While much of the current local coverage is being devoted to the anniversary of Rod Blagojevich's arrest, this week also marks one year since the historic sit-in by the employees of Chicago-based Republic Windows and Doors.  The occupation of the factory began on December 5 after owner Richard Gillman abruptly attempted to close up shop and withhold pay and benefits from roughly 250 workers. The sit-in went on to garner significant media attention that transformed the dispute at the small Goose Island company into a national symbol of corporate greed.  Below is a December 8, 2008 report from Rachel Maddow that provides a useful flashback:

Two days after the above segment was filmed, the workers voted to end their sit-in, having receiving assurances that they would receive the pay they were owed.  But the saga didn't end there.  Here's a look back at the developments over the past year:

December 15: A week after the sit-in wrapped up, the Chi-Town Daily News discovered that the Republic owners had purchased a window factory in Iowa at the same time that they decided to shutter the Chicago plant, which explained reports that some machinery had been removed from the factory prior to its closing.

December 16: After it was revealed that Republic had received $9.6 million in tax increment financing (TIF) subsidies -- and that the public had little to show for the investment -- the door opened for a historic debate over reforming the TIF system.

January 6: As they sought a new owner for the Goose Island factory, Republic Windows workers petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to force Gillman to return all machinery to the Chicago plant.

January 7: Progress Illinois broke the news that a California-based company, Serious Materials, was interested in purchasing the Goose Island factory and rehiring some of the former Republic employees.

January 12: Chicago Alds. Manny Flores (1st Ward) and Scott Waguespack (32nd) put the Daley administration on the spot over the Republic TIF subsidy. “I want to know what the return on our investment was,” Flores asked during a Finance Committee meeting. "This is bad public policy.”

January 14: United Electrical Workers (UE) Local 1110 announced that they and city officials were indeed in the final stages of negotiations with Serious.

February 14: UE Local 1110 workers hit the road for a national tour to bolster support for the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which would make organizing victories like theirs more common.

February 23: Gillman's attempt to open a non-union factory across the border failed, as his newly-formed company -- Echo Windows LLC -- announced it was shutting down the factory it had purchased in Red Oak, Iowa.

February 26: A bankruptcy court signed off on Serious’ bid to buy the shuttered Republic Windows factory and the company announced its plans to manufacture eco-friendly windows, which were soon to be in high demand because of the federal stimulus package funding for retrofitting and weatherization projects.

March 1: In separate statements, both Vice President Joe Biden and Illinois' own Sen. Dick Durbin applauded Serious’ decision to take over the plant.

March 12: The Chi-Town Daily News reported that Gillman faced a $1 million lawsuit over the shutdown of his Iowa factory.

March 23: Serious Materials Vice Chairman Paul Holland spoke at the White House, talking up his company's mission during a clean energy event.

March 28: Nearly three months after the workers petitioned the NLRB, the board ruled Gillman's attempt to relocate his company to Iowa -- thus avoiding its collective bargaining obligations with the UE -- was indeed illegal.

April 27: On a swing through Chicago, Biden held a press conference at the factory and credited the Serious owners for providing "a story about how we inspire a better tomorrow."

May 4: Former Republic Windows workers stood side-by-side with local Hartmarx employees as Wells Fargo attempted to put short-term profits over the survival the 120-year Illinois-based company.

June 30: Journalist Kari Lydersen published a new book on the Republic saga, “Revolt on Goose Island: The Chicago Factory Takeover, and What It Says About the Economic Crisis.”

September 9: The Cook County state's attorney's office charged Gillman with mail fraud, money laundering, organizing and continuing a financial crime enterprise, and felony theft for attempting to abscond with 10 semi-trailers full of equipment from the Republic Windows factory.

October 2: Michael Moore's latest documentary, Capitalism: A Love Story, recapped the Republic sit-in with exclusive footage from inside the occupied factory.

October 30: Serious Materials announced that it will supply windows for the country’s largest home weatherization agency, the Community Economic Development Association of Cook County (CEDA), paving the way for the company to rehire even more of the former Republic employees.

November 24: Three weeks after Gillman's Nov. 3 indictment, he pleaded not guilty to charges that he planned to bankrupt his own company in an alleged scheme to divert money from Republic and launder it through fraudulent bank accounts and shell companies.

Dec. 1: Inc. magazine named Serious Materials founder Kevin Surace entrepreneur of the year, profiling the man who "wants to save the world and make a billion."

If there’s a lesson to be learned here it’s that the former Republic owners' reckless business practices didn't pay off in the end. Their attempt to leave their workforce high-and-dry and open a cheaper, non-union shop in Iowa failed. Meanwhile, the future is looking bright for Serious and the former Republic workers.