* University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs…

The Illinois Flash Index for October increased slightly to 102.2 from its reading last month of 102. With GDP growth at 2.8 percent for the third quarter, the goal of a soft landing from the strong post-COVID economies remains relatively strong.

“The current situation seems better than the proverbial soft-landing with inflation returning to acceptable levels while not only avoiding a recession but continuing the expansion at a more moderate pace,” said Fred Giertz, Professor Emeritus, Institute of Government and Public Affairs, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Illinois’ unemployment rate remained steady at 5.3 percent, but still well above the national rate of 4.1 percent. The state unemployment rate, still low by historical standards, indicates a slower recovery for Illinois than most other states. For the month, individual income tax and sales tax receipts in the state were down slightly in real terms compared to the same month last year while corporate tax receipts experienced a larger percentage decline for the normally slow month of October.

* IPM Newsroom…

People in prison can vote in Vermont, Maine and Washington, D.C.

It’s a right that one incarcerated Illinois man would like to have.

“The incarcerated community is probably the largest group of people who have the most skin in the game, yet we’re not acknowledged as stakeholders,” Raúl Dorado said.

About 29,000 people are incarcerated with the Illinois Department of Corrections on felony convictions, according to data released in October. People in jails, which hold people awaiting trial or serving misdemeanor sentences, have the right to vote.

* Capitol News Illinois…

The state’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is accepting applications for all households beginning Friday, Nov. 1. The program offers financial assistance for utility bills to low-income families. Other discounts are also available, even if someone is not enrolled in LIHEAP.

Applications opened on Oct. 1 for adults age 60 and older, individuals with a disability, families with children under age 5, and households that are disconnected from their utilities or energy vendors, have a disconnect date within seven days or whose propane tanks are less than 25% full.

LIHEAP – accept applications on a first-come, first-served basis through the middle of August, although applications will close earlier if funds run out, so those interested in applying should do so sooner rather than later.

Households with incomes lower than double the federal poverty level are eligible for the program. That works out to $2,510 in a 30-day period for individuals, $3,407 for households with two members, $4,303 for households with three individuals and higher for larger households. Higher income thresholds are available at the state’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity website.

*** Madigan Trial ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Wiretaps show McClain arranging checks for Madigan loyalist fired after #MeToo allegations: In that moment of relative calm, retired Statehouse lobbyist Mike McClain – whose longstanding friendship with Madigan granted him unparalleled access to the reclusive speaker – made a series of calls to other Madigan loyalists in late August of that year. McClain asked each in that small group if they’d consider cutting monthly checks to Kevin Quinn, a political staffer Madigan had fired in February 2018 in response to allegations of harassment from Alaina Hampton, a 28-year-old campaign consultant.

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | Some Chicagoans Face Long Lines, Nearly 3-Hour Waits At Early Voting Sites: “I arrived at 5 p.m. and wasn’t done until 7:30,” Lakeview resident Cassie Branderhorst said Wednesday. “I’ve voted early here in the past and was in and out. This is definitely the longest I’ve waited — by far.” It’s common to see lines, even for early voting, as Election Day nears and during presidential elections, which historically have the highest turnout, said Max Bever, Chicago Board of Election Commissioners spokesperson. Location also is a factor, and the lines have been consistently long at Merlo Library at all hours of the day, he said.

* Illinois Answers | Top CPS Official Promoted Invention to Reduce Lead in School Drinking Water — Even as His Name Was on The Patent: Among Chicago Public School employees, no one has been a bigger cheerleader for an invention designed to reduce dangerous amounts of lead in water from school drinking fountains than top administrator Robert Christlieb. […] Christlieb, who makes more than $170,000 a year at CPS, neglects to mention one key detail as he tells the story of the device’s creation. He’s more than just a fan of Noah. He’s listed as the co-inventor of the device he’s been promoting for years. Christlieb and Ramos share the U.S. patent for the Noah device, federal records show.

* WGN | Author and reporter Greg Pratt takes us inside the Lightfoot years with his new book: ‘The City is Up for Grabs’: Lori Lightfoot swept into the office of Chicago Mayor in a surprisingly decisive victory in 2019, the first African American gay mayor made history. In her four years as Mayor, she faced a global pandemic, battles with the police and teachers unions and a host of other challenges. How will history look back on the term of Mayor Lightfoot? Time will tell, but for now, reporter Gregory Pratt shares his reporting in “The City is up for Grabs: How Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Led and Lost A City in Crisis.” Deeply sourced in City Hall and other political offices, the book presents a thorough description of the tumultuous four years, filled with challenges and successes as well.

