dankusner

Travis County panel heard three days of testimony before 457-day hiatus in the case

On the third day of an August 2024 trial against former Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody and an assistant county attorney, prosecutors interrupted the proceeding to announce that they were challenging a judge’s decision against them to a higher court.

The move prompted state District Judge Karen Sage to halt the proceeding at a highly unusual moment.

But before excusing 12 jurors and two alternates, she told them that “you are still on the jury” and that they should refrain from discussing the case and continue to be available.

“We are just on a little hiatus,” she told them.

The jurors never returned to court.

But they are set to receive about $27,000 each for their service.

Defense attorneys for Chody and Jason Nassour argued in a Monday hearing that because jurors were never “discharged from their duties,” they should be paid for the standard set daily rate of $58 for 457 days, minus weekends and holidays, while the case was winding through the courts.

Travis County Assistant District Attorney Dexter Gilford did not object to “even extraordinary measures to pay the jury,” according to a transcript.

Sage quickly approved the measure, adding, “they have been in limbo for a long time, so I think it’s fair. We can’t abuse the jury system.”

The bill to the Travis County District Clerk’s office, which pays jurors with a combination of state and county money, falls just below $374,000.

Paula Agor, retired director for the Center for Jury Studies at the National Center for State Courts, said the situation is unprecedented in her three decades of analyzing the work of juries nationally.

“It qualifies as wild for sure,” she said.

“But two years, that is a really long time to tell people not to talk, don’t read about the case and to be at our beck and call when we call you back.”

District Clerk Velva Price said she is reviewing Sage’s order.

State law says that jurors are entitled to compensation for each day they are “in attendance,” and the jurors would otherwise get about $175 each for their three days of duty.

Whether the definition of “in attendance” means physically in the courtroom is unclear.

The funds likely would come from Price’s budget, for which she received $855,354 this year and has $508,000 remaining until the end of September for juror pay.

The state typically reimburses $52 of the $58 the county pays for jury duty.

A complicated case

The unusual decision ends what had been highly contentious and complicated cases against Chody and Nassour.

The prosecution arose out of their alleged actions in 2019 when Williamson County deputies, with crews from a reality TV show alongside, chased Javier Ambler II from Round Rock to Austin in a pursuit that started because he failed to dim his headlights.

Ambler crashed his car and deputies used Tasers to try to subdue him as he shouted that he could not breathe.

He died a short time later.

A Travis County jury later acquitted the deputies on manslaughter charges.

Prosecutors alleged that Chody and Nassour took steps in both Williamson and Travis counties to prevent the television show footage from becoming part of the investigation before it was reportedly deleted.

The only video that existed from the encounter was that of an Austin police officer who arrived at the scene as the confrontation unfolded.

Prosecutors, who have never publicly described the actions they think Chody and Nassour took, opted to try the case in Austin.

Before the trial started, attorneys for the two said their clients would have violated federal law had they seized the video and argued the case shouldn’t go to trial because federal law “preempted” state prosecution.

Then, early in the proceeding, Sage said that prosecutors must seek permission before presenting evidence about the video.

Prosecutors, believing that Sage had gutted their case, informed her they would appeal to the 3rd Court of Appeals.

That’s when the trial was interrupted.

Austin attorney Richard Wetzel, who specializes in appellate law, said such actions after a trial is underway are highly unusual and left Sage with few options.

Sage “was perfectly justified in recessing the proceeding until the state’s appeal was concluded,” he said.

He said judges in some instances will delay a trial for a few days during a pending appeal should higher courts rule quickly.

Instead, the battle in the case played out for nearly two years.

First, the higher court sided with the state, then reversed its ruling, before the matter was appealed to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which declined to review the case and allowed a favorable ruling for Chody and Nassour to stand.

Along the way, attorney Keith Hampton, who represents Nassour, cited his concern about the jurors in at least one motion, saying the case “uprooted both these jurors’ committed service and their ordinary lives” which were “all still on hold.”

Prosecutors then decided earlier this month to drop the cases.

“The trial court prevented the State from presenting evidence of Mr. Chody and Mr. Nassour’s guilt,” Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza said in a statement.

