* The Tribune…

Opening statements in the landmark corruption case against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and his longtime confidant were expected to kick off Monday after completion of an often-tedious jury selection process that has stretched on for nearly two weeks.

The final two alternate jurors were selected Monday: a former University of Illinois-Chicago social work professor and a North Side aircraft mechanic who enjoys watching “Project Runway.”

“We have a jury,” U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey said Monday afternoon. “Hallelujah!” […]

The trial, which is scheduled to last at least 11 weeks, is the culmination of one of the biggest political corruption investigations ever to unfold at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, given Madigan’s stature as the longest-serving leader of any legislative chamber in the nation who for decades wielded an ironclad grip on the state legislature as well as the Democratic Party and its political spoils.

Click here to follow the trial.

* Green Market Report…

Illinois’ cannabis industry hit new heights in fiscal year 2024, with adult-use sales eclipsing $2 billion and dozens of new dispensaries opened their doors. But the latest annual cannabis report from the state also reveals a market still wrestling with persistent illicit sales and an emerging threat from unregulated hemp-derived products.

The report, compiled by the Cannabis Regulation Oversight Office with the help of several state departments, showed tax revenue from cannabis sales reached $457.3 million by the end of what was dubbed “a year of explosive growth,” with 82 new dispensaries opening, bringing the statewide total to over 200.

Those success were shadowed by concerns from state officials about competition from the illicit market.

“Even though the shifting of law enforcement resources has migrated away from minor cannabis offenses, the ongoing presence of illicit cannabis being brought into Illinois still demands significant resources,” the ISP stated in the report. […]

The Illinois State Police seized approximately 12 tons of illicit cannabis in fiscal 2024, valued at $63.7 million. Data from the International Cannabis Policy Study estimated that “nearly 36% of the Illinois cannabis market is from illegal sources.”

* WTTW…

Migrants who make their way to Chicago will no longer be guaranteed a bed in a city shelter, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced Monday, as city, state and county officials launch a unified system to assist all unhoused Chicagoans.

Starting Tuesday, only migrants who have been in the country for less than a month will be eligible for a spot in one of the city’s 13 shelters designated for people city officials refer to as new arrivals, Johnson was set to announce at a City Hall news conference.

Those who do get a spot in a city shelter will no longer be guaranteed a place to live for at least 60 days, as has been the case since the humanitarian crisis began more than two years ago, officials announced.

Only those suffering from illness, disabilities and pregnancy will be eligible for extensions through Jan. 1. No extensions will be offered after that, officials said.

* Former Republican Rep. Dan Brady…

Today, local leader Dan Brady officially filed his nominating petitions to run for Mayor of Bloomington with an overwhelming show of support.

Brady submitted the maximum allowed number of signatures on the first day of filing, demonstrating broad community backing for his vision of safer neighborhoods, responsible spending, economic growth, and his support for the downtown Bloomington “streetscape plan.”

“I’ve heard from countless Bloomington residents who are struggling with the rising cost of living, concerns about public safety, and a city government that needs to do more to support our local businesses,” said Brady.

“I love Bloomington – I was born and raised here, built my business and raised my family here, and have fought for Bloomington for two decades in the General Assembly. Our City deserves a mayor with the experience and leadership to act decisively to improve life for local families. That’s why I’m running.”

Dan Brady’s deep roots in Bloomington, combined with his business background and public service, make him uniquely positioned to lead the city. He is dedicated to revitalizing Bloomington, making it a safe, healthy, and prosperous community for local families and the economic engine of the Midwest.

For more information on Dan Brady’s vision, visit www.votedanbrady.com

*** Statehouse News ***

* Crain’s | Pritzker still unmoved by calls for a state handout to Reinsdorf: “I can just say the same challenges exist for putting public money in a private business — I mean the kind of size people are looking for. We’re always helping private businesses, I might add. Sometimes it’s just infrastructure . . . we do that kind of thing all the time. “But a billion-dollar investment for a private business that’s owned by wealthy people that’s a highly valued enterprise seems like the taxpayers rightly should say, ‘Don’t we have other uses for that capital?’”

*** Chicago ***

* Crain’s | Johnson and the CTU are pushing for neighborhood schools over choice. Can CPS strike a balance?: Johnson, a former teacher and CTU organizer, ran his mayoral campaign on rebalancing the inequities that have starved schools in strapped communities. Late last year his school board issued a resolution that called for a new vision, from a model that emphasizes choice to one that “prioritizes communities most impacted by past and ongoing racial and economic inequity.” […] “People felt that a very large decision was being taken away from them when they were on the precipice of an elected school board,” says Illinois state Rep. Margaret Croke, whose North Side district includes Lincoln Park and Lakeview, and who introduced a bill to forestall any changes until a fully elected board is seated. (The bill was passed in the Illinois House but held in the Senate after Johnson agreed not to enact certain changes.)

* WGN | Committee OKs measure to lower Chicago speed limit, sending it to full council: The City Council’s Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety on Monday passed a measure that would lower the city’s default maximum speed limit to 25 MPH, down from the current 30. Alders passed the measure with an 8-5 vote, sending it to the full City Council.

