* ABC Chicago…

A man was charged with allegedly sending letters with white powder to four members of Congress after allegedly being inspired to do so by reports of other letters with white powder sent to senators and secretaries of state around the country, according to court documents unsealed on Monday.

Matthew Unglesbee allegedly sent the letters to four members of Congress in the Northern District of Illinois, including the office of one U.S. Senator, according to the Justice Department. […]

Authorities interviewed him at his home and he allegedly told them he was inspired by other white powder letters sent to offices around the country.

“Unglesbee told agents he mailed the four letters to the four members of Congress after hearing someone in a restaurant mention the news story of other letters being mailed earlier this month,” according to the complaint. “Unglesbee acknowledge being aware of past mailing of white powder sent in letters including anthrax. Unglesbee said he knew recipients of white powder letters ‘took it serious and would have ‘hazamat come in white suits’ because ‘anthrax is dangerous.’”

When investigators searched his home, they found a fifth envelope addressed to one of the member’s Washington, D.C. office.

…Adding… The Tribune…

Matthew Unglesbee, 37, of Quincy, was charged in a criminal complaint unsealed Monday in U.S. District Court with mailing threatening communications and perpetrating a hoax. Court information for Unglesbee was not immediately available.

According to the eight-page complaint, Unglesbee mailed at least four letters containing a white powdery substance that were received by federal elected officials in Chicago. All of the letters were postmarked in Springfield on Oct. 19 and were in plain white envelopes and had handwritten addresses and Unglesbee’s name in the return address area. […]

The substance in one letter sent to a House member’s office turned out to be salt, according to the charges. A staff member who inspected the letter called 911, and subsequently alerted other Congressional offices in the area. […]

“Unglesbee claimed he was joking but recognized the recipients would not know he was joking and could perceive it as a threat,” the complaint stated.

* Gov. JB Pritzker…

Today, Governor JB Pritzker was endorsed by the Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA), one of the largest retail organizations in the United States representing more than 23,000 stores. Gov. Pritzker has a record of supporting the small businesses that provide food, prescription drugs, and other goods and necessities to Illinoisans across the state.

“As an entrepreneur, I understand the enormous contribution small businesses make to our communities, and I have fought to make Illinois the best state in the nation to run a small business,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I have worked together with the Illinois Retail Merchants Association to eliminate food deserts and local pharmacy shortages in Illinois and to drive state investments that support small businesses. I am proud to be endorsed by IRMA.”

“We are proud to endorse Governor JB Pritzker for another term because he understands the importance of the retail industry and has worked in partnership with us to grow investment, jobs and opportunity,” said Rob Karr, president & CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association. “Governor Pritzker promoted retail as a viable career path, supported apprenticeship and scholarship programs, and addressed grocery and pharmacy retail deserts, while supporting small businesses throughout Illinois.”

*** Statehouse News ***

* Press release | Gov. Pritzker Provides $11.4 Million in Savings During the 2026 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday: Today, Governor JB Pritzker announced that the 2026 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday provided an estimated $11.4 million in savings for Illinois families – exceeding the $10 million savings estimate. The tax holiday, held August 7 through August 16, reduced the state sales tax rate on clothing, footwear and school supplies. Approximately 2,284 retailers sold an estimated $229.3 million in qualifying items during that period. The reduced rate applied to purchases made both in stores and online.

* WICS | Attorney General files lawsuit against Dollar General for overcharging customers: Attorney General Kwame Raoul, along with 19 other attorneys general and the Federal Trade Commission, have sued the Dollar General Corporation for charging customers more than the advertised price of items. Raoul said, “Our lawsuit alleges that Dollar General has generated millions of dollars by regularly and repeatedly charging shoppers more at the register than the prices it advertises,” said Raoul. “Overcharging for products at a time when many basic necessities have become less affordable harms vulnerable families and consumers. I will continue to work with my fellow attorneys general and our federal partners to hold businesses that break the law accountable.”

