Former board member in North Chicago district charged in kickback scheme

From The Chicago Sun-Times: A former North Chicago, Ill., school board member and her district’s transportation director have been charged with taking kickbacks of at least $800,000 over 10 years from contractors who had been awarded bus contracts. Gloria Harper, 59, was a member of the board of North Chicago Community Unit School District 187, and Alice Sherrod, 59, was in charge of the district's transportation services. Three contractors also face charges, prosecutors say. Harper already has been convicted of another federal crime. She pleaded guilty last month in a scheme to defraud the E-rate program, which provides federal funds to schools for technology upgrades.