IN ILLINOIS, GOV. GEORGE RYAN CONTINUES TO AVOID -- SO FAR -- ANY SMEAR FROM LICENSE SCANDAL

The first trial in Illinois' licenses-for-sale scandal resulted in a guilty verdict against a driving-school instructor accused of bribing state employees to get truckers' licenses in a scheme that poured money into Gov. George Ryan's campaign fund.

A federal jury in Chicago convicted Alex McLeczynsky, 44, of Melrose Park, Ill., of racketeering conspiracy, extortion conspiracy and aiding and abetting extortion for paying to get two truckers' licenses. The drivers license fixing at Melrose at Melrose Park and two other licensing centers sent $170,000 into Ryan's campaign fund, a lengthy investigation showed.

Thirty-one people have been charged thus far in the investigation and 27 have pleaded guilty.

Ryan says he was unaware of what federal prosecutors have described as widespread corruption when he was Illinois secretary of state. Ryan even invited the investigation.

Dean Bauer, a longtime friend of Ryan's and his inspector general, is scheduled to be tried in September for allegedly covering up seven years of scandals to spare Ryan political embarrassment.

The scandal is a potentially explosive one for the Illinois governor, but is politics as usual in a state where scandals come and scandals go. If Bauer goes to trial, it will be interesting to see just how deep his friendship really goes with the governor.