Payment is ‘absurd’

In the Monday hearing, Hampton proposed that Sage’s order awarding jurors the fees include a sentence that targeted prosecutors in their vigorous pursuit of the case, saying that “actions by county officials have consequences.”

Gilford, the lead prosecutor, objected to the statement but acknowledged they had “pursued our appellate rights to the extent that we could until they were exhausted.”

Hampton agreed to remove the language.

Sage would not comment about her decisions in the case, including paying the jurors.

Garza said in a statement that “jurors should be compensated for the three days they served. We are grateful for that service. This order, however, is absurd.”

Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick said that “this was a decision solely by a Travis County district court judge.

William Henry Hord settled permanently in Texas in 1845, on a high, tree-shaded ridge on the south side of the Trinity River that later became know as Hord’s Ridge.

Hord served as a Dallas justice of the peace, county judge, and was founder and vice president of the Dallas Pioneers Association.

He helped form the Dallas Light Artillery Battery; became brigadier general of the Texas Militia, in 1963;

and in 1866 signed resolutions approving the National Union Convention’s plan to restore all former Confederate states.

He presided over the formation of the county’s Conservative Party, and was a founded and trustee of the Oak Cliff Cemetery, where he and his wife, Mary (1807-1882) are interred.

Prior to Hord, in 1843, William Coombs (1833-1895) settled on the north bluff of the creek that carries his name

Moving from Tennessee, William Henry Hord and his wife Mary also settled here in 1845 and opened a boarding house.

The farming community in the area became known as Hord’s Ridge.

Nearby, Aaron Overton’s gristmill on Five Mile Creek provided a place for farmers to process their grain.

In 1879, the new Cleburne and Rio Grande Railway passed through Hord’s Ridge and a station was built there in 1882, opening the community to national transportation.

Built in 1845 by William H. Hord, this cabin served as the first permanent residence on the west side of the Trinity River, across from Dallas.

In 1926, Mr. and Mrs. Martin Weiss rescued the cabin from demolition and, in 1942, donated it to Post 275 of the American Legion and Auxiliary.

It received an historic landmark designation in 1962 and is now located on Cockrell Hill Road at the American Legion Post.

Peter Jaraysi, a Duluth truck accident lawyer at Slam Dunk Attorney

Federal regulations only require motor carriers to retain driver logbooks for six months.

Once that timeline expires, trucking companies routinely delete hours of service records along with electronic tracking data.

This standard administrative process legally erases the exact documentation needed to prove driver fatigue or mechanical failure.

Corporate defendants use short retention schedules to shield themselves from liability, allowing highly incriminating telematics information to vanish forever.

Action taken within the first few days determines whether the truth survives.

Waiting for an official police report often guarantees the loss of irrefutable digital footprints.

Time ruins everything.

How Electronic Data Vanishes Within Days

Modern commercial vehicles function like massive rolling computers equipped with sophisticated tracking mechanisms.

These onboard systems capture speed metrics and braking patterns leading up to an impact. Data vanishes extremely fast.

Companies maintain complete access to this digital footprint immediately following an incident.

They also control the servers where the fleet management software stores the telemetry.

Erasing Telematics And Engine Control Modules

The engine control module records catastrophic events, yet the memory bank won’t hold more than a few hard brakes before overwriting older data.

Moving the cab from the scene generally will not overwrite the hard-braking crash sequence, though it may alter ‘last stop’ data. Investigators must download the module immediately.

Overwriting Dash Camera Footage

Inward and outward-facing cameras constantly loop over existing video every few days.

Fleet managers can easily claim the hard drive was corrupted or simply let the system record over the collision footage.

Extracting the video requires specialized software to prevent accidental formatting.

Discarding Driver Logbooks

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules dictate short lifespans for paper and electronic logs.

Keeping accurate duty status reports prevents exhausted operators from causing these catastrophic incidents.

Unscrupulous managers frequently discard logs showing excessive driving hours to protect the corporate bottom line.

The Legal Concept Of Spoliation In Commercial Collisions

When a corporate entity alters or deletes relevant material in the course of impending litigation, courts apply the doctrine of spoliation.