* WGLT | New Illinois law expands domestic violence protections to tech abuse, doxxing: Starting Jan. 1, 2027, Illinois orders of protection can address tech-based abuse, doxxing, and AI harassment, and survivors in all 102 counties will have expanded virtual access to the orders. Dylana Larson, assistant director of Safe Harbor Family Crisis Center in Galesburg, explained the changes on Galesburg In Focus with Chris Postin during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

* WSIU | Illinois Governor Race: Independent Candidate Collin Corbett on Policy, Healthcare, and Taxes: Corbett, a former Republican political strategist, entered the race saying he wants to challenge the two-party candidates. Corbett talked with WSIU about his campaign, sharing his hopes to start a movement of independents. A movement giving voters a choice beyond what he says are candidates who take up the extreme sides of their parties. Corbett spent 30 minutes talking about the campaign and more of his policies.

*** Chicago ***

* Crain’s | Ishbia-backed Amtrak project gets deeper review amid Bridgeport backlash: The agency that regulates the federal rail system is taking a fresh look at how Amtrak’s proposed maintenance facility next to Rate Field could impact its surrounding neighborhood, committing to a more robust review amid staunch pushback from local residents and officials. The Federal Railroad Administration today announced it is conducting a formal environmental assessment of the rail operator’s planned $900 million redevelopment of Canal Street Rail Yard just west of the Chicago White Sox’s ballpark. The EA — a process that includes public comment and a deeper dive into previous studies about the project’s environmental impact — is slated to be completed by the end of the year, according to the FRA’s website.

* Tribune | Controversial Amtrak yard proposal to get environmental assessment by Federal Railroad Administration: The federal government originally granted Amtrak and Canal Edge, Ishbia’s development company, a “categorical exclusion,” or an exemption from a more thorough environmental assessment. But hundreds of Bridgeport and Chinatown residents packed community meetings throughout August and September and denounced the Amtrak-Ishbia plan. Many said they worried a 24/7 maintenance facility would pollute their neighborhoods with diesel fumes and noise, while others complained that it opened the possibility of the White Sox leaving nearby Rate Field for a new downtown stadium.

* WTTW | New Pilot Program to Bring Childhood Lead Testing to Six South Side Neighborhoods: Testing events will be held at daycares, schools, libraries, places of worship and community organizations over the next two years across six neighborhoods — Englewood, West Englewood, South Chicago, Greater Grand Crossing, Auburn Gresham and New City – where a significant number of children ages 1 through 3 have not been tested for lead, according to the health department.

* Tribune | 2026 Soul Train Awards will be held in Chicago: The annual awards show will air at 7 p.m. Nov. 27 on BET and will be simulcast on CBS for the first time. According to an announcement from BET, the awards show will be “taped in the city where Don Cornelius launched the original ‘Soul Train’ more than 50 years ago,” as a Chicago-born television show that celebrated Black music, dance and style.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Elgin Courier-News | East Dundee to return sponsor money after Oktoberfest controversy: Sponsors of the East Dundee Oktoberfest will have their money returned in response to Village President Dan Pearson turning the event into an impromptu Republican political rally. In a split decision, the East Dundee Village Board voted Oct. 19 to return $5,250 to all 12 sponsors. Village President Dan Pearson was against the idea. “Was I wrong for allowing a political candidate to speak at an event? Yes. I’m sorry I put people through that,” Pearson said. “At the time, I didn’t know it was wrong. It was a spontaneous thing.

* Press release | After 59 Days on Picket Line, Workers Overwhelmingly Ratify New Three-Year Agreement: After eight weeks on strike, IKEA workers represented by Teamsters Local 179 have overwhelmingly ratified a strong first collective bargaining agreement. The three-year contract covers 190 workers, delivering a 12 percent wage increase, enhanced grievance procedures, and improved working conditions. The workers at IKEA’s distribution center in Joliet voted overwhelmingly to join the Teamsters in March, becoming the third IKEA location to organize with the union in North America.

