* ICYMI: Gov. JB Pritzker to undergo another ‘urology procedure’ on Monday, spokesperson says. Tribune…

- Gov. JB Pritzker will undergo another outpatient “urology procedure” on Monday, a spokesperson said, following a procedure in May that resulted in an unspecified complication.
- The condition being treated isn’t cancerous, and there have been no changes to the governor’s overall health since May, Hill said. Pritzker will keep working but pause public events for about 10 days while he recovers, Hill said.
- Pritzker, 61, has rarely discussed his health during his two terms. It came into the spotlight in September when he revealed he had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes two years earlier and had since lost 80 pounds using a GLP-1 drug.

* Gov. JB Pritzker has no public events scheduled today.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | Illinois River tagging effort to count invasive carp and help protect Lake Michigan: In August, the Illinois DNR said several hundred juvenile silver carp were discovered only 80 miles from Lake Michigan in the river along Marseilles, further upstream than routine monitoring had found the invasive fish since 2010. The USGS tagging effort happened a few miles downstream, in Ottawa’s Allen Park, with the so-called Old Rail Bridge in the background. Multi-agency monitoring over the past 16 years has indicated established invasive carp populations in the lower 240 miles of the Illinois River, from the Peoria Pool all the way toward its confluence with the Mississippi, along which they have wreaked havoc on local economies and ecosystems.

* CNI | Pritzker appeals FEMA’s decision to deny Illinois disaster aid: In its appeal, the state said more information is now available that shows six of the eight impacted counties, including Cook, meet their thresholds for disaster relief. The state also said the Illinois Emergency Management Agency has been able to fully account for all costs from the storms, including debris removal, which was not yet complete in September. It also notes FEMA has validated costs by reviewing contracts and other payments.

* Sun-Times | UChicago rarely expels students found responsible for sexual assault, records show: Between 2007 and 2025, the university expelled just seven out of 36 students that a disciplinary committee determined had committed sexual assault, according to UChicago reports detailing whether students were found responsible for sexual misconduct and, if so, how they were disciplined. Nineteen sexual assaults were punished with suspension, with some students allowed to return to campus in as little as nine weeks, reports show. In the other 10 cases, students who committed sexual assault were put on probation or given a warning.

*** Statehouse News ***

* DeKalb County Journal | Races for state Senate seat, county posts still too close to call: In the 35th State Senate District, 13-year incumbent Republican Dave Syverson leads Democratic challenger Sarah Mertens by about 3,300 votes with 97 percent of votes counted. Mertens had a slight lead in both DeKalb and Kane counties, but Syverson had a 1,400-vote edge in McHenry County. Syverson led by 1,900 votes in Boone County, but just 15 votes in Winnebago County. More than 138,000 votes were cast in the race. “I never expected to be at the center of a days- … or possibly weeks-long election decision, but life sure does like to see what we can handle,” Mertens said in a Facebook post.

* WCBU | Central Illinois lawmaker among 26 House Dems who pushed for new leadership: Chung said her “own reasons” consisted of critiques of how Welch and his office handled sexual misconduct allegations against former state Rep. Harry Benton. However, she also criticized some of his rules for bringing bills to the house floor. “It wasn’t just one thing to be honest with you,” Chung said during an interview Thursday afternoon prior to Welch’s announcement. […] “I think sometimes our voices, in the past have gotten a little muddied and have been ignored, and that’s kind of been a frustration of ours and mine,” she said.

* ABC Chicago | ‘Doing what’s right’: Welch speaks after deciding not to seek another term as Illinois House speaker: Welch spoke exclusively with ABC7 Chicago Saturday during a visit to Proviso Math and Science Academy in Forest Park, where he attended a resource fair and spoke with seniors and veterans. The interview marked his first public comments since announcing he would not seek a fourth term as speaker. […] “I think as Speaker of the House, you also have to be listener of the house,” Welch said.

* Daily Herald | ‘Suburban cocktail party language’: Illinois GOP chair says better messaging needed to win back voters: “What does the Republican Party do?” Corbett said. “Do they only want a party full of people who think and look and talk like them, or do they want a party that’s going to have different ideas and perspectives that’s going to be able to represent a larger swath of the electorate and actually be competitive in elections again?”

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | Amtrak Railyard In Bridgeport Would Have ‘Insignificant’ Environment Impact, Feds Say: The study reports that emissions from the new Bridgeport facility will be “well below” federal thresholds. Four residential “clusters” would would see “moderate” noise impacts: near 30th and Canal streets and three other clusters on Normal Avenue near Rate Field’s westernmost parking lots. To reduce the noise impact on those areas, Amtrak will evaluate a noise barrier on the proposed rail yard’s western boundary, according to the report.

* CBS Chicago | Chicago Board of Elections begins hearing challenges to nominating petitions, including Mayor Johnson’s: Candidates in Chicago must file 12,500 valid signatures from registered Chicago voters to get on the ballot, and often file three to four times that amount to survive challenges. The Chicago Board of Elections must certify the ballot by Dec. 17. The mayoral election is scheduled for Feb. 23, 2027, with early voting starting and mail-in ballot going out on Jan. 14. The Board of Elections has 108 cases to sort through starting Monday, from the mayor’s race to city council and other local races. Current Mayor Brandon Johnson and several of his opponents face objections.

* Press release | Alexi for Chicago Launches Two New TV Ads Laying Out Vision for a More Affordable, Safer Chicago: Today, Alexi Giannoulias’ campaign for Mayor of Chicago launched two new television ads and unveiled AlexiPlan.com, a policy website laying out his agenda to make Chicago more affordable, keep neighborhoods safe, and bring effective leadership back to City Hall. […] The new ads, titled “Stoop” and “Make It Work,” feature Giannoulias talking directly with Chicagoans about the challenges facing the city and his plans to address them. The launch of the new ads coincides with the rollout of AlexiPlan.com, which outlines specific proposals to put more money in Chicagoans’ pockets, make neighborhoods safer, and deliver a City Hall that works for residents.

