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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Nov 5, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
More from the The Sun-Times…
* WGLT | Experts consider benefits and risks as Illinois restricts use of AI in therapy practices: Other than chatbots not being required to follow HIPAA compliance, a big risk for AI users is that they could be using AI chatbots as a replacement for real connection, which Lannin said could make someone feel more lonely in the long-term. Lannin said talking to a human versus an AI chatbot when needing connection can be compared to drinking orange juice versus Diet Coke when needing energy. Both drinks are sweet, but orange juice has better nutritional value. * Daily Herald | ‘Nothing underhanded’: Moylan defends move to end reelection bid, set up staffer as replacement: Democratic state Rep. Marty Moylan of Des Plaines said a recent series of significant health battles is behind his decision to end his campaign for an eighth term in Springfield in favor of his chief of staff, Justin Cochran. The former Des Plaines mayor and alderman said he considers himself in recovery mode but is weighing his ability to complete his current term representing the state House’s 55th District. “There was nothing underhanded,” Moylan said of his decision to pull out of the race after filing last week to run for reelection. “Anyone who wants to run can get their petitions together and run. I wanted to see the transit bill done and move on. I’ll be 75 in a month. It’s time to move on.” * Tribune | State Sen. Willie Preston’s past Trump praise draws notice in Democratic fight for Illinois congressional seat: Just weeks before the 2020 presidential election, Preston posted a series of Facebook messages praising President Donald Trump and ridiculing Joe Biden and the Democratic Party. The posts, some laced with mild profanity, were written by Preston before he held public office as a Democrat in the state legislature. […] In another on the same day, in response to a question about who he would vote for, Preston answered, “Trump,” and attached a photo showing the Republican president’s name checked on a digital ballot. […] “No, no, no. No, no, no, no,” Preston said when asked whether he actually voted for Trump, given his 2020 Facebook post claiming he did. “That’s totally false.” * Tribune | Transit reform measure shifts CTA control from Chicago mayor. Lawmaker says that’s an ‘asset.’: “I mean, I’m not a fascist. I don’t know what to tell you,” Johnson said when asked to react to losing majority control of the CTA board. “The most important thing is they have a system that’s funded. … I don’t sit around counting the status of how much power is concentrated in one seat.” As lawmakers worked to avert the transit “fiscal cliff” — a financial crisis that loomed next year as the CTA, Metra and Pace started running out of federal pandemic aid — a mantra of “no funding without reform” emerged in Springfield from lawmakers and advocates who felt they were long overdue to address perceived inefficiencies within the existing system. * Tribune | ‘I couldn’t even believe I was living that’: witnesses say immigration agents pointed guns, lobbed tear gas, drove ‘tank’ down city street: Over more than two hours of testimony so far, U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis heard from more than a half dozen witnesses who say immigration agents pointed guns at citizens, shot pepper spray balls at reporters, and threatened to arrest protesters who were doing nothing more than recording the agents’ activities on the street. One witness, 12th Ward Ald. Julia Ramirez, testified she went to the scene where an agent had shot a woman in Brighton Park on Oct. 4 and was stunned to see immigration agents rolling what looked like a tank down Kedzie Avenue. Perched on top of the armored vehicle, an agent was pointing a gun at the crowd, she said. * WTTW | Chicago Police Department Overspent Its Budget By $501M Over 5 Years: Data: The only year that CPD did not overspend its budget was 2020, when with department operations upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, CPD ended the year nearly $128.5 million under budget, according to the city’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports from 2019 to 2024. Allowing CPD to spend unlimited sums of taxpayer money is a “crazy way to run a city,” said Justin Marlowe, a professor in the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, and the director of the Center for Municipal Finance. * Block Club | Librarians, Aldermen Push Back Against Proposed Library Cuts: That comes on top of a proposed 50 percent reduction in the library’s collections budget, which is set to go from $10 million in 2025 to $5 million in 2026. Those funds are used every year to buy books and pay for subscriptions and other library assets. The proposed 2026 library budget would decline by about $2 million from last year, from $109.34 million in revised 2025 appropriations to $107.23 million, according to the financial analysis office. * Tribune | Chicago Aviation official pocketed over $250,000 from sham O’Hare snow removal deal: feds: A top Chicago Department of Aviation official was federally indicted this week in an alleged sham contracting scheme for snow removal at O’Hare International Airport. Eric Sanders, 54, was charged with four counts of fraud and one count each of conspiracy to commit fraud and tax evasion, according to a copy of the complaint filed Monday in the U.S. Northern District of Illinois. He is accused of pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a snow removal company from 2016 to 2023, with the help of his father, his girlfriend and her son. * Block Club | Amid SNAP Cuts, Englewood Activist Launches ‘Tiny Kitchen Project’ To Feed Neighbors In Need: With the future of federal food assistance benefits still uncertain, rabbi and Mothers Against Senseless Killings founder Tamar Manasseh has launched the Tiny Kitchen Project to help keep schoolchildren and families fed in Englewood. Dozens of neighbors have signed on to help so far, Manasseh told Block Club. They’ll be cooking meals in their kitchens and bringing them to the MASK Peace Academy, 7500 S. Stewart Ave., where the meals will be distributed to over 100 children and families five days a week. The only ask, she said, is that recipients clean the food containers and bring them to use for the next day’s meal. * Crain’s | GoHealth plans to cut nearly 500 more jobs: Online health-insurance broker GoHealth is laying off nearly 500 workers, the second mass layoff for the Chicago-based company in three years. The company’s plans to lay off 487 workers, were disclosed in a WARN filing with the state of Illinois and discussed by laid-off employees on LinkedIn. GoHealth said the layoffs involve employees at the company’s headquarters as well as remote workers around the country. “This decision was made due to Medicare Advantage market dynamics,” the company said in a statement. * Sun-Times | ‘Queen of the Blues’ Koko Taylor’s prized possessions — including a Grammy — sold at Chicago flea market: How the possessions of a Grammy-winning icon ended up in a flea market on the South Side of Chicago and not in a protected archive at a university or museum was at first unclear to Louis and others. The saga began four months ago when Luis Gonzaga, a Chicago-based junk dealer, purchased, sight unseen, the contents of a storage locker in Orland Park via an online auction. In the storage industry, it is common practice for storage lockers to be liquidated following months of delinquency. Gonzaga, who has been purchasing storage lockers for six years, said he did not know about Taylor’s link to his winning bid until customers started asking him about the items. * Tribune | Pope Leo XIV calls on Trump Administration to allow detainees in Broadview to receive communion: In answer to a direct question about the west suburban facility Tuesday, the Chicago-born Pope told the reporters that the spiritual rights of detainees need to be considered. “I would certainly invite the authorities to allow pastoral workers to attend to the needs of those people,” he said. “Many times they’ve been separated from their families for a good amount of time; no one knows what’s happening, but their own spiritual needs should be attended to.” * Daily Herald | Two Prospect Heights police officers fired after complaint of noncriminal off-duty conduct: The fired officers are Sgt. Michael Smith and Officer Sofia Tirovolas. The police department hired Smith in 2012 and Tirovolas in 2022, according to information previously posted by the city. Prospect Heights officials said they were unable to provide further details about the complaint at this stage of the grievance process. * Shaw Local | Joliet police lieutenant remains on leave, inspector general investigation ongoing: Lt. Jeremy Harrison has been on leave since July 29 and city officials won’t comment on the investigation because it is still ongoing as of Tuesday. City officials have not yet revealed the nature of the investigation that is being handled by Joliet Inspector General Stephen DiNolfo. * Daily Southtown | Harvey 2023 collection rate means $24.15 million in unpaid taxes, Cook County treasurer’s report finds: The study, released Wednesday, revisits collection rates one year after bills were sent out, incorporating late payments. On the whole, that rate — a measure of property taxes actually paid compared to what was billed — has largely rebounded from when bills were first sent out, making up what was formerly a significant shortfall. However, the report said, collection rates for many south suburban communities remain “perilously low.” Of these, the most glaring is Harvey, which billed $57.9 million in taxes in 2023 and has collected only $33.75 million, a collection rate of 58.29%. That equates to $24.15 million in unpaid taxes. The only two municipalities with lower collection rates are Ford Heights at 39.08% and Robbins at 57.44%, both much smaller communities. * Press release | Gov. Pritzker Celebrates Grand Opening of Affordable Housing in Madison County: Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) today joined local officials, community members, and construction and labor representatives to celebrate the grand opening of the Community of Sunnybrook (Sunnybrook), a $20 million housing development offering 40 new rental homes for Madison County working families. Sunnybrook is an investment in accessibility—to housing, employment, and education—and part of a larger revitalization effort across Madison County. * WSIU | New Carbondale police chief meets with community: Stacye Saunders was one of the community members present to meet with the new chief. She’s the Family Resource Center coordinator with Carbondale Middle School said she liked what she heard from the chief. Working with adolescents is a priority for her. She hopes to see more collaboration to support the youth in the community. And from what she’s heard, Chief Copeland has been clear about what he hopes to accomplish. Copeland says getting it’s a priority of his to get himself and his officers out of the cars and into the streets working with residents. * Journal Courier | Mobile justice vans bringing free legal aid to west-central Illinois: Land of Lincoln Legal Aid offers free civil legal assistance to lower-income residents. That can include anything from clearing criminal records to defending against an eviction. For years it has served those in 65 counties in central and southern Illinois through its offices in Springfield, Quincy and Alton. Earlier this year, the non-profit started using two “mobile justice vans” to visits areas that might not have easy access to one of its offices. * WPSD | Carbondale councilman flips the bird: ‘I wish I would have handled it differently’: “I wish I would have handled it differently,” Loos said. “I think it was something where being upset with the folks there was fully justified, but you’ve got to also be reasonable about the way you handle it when you get upset, and that was unreasonable.” He added that the gesture was fueled by the parting expletive from an audience member, which crossed beyond what had previously happened at meetings. “I’m used to being heckled,” Loos said. “I’m used to people being upset and walking out. What I’m not used to is someone looking me right in the eye and saying that.” * WJBD | Marion County and City of Centralia work together on saving dog and puppies: Marion County and the City of Centralia were able to work together to help a mother dog and 12 puppies that were found abandoned on the north side of Foundation Park on Monday. […] Right now, Marion County has no animal control facility and Centralia no animal control officer. The two are currently talking about further cooperation. * WIRED | FBI Warns of Criminals Posing as ICE, Urges Agents to ID Themselves: Criminals posing as US immigration officers have carried out robberies, kidnappings, and sexual assaults in several states, warns a law enforcement bulletin issued last month by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The bureau urges agencies to ensure officers clearly identify themselves and to cooperate when civilians ask to verify an officer’s identity—including by allowing calls to a local police precinct. “Ensure law enforcement personnel adequality [sic] identify themselves during operations and cooperate with individuals who request further verification,” it says.
