* Crain’s | Stellantis battery plant gives Pritzker momentum to land more EV deals: Gov. J.B. Pritzker has landed deals for two EV battery plants in as many months. Stellantis plans build a battery plant as well as an EV assembly facility in Belvidere that are expected to employ more than 3,000 workers. Chinese battery maker Gotion Hi-Tech plans a battery plant in Manteno with 2,600 jobs. He isn’t done. Pritzker says the state is in talks with other companies, and he hopes to land more deals, though he declined to name the prospects. … “Every survey has Illinois in the bottom five for business climates,” says John Boyd Jr., a principal with The Boyd Company, a site-selection consultant in Boca Raton, Fla. “But success breeds success. These announcements will translate into suppliers and others having incentive to consider locating in Illinois.”

* WAND | Illinois community colleges see second largest fall-to-fall enrollment increase in 30 years: Overall, the Illinois Community College System’s opening Fall 2023 enrollments had an increase in both headcount (+5.7 percent) and Full-time Equivalent (FTE) (+5.2 percent) from the previous year. The Fall 2022 to Fall 2023 increase of 5.7 percent is the second largest Fall-to-Fall enrollment growth in the last 30 years. Only the Fall 2008 to Fall 2009 increase of 7.4 percent during the Great Recession was higher.

* Capitol News Illinois | Latest state school report card shows proficiency gains, persistent gaps on racial lines: A significant gap still existed between Black and white students in English language arts proficiency. But on a percentage basis, Black students saw the biggest gains in proficiency rates, rising from 12.1 percent to 16.1 percent – a 33-percent increase.

* Daily Herald | ‘The good news is we’re recovering’: Illinois School Report Card shows second year of post-pandemic gains: This year’s results show a 16% change statewide year-over-year in English language arts from 29.9% to 34.6%, meaning an additional 39,000 students have mastered grade-level standards. Black students posted the largest gain with a 33% change in proficiency rates, according to report card data.

* Block Club | Key City Committee OKs Purchase Of Far South Side Lot To Become Migrant Camp: Alderpeople on the Committee on Housing and Real Estate approved the city buying a 6.5-acre site for $1 from New Albertons LLC during a Monday morning meeting. The deal needs the full City Council’s approval, and it will go before council during its Wednesday meeting.

* Tribune | Judge rules ex-Ald. Ed Burke’s comments on Jewish lawyers can be heard by jury: “Given the heightened sense of alarm” after the Hamas attacks, “any member of the jury sympathetic toward what the Jewish people have endured might find Mr. Burke’s comments to be particularly distasteful” and unfairly hold it against him, argued Burke attorney Kimberly Rhum at an Oct. 16 pretrial hearing.

* AP | Illinois man pleads not guilty to hate crime and murder charges in attack on Muslim mother and son: His attorney George Lenard entered the not guilty plea after the judge read the 8-count indictment. Czuba did not speak, looking down at the podium with his hands folded behind his back as he stood before the judge in the court in Joliet.

* Sun-Times | No testimony from Highland Park massacre suspect at dad’s trial next week: “I don’t see any reason why he should physically be here to do that,” said Strickland, who will be presiding over the bench trial. The father’s lawyer, George Gomez, said he had subpoenaed the son’s attorneys to call him as a witness. One of the son’s attorneys, Gregory Ticsay, said he still hasn’t received the subpoena.

* Daily Journal | Homeless advocates learn from Rockford: A new light shone on how Kankakee County may be able to assist those who are homeless on a recent trip to Rockford. Several area officials traveled some 150 miles to the northern Illinois city to observe and learn how that community has served its homeless population.

* NBC Chicago | Housekeepers walk out of downtown Chicago hotel, demanding fair pet policy: Workers are demanding that management revert to the previous policy regarding guests with pets, the labor union, UNITE HERE Local 1, said in a statement. The policy would alert housekeepers at the beginning on their shift if there is a pet staying in the room they are assigned to clean.

* Crain’s | Cook County residential property taxes in northern suburbs shoot up by 15.7%: Homeowners are now taking on the lion’s share of the tax burden countywide this year, with 81% of Cook County property owners paying higher taxes this year. Overall taxes in Cook County rose 5.4%, or $909 million, with residents taking on $599 million, or two-thirds, of that increase.

* Daily Herald | How Metra is working harder to stop suicides on tracks: Interventions to save lives and prevent death by suicide on railway tracks increased substantially in 2023, Metra reports. Through mid-October, police and train crews trained in crisis management reached 85 people in time to help prevent a tragedy.

* Press Release | Rep. Rashid Invited to White House by President to Discuss Artificial Intelligence: “I am honored to have received an invitation to the White House to discuss the future and regulation of AI,” said Rashid. “In an era where artificial intelligence is reshaping our world, our duty as lawmakers is clear: we must prioritize the safety and well-being of our citizens by mitigating the risks that AI presents. The public is counting on us to enact safeguards that ensure their security, privacy, and fundamental rights in this rapidly evolving landscape.”

* ABC | Biden speaks on AI development: Pres. Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris discuss the administration’s commitment to the safe and secure development of AI.

* Tribune | Snow showers, chilly temperatures expected for Halloween; experts say to ‘bundle up’ while trick-or-treating: Periods of snow showers will start mainly after 11 a.m. Tuesday, with new snow accumulation of less than half an inch possible, according to the National Weather Service in Romeoville. If it snows Tuesday, it would be the ninth Halloween with snow recorded in Chicago and the eighth in Rockford.

* The Atlantic | The Secretive Industry Devouring the U.S. Economy: That may not have been such a big deal when private equity was a niche industry. Today, however, it’s anything but. In 2000, private-equity firms managed about 4 percent of total U.S. corporate equity. By 2021, that number was closer to 20 percent. In other words, private equity has been growing nearly five times faster than the U.S. economy as a whole.