* Shaw Local…

Members of the Texas National Guard are reportedly using a training site south of Joliet to prepare to be deployed in Chicago.

Military personnel in uniforms with the Texas National Guard patch at the U.S. Army Reserve Center in Elwood, The Associated Press reported.

Shaw Local News Network attempted to get confirmation from the Illinois National Guard, but the public affairs office referred all calls and inquiries to the U.S. Department of Defense. Inquiries to the DOD were not answered.

The Will County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement Tuesday saying, ‘The safety and well-being of our community remain our highest priority. While we have not received any official communication from federal authorities, we are aware of increased activity at the Joliet Local Training Area on Arsenal Road.

* The Electronic Frontier Foundation…

New documents and court records obtained by EFF show that Texas deputies queried Flock Safety’s surveillance data in an abortion investigation, contradicting the narrative promoted by the company and the Johnson County Sheriff that she was “being searched for as a missing person,” and that “it was about her safety.”

The new information shows that deputies had initiated a “death investigation” of a “non-viable fetus,” logged evidence of a woman’s self-managed abortion, and consulted prosecutors about possibly charging her.

Johnson County Sheriff Adam King repeatedly denied the automated license plate reader (ALPR) search was related to enforcing Texas’s abortion ban, and Flock Safety called media accounts “false,” “misleading” and “clickbait.” However, according to a sworn affidavit by the lead detective, the case was in fact a death investigation in response to a report of an abortion, and deputies collected documentation of the abortion from the “reporting person,” her alleged romantic partner. The death investigation remained open for weeks, with detectives interviewing the woman and reviewing her text messages about the abortion. […]

In the aftermath of the original reporting, government officials began to take action. The networks searched by Johnson County included cameras in Illinois and Washington state, both states where abortion access is protected by law. Since then:

The Illinois Secretary of State has announced his intent to “crack down on unlawful use of license plate reader data,” and urged the state’s Attorney General to investigate the matter.

*** Statewide ***

* WCIA | From the Farm: IL Ag Director talks shutdown, proposed research shifts: Farming and agriculture continue across the country amidst the government shutdown, but the folks who connect farmers to the world and the economy have been instructed to go home until further notice. It’s left Jerry Costello, Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, quite incensed. “To furlough 50% of the employees at the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the very first day that the shutdown is commenced, it’s ludicrous,” Costello said.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Subscribers know more. KWQA | Air Force veteran Josh Higgins to run for Illinois House District 94 seat : Josh Higgins, a U.S. Air Force veteran and West Central School Board member, has announced he will run for the Illinois House of Representatives in the 94th District. […] He will face incumbent Rep. Norine Hammond, who has represented the district since December 2010. Hammond currently serves as Deputy Republican Leader in the Illinois House and has served on the Rules, Human Services, Consumer Protection, Executive, Public Utilities, and Gaming committees.

* Herald Whig | Dabrowski encouraged by response of area Republicans to his candidacy: Buoyed by the response his campaign has received in a little less than a month, Republican gubernatorial candidate Ted Dabrowski spent Tuesday in Quincy shoring up support from his party’s faithful and speaking to the media about his plans if elected to the governor’s mansion. On the third day of a four-day blitz through Central and West-Central Illinois, Dabrowski, who announced his candidacy for the GOP nomination Sept. 12, discussed what he deems are the most crucial issues the state’s voters face in determining who should be elected governor in November of 2026.

* WTVO | Pritzker threatens to exit governors association over Texas troop deployment to Illinois: “The credibility of the National Governors Association — and our integrity as state executives—rests on our willingness to apply our principles consistently, regardless of which administration attacks them. Should National Governors Association leadership choose to remain silent, Illinois will have no choice but to withdraw from the organization. I remain hopeful that principled leadership will prevail over political calculation and we can chart a path forward together,” Pritzker continued.

*** Chicago ***

* Fox Chicago | Chicago named best big city in US for 9th straight year: survey: The 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards, based on more than 750,000 votes, once again recognized Chicago’s mix of culture, architecture, dining, and hospitality. The city was also named one of the friendliest in the world by the U.K. edition of Condé Nast Traveller, the only U.S. city to earn that honor this year.

* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson says federal agents who break city law should be charged with crime: “It’s a crime. Here’s the thing, anyone who commits a crime should be charged,” Johnson said when pressed on his stance during a Tuesday morning news conference. “I mean, isn’t that the basic rule of what they ostensibly refer to as ‘law and order?’” But Johnson offered no specifics on how he thinks enforcement against such agents should work. And Chicago police Supt. Larry Snelling said this week that cops will not and cannot arrest federal agents “because someone deems what they are doing is illegal.”

* Chicago Reader | The Hyde Park Jazz Festival defies federal defunding to shine brighter than ever: This year, I’d planned to cut town during the Hyde Park Jazz Festival—I thought I’d finally follow in the footsteps of notorious photographer Jim Marshall and shoot the Monterey Jazz Festival in California. After all, Chicago is so dangerous, as we’re constantly being told. And in May, the noisome Trump administration had withdrawn the HPJF’s grant from the National Endowment for the Arts—$30,000, or nearly a third of its core artist budget.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | Judge to rule this week whether ICE security fence in Broadview must come down: During arguments in the lawsuit Tuesday, U.S. District Judge LaShonda Hunt began by warning both sides she didn’t want to get caught up in the politics of the moment. “It is very charged, it is very challenging,” Hunt said. “There are so many words we could use here, but it is volatile. But those issues are not before me.”

* Lake County News-Sun | Waukegan mayor intercedes in Border Patrol arrest: ‘I want to … make sure our residents are safe’: With a large Mexican flag on the hood of her car, Fajardo was in a line of vehicles on West Street, near Washington Street, in the vicinity of City Hall, unable to drive forward when agents approached her and told her to move her car. “I was driving around and told to leave,” she said. “I was boxed in. Two men were standing in front of me. I could not move. I told them I couldn’t leave, and they pulled me out of my car.” […] “The young lady called out to me by name,” [Mayor Sam Cunningham] said. “I know her parents. I told her to calm down, and do what they tell you. I said don’t worry about your vehicle, we’ll get it secured for you. I spoke to one of the agents, and let him know who I am.”

* Daily Southtown | Dolton settles sexual harassment lawsuit involving Trustee Andrew Holmes and former Mayor Tiffany Henyard: The settlement approvals come in the wake of another lawsuit filed against Holmes alleging he abused his power to sexually assault a 16-year-old when she was recovering from sex trafficking. Holmes was a prominent anti-violence activist before being elected a Dolton trustee in 2016. While Holmes tried to vote against the settlement for the former employee Monday, he was told he must abstain from both settlement votes due to being named in the lawsuit. The former employee’s settlement was approved 5-0, while the settlement for the other plaintiff was approved despite Trustee Stan Brown voting no and Trustee Kiana Belcher voting present.

* Daily Herald | ‘It’s an honor’: Attorney appointed as Glen Ellyn village trustee: Robert Duncan fills the seat made vacant by the passing of the late Trustee Steve Szymanski, who died only months into his first term. Duncan will bring “additional balance, insight and professionalism to our board, as well as empathy and understanding of what our residents experience in daily life,” Glen Ellyn Village President Jim Burket said.

* Daily Southtown | Sixth graders at Calumet City middle school given nicotine gum by teacher: Daphin March said she picked up her son Dae’jon, who goes by DJ, from school at about 11 a.m. on Friday after receiving a call from the nurse’s office that he was feeling nauseous. She heard he had been given a piece of gum in a prior class, along with about a dozen other children. District 149 issued a statement Tuesday that the teacher, who it did not name, was on leave while the case is reviewed. “While we cannot comment on personnel matters or ongoing investigations, please know that our District remains committed to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for all students,” the district said in an emailed statement. “We appreciate the understanding and trust of our community as we address this matter responsibly and with transparency.”

*** Downstate ***

* IPM Newsroom | Virtual water: Inside Illinois’ data centers, water flows quietly — and unchecked: The steady hum inside the National Petascale Computing Facility (NPCF) [in Urbana] is so loud that it’s hard to hear anything else inside. But beneath this noise is a hidden current of water. “Today, it’s not much water,” said Mohammad Rantisi, the engineer monitoring NPCF operations. He pointed towards one of the pumps: “This is 575 gallons per minute.” On that day, at least three pumps were moving water in quantities ranging from 179 to 400 gallons per minute. This is a relatively small load, according to Rantisi.