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Pritzker says if Indiana redraws its congressional districts, Illinois may follow suit
Wednesday, Nov 5, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * With around three-quarters of the votes counted, California Proposition 50 is backed by about 64 percent of voters…
* Gov. Newsom last night…
* Gov. Pritzker was asked about Newsom’s challenge to Illinois at an unrelated event today…
Interesting framing of “pairing” states. California responds to Texas. So, Illinois could respond to Indiana. * Some background is here…
Indiana’s current partisan congressional split is 7-2 Republican. They’re looking at making it at least 8-1. Some Illinois Democrats also want to try and squeeze one more district out of the state. * But, after yesterday’s election results, self-preservation mode may kick in hard… 
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Illinois companies at center of US Supreme Court tariff case
Wednesday, Nov 5, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Crain’s…
That excerpt doesn’t do the story justice. It’s very comprehensive. Go read the rest. * Bloomberg…
* Bloomberg’s report about the US Supreme Court hearing…
* ABC News…
Lots more in SCOTUSblog’s live coverage.
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Pritzker talks about yesterday’s elections as he breaks ground on new public/private grocery store partnership
Wednesday, Nov 5, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
The state program’s basic outline…
* Pressed on this direct government intervention in the private sector, Pritzker said…
* Also from the press conference…
You shouldn’t read too much into off-year elections like yesterday’s. The electoral makeup is different in those elections than in presidential years and even midterms. But, even saying all that, yesterday was a sound thumping in just about every demographic. No getting around it. And the results may very well change the national news media coverage dynamic. Those folks pay special attention to where they choose to live. And many of them live in or near New York, New Jersey, Virginia and California.
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Catching up with the federal candidates
Wednesday, Nov 5, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Daniel Biss for Congress…
* WMBD…
* PJ Star…
* Politico…
* More…
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Your moment of zen
Wednesday, Nov 5, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * It’s been a busy stretch, but fall is rolling in and Oscar’s happy. Hard to ask for more than that… * More Oscar…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Nov 5, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Relief could come soon for ICE detainees facing ‘cruel’ conditions in Broadview, judge says. Block Club Chicago…
- “We don’t want people to be treated the way I have heard them being treated,” Gettleman said. “Sleeping shoulder-to-shoulder, filthy toilets overflowing, surrounded by human waste, it’s just unacceptable.” - Gettleman is overseeing a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of former detainees who claimed the dire conditions inside — from a lack of water and medication, little food, overflowing toilets and extreme overcrowding — are part of a concerted effort by federal agents to pressure people to sign voluntary deportation papers. * Related stories… * Gov. Pritzker will speak on the Illinois Grocery Initiative at 10 am in Venice, attend the Alton Sunnybrook Affordable Housing grand opening at noon, and highlight infrastructure investments at 3 pm in Carbondale. Click here to watch. * ABC Chicago | Dolton food pantry sees surge in visitors, could run out of groceries Wednesday: Shelves are already empty. If it continues at this pace, the food pantry says, they may not have anything by Wednesday. […] “My Link card was canceled, so don’t have any food and we didn’t prepare for it correctly, but it’s kind of scary,” said Chicago resident Kimberly Krenz. The food pantry’s founder, Dr. Nicole Scott, says she is worried that she will not be able to help everyone. * Center Square | Illinois tax amnesty program closes Nov. 17, brings in $82.5 million: The Illinois Department of Revenue is confident it will meet, if not exceed, its goal of bringing in $240 million in delinquent payments over the next two weeks during the 2025 tax amnesty program. IDOR Director David Harris said the program legislators approved for the current fiscal year continues until Nov. 17. Tax liability that’s eligible for the program is that which was due to Illinois from periods ending June 30, 2018, to July 1, 2024. * Statescoop | New Illinois pilot program offers free phone calls at prisons: Starting Monday, each prisoner received 775 free domestic phone call minutes per month, roughly $6.20 in calling time credited to phone accounts, as part of the department’s broader push to expand affordable communication. The pilot, called Voices of Connection, costs roughly $150,000 per month from the IDOC’s general operating budget. Using tablets from ICSolutions, a company that provides telecommunication and technology services to correctional facilities, inmates can make calls directly through a dialer app when connected to Wi-Fi. The tablets are not designed to be used for messaging or accessing entertainment content. * KHQA | Illinois becomes last of tri-states to implement new emergency reporting system: Lee Buxton, the Fire Service Outreach Coordinator for the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal said this was a needed switch because reports in the old system are all consistently at least 30 days old. The new data collection system will have near real-time updates—helping fire departments analyze the risks in their community, such as tracking trends of places where emergencies and fires often happen, to better serve those areas and even take proactive steps to make those areas safer. * Center Square | Illinois biz leader: Diversity computer snafu so bad it ‘has to be intentional’: An Illinois computer problem that has led to the diversity decertifications of numerous businesses owned by minorities and women in the past 15 months is financially disastrous and unacceptable, according to the leader of the Illinois State Black Chamber of Commerce. “The fact of the matter is: I don’t think you can make that mistake,” Larry Ivory, the president of the group, told The Center Square. “This has to be intentional.” * WAND | Illinois Senate passes bill banning rent junk fees, House ends session without voting on plan: The plan passed out of the Senate on a 39-16 vote with one senator voting present. However, the House left Springfield without voting on the plan early Friday morning. House Democrats could try to pass House Bill 3564 when they return to the Capitol in January. * Capitol News Illinois | Illinois bill ‘decouples’ state, federal taxes, raising revenue and angering businesses: Many states like Illinois tie sizable portions of the tax code to the federal government’s policies. That means HR1 would also reduce the amount of revenue the state receives unless Illinois takes the action Pritzker’s budget office recommended in its report last month that state lawmakers pass a bill to “decouple” parts of the state’s corporate tax code from the federal tax code to address this year’s deficit and allow the state to receive taxes it otherwise would not have received because of HR1. * Capitol News Illinois | Illinois treasurer faces no GOP challenger as 2026 primary ballots take shape: No Republican filed to run for state treasurer by the close of the weeklong filing period for the March 17 primary election, marking, according to Frerichs’ campaign, the first time in at least 90 years a major party has failed to field a candidate for a statewide office. It reflects the enfeebled position of the Illinois GOP, which has not won a statewide election in more than a decade and has been relegated to superminority status in the state legislature and on the Illinois Supreme Court. The party also holds just three of 17 congressional seats. * Crain’s | Planning commissioner defends Johnson’s record $1B TIF sweep: The annual sweep of tax-increment financing districts redirects all funding not set aside for specific projects back to the city and other Cook County taxing districts. Johnson easily set a record last year with a $570 million surplus and is proposing nearly doubling it this year. The move has frustrated some on the Council who felt blindsided by the size of the outlay and feared it put pet projects in jeopardy. * CBS Chicago | Protests expected as Border Patrol Cmdr. Bovino returns to federal court: U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, who is overseeing the case, set a 7 p.m. deadline Tuesday for the U.S. Justice Department to list any evidence it wants to keep under seal, and to provide a two-word reason for each. Plaintiffs want the public to see Bovino’s deposition and body camera video, arguing they show how federal agents handled immigration enforcement in Chicago neighborhoods. * Crain’s | City sets aside $50 million for Greyhound station: Chicago is setting aside $50 million for a proposed Greyhound station, but details are sparse and the local alderman is frustrated he wasn’t brought up to speed. Ald. Bill Conway, 34th, disclosed the potential spending during a budget hearing with the Department of Planning and Development, but no further details were provided on whether the funding would purchase and rehab the existing Harrison Street terminal, build a new station, or what the total costs are expected to be. * Block Club | Gale Street Inn Being Revived By New Owners After Abrupt Closure — And The Ribs Will Be Back: The 62-year-old Jefferson Park restaurant is reopening under new ownership after abruptly closing in June. Jefferson Park resident Paulo Villabona bought The Gale Street Inn, 4914 N. Milwaukee Ave., on Saturday. He plans on reopening in early December. Villabona said he wants the restaurant to be “a community center that’s open to everyone where you can come in and listen to music, break bread and eat good food.” * Tribune | CPS Board votes to absorb ChiArts, close small South Shore charter: Under the passed proposal, ChiArts will be converted into a district-run magnet school, after its independent board announced last month that it would not seek a renewal application due to financial issues. The board also included an amendment pledging to preserve the Humboldt Park school’s arts conservatory model “to the greatest extent practicable.” Currently, the ChiArts students spend three hours per day training on visual or performing arts — a program that would cost the district an extra $600,000 to maintain. * Tribune | Armed ICE agents sped down Northbrook street, grabbed man as schoolkids watched: He also spoke with two people who said they knew the detainee and who arrived around 8:30 a.m. to pick up the Acura. Pace was unable to confirm the identity of the man taken by the masked agents, though a deputy told him the Acura was registered to a Palatine address. “As a resident, I’m of course extremely unhappy to have armed, unidentified, masked men speeding around the neighborhood and doing aggressive boxing-in maneuvers, especially at precisely the time when children are going to school,” Pace wrote in a text message. * WGN | Ordinance to limit immigration enforcement in Aurora fails to pass: The city of Aurora took steps Tuesday evening to curb where federal agents can carry out immigration enforcement, although the ordinance itself did not pass. “Without question, everyone is frustrated at the municipal level, trying to protect their communities against a federal rampage,” Aurora Mayor John Laesch said.