* Amdor strikes again…

* Roundup…

* Daily Herald | Krishnamoorthi seeks FTX documents for congressional probe: Krishnamoorthi, chair of the House subcommittee on economic and consumer policy, issued the requests to former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried and current FTX CEO John Ray III, who was brought aboard just days ago after the company’s collapse.

* WJOL | Illinois Reaches 17 Consecutive Months of Job Growth in October: Illinois officials are touting the state’s job growth. The Illinois Department of Employment Security says the state reached 17 consecutive months of job growth last month. The unemployment rate did increase by point-one percentage points to four-point-six percent. However, non farm payrolls increased by 36-hundred in October.

* Crain’s | Curran eyes ‘balance’ as he prepares to lead Illinois Senate’s GOP minority : “We have to do a better job on the abortion messaging,” he said. “You know, the reality is, what else can we do here in Illinois? The laws of Illinois are more weighted towards guarantees of the rights to have an abortion than any other state in the nation. There’s no further to go.”

* Tribune | Got Justin Fields Fever? Take part in ‘Call Your Own Play,’ our 6-path choose your own adventure for Chicago Bears fans.: What a difference a year makes, huh, Chicago? Sure, your favorite football team is still wayward, in last place in its division and still undeniably in the NFL’s bottom tier. But everything just feels so much better right now. Ya know?

* Matt Paprocki | Amendment 1 will raise government costs, but millions finally had a choice on their ballots : Unions spent $13 million and failed to get the 60% of votes needed on the ballot question to pass the amendment outright. They inched past Illinois’ second mark for constitutional change by getting barely more than 50% of the total number of votes counted in the election. When I saw the results, I was heartbroken for the Rev. Phalese Binion and millions of Illinoisans like her.

* Politico | Illinois’ first Latina U.S. Rep on AOC and the burbs: Early in this year’s primary season, Delia Ramirez’s supporters suggested she focus on winning the city portion of the newly drawn 3rd Congressional District and leave the suburban areas to her more conservative opponent. “People would say, ‘She’ll never win in the suburbs. Just focus on the city, and you’ll be fine.’ Or, ‘She’s too left for the suburbs,’” recalled Ramirez in an interview with Playbook in her Hermosa neighborhood office in Chicago. “I said, ‘Yeah, but I also want to represent the suburbs.’”

* FOX 2 | Dozens of rural Missouri, Illinois schools get funding for new electric buses: A new federal program will help 42 school districts in rural Missouri and Illinois communities acquire new electric school buses. The opportunity comes as part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program. Through the program, nearly $1 billion will be distributed to around 400 school districts nationwide to help schools replace fuel-powered school buses with electric ones.

* Injustice Watch | Lockdowns and transfers have disrupted college classes for students at this Illinois prison: From May 2021 to October of this year, prison officials transferred nearly 400 people out of Stateville’s general population. At least 60 of the transfers were enrolled in college courses through PNAP, according to the programming coordinator. Those students, including Terrell, have now lost their access to postsecondary education.

* Center Square | Illinois sees dramatic sports betting increase in September: Illinois’ sports betting handle increased 47% from August to September, according to figures released by the Illinois Gaming Board.

* Chicago Reader | The Florida strategy: MAGA’s attempt to scare white voters into voting against Pritzker didn’t work so well, to put it mildly.

* Five Thirty Eight | The Midterms Made State Governments Bluer: For the first time in years, more Americans will live in a state fully controlled by Democrats than in one fully controlled by Republicans. Thanks to their wins in gubernatorial or state-legislative elections, Democrats took complete control of three new state governments in the 2022 elections: Michigan, Minnesota and Vermont. They broke the GOP monopoly on power in Arizona and, potentially, New Hampshire. They also kept full control of state government in four of the five states where they were in danger of losing it. And they prevented Republicans from taking full control of North Carolina, Wisconsin and maybe even Alaska.

* Tribune | Judge acquits man in gun case stemming from the night 13-year-old Adam Toledo was fatally shot by a Chicago police officer: A man who prosecutors said fired a gun while with Adam Toledo before the 13-year-old was shot and killed by a Chicago police officer was found not guilty of weapons charges Friday by a Cook County judge after a two-day bench trial.

* Pantagraph | Chicago ex-student gets prison time for writing computer code to help terrorist group: A former DePaul University student was sentenced Thursday to 7 ½ years in federal prison for using his developing computer skills to help the Islamic State terrorist group spread violent propaganda on social media.

* NYT | Justice Dept. Is Said to Investigate Ticketmaster’s Parent Company: The inquiry predates the botched presale of Taylor Swift tickets this week and is said to focus on whether Live Nation has abused its power in the live music industry.

* WMAY | Springfield Casino Resolution Likely On Hold Until New Year: Mayor Jim Langfelder had been hoping to get aldermen on board sooner than that… but has run into resistance from bar and restaurant owners who fear a casino will cut into the money they make from video gaming machines. Langfelder wants to change the resolution to only allow table games like poker and blackjack, and sports betting, at a Springfield casino… but isn’t sure that will satisfy opponents of the idea.

* NBC Chicago | Could a Weed Shop Be Set Up Inside Old Rainforest Cafe in Chicago?: A decisive zoning hearing is set for Friday, setting up a David and Goliath fight with Brown going against a clouted pot firm hoping to open a dispensary at 605 N. Clark St. Brown said he will argue that the plan is fraught with issues and would set a dangerous precedent for future marijuana businesses.

* ABC 7 | AG Merrick Garland names special counsel to lead Trump-related probes | Watch Live: The move, announced just three days after Trump formally launched his 2024 candidacy, is a recognition of the unmistakable political implications of two investigations that involve not only a former president but also a current White House hopeful.

* WCIA | The ‘failed war on drugs’ and how Illinois uses marijuana tax money to heal communities harmed by it: Sherrod’s Independent Mentoring Program in Decatur received almost half a million dollars. They’re focused on violence prevention, youth development and reentry programming. They’re also partnered with seven police chiefs from the county. Program leaders and participants met with ICJIA staff Thursday to tell them about their work.