* From the Democratic Party of Wisconsin…

Last night, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin was proud to welcome Illinois Governor JB Pritzker at the 2023 WisDems Founders Day Celebration in Milwaukee. In his remarks, Gov. Pritzker reflected on Democratic victories in Wisconsin, Illinois, and across the Midwest and rallied Wisconsin Democrats ahead of 2024.

Watch Governor Pritzker’s speech and read an excerpt from his remarks below:

“Wisconsin Democrats — you are the Ewok army of the political cinematic universe. You are a polite group of absolute assassins who bring down the entire Imperial shield generator by the end of the movie. I mean, you rid your state of Scott Walker.  And you replaced him with a principal, an educator, a thoroughly good and decent man, Wisconsin’s Obi Wan Kenobi, and you elected Tammy Baldwin to the US Senate — who in addition to being history making — is like a Jedi Master, fighting for Wisconsin to get more affordable healthcare and to restore domestic manufacturing to your state. And you voted Emperor Palpatine — I mean Donald Trump — out and you put Joe Biden in.”

[…]

“When Republicans are running things, on the other hand, it always feels like the 4th hour of Thanksgiving dinner when all your old, angry uncles got together over Malort to yell about the dangers of rap music and the hippie that married your cousin.  I mean Republican Uncle Ron and Uncle Don can’t handle the good Thanksgiving plates without dropping it — but now they want to take control of the nuclear arsenal and develop the health curriculum in your high school?”

[…]

“I know you are tired of elections where everything is on the line, and I wish I could say it was going to change sometime soon. But this is a mission ready made for Wisconsin Democrats. You have had to hold onto hope for so many years. You have had to be persistent through so many trials. And you are winning more battles than you are losing — and I implore you, from all of us, I implore you to continue to show the rest of the country how it’s done.”

* WTAX…

Former Congressman Rodney Davis said he believes Scalise is the man to take over the gavel in the House. […]

Davis was disappointed to see Kevin McCarthy removed as House Speaker, but said Scalise is the right replacement because he works to build strong relationships with fellow lawmakers.

“I mean this is a guy, in my case, made sure that in the Capitol building in his office — it was always stocked with my favorite beer Busch Light, and I think everyone in the Midwest will be happy to hear that,” Davis said.

* More…

* Crain’s | Chinese EV battery maker Gotion inks real estate deal for Manteno plant: Gotion High Tech Co. said its wholly owned U.S. subsidiary has signed agreements to purchase real estate assets including land and factories for an EV battery assembly project it intends to build in Manteno. The Chinese electric-vehicle battery maker disclosed the information in a statement posted on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange on Thursday.

* Illinois Times | Springfield jury awards $19 million to former inmate: Nicole Schult, a lawyer for the Uptown People’s Law Center in Chicago, which represented Doe, said this may be a record judgment against the Illinois Department of Corrections. “We had heard rumors of this kind of rampant sexual abuse happening at Logan since it became a women’s facility,” she told Illinois Times. “We also knew that these kinds of things were happening all over the state. … It is really difficult for women in custody to report sexual assault because of the retaliation, and oftentimes, even actual punishment with segregation.”

* Center Square | After vagueness hearing, federal judge could strike down Illinois’ gun ban: Judge Stephen McGlynn said the crux is whether the law infringes on a constitutional right to keep and bear arms. After the hearing Wednesday in East St. Louis, Maag said a summary judgment would have teeth.

* SJ-R | Illinois taxpayers help fund Pritzker administration’s global trade missions: According to a public records request made by The State Journal-Register, the administration has embarked on six trips since 2021. These trips included several to Japan and the United Kingdom along with South Korea, Switzerland and Taiwan. Travel expenses, including hotel and airfare plus a per diem were mostly covered by the state for a total just shy of $93,250 per data from the governor’s office.

* WREX | Governor Pritzker announces paid trainee program for state’s tech workforces: Governor Pritzker announced Thursday that the Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT) is starting a paid trainee program to build a pipeline of tech talent to meet the growing demand. Trainees will receive a minimum yearly salary of $54,000 from DoIT while learning in one of five high-need concentration areas.

* WCIA | Frerichs announces $10 million state investment in Israel Bonds: This investment is the latest of several Frerich’s office has made since he became Treasurer of Illinois in 2015, totaling over $100 million. He explained that the investments diversify the state’s portfolio, draw attention to the partnership between the state’s economy and Israel and achieve a good return from what is described as a safe investment – Israel Bonds have never defaulted in their 70 years as an investment.