[…] Although the ordinance did not pass at Tuesday night’s meeting, it will head back to the Rules, Administration and Procedures Committee and will be presented again at the next city council meeting. * Daily Herald | Arlington Heights weighs ICE ban on municipal sites: The proposed prohibition on the use of village-owned sites would mirror measures enacted by local governments in recent days and weeks, including Wheeling on Monday night, and Chicago, Evanston, Cook County and Lake County before that. Village officials said they’re aware of at least three operations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and related agencies that have taken place within village limits — one of which involved Drug Enforcement Administration agents making an arrest then transferring the individual to ICE custody in a village parking lot. * Daily Herald | ‘How are you protecting us?’: Palatine residents share concerns about ICE with council: Several called for solutions, including resident Tom Soule, an attorney, supported banning federal agents from village-owned property and sharing information with immigration officials as well. Resident Andrew Namowicz suggested an independent investigation of the Oct. 27 actions of a Palatine police officer who responded to a 911 call for a disturbance, only to find three ICE agents trying to detain a man while a crowd heckled them. Police said the officer intervened to protect the public and save the detainee from serious injury. * Naperville Sun | Food pantries in Naperville area seeing big surge in need with SNAP shutdown: “Many of the people calling in are moms with children who are worried about how to feed their families,” said Jackie Alvarez, client services coordinator with Loaves & Fishes Community Services. One mother of four called Loaves & Fishes on Saturday morning in tears, worried about how she would feed her family without SNAP, Alvarez said. The woman rode her bike to the Loaves & Fishes’ pantry in Naperville so she could register as a new client and get the food and diapers she needed. * Daily Southtown | Blue Island advocate, south suburban pantries help SNAP recipients find food: Despite all the compounding anxieties in the community, Gonzalez said residents have responded by coming together in a massive community resource network that includes more than 10 businesses. The network will start bringing food, hygiene products and essential household items to Blue Island and Chicago Heights residents this Saturday. Residents can request items to be dropped off at their residence or sign up to volunteer either through an online form or texting two different numbers, both listed on community flyers. * Daily Southtown | Five candidates file for Will County sheriff; primaries likely in four county board districts: Five candidates filed to run for Will County sheriff in 2026, in a race to replace retiring longtime Sheriff Mike Kelley, while all but one incumbent serving on the Will County Board filed for reelection before Monday’s deadline. The primary election is March 17 and will determine who will be on the November ballot. * Crain’s | Highland Park gives initial blessing for townhomes on long-empty Solo Cup site: The council voted unanimously Oct. 30 to approve preliminary plans from Chicago developer Habitat to redevelop the 28 acres where Solo Cup closed its factory in 2008. Although final approval won’t come until engineering and other details are submitted to the council, it’s a significant step toward filling a site that has remained a blank spot for years in the high-demand housing market in Highland Park. * WCIA | ‘Federal agents have been active inside and outside the city’s limits’: Urbana Mayor addresses federal immigration enforcement: “We are going to do our part to protect our community and again we are earning and continuing to build the trust from the folks that call Urbana home,” Williams said. WCIA 3 reached out to other cities to see if they have had confirmed ICE activity. Danville, Arcola, Decatur, Rantoul and Springfield all say they have not. * WCIA | Danville approves partnership between DACC, police; 515K tech purchase: The first forms a partnership between the Danville Area Community College and the police department. As part of the agreement, the department will participate in college events and help students with their career paths. Students, on the other hand, will get the chance to shadow officers in the field and train at the department’s facilities. * WCIA | Village of Rantoul offering new critical alert system: The new mass notification system is a direct line to getting alerts about power outages, water service interruptions and other disruptions. Those who register will also receive real-time updates on repair progress and estimated restoration times. * NPR | Air traffic controllers warn of ‘tipping point’ as U.S. government shutdown drags on: The Federal Aviation Administration was forced to delay flights across the U.S. because of staffing shortages at dozens of air traffic control facilities, making for one of the most difficult days to fly since the government shutdown began five weeks ago. “What you’re seeing is a lot of people who are truly having to call in sick to go earn money elsewhere,” said one air traffic controller who works at a facility in the Midwest that handles high-altitude traffic. “I think you’re also seeing people who are just calling in sick because they’re fed up and they’re like, ‘well, I’m going to spend the holiday weekend with my kids for once.’” * NYT | Almost Half of U.S. Imports Now Have Steep Tariffs: The legality of the bulk of the new tariffs is now in jeopardy, as the Supreme Court on Wednesday begins hearing a case that challenges Mr. Trump’s use of an emergency powers law to impose the levies. If the court rules against the president, it will nullify a major tool in Mr. Trump’s trade agenda. He has used the law under question, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, to impose tariffs on an estimated 29 percent of all U.S. imports, the Times analysis found. So far this year, these emergency tariffs have hit more than $300 billion in imported goods. * Politico | Judge rules Trump administration can’t tie transportation funding to immigration: The Trump administration cannot withhold billions of dollars in transportation funding to states that refuse to cooperate with immigration enforcement, a federal judge in Rhode Island ruled Tuesday. Chief U.S. District Judge John McConnell wrote in his ruling that the U.S. Department of Transportation and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy “blatantly overstepped” their authority in attempting to link funding used to maintain roads, bridges and highways to immigration demands.
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Good morning!
Wednesday, Nov 5, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Snocaps… You dream about the past * Tell us something we don’t know.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Wednesday, Nov 5, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Wednesday, Nov 5, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Wednesday, Nov 5, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Nov 5, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here and/or here to follow breaking news on the website formally known as Twitter. Our Bluesky feed…
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Nov 4, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * The Tribune…
Click here to read the full appeal. * Sun-Times…
* BND | ‘Powderpuff’ pooch crowned the cutest dog in Illinois. Meet our contest winner: An 11-pound Chinese crested dog named Tommy has won the Belleville News Democrat’s cutest dog contest, with 1,131 votes in the final round. […] “He is totally living his best life. He is loved and pampered, and just has that personality where I don’t think he’s ever woken up and had a bad day. He’s happy immediately,” Shannon said. * Tribune | Feds say Border Patrol vehicle tied to Brighton Park shooting wasn’t repaired prior to inspection: * Sun-Times | Plaintiffs’ lawyers: Bovino views protesters as ‘violent rioters,’ tells officers to ‘go hard’ against them: U.S. Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino admitted to tossing gas before being hit by a rock in Little Village and separately instructed officers to arrest protesters “who make hyperbolic comments in the heat of political demonstrations,” court records show. Bovino also allegedly refused to admit that he’d ever seen protesters who were not violent rioters, giving his agents cause to “go hard” against them. * Sun-Times | City Hall gift room highlights Mayor Johnson’s ‘hostility to oversight,’ inspector general says: In an advisory released Tuesday, Witzburg accused Johnson of failing to live up to his commitment to transparency. “My fear is that what we are seeing here is less about the cuff links and the Size 14 men’s shoes and it’s more about hostility to oversight. There is a reflexive hostility to oversight,” Witzburg told the Sun-Times. * Tribune | Art Institute announces $50 million conservation center, with the public welcome to watch the work: Indeed, the Grainger Center will offer hitherto-unprecedented public engagement with the Art Institute’s conservation work. Glass doors will allow visitors to observe some conservation work from an anteroom gallery, which will feature rotating exhibitions tied to the department’s work. Some of that research came to the fore during the Art Institute’s 2023 Dalí exhibition, when conservators discovered that a Dali in their collection had been part of a set backdrop. * Chicago Mag | The Video That Shook Chicago: Laquan McDonald’s death may well have become just another statistic if not for a yearlong battle by journalists, activists, and lawyers to unveil this video evidence of the brutal shooting. The consequences of their often intertwined efforts were wide-ranging. For the first time in nearly 35 years, a Chicago police officer was charged with first-degree murder for an on-duty killing. A U.S. Justice Department investigation uncovered a pattern of excessive force by Chicago police, leading to widespread reform measures. A police superintendent was fired. A state’s attorney lost her reelection bid. A mayor declined to run for office again. * Tribune | Hearing over allegedly inhumane conditions at ‘black site’ Broadview facility underway: During an hourslong hearing on Tuesday at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, attorneys for Moreno Gonzalez and his fellow plaintiff, Felipe Agustin Zamacona, said the Broadview center operates like a “black site” where people are little access to attorneys and are coerced to sign away their rights. Former detainees testified about tiny meals, not enough water, cells crowded with more than 150 people and a lack of privacy, hygiene products and working showers. “The government is trying so doggedly to deport people at such a fast rate … access to counsel is more important than ever,” said Alexa Van Brunt, the plaintiffs’ lead attorney. “Once someone signs away their rights, its done.” * WTTW | Broadview ICE Facility Lacks Beds, Showers, Adequate Food as Detainees Detail ‘Inhumane’ Conditions to Federal Judge: Attorneys also claim that ICE’s online detainee locator does not work properly and often does not provide updates on a person’s location for days, meaning their families do not know where they are. