Trial Date for Ike

We're betting he takes the guilty plea in exchange for tiny prison time:

• A federal judge today set a March 8 trial date for indicted Chicago Ald. Ike Carothers (29th) and a wealthy developer, both accused of taking part in a zoning-for-bribes scheme.

  Prosecutors, meanwhile, plan to turn over evidence in the case to the defense today.

  Carothers, an ally of Mayor Daley, and Chicago developer Calvin Boender have pleaded “not guilty” to the bribery and fraud charges.

We are most interested to see what the wire Ike wore actually captured in terms of bribes, contract fixed and job placement. Ike has a lot of relatives on the public payroll. Could be he let slip on how they got their jobs at some point. And who knows what might have transpired at certain Committee Meetings.