* Peoria Journal Star…

American Water, the national utility that includes a division in Illinois, said Monday that it would be suspending billing for the foreseeable future after a cybersecurity breach that caused it to shut down its online customer portals.

The company said that on Oct. 3, it found unauthorized activity in its computer systems. Later investigation revealed the breach, which forced it to shut down MyWater, which serves as a customer portal to pay bills and answer customer service questions. […]

The company did confirm that the incident had no impact on its water or wastewater facilities, with those centers remaining fully operational. In addition, it reassured customers that their water was still safe to drink.

American Water serves 14 million across 24 states, including Illinois. Illinois American Water has operations in 148 communities across the state, including Peoria, Pekin and Lincoln.

* Time’s a ticking…

Only 11 days left to make your mark in history! Submit your design to the Illinois Flag Commission by October 18th for a chance to shape the future of our state’s flag. Visit https://t.co/VClC0JpvEK to learn more. pic.twitter.com/fboL0AjK3Q

— Secretary Alexi Giannoulias (@ILSecOfState) October 7, 2024

*** Statehouse News ***

* WCIA | Central IL statehouse race focuses on economic development, revitalization of district: The race for the 104th Illinois House District is starting from an interesting position. Republican State Representative Brandun Schweizer is the incumbent for the seat, but he’s only held it for less than a year. Schweizer’s lack of time to establish himself as an incumbent means this race is much more similar to a race for an open seat. Schweizer was appointed to the seat after former Rep. Mike Marron abruptly retired last year. The 21-year-veteran of the Marine Corps is the latest in a line of Republicans who held the seat, which includes Vermilion County and parts of Champaign County outside of the Champaign-Urbana Community.

*** Chicago ***

TUNE IN TONIGHT: Mayor Brandon Johnson is scheduled to appear on “Chicago Tonight” Tuesday to discuss the latest on the Chicago Board of Education.

The show airs at 5:30 p.m., 10 p.m. and streams on-demand online. pic.twitter.com/zcn3wgBiJJ

— WTTW - Chicago PBS (@wttw) October 8, 2024

* Block Club | Midway Armory Can’t Become Police Station, City Says — But Southwest Siders Aren’t Giving Up: “I think what the Mayor’s Office has attempted to do through the ordinance is to try to rewrite state law,” said Ald. Marty Quinn (13th), one of the alderpeople pushing for a new police district. A rally will be held 11 a.m. Saturday outside the Midway Armory to show support for a new police district. The rally is organized by Alds. Marty Quinn (13th), Jeylu Gutierrez (14th), Raymond Lopez (15th), Stephanie Coleman (16th), David Moore (17th), Derrick Curtis (18th), Mike Rodriguez (22nd) and Silvana Tabares (23rd), state Sen. Mike Porfirio and state Rep. Angie Guerrero-Cuellar.

* Block Club | Englewood Fire Station Left Without A Truck Because City Has No Available Spares: The Englewood fire station at 7101 S. Parnell Ave. has been operating without a truck since Saturday, said Patrick Cleary, Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 president. The truck’s brakes went out, and when a crew from the firehouse brought it to the Fire Department’s “shop” where spare trucks are stored, they were told the city did not have any available trucks, Cleary said.

* Block Club | Family Of Man Who Died After Riot Fest Raising Money For Services — And Seeking Answers: Stephen Shult, 58, died Thursday from complications of injuries suffered Sept. 22 at Riot Fest in Douglass Park, according to his family and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. The fundraiser to help pay for Shult’s funeral and burial services has raised over $7,000 as of Monday evening as the local music festival community grapples with his death. To make a donation, click here.

* ESPN | DePaul women’s coach Doug Bruno on medical leave indefinitely: CHICAGO — DePaul women’s basketball coach Doug Bruno will be away from the team indefinitely after he suffered a medical incident last month, the school announced Monday. Bruno, 73, is at home recovering and will return to the team when he’s able. Associate head coach Jill M. Pizzotti has assumed the role of interim.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Injustice Watch | Check your judges: Judges are powerful officials whose choices on the bench touch many aspects of our lives, from traffic tickets to divorces, lawsuits, evictions, and criminal cases. They can take or restore someone’s freedom, enforce or overturn state laws, and perpetuate or correct injustices. That’s why Injustice Watch created this guide to Cook County’s judicial elections on Nov. 5, 2024. This year, 75 circuit court judges and two appellate judges are running for reelection in Cook County. Voters will be asked whether each judge should be retained for another term. A judge must receive 60% “yes” votes to keep their seat.