Plaintiffs must demonstrate that the opposing party possessed the records, had a duty to preserve them, and intentionally or negligently destroyed the files.

Judges take this behavior seriously.

Proving deliberate tampering requires swift intervention before the company executes standard document retention policies.

“Under federal regulations, motor carriers are only obligated to preserve electronic log data for six months, meaning fleet management systems are often programmed to purge these files once that timeline expires automatically”, stated Peter Jaraysi, a Duluth truck accident lawyer at Slam Dunk Attorney, “If a formal preservation hold isn’t issued immediately, the direct electronic logging record is deleted, forcing investigators to reconstruct a driver’s hours-of-service violations through secondary data like GPS pings, dispatch logs, and fuel receipts.”

The Immediate Legal Action Required To Preserve Records

Halting the destruction of digital materials requires a formal spoliation letter.

This legally binding document places the motor carrier on notice regarding pending litigation and demands the preservation of all specified components. Issuing this demand triggers an absolute legal duty to override standard corporate deletion policies.

Failing to send the letter allows the company to hide behind routine administrative schedules.

Firms must specify exactly what needs protecting. A vague request accomplishes nothing.

The demand should list the engine control module and dispatch communications.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle collisions caused 41.241 fatalities in a single reporting year.

Negligent carriers possess a massive financial incentive to hide damaging documentation.

Judicial Penalties For Destroying Crash Evidence

When a corporate defendant intentionally destroys telematics data, trial judges possess broad authority to impose severe sanctions.

These penalties aim to level the playing field while punishing the offending party for obstructing justice.

Judges punish obstruction severely.

Sanctions take several distinct forms depending on the severity of the spoliation:

Adverse inference instructions force a jury to assume the destroyed items contained information detrimental to the motor carrier.

Exclusion of specific testimony prevents the trucking company from presenting accident reconstruction analysts who relied on the altered data.

Default judgments completely strike the defendant’s legal responses, automatically awarding liability to the plaintiff.

Imposing a default judgment remains rare but happens in egregious cases of systemic fraud.

According to the Department of Justice, federal prosecutors pursued civil fraud recoveries totaling $2.2 billion in fiscal year 2022.

Procedural tools exist to maintain the integrity of the civil justice system against such corporate deception.

Connecting Hours Of Service Violations To Missing Data

Commercial operators face strict federal limits regarding maximum driving hours to prevent fatigue on highways.

Companies aren’t above forcing drivers to manipulate their electronic logging devices to bypass these safety mandates.

Erasing this history conceals a widespread pattern of regulatory noncompliance.

Disparities emerge instantly.

Finding the truth requires looking beyond the missing logs themselves. Attorneys subpoena fuel receipts and weigh station timestamps to recreate the actual route. Discrepancies between the physical receipts and the submitted logs expose the deception immediately.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires minimum liability coverage of $750,000 per commercial truck operating in interstate commerce.

This high financial exposure drives corrupt fleet managers to erase incriminating route data.

Because commercial trucking companies typically have major insurance carriers and rapid-response defense teams, obtaining an early, objective assessment of your case can be beneficial.

If you are facing such a situation in Duluth, Georgia, Slam Dunk Attorney offers cost-free initial evaluations to crash victims. To connect with their legal team, call (678) 329-9750 or visit their office suite at 2250 Satellite Blvd, Ste. 120, 10 minutes drive from Gwinnett County Public Library – Duluth Branch, Georgia.

A wrecked truck amid debris on an urban street, capturing post-disaster chaos and damage.

Investigating Beyond The Motor Carrier’s Files

When a corporate defendant purges internal records, external sources hold the key to liability.

Third-party vendors manage fleet communication systems and back up data on independent servers outside the trucking company’s control.

Subpoenaing these tech vendors bypasses internal data destruction entirely.

Cell phone providers store location pings and communication logs on centralized network servers.

Bypassing the motor carrier through these external subpoenas uncovers the exact evidence the company attempted to hide.

Questions About Truck Accident Evidence Destruction

How quickly do motor carriers delete electronic logging data after a collision?

Companies legally purge electronic hours of service data exactly six months after an incident under federal retention guidelines.

Sending a formal spoliation demand overrides this timeline.