* Block Club | Impacted By Summer Flooding? You Have Until Monday To Apply For Federal Relief : Anyone who was affected by the June 29-July 2 storms — which caused severe flooding, particularly on the West Side and western suburbs — is eligible to apply for support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The deadline is Oct. 16.

* Crain’s | Suburban office vacancy nears 30% as workspace cutbacks continue: Fueled by big blocks of sublease space that hit the market, the share of available office space in the suburbs increased to 29.7% at the end of September from 28.9% midway through the year, according to real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle. The new vacancy rate is up from 27.3% a year ago and 22.1% when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

* Crain’s | TransUnion agrees to pay $23 million in fines in 2 settlements: TransUnion Rental Screening Solutions and its Chicago-based parent, TransUnion, will be required to pay $11 million, which will be used to compensate consumers, and a $4 million civil penalty. The settlement, which must still be approved by a federal court in Colorado, is the largest amount ever recovered in an FTC tenant-screening matter.

* Daily Southtown | Homer Glen to ask voters in March whether to discontinue Homer Township government: “When the village incorporated (in 2001), and was going through the incorporation effort, a lot of residents of the township questioned another layer of government,” said Trustee Sue Steilen, who voted in favor of the referendum. “I think the village has run efficiently, and now it’s time to question whether we need the extra layer of government of a township.”

* Chalkbeat | Rising share of Chicago Public Schools graduates are pursuing college, study finds: The study’s findings run counter to national trends of sagging college enrollment during the pandemic; nationwide enrollment in two- and four-year colleges fell by .6% from 2021 to 2022, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Many young people across the nation are questioning whether higher education is worth the cost, said Jenny Nagaoka, one of the study’s authors and deputy director of the Consortium on School Research.

* Effingham Daily News | Flex-N-Gate employees told not to report to work for rest of week: A Flex-N-Gate employee at the Effingham plant confirmed Thursday that workers have been told not to come in for the rest of the week. The local development comes after 8,700 members of the United Autoworkers union struck the Ford truck plant in Louisville, Ky. on Wednesday night. The Kentucky strike comes nearly four weeks after the union began its walkouts against General Motors, Ford and Stellantis on Sept. 15, the Associated Press reported.

* Shaw Local | New DeKalb solar developments powered by Illinois’ clean energy law:Solar energy developer SunVest Solar unveiled two community solar installations Tuesday along 24 acres off Gurler Road and South First Street. Officials said the solar developments were made possible due to Illinois’ Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker in September 2021.

* Daily Herald | District 25 to pay at least $1.3 million to hire new kindergarten and gym teachers: At least a dozen teachers will be hired to staff Arlington Heights Elementary District 25 classrooms when expanded kindergarten programming begins next school year, the school board decided this week.

* Sun-Times | Man pleads guilty to weapons charges in fatal shooting of Chicago police officer Ella French: Morgan’s brother, Emonte Morgan, is accused of fatally shooting the officer during a Aug. 7, 2021 traffic stop and faces a first-degree murder charge. Emonte Morgan’s trial has been set for early next year, but could still be pushed back.

* Crain’s | Walgreens outlines $1 billion cost-cutting plan: The cost savings, expected to be realized in the second quarter of fiscal year 2024, include reducing nonessential spending, cutting back on contracted and project work, and optimizing its transportation network, Walgreens leaders told investors Thursday morning. Other cost-cutting strategies include closing unprofitable stores or reducing store hours in locations that can accommodate it.

* SJ-R | Springfield Clinic preparing to open two new facilities: The new pediatric center, located along Old Jacksonville Road, is one of two new facilities that the clinic plans to open in the next month. A new lab facility at the corner of 7th Street and South Grand Avenue East will be fully operational at the end of the month, providing a newer, better facility for lab operations that were shunted into the basement of their main campus on South 6th Street.

* Tribune | New Louis Armstrong musical ‘A Wonderful World’ sounds its trumpet in Chicago: Armstrong’s years in Chicago also explains the presence this week in a Randolph Street coffee shop of James Monroe Iglehart, a much loved Broadway star best known for his Tony Award-winning performance as the Genie in the original 2014 Broadway production of Disney’s “Aladdin,” a tour de force piece of acting that somehow managed to pay homage to Robin Williams’ vocal performance in the animated movie while physicalizing it entirely as his own.

* Sun-Times | Aerial waterfowl survey shows more ducks than usual on IRV: But… strong winds and colder temperatures on the prairies have moved birds into our region, especially the IRV. I estimated 83,580 ducks in the IRV on Monday, 41% more than the 10-year average of ~59,000 ducks. However, early duck abundance along the MS river continues to trend below the LTA. I observed 37,785 ducks along that river this week, 37% below the 10-year average.