* Tribune story on Head Start…

“We’ve had something, every month, that the administration has dropped on us,” said Lauri Morrison-Frichtl, executive director of the nonprofit Illinois Head Start Association. “It creates chaos, anxiety and fear among our workforce, among our children and families.”

Head Start has survived elimination — and its funding is secure, for now. But Chicago preschools and providers remain guarded as they navigate a period of historic political tumult. Many wonder how the program will fare under Trump’s reproach for the next three years.

And as the federal government shutdown drags on, some Illinois Head Start programs may be forced to temporarily shutter in November or December.

“I’ve been telling programs, we’re going to just survive these few years, and we’ll thrive on the other side,” Morrison-Frichtl said. “That’s been our motto.”

***************** Advertisement *****************

Illinois families can’t afford a new delivery tax.

Delivery services are a lifeline for millions of Illinois residents helping seniors, families, and those with limited mobility get the essentials they need, when they need them.

Delivery isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity.

Learn how a delivery tax could affect your household and why we must STOP THIS TAX today.

*************************************************

* WMBD…

Former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson has taken the stand and will testify at his own murder trial.

That comes after an expert on use of force by police spent all Friday testifying how he felt Grayson wasn’t justified when he shot a woman last summer.

Grayson, 31, is on trial for first-degree murder in connection with the July 6, 2024, shooting of Sonya Massey in her home in the Cabbage Patch neighborhood of Springfield.

* WMBD…

Massey, [Grayson] said, had been on the ground after he pulled his weapon and pointed it at her. She said she was sorry and Grayson said he believed that was a sign that she knew she had done something wrong.

He approached, went near a kitchen cabinet and then she “jumped up and grabbed the pot.”

“I reached into the cabinet and she leapt up and grabbed the pot, raised over her head and began to throw the pot,” he said.

That’s when he fired his pistol. […]

Grayson said he opted not to use a Taser as he felt the only appropriate way to counter the threat posed by the pot of boiling water was his pistol.

Tasers, he said, are not always appropriate as they might not attach to a person, could malfunction or misfire. In Massey’s case, it wasn’t appropriate for a few reasons. Grayson said he opted not to use a Taser as he felt the only appropriate way to counter the threat posed by the pot of boiling water was his pistol.

Tasers, he said, are not always appropriate as they might not attach to a person, could malfunction or misfire. In Massey’s case, it wasn’t appropriate for a few reasons.

*** Statewide ***

* Journal Courier | Beekeepers fight hive losses as Illinois die-off worsens: Project Apis m. is a grassroots collaboration between commercial beekeepers and almond growers. According to the group, there was an average lose of 62% of bee colonies among commercial operations between June 2024 and February 2025. They estimated there were just over 1.6 million colonies lost across the country. In Illinois, commercial beekeepers (more than 500 hives) lost an average of 46.8%, sideliners (50-500 hives) lost an average of 77.1%, and hobbyist (1 to 49 hives) lost an average of 63% between June 2024 and March 15, 2025.

*** Statehouse News ***

* ABC Chicago | Pritzker, Bailey officially file candidacy for 2026 Illinois primary election: Del Mar submitting paperwork on behalf of Bailey, as he takes time to be with his family following a deadly helicopter crash that killed his son, daughter in law and two of his grandchildren. “We are incredibly proud that we are submitting over 12,000 signatures that were circulated by over 3,000 volunteers that went throughout the state of Illinois to get us on the ballot,” Del Mar said.

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | South Siders Sue Vegetable Oil Plant Over Years Of ‘Noxious Odors’: ‘It’s Miserable’: Moreland’s ruling means the case will proceed on behalf of all homeowner-occupants and renters who have lived within a portion of South Deering near Pullman Innovations at any point since March 8, 2018, according to the order. “I filed this lawsuit because we have had to deal with these disgusting odors for years,” Ortega said in a statement Friday. “I did this not just for me, but for my entire community. We are all unable to live near this facility with these disgusting odors. It’s miserable and we all deserve to be heard.”

* New Republic | “You’re Dead, Liberal”: Federal Agent Threatens to Shoot Veteran: A federal agent blatantly violated a court order against using excessive force against journalists and protesters last Thursday by pointing a gun in a veteran’s face, saying “Bang, bang” and “You’re dead, liberal.” The Chicago Headline Club, a nonprofit representing journalists in the Chicago area, filed a complaint in federal court after the incident, which took place in the city’s Little Village neighborhood. Local residents had gathered to observe and protest a large presence of federal agents in the area, and Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino did not respond well or care to take the earlier court order into consideration.

* Study | Electric scooters boost rideshare trips but reduce bikeshare demand, raise new safety concerns: A new study from a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign marketing expert finds that electric scooters, one of the fastest-growing forms of urban transportation, reshape city mobility in unexpected ways. The introduction of shared e-scooters in Chicago boosted demand for ridesharing services but reduced bikeshare usage — and was also linked with higher rates of street and vehicle-related crime in neighborhoods, says new research co-authored by Unnati Narang, a professor of business administration at the Gies College of Business.