* Crain’s | Chicago M&A activity picks up in third quarter, but election gives some pause: “What corporates and CEOs need to do deals is confidence,” Carole Streicher, deal advisory and strategy service group leader for KPMG, said in an interview. “Confidence in the economy and in their business, but also confidence in the political situation in the U.S. and the geopolitical situation overseas. When there is a lack of confidence, they are less likely to pull the trigger on a multibillion-dollar transaction.”

* Sun-Times | From hospital to Halloween haunts, 7-year-old shot in West Pullman just thrilled to be a Ninja Turtle: Zayden Garrett may have dressed as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for Halloween, but his speed in recovering from gunshot wounds more resembles Wolverine. Doctors and family members didn’t expect Zayden to be released from Comer Children’s Hospital by Halloween, let alone be able to go trick-or-treating after he was struck by gunfire at his West Pullman home in a shooting that also wounded his uncle a little over three weeks ago.

* Sun-Times | Day of the Dead has become lucrative for Chicago flower vendors thanks to traditional marigolds: Olivera, 38, said marigolds color her yearly Day of the Dead altar at home, too. Her husband, Carlos Miramontes, was the store’s original owner, but after he died of COVID-19 in 2020, the holiday took on a deeper meaning for her. Now his photograph sits among the bright flowers and images of departed loved ones.

* Block Club | Bird Advocates Horrified After Pigeon Hunting Company Traps Hundreds Of Birds In Logan Square, Niles: Volunteers from the Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue witnessed a group of men baiting, trapping and removing pigeons with nets into crates from two parking lots in suburban Niles and a parking garage Thursday morning near Logan and Elston avenues in Logan Square. Volunteers said baby pigeons have been left to starve to death in nests. They’re also worried the birds trapped are without food and water, which is illegal in Illinois, said Jodie Wiederkehr, executive director of the Chicago Alliance for Animals, who was notified about the roundups by members of the Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue.

* Tribune | A chapter has ended, but story not over for bookstore owner thought to have died: ‘People can think you’re dead all they want’: Word traveled fast that the owner of a nearly century-old bookstore had died. Social media posts were made. A news article written. Emails sent. When Rebecca George, the co-owner of a bookstore in Wicker Park, was told the owner of The Gallery Bookstore in Lakeview had died and left behind a store full of books, she mobilized Chicago’s book-loving community. After all, George estimated there were 20,000 or 30,000 books crammed inside the store, which had only ever had two owners and had been under the care of Bill Fiedler since 1989.

* Sun-Times | Planted with love nearly 50 years ago, 54-foot blue spruce will be Chicago’s official Christmas tree: Jim Mulligan’s kids would hide behind the tree, which grew tall next to a historic home in Logan Square where they once lived. The new owners of the house aim to honor his memory by donating the massive tree to the city.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* WBEZ | State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is in the final months as Cook County’s top prosecutor: Next week, voters will choose Kim Foxx’s successor. Foxx announced months ago she would not be seeking re-election. She came into office in 2016 with a surge of so-called progressive prosecutors. Her tenure has been marked by almost constant criticism, but it also marked a historic shift in Cook County’s approach to crime and justice. WBEZ criminal justice editor Patrick Smith covered Foxx throughout her time in office and joins Morning Edition host Mary Dixon now.

* Daily Herald | War of words erupts between McHenry County’s top prosecutor and SAFE-T Act advocates: There’s no love lost between outgoing McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally and an advocacy group that helped lead the effort to eliminate cash bail in Illinois. Kenneally last week released a blistering statement criticizing earlier reports praising the first year of the state’s Pretrial Fairness Act, a key element of the SAFE-T Act that made cash bail a thing of the past.

* Sun-Times | Elgin Community College building $85M manufacturing center to help meet demand for more skilled workers: The center, on the northeastern portion of its campus, will more than triple the amount of lab and instructional space for manufacturing and tech programs at the college. Classes at the center are expected to start in the 2026 fall semester.

