* If you need help planning your holiday road trip, here’s a good start…

* A quick roundup to start your day…

* Tribune | Courts, bargaining table are likely next fronts in battle over Illinois workers’ rights amendment: There’s little common ground between opposing sides of the recently approved amendment enshrining collective bargaining rights in the Illinois Constitution, but they do agree on one thing: The real-world effects of the change will be determined at bargaining tables and in courtrooms in the years ahead.

* Center for Illinois Politics | Reading the Tea Leaves from Illinois’ 2022 Midterm Elections: “It doesn’t look like an unusually large turnout for an Illinois midterm election,” said Matt Dietrich, spokesman for the Illinois Board of Elections. “I’d estimate the statewide turnout at 50 to 51 percent.”

* NBC 5 | Illinois Driver’s License and ID Card Extension Ends in Less Than 2 Weeks: After approximately two years, the final extension to renew driver’s licenses and ID cards will end Dec. 1. Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White initially extended the renewal period due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and announced numerous subsequent extensions.

* Daily Herald | Legislation seeks to ensure halal, kosher foods available in hospitals, schools: The Faith by Plate Act — HB1574 — is expected to be considered by state lawmakers when they resume their fall veto session after Thanksgiving. The measure was supposed to be reviewed in the Senate last spring but was moved to the House after a few amendments, including adding the kosher piece, said Maaria Mozaffar, the coalition’s director of advocacy and policy.

* NBC 5 | Illinois Officials React to ‘Heartbreaking’ Attack That Left 5 Dead at Colorado Gay Nightclub: “We woke up again this morning to a horrible attack on the LGBTQ+ community, this time in Colorado – and in a space where they should have felt safe,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. “A gun, coupled with hate, once again has led to horrific outcomes.”

* Axios | Program allows LINK use at Illinois restaurants: Illinois joined six other states trying out a program allowing elderly and disabled users of the federal food assistance program to use their credits at participating restaurants.

* ABC 20 | Abuse of 3-year-old reported to DCFS week before death: We now know that a week before a 3-year-old died, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) was made aware of possible abuse.

* CBS 2 | Child abuse claims mostly go ‘unfounded’ in foster care: Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) data we obtained and analyzed shows - nine out of every 10 abuse or neglect allegations get closed by the child welfare agency as “unfounded”.

* Block Club Chicago | CTA Will Give New Hires $1,000 Signing Bonus In Hopes Of Filling ‘Severe Workforce Shortage’: Transit agency leaders hope hiring bonuses, higher starting salaries and raises for staying on the job will entice desperately needed employees.

* Daily Herald | Election’s over. So what happens to all those campaign signs? It’s complicated.: It typically falls to campaigns or political parties to collect their signs, though local governments will often help with cleanup. While some counties are offered recycling drop-off days for the plastic and cardboard signs, they aren’t recyclable curbside.

* Daily Herald | 78 million meals and counting: How the Northern Illinois Food Bank helps families in need: The food bank and its volunteers will send out about 60,000 “Holiday Meal” boxes this year. The 11.5-pound boxes have everything you need for a tasty holiday, including seven cocoa packets, a bag of rice, cranberry sauce, brownie mix, turkey gravy, stuffing mix, cans of corn and green beans, and more.

* Tribune | With new campaign fund, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s allies are raising cash outside city ethics rules limits: As Mayor Lori Lightfoot ramps up her bid for reelection, her close allies have created a new campaign fund unbound by how much money contributors can give or who they are — restrictions Lightfoot must abide by.

* Politico | Anti-abortion groups argue over next steps in wake of election losses: The divisions among anti-abortion groups and Republican leaders threaten to undercut a movement that for decades has shaped party platforms, tipped the scales in primaries, and helped steer the federal judiciary rightward.

* NBC 5 | Southwest Suburb Will Pay $10M to Settle Hit-And-Run Lawsuit: A southwest suburb of Chicago will pay $10 million to settle a lawsuit stemming from a 2019 hit-and-run crash in which the village’s then-manager struck and critically injured a pedestrian with his municipal vehicle.

* Tribune | Public safety accounts urge caution on Twitter amid changes: Government agencies, especially those tasked with sending messages during emergencies, have embraced Twitter for its efficiency and scope. Getting accurate information from authorities during disasters is often a matter of life or death. For example, the first reports this week of a deadly shooting at the University of Virginia came from the college’s Twitter accounts that urged students to shelter in place.

* SJ-R | Owners say closure of Lincoln restaurant after 43 years is only temporary: “We are confident the Blue Dog will be back as a Lincoln icon,” the Blackburns posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page after closing the landmark restaurant in October.

* Daily Herald | Residents pack open house on proposal for warehouse at Randall, Binnie roads: Carpentersville officials could be looking at plans for a warehouse development at Randall and Binnie roads by the end of the first quarter of next year, the project developer said Thursday.

* QC Times | Iowa Dems’ caucuses getting fair hearing after rough start, state party leader says: When the national Democratic Party announced its plan to reexamine the order in which states pick the party’s presidential candidates, Brennan, an Iowan and member of the national party’s rules committee, felt like national Democrats simply sought to punish Iowa for the 2020 caucuses, when the program that was designed to report results malfunctioned on caucus night.

* WBEZ | Chicago Ald. Raymond Lopez, the first major candidate to announce a run for mayor, becomes the first to drop out of the race. Says he’ll run for re-election in the 15th Ward instead.

More to come!