* The Detroit News | Rivian CEO: New model, to be made in Normal, key to profitability: The Irvine-based EV maker is facing some challenges as it looks forwarding to launching in the first half of next year its smaller R2 SUV set to start at $45,000. The new model will be made in Normal, where the company is expanding its footprint and has produced all of its electric pickup trucks, SUVs and commercial delivery vans since 2021.

* WIFR | Northern Illinois University faces unfair labor law charges: Employees at Northern Illinois University file unfair labor practice charges against the school after management tried to exclude supporters of the union from attending negotiations. Management reportedly told union members that if they didn’t agree to restrict supporters from attending bargaining, the university would refuse to negotiate. The Illinois labor law says that management cannot dictate to a union who is present on its behalf during negotiations.

* BND | Negotiations stall on new contract for Cahokia School District teachers, staff: Monday marked the 37th day Cahokia Unit School District teachers have been working without a contract, and the 92nd day for the district’s secretaries and service workers. That’s an unprecedented for the district, both the Cahokia Federation of Teachers Local 1272 and Superintendent Curtis McCall Jr. said. As administrators and union members face sticking points with contract policies, there’s one thing both sides agree on: They want to avoid a strike.

* STL PR | Illinois American Water buys Madison’s wastewater system for $3M: The publicly traded company acquired the small town’s wastewater system for $3 million, the company announced. The sale will add roughly 1,500 customers to Illinois American’s network in the St. Louis area. In a public notice, the city said the current monthly charge for wastewater treatment customers using 3,500 gallons of water per month is approximately $67. After the sale, the average wastewater charge for customers using 3,500 gallons will be approximately $76.

* Harvest Public Media | Americans are drinking less. What does that mean for winemakers in the Heartland?: “I feel extremely optimistic about the next five years,” Phelps said, adding that Clad and Cordon and other wineries in southern Illinois are planting more vines to meet demand. But he emphasized that businesses need to offer more than one product and experience. Along with making wine and serving Illinois beer, Clad and Cordon plans to produce its own hard cider. Live music, event spaces and an on-site lake where visitors can catch fish are part of the model, as well.

*** National ***

* The Hill | America saw ‘essentially no job growth’ last month, Moody’s warns: With official data on hold due to the government shutdown, economists are turning to private reports, and the early signs, according to Moody’s, aren’t good. “This data shows that the job market is weak and getting weaker,” Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi wrote Sunday on social platform X.

* Politico | Supreme Court seems skeptical of Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy: Several justices also wondered whether a ruling allowing Colorado to ban so-called conversion therapy would amount to a green light to conservative states to ban similar counseling that encourages young people to affirm feelings about their gender identity, even if it differs from the one they were assigned to at birth. “It’s pretty important that we think about how this would apply to cases down the road. … Can a state pick a side?” Justice Amy Coney Barrett asked.

* AP | Bob Ross paintings to be auctioned to support public TV stations after federal funding cuts: Bonhams in Los Angeles will auction three of Ross’ paintings on Nov. 11. Other auctions will follow in London, New York, Boston and online. All profits are pledged to stations that use content from distributor American Public Television. The idea is to help stations in need with licensing fees that allow them to show popular programs that include “The Best of Joy of Painting,” based on Ross’ show, “America’s Test Kitchen,” “Julia Child’s French Chef Classics” and “This Old House.”

* The Independent | ICE kept most offices open during the shutdown - but not the one that inspects facilities: Trump administration officials have vowed that there will be no change to “essential” ICE operations during the ongoing government shutdown - but the office that inspects detention centers to ensure humane standards has gone dark. ICE, thanks a massive $170 billion infusion of funds to its parent agency the Department of Homeland Security this summer, is in a better financial position than most government agencies at the moment, but that hasn’t stopped officials from temporarily shuttering ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight, despite an ongoing surge in detainee deaths Homeland Security confirmed to The Washington Post on Monday that the office was closed for the time being, blaming Democrats for causing the shutdown.