* Subscribers know more. Sun-Times…

Billionaire Gov. JB Pritzker is carrying another massive financial advantage into the home stretch of his reelection rematch against Republican challenger Darren Bailey.

The self-funded Democratic incumbent reported nearly $23.8 million in campaign expenses from July through September, compared to about $941,000 shelled out by his Republican challenger’s political committee, according to quarterly finance reports filed this week with the Illinois State Board of Elections.

The 25-to-1 campaign cash disparity underscores the hurdles facing Bailey and a weakened Illinois Republican Party seeking to deny Pritzker a third term. […]

Bailey’s campaign raised $1.2 million and entered October with about $482,000 in the bank.

* Tribune…

Food delivery robots have become a constant in some parts of Chicago, where they are frequently seen wobbling down sidewalks with takeout orders. But two recently filed lawsuits allege that the robots are also collecting information on their travels.

Class-action lawsuits filed last week against food delivery robot companies Coco and Serve allege that the robot services scan the faces and hands of customers without their consent, using the biometric data to train the companies’ own AI models, and sharing the data with third parties. Both Serve and Coco Robotics deny the claims. […]

According to the complaints filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, the extraction of biometric data from both users of the food delivery services and people the robots encounter on their path violates the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.

Enacted by the Illinois General Assembly in 2008, the act defines a biometric identifier as a retina or iris scan, a fingerprint, voiceprint, or a scan of hand or face geometry. The act requires that third parties inform individuals that they are being recorded and allow them to decide whether their biometric identifiers should be recorded, transmitted and used.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Sun-Times | Illinois Commerce Commission approves $81M Nicor rate hike: The rate increase, the result of a settlement agreement, is 63% less than the $220.8 million hike Nior proposed earlier last spring year. But the increase is $39 million short of the reduction consumer advocates were pushing for, claiming Nicor was attempting to line shareholder pockets at the expense of homeowners. The agreement will bump up gas bills around an average of $26 per year for the company’s residential 2.3 million customers. The agreement ensures residential monthly fixed charges are reduced from $21.30 to $15.

* Intelligencer | Marsie Geldert-Murphey outlines priorities in 56th District State Senate race: “We get it wrong when we focus on only one or two things. We do need property tax reform, but we also need to grow the tax base. … We need to grow a bigger pie instead of simply slicing the existing one differently. If we take something away, someone has to pay — schools, first responders, police, fire, parks, roads or infrastructure. Let’s grow a bigger pie, provide relief and create a greater tax base to draw from so we can improve quality of life for everyone.”

* Daily Southtown | Former Rep. Frances Hurley faces Republican Christine McGovern for 18th Senate: Republican Christine McGovern and former 35th District Rep. Frances Hurley face each other in a race to replace for former Sen. Bill Cunningham in the 18th District. Hurley, a Democrat, was the 35th District state representative for the from 2013 to 2023 before stepping down to serve on the Illinois Labor Relations Board. Hurley is endorsed the Illinois Nurses Association, Sheriffs of Illinois PAC and Illinois American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organization, according to her campaign’s website.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson fundraising trails challengers, campaign report shows: Johnson raised $123,000 during the third quarter, which began on July 1 and ended Sept. 30, according to state campaign finance reports that were due Thursday night. That leaves him with $379,500 in his campaign coffers as of the end of last month, after he spent $374,800. […] The largest haul among mayoral hopefuls by far was Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’s $3 million raised in the last quarter, bringing his total cash on hand to $19.2 million after he spent $5.7 million.

* Tribune | How do the candidates for president of Chicago’s school board plan to boost student achievement?: As the Chicago school board elections creep closer and the city prepares to vote for its first fully elected school board on Nov. 3, the candidates for president — Hilario Dominguez, Jessica Biggs and Victor Henderson — have been vocal about how best to improve Chicago Public Schools. One issue in particular is student success: For younger kids, it’s boosting math and reading proficiency; for older kids, it’s raising high school graduation rates. The candidates agree that improved academic outcomes should be among the district’s top priorities. However, their paths to achieve those goals diverge.