Once that deadline passes without a preservation order, the telematics vanish permanently from the fleet management servers.

Can a damaged engine control module still provide vehicle speed data?

Forensic engineers extract vehicle speed and braking pressure even from heavily deformed engine modules.

The internal memory bank survives extreme impact forces.

However, while turning the ignition can alter specific operational logs or key-cycle counts, the actual sudden deceleration crash sequence is preserved in non-volatile memory.

What happens if the trucking company claims the dash camera malfunctioned?

Defense firms frequently allege camera hardware failure to hide damaging footage. Investigators combat this excuse by demanding the maintenance logs for the specific recording device.

Finding no reported technical issues before the collision strongly implies intentional formatting rather than a genuine mechanical failure.

Isabelle Jones

Author

Pauline Kael about Scarwid in this movie:

“There’s no vulgar life in Silkwood except for Diana Scarwid’s Angela, a cosmetician in a mortuary who has an affair with Dolly and lives with the three for a while. […] She prolongs syllables and twists meanings—she sounds like Jean Harlow as a Valley Girl. […] And it’s a lucky thing that Angela the cosmetician is around to ply her professional skills on this movie, because Silkwood is a stiff.”

Kael also notes that how the ending is unsatisfactory; Jane Fonda had previously tried and failed to secure Silkwood’s life rights, so instead she incorporated the car chase into The China Syndrome.

Tamika Ware, IBR Supervisor, UCR/LES, Austin-HO 

On February 1, 2016, Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Lieutenant Thomas Williams conducted in person an audio-recorded interview with IBR Supervisor Ware (Tab B - Audio Files). 

Lieutenant Williams furnished Ware with the Employees Responsibilities under Section 18.25, General Manual form. 

Ware signed and returned the form to Lieutenant Williams (Tab C). 

Lieutenant Williams questioned Ware's knowledge of the allegations levied against Training & Coordination Supervisor Rafael Martinez. 

Ware recalled an incident that occurred in approximately the first half of 2015 in which Martinez referred to Kusner as a "Fucking Faggot.” 

Ware stated that this incident occurred in Martinez’s office the week after Martinez returned from supervising Kusner in Kusner's area of responsibility, the Dallas Metroplex. 

Ware described Martinez as appearing frustrated when Martinez began to vent and express his (Martinez's) dislike for Kusner. 

It was assumed by Ware that Martinez disliked Kusner because Kusner was not catching on to the job as fast as the other field reps and because Kusner asks "why" a lot. 

According to Ware, Martinez stated that he (Martinez) and Kusner were traveling in the car together on the way to Dallas going over some basics about being a field rep and expectations of the job when Martinez addressed Kusner about his attire. 

Ware stated Martinez told Ware that some of Kusner's shirts expose Kusner' s stomach or midriff when Kusner raises Kusner's arms.

According to Ware, Martinez described Kusner as a "Fucking Faggot" when referring to Kusner's dress and mannerisms. 

Ware stated that Martinez would also vent to her (Ware) about the way in which Kusner prepares itineraries for travel to Kusner's assigned area. 

Ware stated that Ware was unsure if Martinez was just picking on Kusner because Ware has never heard Martinez complain about the way other employees organize their itineraries. 

During the conversation with Martinez, Ware described Martinez as "coming off condescending" and stated that Martinez never wanted Kusner to be hired in the first place. 

When asked to elaborate on what Martinez told Ware, Ware stated Martinez told Ware that Kusner, who was #3 at the time on the eligibility list to be hired, was hired by default because the DAD at the time of the Department, Randy Batten, is "Flaming.” 

Ware described this term to mean homosexual. 

Ware stated that Ware has never heard that term used to describe someone at DPS. 

Ware stated that it is her (Ware's) opinion that Martinez’s treatment of Kusner is based upon the fact that Martinez did not want Kusner hired because of Kusner's sexual orientation. 

Ware stated that Martinez told Ware that as soon as Kusner walked into the room (referring to when Kusner was first hired) that Martinez knew Kusner was gay. 

Although Ware has not witnessed Martinez interacting negatively directly with Kusner, Ware has witnessed Martinez's reaction when someone mentions Kusner's name. 

