* ICYMI: CUB, Ameren Illinois spar over rate increase proposal. WCIA…

- Ameren Illinois is asking for a $334 million rate increase. And earlier this month, state regulatory judges recommended a $314 million increase for the company, about 90 percent of their original ask.

- But the Citizens Utility Board says the plan should be reduced by at least $100 million because of wasteful spending. CUB officials said the current plan includes $23.5 million for six projects and $800,000 for operations and maintenance costs.

-When asked how much more money people could see on their bills every month, Ameren did not give a specific answer.

* Related stories…

∙ WMBD: Board urges state commission to cut Ameren rate hike request∙ Advantage: CUB urges ICC to rethink Ameren request

Governor Pritzker’s schedule…

In Rockford at 10 am to celebrate the Reach Out and Reach literacy Program.

In Rockford at 11:30 pm to announce the US Department of Energy grant award.

In Machesney Park at 1 pm for the mobilization ceremony for the 725th Transportation Company

Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | Local 150 steps into Springfield power vacuum aiming to promote clean energy and protect jobs, efforts often at odds: Mandating electric vehicles too soon, according to Local 150 political guru Marc Poulos, would cripple revenue from the state’s motor fuel tax. That, in turn, would kill lots of road-building projects and jobs. These include a $6.4 billion plan, of which Local 150 is a principal proponent and beneficiary, to rebuild the Eisenhower Expressway west of downtown.

* Daily Herald | Police explain how they solved 45-year-old North Aurora murder: Thanks to DNA testing, North Aurora police can close the case of the 1979 murder of Kathy Halle. But they know that while it might bring some comfort to Halle’s family to know who killed her, there will be no justice. That’s because the perpetrator, Bruce Lindahl, died just two years later while committing another murder. “This was a tough one for us,” Detective Ryan Peat said. “It (the ID) doesn’t save Kathy. It doesn’t bring any justice to Bruce.”

* Center Square | Some argue for Illinois’ Electoral College votes to be proportioned: Former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn doesn’t favor a proportional approach to the Electoral College. He said whoever gets the popular vote should win. “The electoral college is really something from the 18th Century and it doesn’t really work in the 21st Century in my opinion,” Quinn said recently at an unrelated news conference.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WAND | Election preview: Schweizer, Clem battle for Illinois 104th House seat: Schweizer argued Illinois should eliminate some of the less effective programs and reprioritize funding to alleviate taxes. Clem is in favor of cutting down on state government spending to help lower the burden on families. “But, we need to make an investment in education and our pensions,” Clem said. “Our property taxes are the biggest expense for a lot of homeowners.”

* WSPY | Gabby Shanahan runs for Illinois House 97th District seat, prioritizes cost of living and taxes: Shanahan says the high cost of living is the main issue she would like to address if elected, and she believes the elimination of the grocery tax is a step in the right direction. She would also like to see the gas tax eliminated.

*** Statewide ***

* 25 News Now | Single strand of pneumonia is infecting Illinois kids at an earlier age: Mycoplasma Pneumoniae, a strand of pneumonia also known as walking pneumonia, is becoming more common in Illinois children in 2024. Typically, children eight or older become infected. However, Illinois Department of Public Health data show increased cases in children under the age of six, and the symptoms have reportedly been more severe. The department saw a positive case rate of walking pneumonia at 1% in April 2024. In October, it rose to 20%.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | Brandon Johnson’s communications director ousted amid latest mayoral office shake-up: It is unclear why Ronnie Reese is stepping down as communications director, but it comes amid a string of high-profile departures from the mayor’s top team, and after a rocky year and a half of communications strategy. Reese did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A source with direct knowledge of Reese’s departure who was not authorized to speak on the personnel matter publicly said the exit was “not voluntary.” […] Reese helped propel Johnson into the mayor’s office. He ran campaign communications after spending more than a decade as a deputy press secretary at the Chicago Teachers Union where Johnson was a paid organizer.

* ABC Chicago | CTA Train operator had alcohol in their system when Yellow Line train crashed in 2023, report shows: The reports documented two separate blood alcohol tests conducted that show the operator was under the influence at the time of the late morning crash at levels above federal requirements. […] At the time of the crash, the 47-year-old train operator at the controls had worked in that position for only three months, according to findings from the NTSB’s investigation. […] “The medical facility’s results showed that at the time the train operator was tested, approximately one hour after the accident, his blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was found to be .06,” the NTSB report states.

* Sun-Times | Chicago police blasted for mishandling cases of missing Black women: ‘The days of silence are no more’: “I’ve come to understand that missing Black women cases, predominantly in Black districts, are handled without the same due diligence as white women in predominantly white areas,” Bridgette Rouse, whose sister went missing in 2017, told the City Council’s Public Safety Committee at a four-hour meeting Wednesday.

* Tribune | Cook County commissioners advance settlements tied to disgraced Chicago Detective Reynaldo Guevara: In all, the National Registry of Exonerations at the University of Michigan tallied more than 40 individuals who were wrongly convicted based on Guevara, partner Ernest Halvorsen, or other detectives’ misconduct — including coerced false confessions or witness identifications — through threats or violence. That misconduct has been costly for city taxpayers already: cases that named Guevara cost $39.3 million in 2019, 2020 and 2021 alone, not including the cost to pay outside counsel to defend the city in court.

