* Press release…

Today, Governor JB Pritzker welcomed a bipartisan group of 13 governors and the Mayor of D.C. to Illinois to the 2026 Governors’ Summit on the State of PJM. During the remarks, the Governor announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that formally establishes the PJM Governors’ Collaborative, a multistate, bipartisan organization designed to strengthen states’ collaboration as they work to reduce costs for working families and strengthen grid reliability for the region’s electric system operated by PJM. The power grid operator is responsible for managing the flow of electricity across all or parts of 13 states, including northern Illinois. Its decisions affect the reliability of the electric grid and the electricity costs paid by millions of families and businesses. Governor Pritzker has been a leading advocate for states to have a greater role in PJM decision-making. ​ […]

The formal establishment of the PJM Governors’ Collaborative acts as part of a shared bipartisan objective to increase state and consumer representation in PJM’s governance and decision-making processes, ensuring affordable, safe, and reliable electricity for residents and businesses. This comes at a critical time for the region’s electric system amid growing concerns over PJM’s role in driving up electricity costs, failing to address reliability challenges, and delaying critical transmission development – all of which impact Illinois families and businesses.

The Collaborative solidifies a forum in which governors and their administrations can share information, identify areas of common interest, and act together when sufficient agreement exists, such as:

- Developing joint positions and strategies on PJM issues
- Sharing technical assistance to understand and assess PJM proposals
- Coordinating engagement with PJM, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, state public utility commissions, and other organizations involved in regional electricity policy

* Capitol News Illinois…

Illinois bettors lost more money than ever last year, according to a new state report.

State coffers, meanwhile, went in the opposite direction, collecting a record $2.7 billion in gambling-related revenue — a 19.2% increase from the previous year. It marks a 90% increase from fiscal year 2019, the final year before the state approved a massive gambling expansion aimed at raising revenue for the state’s ongoing capital infrastructure plan.

A report released this month by the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability noted revenues are expected to grow further in the coming years, as several new permanent casinos open, new slot machines enter Chicago bars and restaurants, and sports wagering continues its rapid growth with new fantasy sports offerings.

For the second year in a row, video gambling machines surpassed the Illinois Lottery as the largest-grossing source of wagering revenue in the state. Those machines brought in more than $1 billion in state and local tax revenues, while lottery revenues remained relatively flat at $788 million.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Alton Telegraph | Darren Bailey shows up, supports striking Alton Public Works union workers: The GOP gubernatorial hopeful spent about 10 minutes speaking with Jay Steinhauer, business agent for Teamsters Local 525, which represents the public works employees, and other union officials while the rank-and-file members displayed picket signs and union flags at the entrance to Emma L. Kaus Lane off Fosterburg Road. “I understand they’re 1% away,” Bailey told The Telegraph, referring to the difference between the City of Alton and Local 525 on salary issues in the strike. “Serving on a school board for years, I negotiated with unions. We were always trying to be fair with what we had, with what the people needed.”

* Tribune | Advocates: CPS can lead on universal mental health screening. Will it?: Illinois educators are less than a year away from undertaking one of the most consequential mental health initiatives in the world. This week, as we mark World Mental Health Day, Chicago should seize the opportunity to lead that effort. We know when mental health conditions begin: Nearly half of all cases appear before age 18, while a child is still sitting in one of our classrooms. Right now, we find these children late. Schools are where we could find them first. Signed into law on July 31, 2025, Illinois Senate Bill 1560 made the state the first in the nation to require universal mental health screenings, or UMHS, for students. Starting with the 2027-28 academic year, every public and charter school in Illinois must offer these screenings for all students in grades three through 12, for which the state will provide a free screening tool.

* WTVO | Who can remove a fire district trustee? Cabello seeks change in Illinois law: State Rep. John Cabello has introduced legislation that would create a formal process for county boards to remove appointed fire protection district trustees for cause. Cabello (R-Machensey Park) filed House Bill 5816, which would establish procedures for county boards to remove members they appoint to fire protection district boards. The proposal is awaiting assignment to the Illinois House Police & Fire Committee when lawmakers return to Springfield on November 17.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | South Chicago Chapel director denies state charges after rotting bodies found at funeral home: The state accused the Evergreen Park couple of incompetent and untrustworthy funeral practices, unprofessional conduct and violating state regulations. On Monday, Johanna Morgan denied all of the allegations against her, except for acknowledging that she was the sole funeral director and embalmer at South Chicago Chapel. State regulators, attorneys for the state and for Johanna Morgan held settlement negotiations last month to permanently revoke her license over the grisly funeral home discovery. A formal hearing is scheduled for later this fall.

* WTTW | Chicago Spent $224.4M on Police Overtime in 9 Months, 12% More Than Its Annual Overtime Budget: Watchdog: The latest tally means CPD has exceeded its annual overtime budget for the 10th straight year, despite repeated promises from Mayor Brandon Johnson to reign in police overtime spending, according to a database published by Inspector General David Glockner. CPD spent approximately $224,000 more on overtime during the first nine months of 2026 than it did during the same period in 2025, according to the inspector general’s data.