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jana Brady claimed that if the restraining order were to be approved as written, it would effectively halt the government’s ability to execute immigration laws in the state of Illinois. * Fox Chicago | Paperwork error puts Chicago-area veteran’s home at risk: In the summer of 2023, he bought a modest home in suburban Glenwood from another disabled veteran. But just months after moving in, that $10,000 tax bill arrived. The county later corrected the mistake, issuing a certificate of error that reduced his tax bill to zero. Yet the problem keeps resurfacing * Daily Southtown | Five candidates file for Will County sheriff; primaries likely in four county board districts: Eight out of the 11 districts for the Will County board are up for election. Each district has two representatives, and control of the board, which has been evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, is at stake. Four of those districts will have primaries in March. * CBS Chicago | Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois, to close at end of 2025-2026 school year: The board of trustees has voted to close the 66-year-old religious college in Palos Heights, Illinois, a news release announced Tuesday. Trinity will hold its final commencement ceremony on May 8, 2026. Trinity said it has tried its hardest to adjust its growth model and eliminate its deficit, but was hampered by post-COVID losses, persistent operating deficits, a decline in enrollment, increased competition for students, and shifting giving priorities by donors. After reviewing many options, the board voted on Monday to close the college. * WAND | Urbana mayor says immigration enforcement underway: Mayor Williams confirmed in a statement that federal agents have been active in Urbana and nearby communities over the past several weeks. He did not disclose which other communities have seen federal operations. […] “Any immigration enforcement activity happening here has been conducted solely by federal authorities,” Williams said. “The Urbana Police Department has not participated in, coordinated with, or provided assistance for any of these actions.” * WGLT | 17 file for McLean County Board; many state legislative incumbents are unopposed: There are 10 contested county board races on the ballot, one in each district. There will be no primaries for any county races next March, according to records posted online by the McLean County Clerk’s office. Democrats hold a 12-8 majority on the board. Six of the 10 seats on the ballot next year are currently held by Democrats. Only two of those races have a Republican candidate. * Rockford Register Star | Rockford Public Schools hopes free breakfast and lunch will help families manage SNAP loss: District officials said they intend to keep it that way despite the ongoing uncertainty surrounding SNAP — the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. “Our core breakfast and lunch services will be completely uninterrupted,” said Ehren Jarrett, superintendent of Rockford Public Schools. “We know our children will get two really solid meals. And that is universally available, so even if a family previously felt like they had enough food security with their other benefits that they didn’t always need to do the breakfast or lunch, that’s available to all of our students.” * WGLT | Normal narrowly greenlights underpass construction with tax increases: Each motion related to the project, including the $32 million construction cost, was approved with a tiebreaking vote from Mayor Chris Koos. Council members Kathleen Lorenz, Andy Byars and Scott Preston voted “no” each time, while members Kevin McCarthy, Karyn Smith and Rory Roberge voted “yes.” Aside from the cost of the project rising by $12 million over a previous estimate, several council members expressed concern about the limited amount of time the public was given between a work session last week and Monday’s vote. * WCIA | 1950s U of I residence halls to be demolished, replaced: University Housing Associate Director of Communications and Marketing Chris Axtman-Barker said the U of I does not have a set timeline on when demolition will take place. But, he added that the new residence hall, currently referred to as “Residence Hall #4,” is expected to have between 600 to 800 beds with a 300 seat dining hall. * NYT | How Gun Blasts From Indoor Shooting May Cause Brain Injuries: Evidence has emerged from the U.S. military that firing some military weapons can damage brain cells, and repeated exposure may cause permanent injuries. But there is next to no public information about the strength of the blast waves delivered by civilian firearms, or the potential hazard. So The New York Times did its own testing, and gathered its own data. Reporters measured the blasts of several popular civilian guns at an indoor range, using the same sensors that the military uses. The data showed that some large-caliber civilian rifles delivered a blast wave that exceeds what the military says is safe for the brain, and firing smaller-caliber guns repeatedly could quickly add up to potentially harmful exposure. The data also showed that indoor shooting ranges designed to make shooting safe inadvertently make blast exposure worse — doubling and sometimes tripling the amplitude of the blast. * AP | Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine sales tumble after government guidance on the shots narrows: The fall COVID-19 vaccine season is starting slowly for Pfizer, with U.S. sales of its Comirnaty shots sinking 25% after federal regulators narrowed recommendations on who should get them. […] Dr. Amesh Adalja said vaccine rates have been “suboptimal” in recent years even for people considered a high risk for catching a bad case of COVID-19. “That’s only going to fall off more this season,” the senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security said recently.
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Bovino: ‘We’re going to be in Chicago a good while’
Tuesday, Nov 4, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * As you know, Border Patrol agents have been accused of baselessly throwing tear gas and using force on residents and reporters during protests in Chicago and the suburbs during Trump’s immigration push. The Associated Press interviewed Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino today…
Lots more in that story, so go read the whole thing. * Last month, Bovino deployed tear gas in Little Village. He claims he only used it after being hit in the head with a rock. The Tribune’s Jason Meisner is in the courtroom today…
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Chuy Garcia talks about why he dropped out of his reelection bid (Updated)
Tuesday, Nov 4, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Rich interviewed Congressman Chuy Garcia this morning about his decision to not run for reelection…
Rep. Garcia said petitions were printed on Friday night and circulated Saturday. His organization gathered 2,500 signatures over the weekend, he said. He said he was surprised the petition circulation didn’t spark any rumors. * Rich asked about the criticism the announcement is receiving…
…Adding… Chicago Ald. Michael Rodriguez …
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Learning from the past
Tuesday, Nov 4, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * One of the very few positive things to emerge from the Rauner impasse was that Illinoisans were given an intense, prolonged lesson on the importance of state budgets. So, a Republican governor who defeated an incumbent Democrat by 4 points in 2014, lost to a Democratic opponent by almost 16 points four years later…
Obviously, the Trump midterm factor played a big role in 2018, but Massachusetts’ moderate to liberal Republican governor Charlie Baker won his state by almost 34 points that very same year. * The lessons began early here. Remember this from early April of 2015 at the start of the impasse?…
Illinoisans received a tiny taste back then of what the state can expect to be forced to swallow for this four-year presidential term.
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It’s almost a law
Tuesday, Nov 4, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Tribune…
* Daily Herald…
* The Tribune…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Nov 4, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Rep. Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia won’t seek reelection, leaves seat for chief of staff in move panned as ‘coronation’. Sun-Times…
- Two sources confirmed Garcia’s plan to step down. Garcia is expected to pull his petitions. - Patty Garcia, no relation to the congressman, became his chief of staff in 2023 after serving as his district director since 2019. * Related stories… * Sun-Times | Illinois sues over rule change in forgiving federal public service student loans: Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined 21 other attorneys general in suing the Trump administration over changes to the way public servants have their student loans forgiven. The U.S. Education Department issued a new rule Friday threatening to deem employers, including state governments, as having “substantial illegal purpose,” and revoking them from the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. According to the lawsuit, the Trump administration is going after its usual targets in organizations that “support for immigrants, gender affirming care, DEI initiatives, and political protest.” The loan forgiveness program would wipe out student loans for anyone working an eligible job in public service after they had made 120 monthly loan payments at said job, which would take 10 years. * Sun-Times | Mayor Johnson scores win in legal battle with Trump over frozen federal funds: In a ruling handed down Friday, a federal judge granted the city’s motion for a preliminary injunction challenging the decision by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to terminate a program created to reimburse cities for costs tied to the care and feeding of migrants. * WGLT | Bloomington Township considers emergency relief for those facing SNAP cuts: Township supervisor Deb Skillrud said the program would provide temporary help to hundreds of families,who would be able to get between $200 and $500 per month — depending on the number of family members — for as long as funding is available. “We have a reserve that could help in some capacity, certainly not as great as the federal government could, but we want to do what we can to help those residents of the City of Bloomington get a little relief,” Skillrud said in an interview on WGLT’s Sound Ideas. * ABC Chicago | IL Speaker Welch talks immigration, transit bills on way to Gov. Pritzker: On the transportation bill that funds public transit, Welch said, “I think it is going to be transformative. I think what you are going to see is reliability is going to be improved safety is going to be improved and because of that, you are going to see so many more passengers are going to be coming back to riding our transit system. There’s going to be better coordination, better collaboration.” * NBC | SNAP contingency fund ‘isn’t enough,’ says Illinois Gov. Pritzker: NBC News Correspondent Maggie Vespa joins Meet the Press NOW fresh off her interview with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (D) where he reacts to the Trump administration’s decision to tap into contingency funds to partially pay for SNAP benefits after two court rulings order the administration to keep the program funded. * Capitol News Illinois | Bill to regulate homeowners’ insurance rates fails on final day of veto session: The