* Tribune…

A federal judge in Chicago on Friday clarified that all immigration-enforcement agents must have body-worn cameras in the field as part of a temporary restraining order over the tear gassing and rough treatment of protesters and media during the Trump administration’s ongoing “Operation Midway Blitz.”

In a hearing at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Friday, U.S. District Judge Sarah Ellis said she was displeased by the lack of response from the government Thursday when she asked them to come up with suggested language to modify her restraining order when it came to body-worn cameras.

“Nothing came in,” Ellis said Friday. “This was not a suggestion, it was not a hint, it wasn’t a topic of conversation. It was an order.”

The move came in the wake of a public statement from the Department of Homeland Security. After Thursday’s hearing, a DHS spokesperson said there was currently no order requiring body cameras, but if a court were to enter such an order, it would be “an extreme act of judicial activism.”

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* Press release…

State Senate candidate Nick Uniejewski today called on incumbent Senator Sara Feigenholtz to return a $5,000 campaign contribution from Sam Sanchez, a well-known restaurant owner who has publicly said he voted for Donald Trump and serves as a leader in the Illinois Restaurant Association—a group that has fiercely opposed efforts to raise wages for low-wage workers.

“We shouldn’t settle for a Democrat who jumps at the biggest check from someone who proudly voted for Trump,” Uniejewski said. “If Senator Feigenholtz truly stands with working people, she should return that money—or better yet, donate it to 19th District Mutual Aid, a grassroots group supporting immigrant families right here on the North Side.”

Uniejewski had just $29K in his campaign account at the end of September.

* Capitol News Illinois…

People in Illinois who buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace are likely to see big increases in the cost of their premiums next year, but state officials are encouraging them to reach out for help before they decide to drop their coverage.

“We’re really encouraging people, don’t walk away. Come and talk to a navigator,” Illinois Insurance Director Ann Gillespie said in an interview this week. “Make an appointment to talk to a navigator, because there are over 1,100 plans that we’re going to be offering on the marketplace. There might be an option that will be affordable for you.”

Open enrollment for the 2026 plan year begins Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 15. This year will be the first year in which Illinois residents will use a state-based online platform, Get Covered Illinois, to shop for their plans.

“Last year, we were a state-based marketplace, but on the federal platform still. It was our transition year,” Gillespie said. “So last year was technically the first year of the state-based marketplace. This year, we’re on our own platform for the first time.”

…Adding… The Will County Executive Office…

Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant has issued an executive order that clarifies how county government will respond to increased federal immigration enforcement actions. The order creates restrictions on the use of county property for immigration enforcement staging areas, establishes guidelines for immigration enforcement actions on county property, and provides guidance on referring residents to legal resources and temporary visas available to crime victims.

“I am deeply concerned about reports I am receiving about federal immigration activity occurring locally and tactics causing fear throughout the community,” said Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant. “The steps we are taking today are aimed at ensuring our residents voices are heard by providing resources and actions that fall under the county jurisdiction. All people should be safe in their neighborhoods and supported in their community.”

The four-part Executive Order, officially titled Executive Order 25-01, includes two directives to Will County offices and departments that set guidelines on federal immigration enforcement actions on county property. This includes prohibiting the use of County-owned properties under the control of the Executive’ Office, including buildings and lots, to serve as staging areas for enforcement operations.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Semafor | Governor JB Pritzker on Chicago, ICE, and the information war with Trump’s White House: This week, Ben and Max bring on Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to talk about how he’s navigating a communications crisis and a messaging battle against the Trump White House in the new media landscape. They also talk about how conservative media is shaping the situation on the ground, what he thinks of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s trolling approach to Trump, and whether we should bet on the Chicago Bears.

* The Southern | Mueller launches campaign for Illinois State Senate: Tamiko “T.C.” Mueller is hoping her message of unity, economic growth and working across party lines will help carry her to victory next year as she seeks the open seat in the Illinois State Senate’s 59th District. Mueller formally launched her campaign this week, aiming to return the seat to Democratic control after Gary Forby last held it from 2003 to 2017. She told supporters she’s ready to bring a fresh voice of action and results to Springfield.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | ‘Feeling the pain’: Chicago’s federal court starts reducing operations amid ongoing government shutdown: The ongoing federal government shutdown is starting to have dire consequences at Chicago’s Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, where money has run out to pay staff for non-essential duties and jury trials are being canceled amid growing uncertainty. The shutdown, which began Oct. 1, initially affected only civil litigation involving the United States as a party since the court keeps a reserve of funds that allow most operations to continue.