* WTTW | Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase, on Chicago Investments, Competitive Cities and a Corporate Head Tax: A 2020 investigation from WBEZ and City Bureau found that many banks disproportionately issued mortgage loans to majority-white neighborhoods, calling the practice “modern-day redlining.” Of the $7.5 billion JPMorgan Chase lent between 2012-2018, nearly 80% went to white neighborhoods while less than 2% went to majority-Black neighborhoods. “Those numbers are almost never right,” Dimon said. “Because they come with simplistic things, and different time scales. If we do something we’re not doing right, we look at it, admit it, fix it… All of our programs are meant to actually help people and citizens of America.” “We do a tremendous amount for the Black community — if you don’t believe me, call them all up. And we do it in veterans, and disabled. And in mortgages. We’re the largest affordable housing in this city, which probably benefits the Black community and all minorities quite a bit.”

* Block Club | Milly’s Pizza In The Pan Owner Opening Jake’s Place, A Thin-Crust Spot, In North Center: The pizza at Jake’s Place will be “the exact opposite of what we make at Milly’s” with a crust that’s crispy and “as thin as a cracker,” Maleski said. “I really want to challenge myself to see if I can hold my own with some of the best thin-crust pizza places in the city,” he said. “I want to keep growing as a pizza maker.” [From Isabel: Milly’s is top tier]

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Lake County News-Sun | Lake County treasurer race pits anti-Trump Republican, Democratic politican veteran: Democrat Holly Kim has been the Lake County treasurer since winning in 2018, part of a broader blue shift for Lake County in the last few decades. Kim unsuccessfully campaigned during the spring primary for Illinois comptroller. It’s likely an uphill battle for Peñaherrera; Hart’s political career and position on the County Board would give any candidate a solid foothold, and that is especially the case in a county that has seen countywide positions go to Democrats by steadily increasing margins during both midterm and general election seasons.

* Evanston Roundtable | Officials search for how to address vacant NU properties: At the meeting, Klein read from an email sent by Dave Davis, the university’s senior executive director for neighborhood and community relations, in response to the commission’s survey of the properties. But the citizens group — established by city code to promote an effective preservation program — is awaiting word from Northwestern about the vacancy status of several buildings, noted Carl Klein, commission chair, during brief discussion of the issue near the end of Wednesday’s regular meeting.

* Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora eyes wage increases for unionized employees over next two years: The Aurora City Council Finance Committee on Thursday recommended approval of a measure that would give a group of unionized city of Aurora employees a 7% total wage increase over the next two years, if given final approved by the City Council. That’s a 4% increase for the 2025 pay period and a 3% raise for the 2026 pay period, said Michele Clark, Aurora’s chief human resources officer.

*** Downstate ***

* WGLT | One Earth Energy scales back carbon capture proposal in eastern McLean County: Steve Kelly, CEO of One Earth Energy, told attendees that after hearing comments at its previous meeting Sept. 16, his company has lowered the number of injection sites from three wells to one. He said the company would extend a five-mile pipeline west of the plant to the well. Among additional features, Kelly noted the new pipeline design shrinks the pipeline down from 16 inches to 8 inches in diameter.

* PJ Star | As Illinois phases out coal-fired plants, this operation is exempt: While Illinois is planning to eventually phase out coal-fired power plants across the state, the plant at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is exempt because of its small capacity. The Illinois Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, which was passed in 2021, mandates the closure of large coal-fired commercial electric generating units with a capacity greater than 25 megawatts by January 2045. The SIUC Power Plant operates on a 3-megawatt generator.

* WCIA | Appellate court dismisses latest appeal from Sean Grayson’s lawyers; conviction upheld: Grayson’s attorneys filed a motion on Sept. 10 that asked an appellate court to vacate his conviction on a charge of second-degree murder. The motion came less than three weeks after the former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy died of cancer. Records from the Fourt District Appellate Court shows the state filed a motion to dismiss in response. David J. Robinson, chief deputy director of the State’s Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor, cited the facts that no appeals had been filed since May of 2026, and the fact that Grayson was dead.

* WGLT | Penalties in Bloomington’s draft data center regulations follow current city zoning rules: While the public reviews Bloomington’s draft regulations for data centers, there have been questions over what penalties a developer or operator would face if they didn’t comply with the city’s requirements after the data center is up and running. The proposed regulations separate data center projects into three categories: accessory, commercial and hyperscale.

*** National ***

* Axios | Trump’s MAGA allies openly discuss martial law: MAGA activists are pushing for President Trump to resort to extraordinary measures — including martial law — if they believe the midterm elections are “rigged.” […] On a Sept. 30 video call for MAGA election activists streamed on Rumble, speakers warned of widespread election security breaches they believe will occur in November — and urgently pushed for remedies.