amendments passed through the Senate on Thursday afternoon on a vote of 41-15. But a subsequent vote in the House to concur with those amendments fell four votes short of the 60 needed for passage. Six House Democrats were recorded as voting “present.” […] Sen. Michael Hastings, D-Frankfort, the chief sponsor of the insurance bill, said he plans to reintroduce the bill in the 2026 session. He attributed its defeat in the veto session to last-minute lobbying by the insurance industry. * Tribune | Hundreds gather in rural Illinois to remember lives of Darren Bailey’s son, family killed in helicopter crash: A former Illinois state senator and state representative from rural Clay County, near Louisville and Flora, Darren Bailey was the Republican nominee for governor in 2022 before losing by about 13 percentage points to Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker. Bailey’s rural, evangelical Christian-rooted campaign and his allegiance to President Donald Trump clashed with Chicago and suburban voters, as Trump lost blue-leaning Illinois in three straight presidential elections. But Pritzker and his wife, MK, attended the Bailey family’s wake in Clay County on Sunday, according to both the Bailey and Pritzker campaigns. One of Bailey’s rivals for the GOP nominee for governor, DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick, attended the Monday services. * Block Club | Chicago Restaurants Offering Free, Discounted Meals During SNAP Freeze: CheSa’s Bistro and Bar, 3235 W. Addison St., will provide free meals 5-7 p.m. Tuesdays. Kale My Name, 3300 W. Montrose Ave., is offering free full meals to anyone in need 3-5 p.m. daily. Lou Malnati’s is giving out $10 coupons through Nov. 16 to people who are food insecure through a joint program with the Lawndale Community Church, according to a news release. * NBC Chicago | Former DCASE commissioner resigned after HR investigation, harassment allegations: Through a Freedom of Information Act request, NBC 5 Investigates uncovered allegations of sexual harassment, harassment based on age, race and ethnicity, and more. Clinée Hedspeth’s year and a half as the leader of Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, or DCASE, was marked by turmoil. Public records show during her tenure, 29 employees left the department, including seven deputy commissioners. In April, NBC Chicago reported on the letter from more than 100 local artists concerned about her leadership. Heavily redacted documents show in September, the Chicago Department of Human Resources, or DHR, found Hedspeth violated the city’s Equal Employment Opportunity Policy. She resigned Oct. 6, less than two weeks later. * Sun-Times | CTA logs 14,000 smoking complaints in 14 months: The Red Line, the busiest CTA line, leads the system in smoking complaints. There were nearly 5,500 complaints about smoking by email and chatbot over the same period, according to the data. In that same period, Blue Line riders filed nearly 3,500 smoking complaints while Green Line riders filed nearly 1,800 . Riders filed the most smoking complaints at the peak of afternoon commuting hours between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., according to an hourly analysis conducted by the Sun-Times. * Crain’s | As Kanye West’s real estate empire crumbles, he’s behind on taxes for his childhood home: The amount owed to Cook County on the modest house on South Shore Drive is minute by comparison to the reported $78 million combined value of Ye’s lavish properties, several of which reportedly are lying in ruin. Even so, it suggests the South Shore property, which Ye bought to save from demolition, may be receiving as little attention as those. The Cook County Treasurer’s records show the property tax bill of about $1,514 that was due March 4 has not been paid. The second installment bill, which would have been a slightly higher amount and would have been due Aug. 1, has not been mailed because of a county-wide delay that Cook County officials blame on a difficult technology transition. * WBEZ | Sanders BBQ has gone from Beverly destination to national stunner in just 17 months. Next stop: Hyde Park: Lines snaking down 99th Street have been a fixture for months at this counter-service barbecue joint, where unctuous oxtails exhale aromas of hardwood smoke and peppered, toothsome brisket gives at the mere sight of a fork. Wait times have no doubt climbed since September, when The New York Times named Sanders BBQ one of the 50 best restaurants in the country, alongside Mexican fine-dining restaurant Cariño. * Daily Herald | Parks activist who defeated Lucas museum among latest Cook County candidates to file Monday: Juanita Irizarry, who headed the parks advocacy group from 2015 to 2023, was among the final candidates to submit nominating petitions at the Cook County Clerk’s office Monday for the March 17, 2026, primary election. Irizarry, of Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, is set to face incumbent Cook County Board of Review Commissioner George Cardenas, of Chicago’s McKinley Park, in the Democratic primary for the board’s 1st District — an area that covers much of the Northwest suburbs. The three-member quasi-judicial panel reviews appeals brought by property owners who receive higher valuations set by Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi. * Daily Herald | Five contested Lake County Board primary races emerge from candidate filing week: Five contested primaries for Lake County Board are currently expected to appear on March 17 primary ballots — four for Democrats and one between Republicans. There also is a contested Democratic primary for Ward 3 of the North Shore Water Reclamation District between Beverly Sugar Young and Jose A. Guzman. * Daily Herald | Palatine council hears proposal for welcoming ordinance, chief explains officer’s encounter with ICE: Resident Justin O’Rourke proposed an ordinance that would prevent village property and resources from being used for federal immigration enforcement. It would also prevent collecting, reporting and sharing information regarding immigration status with federal agencies unless required by law. * Sun-Times | Broadview village board meeting cut short as anti-ICE protesters confront mayor: Broadview public works director Matthew Ames defended Thompson and Broadview police while calling some protesters “agitators.” Another speaker said protesters were “against America.” Some protesters heckled or made comments under their breath, and tensions rose in the room at times. After public comment ended, Thompson addressed some of the commenters’ concerns, saying the aid tent had become unruly and protesters had stocked it with furniture and propane tanks. While pictures of the tent were shown on a projector, protesters shouted that the tent held bottles of water and lawn chairs. * Daily Herald | ‘Built with love’: New school building for blind, deaf students takes flight: From a sensory “egg chair,” to a tactile clue that lets blind students identify their classrooms, to separate floors for learning and living, the Philip J. Rock Center and School has arrived. State leaders, advocates and students celebrated the opening of a new facility in Glen Ellyn for children who are both deaf and blind or have a combination of visual and auditory impairments on Monday. * Daily Southtown | Work on Amazon tax incentives fuel raises for Markham Mayor Roger Agpawa, staff: Markham Mayor Roger Agpawa’s salary is set to steadily increase over the next four years, along with the salaries of several Markham employees, at least partially due to their work on a tax increment financing district involving the town’s Amazon facility. Agpawa’s 2025 salary, is slated to reach $191,227 by Markham’s 2028 fiscal year, which begins in May 2027. The Markham city treasurer and city clerk’s salaries will increase from $45,000 in the 2025 fiscal year to $49,173 in 2028. These salaries started at $32,000 in 2021 and steadily increased over four years under a 2020 ordinance. * WICS | Trial for EMTs charged in Earl Moore Jr.’s death delayed to May 11: The trial for two emergency medical technicians charged in the death of Earl Moore Jr. has been rescheduled to May 11. Originally set to begin on Dec. 1, the trial’s postponement was announced without further details on the reasons for the delay. * IPM News | Conservation land trust in Coles County to expand: In a news release, Grand Prairie Friends announced the purchase of Warbler Bend, which includes 110 acres along the Embarras River in Coles County. This purchase expands the conservation land trust’s existing Warbler Ridge Conservation Area, now totaling almost 1,400 acres. Warbler Bend is GPF’s second property north of Highway 130, joining Warbler Bluff, located on Harrison St. Road. * WSIL | SIU’s Carbondale iron pour event offers hands-on art experience: The Southern Illinois University Sculpture Program is hosting its annual Fall Iron Pour Event on November 8, 2025, at the Art Foundry in Carbondale. The event will run from noon to 5 p.m., offering attendees a unique opportunity to witness the iron casting process. Visitors can watch as molten metal is poured into molds and transformed into artworks. * BND | With downtown partnership, Belleville’s underground art venue gets new life: The DIY community space that once brought underground artists to a former Belleville convent was shuttered last year after city zoning officials accused proprietors of using the space as an unauthorized music venue. But as of Halloween this year, the retreat for independent artists has returned. The proprietors hope to partner with local businesses to bring underground and unique talent to Belleville. * AP | Stability AI largely wins UK court battle against Getty Images over copyright and trademark: According to a judge’s ruling released Tuesday, Getty narrowly won its argument that Stability had infringed its trademark, but lost its claim for secondary infringement of copyright. Both sides claimed victory. “This is a significant win for intellectual property owners,” Getty Images said in a statement. * LA Times | Airport delays worsen in Southern California, with growing fears of holiday travel meltdown: Airport interruptions have been largely sporadic. But this weekend was the worst for air traffic control staffing since the shutdown began last month. The Federal Aviation Administration reported Friday that a “surge in callouts” among air traffic controllers had left at least half of the 30 busiest airports across the country understaffed, leading to widespread delays.
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Good morning!
Tuesday, Nov 4, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Tuesday, Nov 4, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Tuesday, Nov 4, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here and/or here to follow breaking news on the website formally known as Twitter. Our Bluesky feed…
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Republicans file no candidate against Treasurer Frerichs - ‘First time in at least 90 years’ that a statewide candidate runs unopposed
Monday, Nov 3, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Treasurer Michael Frerichs…
A handful of Republicans filed to run for governor: Darren Bailey, James Mendrick, Ted Dabrowski, Max Solomon, Rick Heidner and Gregg Moore. Three Republicans, Andy Williams, attorney JoAnne Guillemette and former Chicago Ald. Bob Fioretti, have all filed for attorney general. Attorney Bryan Drew filed for comptroller. And Diane Harris and Walter Adamczyk filed to challenge Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias.