* Block Club | Belmont Cragin Business Owners Beg For Support As ICE Fears Devastate Sales And Closures Loom: The Northwest Side neighborhoods have seen increased immigration arrests and ICE activity in recent weeks under the Trump administration’s large-scale immigration operations — ICE’s Midway Blitz and Border Patrol’s At Large — which started in September. That has stoked fear among would-be customers, with foot traffic and sales dropping, business owners said. “It’s been really difficult. We could close the restaurant if we don’t get more business in the next two months,” said Jesus, the manager of Las Casitas restaurant, 5746 W. Belmont Ave. in Belmont Cragin. Jesus, who has worked for the restaurant since 2020, asked to not have his last name published out of fear federal agents would target him.

* Block Club | Unmarked Officers At Calumet Park Station Aren’t Immigration Agents, Coast Guard Says: The officers are “additional Coast Guard security forces,” not immigration agents, U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson and Lt. Cmdr. Steve Roth told Block Club Thursday. Additional security was deployed in response to “destruction of Coast Guard property at the station and threats made against Coast Guard members,” Roth said.

* Sun-Times | Ex-CBP chief details ‘unreasonable use of force,’ ICE cites ‘brazen’ hostility in dueling lawsuit narratives: A day after President Donald Trump summoned 300 Illinois National Guard troops into federal service, one of his immigration enforcement officials 700 miles away in Illinois sent an email praising the people who turned out to be “the difference maker” in calming local protests. His email didn’t brag about soldiers, border agents or any branch of federal law enforcement. Instead, the official wrote that the Department of Homeland Security “did not have to intervene with any protesters” the weekend of Oct. 4 — after the Illinois State Police showed up outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview. “It’s clear that ISP is the difference maker in this scenario, and we are grateful for their leadership,” Peter Sukmanowski, assistant director of ICE’s Chicago field office, wrote. “Hopefully, we can keep it up for the long-haul.”

* Block Club | Chicago Cyclists Are Buying Out Tamale Carts To Keep Vendors Home And Safe From ICE: Cycling x Solidarity, a collective of Chicago cyclists who organize group rides and mutual aid efforts, will host a Street Vendor Bike Tour Saturday with the Street Vendors Association of Chicago. The ride will begin 10 a.m. at Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park and wind through Pilsen and Little Village, where the group will buy food from street vendors.

* WBEZ | ‘Incredibly important’ Imagist Roger Brown gave his collection to Chicago. How’d it end up in Wisconsin?: Against this backdrop comes a new exhibition at the Kohler Center that gives audiences a look of Brown’s visual world and what inspired his cartoonish, folksy style and depictions of semi-imaginary architecture and landscapes. The exhibition, located at Kohler’s satellite Art Preserve and running through spring 2026, shows only a fraction of the newly acquired objects but aims to provide visitors with an introductory taste of the artist’s vast collection, which it plans to fully showcase down the road.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | More arrests outside Broadview ICE center as protests continue: Friday’s confrontation was the first in almost a month to take place on Beach Street after federal officials removed what the town called an illegally constructed fence from outside the facility. Protesters began to chant around 8 a.m. Friday in violation of Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson’s recently issued order that protests only occur between 9 a.m. and 6 a.m.

* Block Club | State Police Led Broadview Protesters Into Street And Attacked Them, Demonstrators Say: About 8:15 a.m. Friday, state police told a crowd of about 100 protesters they could go into the street — but then attacked them with billy clubs and arrested several people, activists said. […] In a statement, Illinois State Police said “a number of individuals repeatedly blocked a street” outside the facility and “after providing repeated instructions and opportunities to move to the designated protest areas, 11 individuals were ultimately arrested.”

* MediaITE | Democratic Congressional Candidate Kat Abughazaleh Claims Cop Hit Her With Baton During ICE Protest: Abughazaleh, who is running for Congress in Illinois’s 9th district, was among numerous protesters at the ICE facility in Broadview on Friday morning when Illinois State Police advanced while clutching batons. “Cops led us into the street as the new ‘protest zone’ and then beat us repeatedly,” Abughazaleh said in a social media post. “Got hit in the face with a baton. Leaving to pick up my friends who were arrested.”