Ware stated that when someone mentions Kusner, Martinez would say, "Ahhhhh" and gestures by throwing his (Martinez's) hands up in the air. 

Ware believes that based upon Ware's conversation with Martinez that Martinez has enlisted the assistance of two female subordinates, Shawna Kilborn and Susan Langley, to spy on Kusner's Facebook and report the findings to Martinez. 

It was at this time that Martinez, according to Ware, asked Ware about the department's social media policy. 

Ware thought this was suspicious since Martinez has never asked about the social media policy before. 

Based upon the aforementioned actions of Martinez, Ware believed Martinez was doing this in an effort to say that Kusner was not performing his (Kusner's) job satisfactorily and to get justification for finding Kusner in violation of department policy. 

Ware recalled this discussion with Martinez as taking place in October or November 2015. 

Ware admitted to reporting Martinez for violating the Department’s Policy on Discrimination only because Kusner resigned from the agency. 

Ware admits that she (Ware) never discussed Kusner's sexuality or the reason for resigning with Kusner but assumed based upon Martinez’s characterization of Kusner that Kusner resigned as a result of Martinez's treatment of Kusner. 

If one is to judge fashion by glossy magazines, there are really only three major questions of importance: (1) leopard print or not, (2) sexy being “back” or not, and (3) what to wear if you aren’t wearing all black.

High fashion, for most people, is a passing blur of bewildering, ever-shifting, sometimes ridiculous seasonal image statements.

Whether you are an avid follower of trends or believe yourself to be unconscious of style, or even fashion-contrary, unless you are a militant nudist, you are clothed every time you leave the house and are subject to snap judgments about your overall person by anyone who sees you.

The items you have selected to cover your naked form communicate more about you than you may realize.

A Lavaca County justice of the peace and practicing criminal defense attorney has been arrested following a Texas Rangers investigation into allegations of misconduct, authorities said.

Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Travis Hill was arrested Tuesday in Lavaca County on charges of compelling prostitution, a first-degree felony; sexual assault, a second-degree felony; and solicitation of prostitution, a state jail felony, according to the Lavaca County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities said the investigation began about six weeks ago after the Lavaca County Sheriff’s Office and the Lavaca County Attorney’s Office became aware of allegations involving Hill.

Because Hill is an elected official, the Texas Rangers were asked to conduct an independent investigation.

Texas Ranger James Sears led the inquiry into multiple allegations.

Given Hill’s roles as both an elected justice of the peace and a practicing criminal defense attorney in Lavaca County — including representing indigent defendants in local courts — the Lavaca County Attorney’s Office has recused itself from the case.

Officials said the Texas Attorney General’s Office has been asked to handle the prosecution to ensure its integrity and impartiality.

In a statement, Sheriff Steven Greenwell said the investigation was conducted without regard to Hill’s public office.

“No one is above the law, and no one is beneath its protection,” Greenwell said.

“When allegations involve a public official, our responsibility is even greater because the public has entrusted us to uphold the integrity of our offices and our justice system.”

Greenwell also emphasized that Hill, like every criminal defendant, is entitled to due process.

“Mr. Hill, like every person charged with a crime, is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law,” Greenwell said.

The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information about the investigation to contact its Criminal Investigation Division at 361-217-6753 or submit an anonymous tip through Lavaca County Crime Stoppers.

Officials also urged the public not to identify potential victims or share information about the case on social media because of its sensitive nature.

Texas judge accused of sex crimes kills himself after police find him

Lavaca County justice of the peace Travis Hill died by suicide Thursday evening after U.S. Marshals and local law enforcement located him in Gonzales County.

A Lavaca County justice of the peace who recently was charged with multiple sex crimes died by suicide Thursday evening after law enforcement officers located him in Gonzales County, authorities said.

The Lavaca County Sheriff's Office said the U.S. Marshals Service's Southern District of Texas, Victoria Division, assisted local law enforcement in the search for Travis Hill, the Lavaca County Precinct 2 justice of the peace and a practicing criminal defense attorney.

According to the sheriff's office, Hill was found Thursday evening at a remote location in Gonzales County.