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Chuy Garcia’s chief of staff files petitions to run for his congressional seat (Updated)
Monday, Nov 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * No statement yet, but Patty Garcia has filed petitions to run for the 4th US House seat currently held by incumbent Rep. Chuy Garcia. Patty Garcia is Rep. Garcia’s chief of staff. Also, 22nd Ward Chicago Ald. Michael Rodriguez has filed to run for state central committeeman, a position Rep. Garcia now holds. Looks like the end of an era. There’s some thought that one reason Rep. Garcia did it this way was to ensure that the district stayed in Latino hands after his retirement. …Adding… The Sun-Times…
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup (Updated)
Monday, Nov 3, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Sun-Times…
The Tribune…
* NPR…
…Adding… Crain’s…
* Shaw Local | Hunters Feeding Illinois program under threat, deepening supply shortages for local food pantries: While SNAP-Ed couldn’t pay for the deer processing itself, Extension staff raised money through local donations and grants to reimburse processors and help cover costs. SNAP-Ed funding pays for the staff who built those connections by coordinating between hunters, processors and pantries, handling logistics and organizing nutrition education at food distribution sites. Federal funds don’t go toward the meat but toward the people and planning that kept the program running smoothly. Without that funding, Hunters Feeding Illinois would be unable to operate, leaving local pantries like the Community Food Basket in Ottawa, uncertain of what to expect if the program isn’t reinstated. * Inside Higher Ed | Illinois Launches Effort to Re-Enroll Some College, No Degree Cohort: Illinois has launched a statewide effort to re-enroll students who stopped out of college, in partnership with ReUp Education, a company focused on recruiting and supporting adult learners, according to a news release. ReUp has established a re-enrollment marketplace in Illinois that will connect stopped-out learners with 19 participating community colleges and universities and provide them with live coaching and other resources. The platform will be accessible to 200,000 Illinois residents who have earned some college credits but not completed a degree. Nationwide, about 43 million Americans fall into that category. * STLPR | Some Midwest soybeans are headed to China again, but farmers still need other buyers: Soybeans yields are predicted to hit record highs in states like Missouri, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota. Total production is also on track with previous years, according to data from the USDA. That abundance, along with the trade war, has driven soybean prices down. Soybean farmers in the southern portion of the Midwest, such as Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, will have better options for selling their harvests, economists say. Many are closer to crushing facilities and can also ship their soybeans along the Mississippi River to be exported across the Atlantic Ocean. However, producers to the north in the Dakotas and Minnesota, who have long relied on railroads to ship their soybean crops west and on to China, will be hit the hardest by the trade war. * Press Release | Gun Violence Prevention Action Committee releases 2025 gun safety report card: As the 2026 legislative elections draw near, the Gun Safety Report Card is a useful tool to evaluate the commitment of state lawmakers on several laws that collectively work to create safer communities across Illinois by making it more difficult for dangerous individuals to obtain firearms, protecting children and at-risk individuals from accessing firearms in their homes, and expanding enforcement and accountability to ensure these laws are upheld. In this year’s Report Card, 60% of legislators earned an A while 30% failed. * Evanston Roundtable | Springfield roundup: Parking minimums, immigration and more from veto session: Besides the revenues and reforms that captured most of the attention, the transit bill also incorporates the People Over Parking Act, which targets vehicle parking requirements for developments in local zoning codes. A previous version of the act was introduced earlier in the year, alongside other statewide zoning bills supported by an ad hoc housing advisory committee convened by Pritzker last year, though none of the others made it across the finish line during the veto session. * WTTW | Measure Designed to Protect Chicago’s South, West Sides From Pollution Stalls: A measure designed to reduce the burden air, water and soil pollution imposes on South and West side neighborhoods remains stalled, six months after Mayor Brandon Johnson introduced the proposed ordinance and more than two years after the mayor promised to act. Even though the city’s annual departmental budget hearings were put on hold Monday to allow the Chicago City Council’s Zoning Committee to consider the measure named for Hazel Johnson, known as the mother of the environmental justice movement for her work in Altgeld Gardens, Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th Ward) announced he would not call a vote on the measure, long mired in legislative limbo. * ABC Chicago | Manny’s Deli offering free meals to SNAP recipients affected by gov. shutdown: In Chicago, Manny’s Deli in the South Loop will give a free family meal to customers who show their SNAP Link card through this week. On Monday, the line wrapped around the restaurant as recepients waited for a free sandwhich. “I was having a lunch with a longtime customer and mentor and he gave me the idea to do this. It kind inspired me . We thought this was the best way to help Chicago at the time,” owner Dan Raskin said. * Tribune | Operation Midway Blitz linked to dip in 911 calls, especially in Little Village: And nowhere is the decrease more pronounced than in Little Village, home to Chicago’s largest Mexican American population, where calls to 911 have fallen by more than 21% since the surge of federal immigration officers began, city data show. Neighborhood leaders acknowledge a sharp year-over-year decline in crime, but note that the wave of immigration enforcement has left many residents in fear of calling 911 for help during that stretch. * Tribune | Chicago woman dragged out of her car after colliding with ICE demands accountability: Seconds after the crash, agents abruptly stopped their vehicle and exited with weapons in hand pointing at Figueroa, a U.S citizen. Agents then forcibly opened her door and pulled her out of the vehicle by her legs without identifying themselves, presenting a warrant or informing her that she was under arrest. As bystanders yelled, “You hit her! We have it on video!” agents ignored the crowd and forced Figueroa into a red minivan and drove away. Her car was left behind in the middle of the road, her coffee still in the cup holder, and her keys in plain view. * Crain’s | Quantum park developers seek IEPA sign-off to begin work: The state’s EPA late last week disclosed the results of a site investigation and remediation plan from Related Midwest and CRG for the property at 8080 S. Lake Shore Drive. The Chicago developers, backed by $500 million in state funding, are poised to break ground on the 128-acre Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park on the south end of the land, the centerpiece of a broader 59-million-square-foot megadevelopment dubbed Quantum Shore Chicago. * Sun-Times | CTA hopes this kind of rush hour — subway surfing — doesn’t take root here as it has in New York: Nine people partaking in the high-stakes thrill-seeking in that city’s subways since last year have been killed, and police have made roughly 300 arrests, authorities say. Nothing even close to that is happening in Chicago, but CTA records show train surfing is indeed occurring in Chicago, with 24 incidents logged since 2023 — though transit employees and others say the reckless behavior is surely occurring more than the records indicate. * Block Club | Inside Diner Grill, The Tiny Eatery That’s Kept Stragglers Fed For 88 Years: Amid the growth of food delivery apps and the slow recovery of the restaurant industry, Diner Grill has weathered the changes with resilience, a bastion for the hungry and the drunk, the blue- and white-collar workers, the families and the loners, its iconic white and black neon sign blazing night and day. * WBEZ | This year’s Millennium Park Christmas tree is a 67-foot-tall Norway spruce from Glenview: The folks at the city who are responsible for picking the tree said they were impressed, among other things, by the tree’s size. “We couldn’t pass up an opportunity like this,” said Neil Heitz, director of production at the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events “This year’s tree is bigger than many of the trees that we had in the past. We’re thrilled to continue building on a Chicago tradition that brings so many people together.” * Crain’s | Electrical equipment maker lays off 185 in shift from Illinois to Indiana: Panduit, a maker of electrical and computer networking equipment, is laying off 185 employees at a DeKalb warehouse by year-end. The company, which is based in Tinley Park, recently received tax incentives to build a new warehouse in northwest Indiana. “To modernize and align our distribution network for future growth, Panduit made the strategic decision to move operations from DeKalb to a new, state-of-the-art facility in Merrillville,” a spokeswoman said. * Sun-Times | Suburban man hospitalized after allegedly being struck during ICE arrest: Ricardo Rodriguez, 53, was riding his bike to get groceries when federal agents stopped him, according to Rodriguez’s niece Stephanie Suaine. Videos circulating on social media show an agent placing Rodriguez in a chokehold and striking his head at least once before two more agents approach and appear to put Rodriguez in handcuffs. “My uncle got up and they punched him … they’re still choking him,” Stephanie Suaine said as she watched the video. “It makes me mad because he’s old already, they shouldn’t be treating old people like that.” * WCIA | Decatur restaurant, community paying it forward: free meals for those in need: What started as an idea for free lunches, has turned into more than 200 meals in just a few days. Bobbie Lane’s BBQ in Decatur is calling it the “pay it forward” wall. Customers can buy a meal, put the ticket on the wall, and then someone else can eat for free. The General Manager, Brandon Dulik, said that they chose to do this because of concerns about SNAP benefits running out and food insecurity rising. * IPM News | Where to find food assistance in Central Illinois as SNAP funding runs out on Nov. 1: Illinois Extension has launched a tool called Find Food IL Community Food Map displaying food pantries and other resources across the state. The Eastern Illinois Foodbank partners with agencies to distribute food and groceries across 21 counties. The organization also operates a Foodmobile program offering scheduled drive-thru food pantries in various communities. * Daily Herald | NIU welcomes Illinois Senate minority leader for ‘Rebuilding Democracy’ lecture: This event, conducted on Zoom, will feature a discussion between Curran, Dean Robert Brinkmann and College of Law Dean Cassandra Hill on various topics, such as the current state of democracy, states’ rights, ethical leadership in uncertain times, economic development, issues facing the state and taxpayers and a preview of the upcoming legislative session. A moderated question-and-answer session will follow. * WCIA | Firefighters respond to second molten glass leak in Macon Co.: The Mt. Zion Fire Protection District said crews were called back just after 3 p.m. The fire protection district said the call was upgraded to a third-alarm since their firefighters were “exhausted” from battling the larger leak earlier, and because the crews didn’t know how large the leak was. * NPR Illinois | Country star Lainey Wilson to play 2026 Illinois State Fair: “We couldn’t think of a more powerful way to kick off our 2026 Grandstand announcements than with Lainey Wilson,” said Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II. “She’s a trailblazer in country music, and her show will be an unforgettable experience for our fairgoers.” * Smile Politely | Smashing pumpkins in Urbana: Sorry, I don’t mean the band in case you were thinking that. I’m talking about the pumpkin smash event at the Landscape Recycling Center. The center has a food scrap pile and is inviting folks with old, post-Halloween pumpkins to come smash them up to make compost and grow new plants. Make sure you aren’t trying to dispose of pumpkins that have paint, coatings, or lights and such; they will not be accepted. But that mushy, squirrel-ravaged carved one that looks like it’s been on your porch since 1979? Don’t stick it in the trash, smash it! * Lexinton Herald Leader| Martha Layne Collins, KY’s first woman governor & Toyota dealmaker, dies at 88: In an exit survey conducted at the 1983 polls, a strong majority of Kentucky voters said they had personally met Collins in the year leading up to the election. “It was like in the ‘80s,” Luallen recalled. “I remember the pollsters being shocked by that, but it was because she was everywhere. “Nobody could outwork her.” * 404 Media | Flock Logins Exposed In Malware Infections, Senator Asks FTC to Investigate the Company: Lawmakers have called on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate Flock for allegedly violating federal law by not enforcing multi-factor authentication (MFA), according to a letter shared with 404 Media. The demand comes as a security researcher found Flock accounts for sale on a Russian cybercrime forum, and 404 Media found multiple instances of Flock-related credentials for government users in infostealer infections, potentially providing hackers or other third parties with access to at least parts of Flock’s surveillance network.
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Caption contest!
Monday, Nov 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * The governor’s Halloween costume… 
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Trump on Chicago, Pritzker
Monday, Nov 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * From the full, unedited transcript of last night’s episode of 60 Minutes…
Deep breaths before commenting. …Adding… The Insurrection Act has been invoked in response to 30 crises. From a subscriber: It was last invoked in 1992 in response to a request from the CA Gov. No president has unilaterally involved the insurrection act against a state’s wishes since Lyndon Johnson did so to provide protection for civil rights activists in Alabama marching from Selma to Montgomery in 1965.