* The Tribune’s Alice Yin…

Giannoulias’ campaign disputes this description of the call.

— Alice Yin (@byaliceyin) November 7, 2026

* Block Club | IBM Unveils Company’s First Quantum Computer In Illinois At Hyde Park Labs: Quantum System Two will be temporarily housed at Hyde Park Labs before moving to the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park in South Chicago when that development is completed. “This announcement today marks a major milestone in our march toward becoming a global leader in quantum computing,” Pritzker said. “[The Quantum System Two] is a powerful new tool for science, for industry, for the possibilities that honestly haven’t even been imagined yet.”

* Investigative Project on Race and Equity | Five years after lawsuit settlement, Chicago’s 911 system is still missing crucial data: So far this year, the city is still missing data on when police officers arrive on scene in three of every 10 of its 911 calls, according to publicly available calls-for-service data. […] Of the more than 73,000 calls made from residents in the police department’s 8th District this year, which includes Groth Searle’s neighborhood, just six out of every 10 calls have a police response time logged. It is one of the districts with the most incomplete data in the city alongside the 18th District, which includes the Near North Side.

* Tribune | Chicago Bears win their 4th straight game to head into the bye week at 7-2: Brad Biggs’ 10 thoughts on Week 9: Caleb Williams threw a career-high four interceptions and wide receiver Luther Burden III lost a fumble when he was clobbered by Bucs defensive end Rueben Bain. The Bears turned the ball over five times after a scorching hot start to the game, in which they scored touchdowns on the first two possessions to lead 14-0 with six minutes remaining in the first quarter.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Elected suburban reps say they will focus on affordability, ending war in next Congress: Daniel Biss (9th District): The first thing Congress should do is act to lower prices, and that starts with health care. On Jan. 1, millions of people are going to lose access to health care, and two days later the new Congress will be sworn in. Congress must act immediately to reverse the Obamacare subsidy cuts and harmful Medicaid work requirements in the short term while working toward Medicare for All in the long term.

* Naperville Sun | Nurses at Endeavor Health Edward Hospital in Naperville vote to unionize: Sixty-five percent of the ballots cast were in favor of the hospital’s 1,200 nurses being represented by the National Nurses Organizing Committee, an affiliate of National Nurses United, according to results announced Friday. “We’re really happy about this win,” Edward Hospital nurse Hana Choi said. “We’re in a very good position to advocate for our patients in the community. This is a huge win for nurses all around, nursing as a profession, and we’re really excited to get started and be at the bargaining table.”

* Daily Southtown | Will County Board member Destinee Ortiz seeks Flock camera ban, data center moratorium: Board member Destinee Ortiz, a Romeoville Democrat, has submitted two proposals that would prohibit license plate cameras, such as the widely used Flock cameras, on county property and another resolution to put a temporary moratorium on data center developments. The two proposals are scheduled to be placed on Thursday’s Executive Committee agenda, she said. […] There will not be action Thursday on whether board members support the resolutions.

* Daily Herald | Return flight: How injured birds are nursed back to health in Glen Ellyn: This migratory season has been especially violent for birds traveling through Chicago, which sits along the Mississippi Flyway, one of four major migratory routes for birds in North America. The weekend of Oct. 17 to 18 was among the deadliest in recent memory, as more than 1,000 birds were killed or injured in collisions with buildings, according to the CBCM. The DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center is where hundreds of those injured birds wind up for treatment. From Oct. 17 to 18 alone, the center took in 334 patients.

*** Downstate ***

* Illinois Times | Judge dismisses data center lawsuit: Circuit Judge Adam Giganti dismissed a lawsuit Nov. 6 seeking a judicial review of the Sangamon County Board’s April approval of zoning to allow for construction of a hyperscale data center in Talkington Township. The July 6 lawsuit was originally filed against Sangamon County and the County Board by residents who live approximately a mile or less from the site. The filing, claiming procedural violations and unchecked environmental concerns, sought a new judicial review to overturn the county’s approval of the project. The Sangamon County Board approved a conditional use permit on April 7 that would allow a data center to be constructed on 280 acres of farmland by a vote of 17-10, with one board member abstaining.

* WGLT | Town of Normal to try again at updating home-based business rules, starting with public opinion: Normal Director of Planning and Zoning Mercy Davison told WGLT eventually, proposed code language will be brought to the town council, but it hasn’t been written yet. She’s seeking feedback to draft it. She specifically wants feedback from residents about the number of vehicles accessing residential properties every day, the use of “accessory structures” such as sheds and detached garages, and businesses based in automobiles.

* WCBU | Peoria County Board gives OK to controversial wind farm project: he Four Creeks Wind Project proposed by Repsol Renewables calls for installation of 113 turbines across 27,000 acres in the county’s northwest corner, stretching from Brimfield and Princeville to the Knox and Stark county lines. “Nobody on this board is taking this vote lightly,” said county board chairman Jimmy Dillon. “Nobody on this board is looking to harm anybody or take anything away from them.”

* WCIA | Illinois approves capacity increase at Carle Hospital in Urbana: In July, Carle proposed an increase of 16 inpatient beds and the addition of a 22-station observational unit totaling a cost of more than $34 million. A Carle spokesperson said the space for the beds should be added by December 2028. Claudia Lennhoff — executive director at Champaign County Health Care Consumers — said the addition should help fill a void left by the relocation of many OSF Hospital services to Danville.