"During law enforcement's encounter with Mr. Hill, he committed suicide," the sheriff's office said in a Facebook update.

Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing and that additional information may be released once it is complete.

Hill's death came just days after investigators announced he had been charged with compelling prostitution, a first-degree felony; sexual assault, a second-degree felony; and solicitation of prostitution, a state jail felony.

According to the sheriff's office, the investigation began about six weeks ago after the Lavaca County Sheriff's Office and the Lavaca County Attorney's Office learned of allegations involving Hill.

Because Hill was an elected official, the Texas Rangers were asked to conduct an independent investigation.

The Lavaca County Attorney's Office recused itself from the case because Hill served as both an elected justice of the peace and a practicing criminal defense attorney who represented indigent defendants in local courts, investigators previously said.

The Texas Attorney General's Office was asked to prosecute the case.

When the charges were announced, Lavaca County Sheriff Steven Greenwell said the investigation was conducted without regard to Hill's position.

"No one is above the law, and no one is beneath its protection," Greenwell said.

"When allegations involve a public official, our responsibility is even greater because the public has entrusted us to uphold the integrity of our offices and our justice system."

Madonna (Warner)

By Evelyn McDonnell The New York Times

In the late 1970s and early ’80s, there was a young woman on the club floor, having a good time.

She had moved to New York City’s Lower East Side from Michigan to try to make it as a dancer.

In the downtown venues where gay men and women, performance artists, Latin freestylers, break dancers and punks all came together, she could be herself, free and in motion.

It’s an origin story that Madonna has been trying to tell in film for years, with a planned studio movie shelved, she said, over penny pinching.

A life as big as hers, she told Interview Magazine, “needed a big budget.”

Rebuffed, she looked to those early roots, and the wounds and successes since, on her new studio album “Confessions II,” a spiritual successor to 2005’s exuberant “Confessions on a Dance Floor.”

Then as now, Madonna returns to the club as a sanctuary, but where the earlier album venerated the party in and of itself, “Confessions II” shines light on the troubles she has exorcised on the dance floor.

Beginning with the percolating techno of “I Feel So Free,” Madonna creates a vocal echo chamber, whispering: “It’s really hard for me to trust people / That’s why I like to go dancing — safety in numbers.”

Rather than absolve her sins, British producer Stuart Price steadily turns up the dials.

Reuniting with Price, her primary collaborator on “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” the duo build momentum in familiar fashion.

The continuous mix of the album — songs melt into the next — effects a DJ set as Madonna explains club-land liberation theology through various dance subgenres.

The trance of “Good for the Soul” gives way to the rousing EDM of “One Step Away,” whose lyrics (“Nobody’s free until they’re broken”) seem tailor- made for recovery communities.

Madonna and Price are credited as the sole writers of nine of the LP’s 16 tracks, a focused approach that was missing on the albums released in the two decades between their collaborations.

In the interim, Madonna signed a deal with Live Nation and Interscope and made a string of LPs bloated with producers and ideas that sometimes skewed defensive (2015’s “Rebel Heart”).

“Confessions II” resists those digressions and keeps aiming straight at transcendence.

On “Good for the Soul,” Madonna offers explanations of the cosmology of a rave; with her voice double-tracked over electronica, she intones:

“Everything begins in consciousness.”

Over the swirling disco of “Love Sensation,” she reassures us, “There’s nothing that we cannot do!”

The album could have been titled “Affirmations” for its sweaty uplift.

And it keeps ascending even as Madonna explores the past.

The house music chord progression of “Bring Your Love,” a duet with Sabrina Carpenter, calls to mind the lilt of “Vogue.”

They performed both songs as part of Carpenter’s Coachella set in April.

Rather than mining the younger artist’s chart- topping sound, as Madonna might have attempted in the past, the track and the performance — donning the satin and lace corsets of the “Confessions on a Dance Floor” era — tactically invite a consideration of her influence on Carpenter’s breathy provocations.

By the back half of the album, Madonna is ready to touch on the conflicts that kept bringing her back to the club over the years.

The drum and bass of “Fragile,” with its atmospheric synth strings, brings a poignant finality to Madonna’s relationship with her younger brother Christopher, with whom she reunited before his death in 2024.