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Rep. Marty Moylan to drop out of reelection bid
Monday, Nov 3, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Rep. Marty Moylan (D-Des Plaines) told me he won’t seek a seventh term in the Illinois House and plans to endorse his chief of staff, Justin Cochran, who filed petitions today. Moylan said the decision came as he’s been dealing with some health issues. Moylan said he doesn’t have a timeline yet for withdrawing from the race but plans to “move on.” “I’m going to do local stuff, but that’s about it — done with Springfield, retired,” Rep. Moylan said. He said he’ll “decide on a retirement date soon.” Rep. Moylan, first elected in 2013, chairs the House Transportation: Rail Systems, Roads & Bridges Committee and has been heavily involved in transit reform talks. He pushed for the creation of the NITA Law Enforcement Task Force, which will be lead by the Cook County Sheriff. * Cochran said he was honored for Moylan’s confidence and encouragement to run. “Marty is a very serious legislator, and he cares a lot about his district, and he cares a lot about the residents,” Cochran said. “I remember when he hired me, he told me my biggest service [is] to make sure my residents get what they need and the help they need. So that has been my focus, and it’s been a very rewarding experience.”
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When pressed, Welch refused to commit to progressive revenue ideas
Monday, Nov 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Fran Spielman repeatedly tried to pin down House Speaker Chris Welch on progressive revenue ideas for the spring legislative session. He batted them all away last Friday…
“Chris Welch does not support a head tax” effectively ended that line of inquiry. It was news. Please pardon all transcription errors.
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RETAIL: Strengthening Communities Across Illinois
Monday, Nov 3, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood is home to Mestiza, a shop that delivers memories of culture, family pride, and traditions in the heart of Chicago’s Latino community. With a commitment to their Pilsen neighborhood and a passion for women-owned business, Mestiza owners Lorena and Sugieri provide a Mexican American shopping experience visitors are sure to remember. Retail generates $7.3 billion in income and sales tax revenue each year in Illinois. These funds support public safety, infrastructure, education, and other important programs we all rely on every day. In fact, retail is the second largest revenue generator for the State of Illinois and the largest revenue generator for local governments.
Policies that support small businesses help communities thrive as retailers like Lorena and Sugieri are better equipped to meet local needs. We Are Retail and IRMA are showcasing the retailers who make Illinois work.
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The path to the transit bill
Monday, Nov 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, Nov 3, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: SNAP benefits remain on hold for 2M Illinoisans despite court rulings, agency says. Fox Chicago…
- Even if the Trump administration is forced to distribute the money, it is uncertain how long it will take for residents to receive the money, IDHS said. - SNAP benefits from prior months can still be used this month, according to state officials. * Related stories… * Governor Pritzker will give remarks at the Chicago Quantum Summit at 9 am. At 11 am, the governor will attend the opening of a new facility at the Philip J. Rock Center and School. Click here to watch. * TPM | One Amicus Brief May Have Given Supreme Court an Out in Chicago National Guard Case: So far, Trump has attempted to argue that “regular forces” refers to local law enforcement and federal officers, who he claims are overwhelmed and endangered by the anti-ICE protests a few miles outside the city’s downtown. Not so, says Georgetown Law’s Marty Lederman. In an amicus brief that seems to have caught the Justices’ attention, Lederman gives a thorough accounting of the legislative history of the term “regular forces,” offering pages of evidence that it referred to the military. Under his theory, the National Guard was meant to be called in as a last resort if the active duty military couldn’t quell whatever domestic crisis they were deployed to handle. * NOTUS | Super Rich? In Prison? Lobbyists Want to Help Score You a Trump Pardon.: Crossroads Strategies directed questions about Pramaggiore’s case to adviser Mark Herr, who told NOTUS: “Anne Pramaggiore was wrongly convicted and is appealing her case to the Seventh Circuit. At the same time, she is exploring all options in her pursuit of justice, including the possibility of a pardon.” * Sun-Times | IDs are mismatched, illegible or still missing 3 weeks after judge’s order to immigration officers: Three weeks ago, a federal judge in Chicago ordered federal immigration officers who have been sweeping area streets to add individual IDs to their uniforms, an order she repeated Tuesday in court directly to the Trump administration’s top immigration enforcer here. But dozens of photographs of uniformed immigration agents shot by Chicago Sun-Times photojournalists in four separate locations since the court order show how the feds have fallen short. U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis on Oct. 9 ordered “visible identification” that is “prominently displayed.” * Daily Herald | Chronic absenteeism numbers dip for third year; state launches special task force to address problem: Chronic absenteeism — defined as students missing 10% or more of the school year due to excused or unexcused absences — marked a third consecutive year of improvement since its pandemic-driven peak at 29.8% in 2022, officials said. It fell to 25.4% in 2025, down 14.8% since 2022, according to the 2025 Illinois School Report Card data released Thursday. Though it remains higher than pre-pandemic levels, chronic absenteeism has continued to decline for the third consecutive year, State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders said. * Northwestern Now | Northwestern study finds a 65% increase in Illinois hospitals from 2016 to 2023: Men, Black patients and those living in areas with low socioeconomic status were disproportionally affected, the study found. The dramatic spike is largely attributed to a growing prevalence of diabetes and peripheral artery disease (PAD), two chronic conditions that often lead to lower extremity amputation, the study authors said. * Fox 2 Now | Services to be held for family of Ill. candidate Darren Bailey after helicopter crash: The services will take place at 9 a.m. at the Oil Belt Christian Service Camp in Flora, Illinois, located at 555 Park Road. Visitation for the family was held Sunday at the same location, and a private burial will follow the celebration of life service. * More details…
* Sun-Times | Gov. JB Pritzker tells President Donald Trump to ‘f— all the way off’ in viral video: Gov. JB Pritzker told President Donald Trump and his Republican allies to “f— all the way off” during a speech last month before Illinois’ largest teachers union. Video of Pritzker’s F-bomb started gaining traction on social media Sunday, two weeks after the Democratic governor and potential 2028 presidential contender got a standing ovation for his profane takedown of Trump administration education policies. * Daily Southtown | Judge to consider sanctions against state Sen. Michael Hastings in lawsuit alleging smear campaign: Glotz’s attorney, Patrick Walsh, said the lawsuit was politically motivated and represents an effort by Hastings to harass Republican opponents. “As attorneys, and Hastings is an attorney, we have a duty to ensure that lawsuits are filed in good faith and that they have a good faith basis in law and fact,” Walsh said. “Not all political disputes should be litigated.” Walsh said he will present evidence that Hastings should face sanctions, including paying Glotz’s legal fees, at the next scheduled hearing in the case at the Markham courthouse at 11 a.m. Dec. 10. * Tribune | Legislature sets stage for Illinois to become a ‘right-to-die’ state as bill narrowly passes: The bill will go to Gov. JB Pritzker, who will have to decide whether to sign it into law. If he does, the legislation would allow mentally competent, terminally ill adults the right to access life-ending prescription medication. The governor’s office did not return a request for comment about whether Pritzker backs the legislation. If signed by Pritzker, Illinois would join at least 10 other states, among them Oregon, California, Colorado and Hawaii, as well as Washington, D.C., in allowing medical aid in dying. The legislation received support from the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois and Compassion and Choices Action Network. * Sun-Times | Bovino carries out Halloween arrests. ‘They showed up here to terrorize people,’ alder says: The agents swept through the Albany Park and Edison Park neighborhoods, and suburban Evanston, Skokie and Niles Friday morning and afternoon after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said enforcement operations would continue on Halloween despite Gov. JB Pritzker asking they pause for the holiday. * Tribune | Border Patrol’s strong-arm tactics are the new norm in Chicago as Trump moves to sideline ICE leadership: But more than a month after Bovino and the crew of camouflaged agents he calls the “green machine” arrived in Chicago to assist Trump’s immigration crackdown dubbed Operation Midway Blitz, the scene signaled a profound shift in how the federal government arrests undocumented immigrants far from the border. Instead of carefully targeted arrests long practiced by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, President Donald Trump’s administration has deployed roving groups of masked Border Patrol agents, who work within U.S. Customs and Border Protection. These agents have roamed throughout Chicago and its suburbs with the mission of arresting as many undocumented immigrants as possible, often while camera operators film for future government promotional videos. * Sun-Times | Gov. Pritzker makes a Halloween stop in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood: Gov. JB Pritzker made an appearance in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood on Halloween Friday to hand out candy to costumed kids. In a bid to allay fears trick-or-treating children might have about ICE agents in their neighborhoods, Pritzker this week asked U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to stop immigration enforcement operations for a three-day stretch during the Halloween weekend. * Sun-Times | Plainclothes agents make arrest in Southwest Side barbershop: Despite displaying “No ICE or face coverings” signs on their front door, five plainclothes officers walked into the business Thursday afternoon and asked people for identification. When witnesses saw a barber come out of the bathroom, agents threw him to the ground and carried him out of the shop and into a pickup truck. * Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget pitch blames ‘Trump Deficit,’ but Chicago’s money woes found elsewhere: Instead, the $1.19 billion projected shortfall for 2026 has been telegraphed for years because of rising personnel and pension costs as well as pandemic-era federal grants from President Joe Biden’s administration expiring. While these pressures long predated Johnson, he has known about them since assuming office and has not meaningfully addressed the structural causes. * Sun-Times | Mayor Johnson’s job approval up slightly, but his tax choices are unpopular, poll shows: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 31% job approval rating — up from 26% last summer — follows months of mayoral attacks on budget cuts imposed or threatened by President Donald Trump and after Johnson’s opposition to weeks of immigration raids that have besieged Chicago neighborhoods. * WBEZ | As SNAP benefits are cut off, Chicagoans line up at food pantries: Starting Saturday, nearly 2 million Illinois residents — 42 million across the country — are going without Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits as the government shutdown continues, though two federal judges separately ruled on Friday that the Trump administration must pay for November’s SNAP benefits using contingency funding. The administration has until Monday to decide whether it will partially or fully fund the food assistance program. Trump said he would provide the money but wanted more legal direction from the court, which will not happen until Monday. * Sun-Times | Chicago firm that resolves ransomware attacks had rogue workers carrying out their own hacks, FBI says: ogue employees of a Chicago company that specializes in negotiating ransoms to mitigate cyber attacks were carrying out their own piracy in a plot to extort millions of dollars from a series of