* Tribune | Aurora’s proposed 2026 city budget includes funding, staffing cuts: In total, the budget proposed for next year is $163.6 million less than this year’s, city officials told reporters at a meeting on Thursday. That decrease, which sets the overall budget at around $569 million, is mostly because of bonds the city took out this year for big construction projects, according to Mayor John Laesch. Actual cuts to the city’s main operating fund made throughout the budget process totaled around $19 million, or around 7% of the starting budget, city officials’ presentation showed. The proposed 2026 budget still has a difference between revenue and expenses of $2.5 million in its main operating fund, down from the nearly $30 million deficit that officials said the budget had earlier in the process.

* Daily Herald | More cargo, more problems? Why retired suburban police chief is leading fight against heavier trucks: To former Buffalo Grove and Cary Police Chief Steve Casstevens, the formula is obvious: bigger, fuller and heavier trucks equal bigger, more and worse crashes. That’s why the retired law enforcement leader has found a new role helping to lead the fight against proposals before Congress allowing more densely packed semis on federal highways. “There’s never been a study by anyone saying higher weights are safer,” said Casstevens, who also served as president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. “Common sense, engineers and truck drivers will tell you higher weights mean more crashes. Everything tells us it’s a bad idea.”

* Daily Herald | Schaumburg panel endorses more flexibility on when apartments must switch from heat to A/C: Last month his air conditioning was turned off a week before the Sept. 15 requirement for heat to make the transition. During the hot days that recurred for the rest of the month, not only was he without A/C but the heat was actively on. “There’s radiant heat coming from the vent,” Finch said. He shared a general email from the management of The Grove explaining to residents the village’s requirement to maintain a temperature of at least 68 degrees from Sept. 15 to June 1.

*** Downstate ***

* WIFR | Federal courts in northern Illinois reduce operations due to government shutdown: If the shutdown continues after Judiciary funds are exhausted, the courts will then operate under the terms of the Anti-Deficiency Act, which allows work to continue during a lapse in appropriations if it is necessary to support the exercise of Article III judicial powers. Under this scenario, each court and federal defender’s office would determine the staffing resources necessary to support such work.

* WSIL | Southern Illinois regions receive portion of $2.5M for childhood development: The award, consisting of 43 subcontracts for fiscal year 2026, is funded by the Illinois State Board of Education. Since fiscal year 2023, Birth to Five Illinois has invested a total of $11,875,000. The organization has provided funding to 35 out of 39 regions in Illinois. This demonstrates their commitment to enhancing existing Early Childhood Collaborations and investing in less-funded areas.

* WSIL | New ADA doors enhance accessibility at Alexander County polls: These changes aim to improve accessibility for all residents in the county. Doors are already in place at the Tamms community building. The Olive Branch community building and McClure City Hall are set to have their doors installed next week.

* WCIA | 2025-2026 Wooly Worm Forecast: Judy Fraser is back in the studio with us this season with the 2025-2026 Wooly Worm Forecast. Watch her full forecast above as she talks more about the Wooly Worms, how she forecasts with them and some memories from over the years.

*** National ***

* LA Times | Susan Stamberg, NPR ‘founding mother’ and ‘All Things Considered’ host, dies at 87: Stamberg joined NPR in the early 1970s when it was getting off the ground as a network of radio stations across the country. During her career, she interviewed thousands of people, from prominent politicians and artists to the less well-known like White House chefs and people who work behind the scenes in Hollywood. She explained in an oral history interview with Oregon station KLCC in January that she didn’t have women in broadcast to model herself after when she became the host of “All Things Considered” in 1972.

* AP | US blocks a global fee on shipping emissions as international meeting ends without new regulations: The world’s largest maritime nations had been deliberating on adopting regulations to move the shipping industry away from fossil fuels to slash emissions. But U.S. President Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia and other countries vowed to fight any global tax on shipping emissions. The U.S. had threatened to retaliate if nations support it. Trump urged countries to vote “No” at the International Maritime Organization headquarters in London, posting on his social media platform Truth Social on Thursday that “the United States will not stand for this global green new scam tax on shipping.”

* United States Courts | Judiciary Still Operating as Shutdown Starts: If the shutdown continues after Judiciary funds are exhausted, the courts will then operate under the terms of the Anti-Deficiency Act, which allows work to continue during a lapse in appropriations if it is necessary to support the exercise of Article III judicial powers. Under this scenario, each court and federal defender’s office would determine the staffing resources necessary to support such work.