“The Test,” co- written and performed with her daughter Lola, fuses sprightly synth- pop and downtempo as the pair reckon with their conflicting relationships to celebrity.

Less interesting is “Betrayal,” which loops an ominous trumpet and keys sample of Erik Satie’s “Gnossienne No. 1” to build a taunt for her stepmother: “You’ll never take my mother’s place.”

The ballad “L.E.S. Girl” ends the album on a jarringly treacly note.

The cinematic world- building of the track “Danceteria” memorializes one of the clubs where Madonna got her start.

She moves through the song name-checking friends who landmark the way to the dance floor: Debbie Harry, Debi Mazar, Mark Kamins, Fab 5 Freddy, Jean- Michel Basquiat.

We know the young narrator will become Madonna, will become many pop culture- defining versions of her, actually.

In 1988 Texas Treasurer Ann Richards delivered the keynote address at the Democratic national convention in Atlanta, needling Republican nominee-apparent George H.W. Bush as having been "born with a silver foot in his mouth."

Cook County’s watchdog found this week that Board of Review commissioner Samantha Steele made “an offer of employment” to her opponent in the March primary election, concluding she misled the public and “made blatantly false statements.”

For discipline, Cook County Inspector General Tirrell Paxton recommended Steele retake the Board of Review and county’s ethics trainings.

Per OIIG policy, Steele is not named in the report, but details of the case match the public allegations.

Last fall, Steele’s opponent in the Democratic primary, Liz Nicholson, complained that Steele offered her a job in the property tax appeal office via two intermediaries, suggesting it was an attempt to get her to drop out of the race.

Nicholson filed a complaint with Paxton’s office, notified the county’s Democratic party, and asked for the county State’s Attorneys office to prosecute as well.

Nicholson ended up winning the party’s endorsement and went on to beat Steele in the primary while the complaint was being investigated.

In a four-page response to the IG’s findings, Steele continued to “categorically and unequivocally deny the core allegation” that she offered Nicholson a job “in exchange for dropping out of the election.”

“I did not whisper any proposal of employment as a quid pro quo for withdrawing from the race,” nor did she ask the unnamed intermediary “to reach out to (Nicholson) on my behalf or present any employment opportunity as an inducement to exit the primary.”

The account given by that intermediary “reflects a misinterpretation or mischaracterization of the discussion,” Steele wrote, going on to accuse Paxton of amplifying “attacks on my character and professionalism by political colleagues and opponents” via “disproportionate, aggressive and at times politically inflected scrutiny that is not applied equally to all public officials.”

When the allegation went public in December 2025, Steele told reporters she would never offer Nicholson a job in the first place because she wasn’t qualified.

Nicholson’s complaint, Steele claimed, was designed to “distract from the real issues in the race.”

The IG’s investigation included an interview with one of the intermediaries, their phone records and a voice message, statements Steele made to the media, and a review of her phone records.

Steele did not reply or show up to an interview with the inspector — a violation of the county’s ethics code that requires participation in IG investigations.

In a written statement, Nicholson thanked the OIIG “for conducting such a thorough investigation, and to those who agreed to be interviewed. All parties confirmed that Ms. Steele attempted to offer me a bribe of a high-paying government job to drop out of our race,” and she looks “forward to bringing ethical leadership to the Cook County Board of Review.”

Neither the IG’s report nor Steele’s response explained what was on that voice message or the content of the conversations with those other individuals.

In her written response, Steele said she declined the requested in-person interview because of her “legitimate concerns about the scope and conduct of OIIG investigations involving me,” and that the office didn’t propose any different dates, a virtual option, written process or other accommodation.

Steele wrote that she lost trust in OIIG, citing another investigation involving her outside assessment services business, Leonor Group, that was “inappropriate and aggressive” because the office contacted her clients, potentially interfering with her contract, “reputational harm, and potential damage to my livelihood and professional standing.”

The OIIG has issued prior findings involving Steele’s hiring and publicly disclosing what the OIIG said were confidential details involving the assessment of the Bears’ proposed Arlington Heights stadium.

At the time of the primary, Steele was also fighting a DUI charge from 2024, which she was ultimately acquitted of.