* Sun-Times | More CPS students are graduating from high school, but finishing college is still a struggle: According to the report published earlier this month, the high school graduation rate among students of all races increased from 62% in 2008 to 85% in 2023. Among young white women and men, the high school graduation rate was 93% and 90% in 2023, compared to 88% and 83% of young Latino women and men and 85% and 78% of young Black women and men.

* Crain’s | Charter school supporters and CTU rivalry heats up ahead of school board elections: As of early October, $557,000 had been spent by a committee of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, or INCS, putting the charter advocacy group at the top of special interest groups spending in Chicago’s first school board elections. This is more than double the $238,000 spent by the political action committees of the CTU and its coalition of community organizations, according to Chalkbeat Chicago. The INCS has raised funds from billionaires Helen Zell, wife of the late real estate mogul Sam Zell; Netflix co-founder and Chairman Reed Hastings; and private investor Craig Duchossois.

* Block Club | City Selling Largely Vacant Rogers Park Lot — Preferably For Housing And A Community Garden: The city is selling a long-undeveloped lot on the Far North Side, hoping a builder will bring housing to the site. The 46,000-square-foot lot at the corner of Howard Street and Ashland Avenue in Rogers Park is owned by the city, and it’s been the home of a community garden for years. The city listed it for about $2 million, according to the Department of Planning and Development. […] Ald. Maria Hadden’s 49th Ward office in 2020 asked neighbors what they wanted to see at the lot to inform future requests for proposals. Things like housing and green space have seemed popular, residents have previously said.

* Block Club | Pilsen Is Changing. Can A ‘Mom-And-Pop’ Landlord Make A Difference?: Longtime families have said they’ve been forced out by rising costs. Yet Bottari charges his tenants hundreds — not thousands — in monthly rent based on what they can afford. The highest rent a tenant is paying is $800. He’s charged tenants nothing when they’ve fallen on hard times. It’s all very much on purpose: He wants to support his neighbors.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Sun-Times | Can prison cause dementia? New Northwestern study explores how incarceration impacts health: The university was recently awarded a grant for a first-of-its-kind study on how incarceration affects health, age-related conditions and risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. The grant from the National Institutes of Health totals $20 million over five years. Several studies have explored the connection between poor health and incarceration, but this study is investigating how all the conditions of prison can worsen someone’s health, said Linda Teplin, the study’s principal investigator.

*** Downstate ***

* SJ-R | New hearing date set for former sheriff’s deputy charged with Massey’s murder: In the less than 90-second proceeding before Presiding Circuit Judge Ryan Cadagin, Sean P. Grayson, charged with Massey’s murder, was given a new status hearing for Dec. 2. That is expected to be closer to a Fourth District Appellate Court ruling regarding Grayson’s ongoing detention in Menard County.

* WAND | Former deputy accused of killing Sonya Massey appears in court, awaits decision on pre-trial release: Around thirty members of Massey’s family appeared for the hearing on Monday. Teresa Haley with Haley and Associates told reporters after the hearing that Massey’s family is “struggling, but holding on.” She said that family and community members will keep attending hearings and “coming back again and again and again and again.”

* WEAI | Lesko Proposes Merger of Sangamon County Recorder and Clerk Offices: A Sangamon County elected official is proposing to merge the office with another. Current Springfield City Clerk Frank Lesko, who is running as the Republican candidate for the Sangamon County Recorder position this November, is proposing to merge the office with the Sangamon County Clerk’s office. According to a press release on Wednesday, Lesko says the merger would make the county government more accountable, efficient, and responsive to taxpayers.

* WCIA | IL State Police Trooper Thompsen to be remembered in police procession: A police procession honoring a trooper who died in the line of duty will be held on Monday afternoon. […] According to St. Joseph and Stanton Fire Protection District a large police procession will move from Urbana to St. Joesph beginning around 1 p.m. The procession will move through 150 from the west to North Third Street to Freese Funeral Home in St. Joe.

* WCIA | Iroquois Co. wins Roth ID kits for community: Roth ID tags are a sticker that can go on a car seat with a child’s information. In the event of an emergency, the tag can be removed from the car seat and used as a wristband. These help first responders connect young children with their parent or guardian if an accident has occurred. […] After being nominated for the giveaway, organizations throughout the United States campaigned for the most votes to win free Roth ID tags. The Iroquois County Sheriff’s Department was one of 18 teams to win. They’ll receive 100 Roth ID Kits to give away to the community.

*** National ***

* WSJ | ‘It Feels Very Dystopian.’ Republican County Officials Brace for Election Deniers—Again: As Nov. 5 looms, the election headquarters in the most populous county in the crucial battleground state of Arizona has become a fortress. “You’d have to be a psychopath to say you enjoy this,” said Maricopa County’s top election official for voting by mail, Stephen Richer, a Republican. The building has added metal detectors and armed guards. On Election Day, as workers tabulate ballots behind new fencing and concrete barriers, drones will patrol the skies overhead, police snipers will perch on rooftops and mounted patrols will stand ready.