* Sun-Times | Property owners suing Blue Island over ‘outrageous’ water bills: Two Blue Island property owners are suing the south suburb over late fees for unpaid water bills they say were illegally designed to bring in more money. One lawsuit was filed by a homeowner, the other by the owner of a condominium unit. Both say the south suburb’s practice of charging 10% compounding late fees a month on delinquent water bills isn’t legal in Illinois. They say state law allows municipalities to get “reasonable compensation” for water and sewer services and that “a usurious, 10% monthly compounding ‘late-fee’ penalty or interest charge” doesn’t meet that standard. In Chicago, a penalty of 1.25% is added to late payments on water bills, but the fees aren’t compounded.

* Daily Herald | Des Plaines set to buy downtown building for $1.9 million: The city council on Monday will decide whether to spend nearly $1.9 million for the nearly century-old building at 678 Lee St. and an adjoining parking lot. The properties are on the southwest corner of Lee Street and Ellinwood Avenue. Once known as the Des Plaines State Bank, the three-story, roughly 18,000-square-foot building was erected in 1927, city documents indicate. It has a white marble facade, large ground-floor windows, a mezzanine and other eye-catching architectural features.

* Oak Park Journal | Oak Park operating departments ask for more money : Oak Park’s operating departments, including police, public health, public works, fire, development services and neighborhood services, are asking for more money in fiscal year 2025. The first draft of the proposed 2025 budget, according to Interim Chief Financial Officer Donna Gayden, has expenditures and revenue each at about $87 million. That’s up about $4.8 million from 2024. That increase includes cost of living adjustments, one-time expenses and village board goals.

*** Downstate ***

* STLPR | Southwest Illinois voters to weigh split from Chicago county in secession vote: So far, the 26 counties that have passed these symbolic referendums have all been rural with a total population of less than 500,000. If the referendum passes in Madison County, it will be the first suburban county, home to nearly 265,000 people, to approve at least symbolically leaving the state of Illinois. Advocates think this could signal that the disapproval is not just reflective of an urban vs. rural divide.

* NPR Illinois | Illinois State Museum reopening Nov. 4: The Illinois State Museum will reopen in Springfield on Monday, Nov. 4. The campus was closed in early August for a plumbing construction project. The construction project is ongoing, so several exhibits will continue to be closed temporarily, including the Mary Ann MacLean Play Museum. Visit the museum’s website and Facebook page for updates. The project is expected to be completed by early March.

* SJ-R | Illinois football reveals special helmets for Military Appreciation Game vs Minnesota: The No. 24 Fighting Illini (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) host Minnesota on Saturday, and their helmets will feature special designs to commemorate the 189 students and alumni that died in World War I. Each of their names are etched into the stripe on Illinois’ helmets for Saturday’s game, just like they are in the columns at Memorial Stadium. There are also 10 stars surrounding the Illinois logo on the helmet, which represents each of the 10 Illinois football players that died in battle, nine of which in World War II and one in the Vietnam War. There’s also an American flag and a Prisoner of War/Missing in Action flag on the back of the helmet.

*** National ***

* AP | Creative ‘I Voted’ stickers branch out beyond the familiar flag design: Two years ago, a New York county’s stickers featuring a wild-eyed crab-like creature created by a 14-year-old boy became an online sensation. This year the smash hit — one of nine designs distributed in Michigan — depicts a werewolf shredding its shirt in front of an American flag. […] In Milton, New Hampshire, 10-year-old Grace was treated like a celebrity when she visited the polls for the presidential primary in January and town elections in March.

* ProPublica | A Pregnant Teenager Died After Trying to Get Care in Three Visits to Texas Emergency Rooms: It took three ER visits and 20 hours before a hospital admitted Nevaeh Crain, 18, as her condition worsened. Doctors insisted on two ultrasounds to confirm “fetal demise.” She’s one of at least two Texas women who died under the state’s abortion ban.

* NPR | With much at stake, labor unions knock on millions of doors in final campaign push: The American Federation of Teachers has sent hundreds of its members from New York to Pennsylvania and from Illinois to Wisconsin to canvass “labor doors.” The United Auto Workers has similarly deployed union members to fellow members’ homes and work sites, in addition to an aggressive phone, text and mail campaign.