Citing “inflammatory” media coverage of her arrest on corruption charges, “outrageous” behavior of federal prosecutors, and a potential under-representation of minorities on a jury, the attorney for former Sen. Dianne Wilkerson on Monday called for either a dismissal of charges or a change of venue for her impending trial.  Read more

The first African-American elected to the state Senate on Tuesday endorsed City Councillor At-Large Sam Yoon for mayor.  Read more

Or, the case of the mysterious white van:

Federal prosecutors have offered a behind-the-scenes look at the arrests of former state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson and District 7 City Councillor Chuck Turner in response to a judge questioning their methods in hauling the two politicians in on corruption charges.  Read more

A win of sorts for former Sen. Dianne Wilkerson and District 7 Councillor Chuck Turner?

AP's Glen Johnson is reporting a federal judge has asked prosecutors to provide affidavits on exactly why photographs of the two allegedly accepting bribes were released:  Read more

Aiming for a second term, City Councillor At-Large John Connolly has hired a strategist who helped Sonia Chang-Diaz topple Sen. Dianne Wilkerson in last September’s Democratic primary for the Second Suffolk District.

Dan Cohen also consulted for Connolly in the 2007 campaign for City Council. Cohen’s other clients include Sara Orozco, a Democrat who unsuccessfully ran against Sen. Scott Brown (R-Wrentham) last year.  Read more

As if former state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson didn’t have enough problems: At the end of Tuesday, she was more than a month late in filing a required financial interest disclosure form. As a former elected official, she was supposed to file the form, known as a “statement of financial interest,” for 2008 with the state Ethics Commission by May 1. Her attorney did not return a phone call seeking comment.  Read more

During an introductory meeting usually set aside for adoption of procedural rules and informal pleasantries, Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Co-chairman Sen. Michael Morrissey on Tuesday volunteered cautionary advice.

"Whatever Dianne did, don't do," Morrissey told the five other lawmakers who showed up for the 17-member committee's first meeting of the 2009-2010 session.  Read more

Federal prosecutors are telling District 7 Councillor Chuck Turner, whom they've charged with corruption, to pipe down, citing the intense media coverage of the case. Turner has pledged to fight the gag order.

In a motion filed on Monday in U.S. District Court, U.S. Assistant Attorney John McNeil asked for the gag order to be imposed on Turner, preventing him from talking about the case and any materials the government may have to give him over the course of the case.  Read more

In a meeting last week that was insulated from the lenses of TV cameras and newspaper reporters, former State Senator Dianne Wilkerson lashed out at several ministers affiliated with the Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston and the Boston Ten-Point Coalition, essentially accusing them of conspiring to remove her from office.  Read more

"Not guilty, your honor."

Those words, said firmly and confidently, made up former Sen. Dianne Wilkerson's first public comments since she was ushered out of her Senate office by her sons and family friends, after formally resigning on Nov. 19.

Before an audience in the jury box comprised of visiting prosecutors, judges and defense attorneys from Macedonia, Wilkerson pleaded not guilty during her arraignment on Monday in U.S. District Court in Boston, kicking off what could be a long legal fight for the Roxbury Democrat. Her next court date is Jan. 22.  Read more