* Daily Southtown | Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard tries to make key appointments previously blocked by judge: Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard tried to make appointments to posts including police chief that were recently blocked by a judge, and was mocked and ridiculed by residents during her short visit to a trustee-called meeting Monday night. Henyard arrived an hour after the trustees meeting began and tried to give her report, but residents in the audience kept shouting her down.

* Insurance Journal | Illinois Manufacturer to Pay $1.3M After Plant Explosion: Chemical products manufacturer AB Specialty Silicones LLC will pay $1.3 million in penalties after an explosion and fire at its Waukegan, Illinois plant in May 2019 claimed the lives of four workers. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration reached a settlement agreement with the company after an investigation revealed AB Specialty Silicones failed to ensure electrical equipment complied with OSHA standards. The company also used propane-powered forklifts to transport flammable liquids in areas where employees handled flammable liquids and gases.

* Daily Herald | DuPage Farm Bureau supports horticulture and agricultural education in Glenbard: Student enrollment in this program has grown 70% since its inaugural year in 2023-24. As a part of the courses, students participate in a number of field-based experiences, including leadership development and career exploration.

* Daily Herald | Libertyville Mayor Donna Johnson to face challenge in run for reelection: Libertyville Mayor Donna Johnson won office unopposed four years ago, but will be challenged in her bid for a second term next year. Village Trustee Matthew Hickey, whose four-year term is up for contest in April, has launched a campaign for the Libertyville’s top elected post.

*** Downstate ***

* SJ-R | Central Illinois first responder dies in two-vehicle crash: Chelsie M. Sonneborn, 32, was an emergency medical technician in Franklin. Sonneborn was driving on Illinois 104 near Rees Station Road on Oct. 3 when her vehicle collided head-on with a pickup truck, according to the Morgan County Coroner’s Office. The crash happened around 4 p.m. […] The crash is being investigated by the Illinois State Police and the Morgan County Coroner’s Office.

* Northern Illinois University Alumni Association | Robert Yadgir, ‘86, Receives Alumni Achievement in Public Service Award: Yadgir served as director of communications and senior policy advisor to Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White from 1999 to 2023 and as director of public relations for the Office of the Cook County Recorder of Deeds while White held that position from 1993 to 1999. Yadgir has also served since 2012 as volunteer executive director of the Jesse White Foundation, which supports programs benefiting at-risk youth and provides educational opportunities for low-income students, including the famous Jesse White Tumblers.

*** National ***

* AP | Supreme Court seems open to upholding regulations on ghost guns, hard to trace weapons used in crime: In arguments that ranged to classic cars and Western omelets, key conservative justices seemed open to the government’s argument that kits for quickly making nearly untraceable guns at home can be regulated like other firearms. Two conservative justices, Chief John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett, previously joined with the three liberals to allow the rule to go into effect and seemed skeptical of the arguments that the Biden administration overstepped by trying to regulate gun parts.

* NYT | Tracking Hurricane Milton: Milton was a Category 4 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico Tuesday afternoon Eastern time, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory. The hurricane had sustained wind speeds of 155 miles per hour. Follow our coverage here.

* Smithsonian Mag | Explore Abraham Lincoln’s Life and Legacy Through Rare Copies of Historic Books and Documents: A new exhibition—“Abraham Lincoln: His Life in Print”—opened this week at the Grolier Club in New York City. Using books, documents and ephemera, the show follows Lincoln’s rise from a one-room log cabin in Kentucky to the White House. A catalog published by Marquand Books also accompanies the exhibition, with chapters on Lincoln’s political journey, presidential legacy, assassination and many other topics. The more than 200 artifacts on display come from the Americana collection of David M. Rubenstein, an American businessman and philanthropist who recently wrote a new book exploring presidential history.