government, city schools, transportation and the ins-and-outs of neighborhood life. E-mail him at 