* WBEZ | Erie Canal, the ditch that made Chicago great, marks its 200th birthday: The canal meant a ship could sail across the Atlantic Ocean, pass New York City, travel 150 miles up the Hudson and transfer cargo to flatboats at Albany. Those boats would transverse the state via canal, load goods and passengers back onto schooners at Buffalo to range across Lake Erie, up the Detroit River, across Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River, up Lake Huron following the contours of Michigan, through the Straits of Mackinac down choppy Lake Michigan, to be deposited on its southernmost point, at Chicago. If that sounds arduous, it was easy compared to the previous system — ox cart — unchanged since ancient Greece. Considered an engineering marvel on par with the pyramids, the Erie Canal cut shipping costs by 90%.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Aurora Beacon-News | Hispanic business owners in Aurora area ask for help amid heightened immigration enforcement: ‘People are scared to come out’: But this month, amid heightened immigration enforcement efforts pushed by the Trump administration, Martinez only saw about half the sales she normally does during the monthly downtown First Fridays event. She is now seeing less sales than when she just sold items at local markets during the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s what Martinez told U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, at a roundtable meeting with local Hispanic business owners held at the downtown branch of the Aurora Public Library on Friday. Those who attended the event spoke of challenges their businesses are facing because of recent immigration enforcement actions and asked elected officials for help.

* Naperville Sun | Naperville council OKs SECA review after McBroom raises concerns about nonprofits’ political advocacy: The Naperville City Council directed staff this week to review the city’s Special Events and Community Arts program after Naperville City Councilman Josh McBroom raised questions about the criteria used to decide funding. Known as SECA, the program provides financial help to organizations that hold social and artistic events in Naperville. Started in 2004, the money for the grants comes from a 1% tax collected on the sale of food and beverages.

* Daily Herald | New data center proposal comes before Mount Prospect board: Cloud HQ, a global company specializing in the design, development and operation of data centers, is proposing two larger buildings, an additional electrical substation, a mechanical yard and a satellite antenna yard. “Since the approval of the first (planned unit development), the data center industry has experienced significant changes,” Village Planner Ann Choi said. “Legislative changes that impact data center operations and rapid acceleration of artificial intelligence have increased the demand for data infrastructure.”

* WGN | Cook County candidates file nominating petitions for March primary election: Among the most watched races will be the Cook County Board race, in which longtime County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who serves as the head of Cook County’s Democratic Party, is facing a rare primary challenge from Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd Ward). Both candidates agree one of the key issues in the upcoming election will be taking on the policies of the Trump administration.

*** Downstate ***

* WSIL | S7HD assures Head Start, WIC services continue amid shutdown: The Southern 7 Health Department assured families served by Head Start and WIC that services will continue despite the recent government shutdown. “We want to assure everyone that despite delays in the federal budget passing, services will continue as usual until we learn otherwise,” said the Southern 7 Health Department in a release. WIC services in Illinois will remain operational with resources extended through November 2025, according to S7HD.

* WMBD | Former Peoria mayoral candidate sentenced to probation, jail time for forgery: Jacob Ryan, 24, pleaded guilty on Oct. 9 in Peoria County Circuit Court to mutilation of election materials and forgery when he forged signatures on his petition packet to the Peoria County Election Commission. He was sentenced to 30 months’ probation and to 180 days in the county jail. However, that jail term is not set to begin until next October and only after a “remission hearing.” Such a hearing is where a judge will look over what a person has done while on probation.

* Chicago Mag | What Is the Oldest Town in Illinois?: The answer dates back to 1703, when the French controlled the Illinois Country. That year a Jesuit group established its mission along the east bank of the Mississippi River to minister to the Kaskaskia tribe of Native Americans and founded a permanent settlement named for the group. They also set up a fur trading post there. The town played an important role in Illinois’s early history. In 1741, King Louis XV sent a 140-pound bell to Kaskaskia. When George Rogers Clark captured the town from the British in 1778, during the Revolutionary War, the bell was rung in celebration, earning it the name the Liberty Bell of the West (although it is actually 11 years older than the one in Philadelphia).

*** National ***

* WMBD | Rivian prepares for layoffs, impacting 4.5% of workforce: It’s unclear what facility, location or office might see the majority of the job cuts or exactly how many people are losing their jobs. The changes, Scaringe said, are to ensure the company can streamline the customer journey and elevate the EV company’s marketing efforts.

* AP | Trump administration asks the Supreme Court to allow it to fire head of US Copyright Office: The case is the latest that relates to Trump’s authority to install his own people at the head of federal agencies. The Supreme Court has largely allowed Trump to fire officials, even as court challenges proceed. But this case concerns an office that is within the Library of Congress. Perlmutter is the register of copyrights and also advises Congress on copyright issues.

* TWIRED | How Data Centers Actually Work: Tech giants have been investing hundreds of billions of dollars into AI data centers just this year alone. But as the deals pile up, so have the concerns around their viability and sustainability. Michael Calore and senior correspondent Lauren Goode sit down with senior writer Molly Taft to discuss how these energy hungry facilities actually work, the different industry interests at stake, and whether it’ll all come crumbling down.