* Elgin Courier-News | Hawthorne Hill Nature Center in Elgin vying to have state’s 2nd certified therapy trail: David Schoenknecht, a naturalist at the center at 28 Brookside Drive near Randall Road and U.S. Route 20, said a therapy trail is a perfect fit for a park that is so close to two hospitals. “Once we become certified, we’ll be a bona fide therapeutic location, but it’s also something that somebody could do over lunch and just pop over here,” he said. “It gives anyone an opportunity to do things a little more mindfully.”

*** Downstate ***

* Daily Egyptian | State says it will keep 25 mental health beds at Choate, expand regional jobs: The Illinois Department of Human Services has scaled back its plans to close 75 minimum-security mental health beds at Choate Developmental Center in Anna, opting to keep 25 beds open while phasing out the remaining 50 by July 2027. The department says it also plans to reopen about 200 beds at three other state-run psychiatric hospitals in Alton and Chester in southern Illinois and Hines in the Chicago suburbs.

* BND | Metro-east police officer decertified for making false statements on job applications: Judge Sarah Carlson concluded that Simmons Jr. falsely claimed on job applications he submitted to police departments in Dupo, Cahokia Heights and Sauget in 2024 that he graduated from Dupo Junior/Senior High School, according to board documents. […] Simmons Jr., 24, is a firefighter with Prairie du Pont Fire & Rescue, formerly Prairie du Pont Fire Protection District, a volunteer fire department in East Carondelet that also covers Dupo and surrounding communities. His father, Jerame Simmons Sr., is the department’s fire chief and a former part-time East Carondelet police officer. His grandfather, Herb Simmons, is director of the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency, mayor of East Carondelet, a former Washington Park police officer, former police chief in East Carondelet and a member of other public boards.

* WCIA | Rantoul residents discuss referendum to change trustee elections: Former Rantoul Mayor Charles Smith recently held a public forum. He said he wanted to inform the community about a referendum on the November ballot. This will change how elected officials are voted in. Currently, villagers vote for trustees by district. The referendum aims to have the public vote at large for the board of trustees.

* Shaw Local | Bourbonnais Township assessor resigns day after highway commissioner received threatening voicemail: Bourbonnais Township Assessor Doug Anderson released a formal resignation letter Thursday following public scrutiny from a threatening, obscenity-laced voicemail he left on Bourbonnais Township Highway Commissioner Jason Diaz’s publicly-funded phone Wednesday. Anderson’s letter does not reference the voicemail he left on Diaz’s phone.

* STLPR | Enrollment gains at both SIU campuses help Illinois reach highest total since 2015: Southern Illinois University Carbondale also saw student enrollment grow over the past year, with total enrollment increasing by about 2.4% to 12,066. Both SIU campuses had declining graduate enrollment, with SIUE down about 5% and SIU Carbondale down about 3%. However, gains in undergraduate enrollment more than offset those declines.

*** National ***

* Politico | Tech giants target spending on Florida’s state-level elections: Tech firms are donating to Democrats and Republican candidates alike, buying scores of mailers and ads on top of making campaign contributions in the upcoming November midterms races. They’re also funneling tens of thousands of dollars — a meager sum compared to statewide races, but notable at the statehouse level — through a dizzying network of political committees that support Republican leaders in the state Legislature and lawmakers who had a hand in artificial intelligence legislation last session.

* Reuters | In China, the AI bubble has already burst: There has been no obvious selling trigger in China, although traders said high prices, tax bills ⁠and the threat of the US or other nations banning Chinese equipment in data centres all contributed. With AI stocks running to 42% of China’s market capitalisation and 57% of turnover across mainland-listed A-shares and Hong Kong’s H-shares, according to Goldman Sachs, few in a market dominated by small investors have escaped pain.