companies, prosecutors say. Kevin Tyler Martin, a ransomware threat negotiator for River North-based DigitalMint at the time of the alleged conspiracy, was among two men indicted in the scheme. A suspected accomplice who wasn’t indicted was also employed at DigitalMint, court records show. DigitalMint has denied any wrongdoing, fired both employees and cooperated with the investigation. * Sun-Times | Dale Bowman, longtime Sun-Times outdoors columnist, escapes for new adventure: Years later, I learned why the Palmisano brothers (Henry, Tom and Steve) gave me the scoop on Deva Vranek catching the Illinois-record brown trout of 36 pounds, 11.5 ounces, straight off Chicago on June 22, 1997. They thought I wrote for ordinary anglers, the ultimate compliment, and they were in a pissing match with Husar over another story. Vranek’s record still stands. * Sun-Times | In highly unusual move, Lyons mayor takes $245k loan from campaign committee to pay personal tax liability: Chris Getty’s lawyer insists the arrangement is legal, and says it’s tied to his divorce that led to sizable federal and state tax debt. But an official with the state elections board says: “You can’t spend your campaign fund for personal expenses. I would see this as a personal expenditure.” * Sun-Times | Cook County housing authority in turmoil amid firings, investigation, spending concerns: Last month, HUD removed the housing authority from its list of underperforming agencies. But troubles persist — even without the official moniker. The housing authority is undergoing a significant staff reorganization — one the board didn’t know about and the agency has denied. Documents obtained by the Sun-Times show payments amounting to thousands of dollars for restructuring work. * Tribune | Cook County leaders get some but not all property tax relief legislation sought in Springfield: Despite doubts that any such legislation would pass by the time the legislature adjourned on Friday morning, several other property tax changes — including moving the due date for spring bills one month later — also crawled over the legislative finish line. It’s a key victory for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Assessor Fritz Kaegi, coming a few weeks before property tax bills are set to land and as campaign season heats up. Both Preckwinkle and Kaegi are facing challengers in the March Democratic primary. * Sun-Times | Religious leaders’ request to give communion to detainees at Broadview facility is denied again: In a statement to the Sun-Times, a DHS spokesperson said any request to tour its facilities must be approved by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and that requests “should be made with sufficient time to prevent interference” with the president’s authority to oversee executive department functions. “A week is sufficient to ensure no intrusion on the president’s constitutional authority,” the DHS spokesperson said, not elaborating on why Saturday’s request was denied despite more than a week’s notice given. The spokesperson also noted increases in obstruction to immigration enforcement. * NBC Chicago | New policy will dispatch police supervisors to federal agent activity in Evanston: The city introduced the policy, believed to be the first of its kind in the Chicago area, this week. The mayor said police supervisors will now respond to federal activity if they receive 911 calls from residents and attempt to gather any information for investigative purposes, including interviewing witnesses and collecting cellphone videos. The information would be documented in an incident report, according to the mayor. * CNN | ‘Bunch of liars’: Mayor of Evanston, IL slams DHS’ account of violent arrest: A Chicago suburb is outraged by federal agents repeatedly striking a man in the head during an arrest. Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss tells CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield that DHS’s account of the incident is false, insisting “the only violence was coming from ICE and their fellow agents.” * Aurora Beacon-News | Batavia mulls ordinance banning federal immigration actions on city property: Joining a flurry of other municipalities, Batavia’s City Council is considering drafting an ordinance that would ban federal immigration enforcement on city-owned property, as a federal immigration crackdown continues in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. The issue was discussed at the Batavia City Council’s Committee of the Whole meeting last Tuesday, at which dozens of residents addressed the council, the vast majority speaking in support of such an ordinance. * Daily Herald | Wheeling board could ban ICE operations on village property: The potential ban comes after Wheeling officials said federal immigration agents approached a village fire station Saturday asking to use its parking lot. A citizen group arrived at the scene and began blowing whistles, Village President Patrick Horcher said. “That was enough to chase away the (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) guys,” Horcher said Sunday. * Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora’s proposed 2026 budget includes none of previously-discussed Paramount funding: At the time, those officials said that the city’s previously-communicated financial support of $7 million could be reduced by up to 65%. They warned that, if city funding for the organization did come in far under the $7 million mark, it would mean additional cuts. But Aurora’s recently-proposed 2026 budget, which includes significant funding and staffing cuts for city departments, doesn’t just have a reduction in that previously-discussed funding for the Paramount. City and theater officials say it includes none of those funds at all. * Naperville Sun | Naperville to collect $1.8M in new revenue in 2026 after utility tax billing error caught: Naperville Finance Director Ray Munch said the problem was discovered this summer as city staff was preparing the tentative 2026 budget. In looking more closely into city finances for ways to close a potential $4 million shortfall, it was noticed that revenue from the city’s electric use tax wasn’t adding up. A software issue caused about 3,000 commercial customers to be billed at the wrong rate from out of the city’s total of 60,000 electric customers. * Daily Southtown | Tinley Park police close training facility, partner with Orland Park on new location: The Tinley Park Police Department’s training facility in the 17300 block of 69th Avenue is closing due to maintenance issues, officials said, and the village is looking to build a new gun range near the village police station. But in the meantime, officers will train at a $10 million dollar facility in Orland Park. * Daily Herald | Despite objections, Lake County zoning board OKs solar farm near Antioch: Opponents argue the solar farm represents an industrial use in a rural area zoned for housing. They say it would create potential risks to well and lake water, dominate site lines and pose other concerns. Antioch Mayor Scott Gartner said he isn’t opposed to solar facilities but the site is “completely wrong” for a solar farm. The village is investigating whether a land swap is possible, he said. * Daily Herald | As more suburban schools switch to artificial turf, injury debate carries on: One study, from Current Orthopaedic Practice in 2021, states that data collected from 26 high schools indicated athletes were 58% more likely to sustain injuries on artificial turf. But other studies have shown no significant difference, or even a higher frequency of injuries on grass. * WCIA | Macon Co. one step closer to having one mile horse race track, casino: A new horse racing track could be coming to Macon County. After a bill passed the state senate on Thursday, people are weighing the pros and cons of bringing a casino and a harness racing-track to Decatur. They’re calling it a “racino.” It would go near Rt. 36 and Wyckles Road, diagonal to the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel. * BND | ‘Bring their daddy home.’ Rally demands local father’s release from ICE custody: Many residents in the small town of Staunton were shocked to learn that a local father and Mexican restaurant owner was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in late October shortly after dropping his two daughters off at elementary school. Ismael Ayuzo Sandoval, 41, of Staunton, is being held at the Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center. “We couldn’t imagine the fact that his daughters were going to go home that day and not be with him,” said Chelsa Pruden, a Staunton activist whose daughter goes to the same elementary school. * WQAD | Moline-Chicago passenger rail funding approved; QC leaders react: Funding to bring passenger rail service from Moline to Chicago has officially been secured, local and state leaders celebrated Friday during a press conference in downtown Moline. “Today is a day for celebrating because we have secured funding for our train,” Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati said The funding approval in Illinois’ state transit bill marks one of the final legislative hurdles in a project years in the making. Officials said the next steps include entering into agreements with Iowa Interstate Railroad, construction planning and securing federal approvals. * WGEM | Quincy Regional Airport celebrates first flight to O’Hare with new airline: The first Contour Airlines flight from Quincy Regional Airport to the Windy City departed early that morning. The cabin was filled with a cast of city officials, but the star of the show ended up being the plane itself. Contour jets can reach Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport in as little as 38 minutes. * Crain’s | Appeals court reinstates Galena’s approval of Sonoma-style resort: A three-judge panel in the Fourth District Appellate Court of Illinois ruled yesterday that a lower court judge erred when he ruled in August 2024 that Galena had to throw out any ordinances it passed to make the Parker possible. The 2024 decision found that Galena officials violated the rights of Wendy Clark, who lives next to the Parker site, by not allowing her to cross-examine presenters at city meetings about the project. Clark “had an unlimited opportunity to pose questions,” Justice Raylene Grischow wrote in the state appellate court’s decision, and at times passed when her chance to speak came. * TPM | Trump Admin Slowrolls Census Effort To Accurately Count Non-White Americans: Under the directive, federal departments and agencies were initially supposed to have their action plans for policy’s implementation done by last month; they will now have until March 2026, according to the OMB website. All federal race and ethnicity data collections were initially supposed to be “consistent with the updated standards” by March 2029, but that deadline has been pushed to September 2029, well after the 2030 Census process is set to begin. * The Intercept | ICE Plans Cash Rewards for Private Bounty Hunters to Locate and Track Immigrants: According to the document, which solicits information from interested contractors for a potentially forthcoming contract opportunity, companies hired by ICE will be given bundles of information on 10,000 immigrants at a time to locate, with further assignments provided in “increments of 10,000 up to 1,000,000.” * The Atlantic | The Slow Death of Special Education: The Trump administration has taken the government shutdown as an opportunity to end federal oversight of the education services offered to more than 8 million children with disabilities in America. Last month, the Department of Education attempted to fire nearly every staff member left at the Office of Special Education Programs—an action now stuck in litigation. The department had already canceled millions of dollars in grants to provide teacher training and parental support for students with disabilities, and it is now “exploring additional partnerships” to move special-education services elsewhere in the government. Ostensibly, these cuts and administrative changes are part of a broader effort to empower states. But whatever the motive, the result is clear: The government has abandoned its commitment to an equitable education for all children.
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Good morning!
Monday, Nov 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * We are witnessing perhaps the most prolific singer-songwriter of all time… where’s the manhunt for our reason * Did you rest up over the weekend?
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Monday, Nov 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Monday, Nov 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Monday, Nov 3, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Monday, Nov 3, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here and/or here to follow breaking news on the website formally known as Twitter. Our Bluesky feed…
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