Closing arguments continue in the "ComEd Four" trial today.

Driving the news: The four defendants are accused of conspiring to bribe then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan to gain favorable legislation for the utility company.

Why it matters: The trial is illuminating the way politics and lobbying were done under the powerful former House speaker.

• And despite Madigan's having been charged separately, with a trial set for April 2024, he's been the focal point of the federal government's case.

What they're saying: Federal prosecutors have tried to portray Madigan as a greedy politician who wanted to get jobs for his friends by abusing his relationship with ComEd.

• They've alleged that because Madigan was prohibited by law to give his cronies public sector jobs, he found a workaround with the private utility company.
• And they've accused ComEd executives and lobbyists of actively working to make that happen.

The other side: The defense has portrayed Madigan as a shrewd, powerful politician who wouldn't waste his time on a couple of board appointments. They argue the former speaker was a master politician who knew where the ethical guard rails were and wouldn't go near something as rudimentary as a bribery scheme.

• They also contend that there's no evidence tying Madigan to favorable ComEd legislation.

Yes, but: The feds point to Madigan-backed legislation in 2011 that gave ComEd more control over how they charged customers.

The intrigue: For Illinois political junkies, testimony from Madigan's longtime precinct captain Ed Moody highlights the backbone of the "Chicago machine" that Madigan was allegedly running.

• Moody knocked on doors for Madigan's political campaigns and was allegedly rewarded with a $45,000 contract with one of the ComEd lobbyists. He said Madigan told him, "I control that contract, and if you stop doing political work, you'll lose that contract.”
• Moody was the only one from Madigan's operation to testify for the prosecution, although the defense pointed out that Moody was given immunity from other charges for his testimony.

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The Juice WRLD mural in the West Loop that's served as a shrine to the late Chicago rapper vanished last week.

What happened: Block Club Chicago first reported that the popular mural, plus the neighboring mural honoring house music pioneer Frankie Knuckles, were mysteriously painted over with brown paint.

The backstory: Artists Corey Pane and Chris Devins created the mural in the back of a vacant parking lot on a viaduct off Green and Kinzie streets in 2020.

• Since then, Juice WRLD fans have traveled from all over the world to view it, and to place candles and other items at its base.
• The Chicago hip-hop artist died of an overdose during a FBI raid of his plane in December of 2019.

The intrigue: No one has come forward to claim responsibility for removing the mural.

• The city's Streets and Sanitation Department told Block Club they didn't do it, pointing out that they use white paint, not brown, when painting viaducts and buildings. Union Pacific, who owns the viaduct, also is unaware.

What they're saying: Ald. Walter Burnett told Block Club that there have been complaints about people partying around the murals.

• "They litter in the area, disrupt the residents, park all over the place," Burnett said.

Be smart: There's some legal precedent when it comes to destroying public art, and Union Pacific told Block Club it's illegal for anyone to trespass on their property.

The bottom line: A spray painted message on the lot in front of the destroyed mural is all that remains of the site.

🗳 Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx will speak at the City Club today. There's speculation she will announce she is not running for reelection. (NBC 5)

Beth Murphy, the owner of Murphy's Bleachers in Wrigleyville, has died after a battle with cancer. She was 68. (WGN-TV)

🚴‍♀️ Transportation writer John Greenfield was injured while riding his bike in southern Illinois and was placed into a medically induced coma as a "precaution because of possible head injury." (ChiStreetsBlog)

Walmart, Costco and Target place in the top four for grocery market share in Chicago, but they ranked among the lowest on your list of grocery store favorites.

What's happening: Our readers dig smaller local grocery stores more than big chains, per our informal survey last week.

Why it matters: Shopping at locally owned stores keeps more money in the community rather than sending profits out to big non-local corporations.

Between the lines: The strong neck-and-neck rankings for Jewel, Mariano's and Trader Joe's suggests that we still like supermarkets, too.

• But the votes and reader emails tell us that many shoppers actually have multiple favorites and go to certain stores for specific things.

What they're saying: "Sad I could only choose one store in your survey," Nancy M. wrote, echoing many readers' sentiments.

• "I always shop at Jewel(s), Mariano's and Trader Joe's every week. Take advantage of specials and sales and digital coupons. And wine at TJs. Very occasionally Costco and Aldi."

💼 Check out who's hiring on our Job Board.

1. Director, Lab Operations at Tempus.
2. Vice President, Integrated Fundraising at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
3. VP, Finance at Onco360 Oncology Pharmacy.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

Hiring? Post a Job.

There were no big surprises in the first round of our tournament to crown Chicago's best park.

• The major parks moved to the second round with ease.

The biggest margin: Lincoln Park defeated South Shore Cultural Center Park 85% to 15%.

The closest margin: Washington Park beat McKinley Park 58% to 42%.

The biggest surprise: Not enough love for Monica's favorite, Olive Park. Grant Park won in a landslide.

Now it gets much harder.

The Elite Eight matchups include:

• Millennium Park vs. Douglass Park
• Jackson Park vs. Humboldt Park
• Lincoln Park vs. Garfield Park
• Grant Park vs. Washington Park

Voting is open until 4pm!