* Block Club | Chicago’s 1st Battery-Powered Commuter Train Coming To Metra’s Rock Island Beverly Line: The electric train set, which includes four passenger cars and can sit about 208 people, will next be displayed from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday and 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, at the LaSalle Street Metra Station, 414 S. LaSalle St.

* Axios | Lincoln Park billionaire accused of fueling rat infestation: “When we exhaust our aldermanic authority, which is typically through [Streets and San], we have to get creative, and that’s why we’re pushing the park district to file a lawsuit for damage to the park,” Knudsen tells Axios.

* Sun-Times | Mary Todd Lincoln’s blood-soaked cape goes on view in new Chicago History Museum exhibit about presidential artifacts: In the late 1800s, Gunther bought 26 Lincoln relics from Elizabeth Keckly, a formerly enslaved woman who bought her freedom through her sewing skills and eventually worked as Mrs. Lincoln’s personal seamstress. In 1920, what was then known as the Chicago Historical Society purchased those items from Gunther’s estate, marking the beginning of the museum arm of the organization. 


*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Naperville Sun | Pulte pulls plug on controversial Naperville Ridge housing project: The Naperville City Council was slated to vote on Naperville Ridge Tuesday night but Pulte Homes pulled the plug on the project several hours before the meeting’s start. “We value the longstanding partnership with the city of Naperville and are proud of what we have accomplished together,” Russ Whitaker, project attorney for Pulte, wrote in a letter to the city. “While we are disappointed that Naperville Ridge will not move forward as planned, we will continue to deliver much needed new home supply at current and future communities.” Whitaker declined to comment for this story.

* Evanston Roundtable | Citizen Police Review Commission sends back investigation, requesting more specifics: The Citizens Police Review Commission (CPRC) met Wednesday for the first time since May at the Evanston Fire Department Headquarters, 909 Lake St. The commission is responsible for reviewing closed investigations of complaints against the Evanston Police Department and determining if the process was complete, thorough, objective and fair. The complaint, dated April 29, was investigated by a patrol commander, who reviewed body camera footage, police reports and interviewed the complainant and accused officers. On June 1, the commander found that the accused officer did not violate rules, the complaint was unfounded and that no further action was required.

* Tribune | Former state Sen. Kirk Dillard sells Hinsdale home for $1.2M: “After 26 years and raising a family in the house, it was time to downsize now that our children have graduated college,” Dillard told Elite Street. “Hinsdale is my hometown, and we moved there when my father got a teaching position at Hinsdale Central High School. Fortunately, we are just moving across the railroad tracks…to a lovely town home, so we still live in Hinsdale.”

*** Downstate ***

* Illinois Times | Springfield awards next round of cannabis grants : Arriel Williams plans to open 7’s Groceries on Nov. 1 at the location formerly occupied by Save-A-Lot on Clear Lake Avenue, and he says a $100,000 business grant from the city of Springfield will be “extremely important” to his future success. “It’s helping me out a lot,” Williams, 50, a Springfield resident and native, said after the Springfield City Council voted Oct. 6 to approve the grant, along with seven others, all funded through local sales-tax dollars generated by the legal sale of adult-use cannabis. Williams said he will use the $100,000 grant to buy inventory for sale in the store. The money represents about 40% of startup costs for his business, he said.

* BND | Cahokia teachers approve new contract to avert strike: The new contract spans four years, including the 2025-2026 school year during which Cahokia teachers worked without a contract. Ray Roskos at the Illinois Federation of Teachers, who has worked with the union on negotiations, said Thursday that the district agreed to a 5% increase in base salary for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years and a 5% salary increase across the union’s pay scale for the next two years.

*** National ***

* CNBC | Inflation on many everyday items was entirely due to tariffs, NY Fed says: The cost of many everyday items would have declined last year and early this year without President Donald Trump’s tariffs, according to the New York Federal Reserve. The cost of 67 categories of goods was 2.9 percentage points higher as of February thanks to tariffs, according to a paper from a team of researchers at the central bank’s New York arm.

* Reuters | US farm debt is at a record. Official data might be undercounting it: As farm bankruptcy filings have climbed, some banks have tightened credit, prompting growers to seek money elsewhere. Inflation-adjusted US farm debt has more than doubled since 2000, rising from about $300 billion to more than $605 billion this year, a record, according to the latest USDA estimates. But that figure may understate how much farmers owe, Reuters found. Farmers are increasingly borrowing from suppliers, farmer cooperatives, equipment manufacturers, financial technology firms and other nontraditional lenders that are more difficult for the government to comprehensively measure.

* Tribune | Waymo begins fully autonomous testing in Detroit, other northern cities: Waymo operates in cities from San Francisco to Atlanta. Detroit, along with Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago and Montreal, is one of the first northern cities that Waymo is exploring as it seeks to expand its service to states with variable climates.

* AP | MLB proposes shortening regular season from 162 games to 154 and expanding Division Series to best-of-7: Owners also proposed to allow higher-seeded teams in the first two rounds of the postseason to pick their opponents beginning next year and to make Monday a day off for most teams starting in 2029 except for those in one or two nationally broadcast games. Cutting regular-season games would reduce the opportunity for players to set season and career records.