* CBS Chicago | Chicago Teachers Union spends thousands on flyers attacking candidates for school board: A total of 31 candidates are vying for 10 spots in what is now a $3.2 million race for Chicago’s first elected school board. More than $38,000 has come in the last couple of days just for Chicago Teachers Union-backed candidates—earmarked specifically for phone calls, text messages, and radio ads. Thousands of dollars were spent specifically on a run of flyers alone. The flyers, which some are receiving in the mail right now, claim candidates in the race are aligned with former president Donald Trump and “out-of-state billionaires.”

* Tribune | Chicago Teachers Union report aims for alignment between district, mayor and union: The Chicago Teachers Union released a new report in a virtual news conference Wednesday, combining the highly anticipated Chicago Public Schools “Together We Rise” five-year strategic plan and the union’s contract proposals. While CTU’s new report takes goals from CPS’ five-year strategic plan and provides more specific “implementation steps,” much of the news conference focused on the ongoing disputes between the district and the union over key financial decisions.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | How many lawyers does a county clerk need? DuPage board members question size of clerk’s legal team: Some DuPage County Board members are questioning the number of lawyers representing the county clerk in a legal case stemming from an ongoing dispute over how bills get paid. County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek has a team of three lawyers representing her in a lawsuit challenging her authority over how she runs her office. Because the state’s attorney’s office filed the lawsuit against Kaczmarek, the county’s chief judge appointed legal representation for the clerk.

* Daily Southtown | Thornton Township meeting canceled as trustees, Tiffany Henyard dispute where to meet: While enough of the board had showed up to the Thornton Township Hall in South Holland to call the meeting to order, Trustee Chris Gonzalez refused to go to the upstairs meeting room, saying there was too little space for the number of attendees present. Meeting locations have frequently switched between two rooms of the building, with Henyard preferring the upstairs and Trustees Gonzalez and Carmen Carlisle saying they prefer the larger basement space.

*** Downstate ***

* Shaw Local | Shaw Media acquiring Daily Journal in Kankakee: The Small family had owned the Daily Journal before its sale to Shaw. Len Small founded the newspaper in 1903. The present owners, Len, Tom and Jennifer Small, issued a statement saying: “We congratulate the Shaw organization for their commitment. We will celebrate the progress of the new company.”

* WCIA | Danville nursing home cited for multiple violations: The document said a resident received care for a wound he had on his right leg. Five days later a nurse found maggots in his dressing and wheelchair. The wound physician ordered it be washed with an antiseptic and the wrap be changed every two days.

* BND | Breese contractor and Aldi executive sentenced in bid-rigging and kickback scheme: A former executive for Aldi and a building contractor from Breese have been sentenced in federal court in East St. Louis for rigging bids for the construction and remodeling of grocery stores throughout southern Illinois and Missouri. Louis R. Ross Sr., 64, a former Aldi executive from St. Louis, was sentenced on Oct. 16 to serve two years in prison, according to court records and a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office Tuesday. Ross pleaded guilty in May to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, four counts of mail fraud and four counts of wire fraud.

* Daily-Journal | Unfinished business: New chairman of Kankakee County Board appointed: Kankakee County Board has a new chairman. That was revealed at Tuesday’s special board meeting that Andy Wheeler resigned late Friday in an email to Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe, which made the proceedings moot. A special meeting was called Friday afternoon to discuss Wheeler’s status as board chairman.

* WCIA | Springfield’s ALPLM hosting naturalization ceremony: The United States District Court, Central District of Illinois will hold a naturalization ceremony at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum on Oct. 24 at 2:30 p.m. During the ceremony, the 75 citizenship candidates will be presented to the Honorable Karen McNaught, a Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court, Central District of Illinois. The candidates come from 37 countries, including Bolivia, China, Italy, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.

* PJ Star | ‘Perfect storm’: Major Peoria road project is one year ahead of schedule. Here’s how: Wisconsin Avenue reconstruction is a year ahead of schedule because no unexpected variables arose during work, contractors worked quickly and effectively with the road shut down, and there were no scheduling issues, according to Peoria Public Works spokesperson Nick McMillion. “It truly was a perfect storm that came together for this project to be completed a year ahead of schedule,” McMillion said. “On a construction project of this magnitude, it is rare that everything lines up perfectly and nothing unexpected occurs. Wisconsin Avenue is such a vital corridor for the city, and its residents in the East Bluff and we are really excited to show off the vast improvements of this important roadway.”

* WCIA | UIUC researcher creates technology to detect cancers faster: Within a small black box, LED lights and sensors detect molecules, take a photo and connect with a doctor’s smartphone. Once those are counted, doctors can detect cancer faster and tell if it’s becoming more advanced. It could also help medical experts decide which medicines would be most effective for the patient.

*** National ***

* AP | Grateful Dead named MusiCares Persons of the Year for philanthropy and music impact: MusiCares, an organization that helps music professionals who need financial, personal or medical assistance, will honor the Grateful Dead as its 2025 Persons of the Year. MusiCares announced Wednesday that it will recognize original members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh and Bobby Weir for their philanthropic efforts, their unique ability to foster community through concerts and for their impact on American music on their 60th anniversary.

* The Guardian | US public schools burned up nearly $3.2bn fending off rightwing culture attacks – report: Researchers from UCLA, UT Austin, UC Riverside and American University surveyed 467 public school superintendents across 46 US states, asking them about the direct and indirect costs of dealing with these volatile campaigns. Those costs included everything from out-of-pocket payments to hire to lawyers or additional security, to the staff member hours devoted to responding to disinformation on social media, addressing parent concerns and replying to voluminous public records requests focused on the district’s teachings on racism, gender and sexuality.