* Tribune…

Ladders of Opportunity is a relatively new statewide nonprofit working to address Illinois’ chronic shortage of paraprofessionals. It grew out of the Parent Engagement Institute, which recruits parents to volunteer in their children’s schools. Ladders takes it a step further, moving parents with at least 100 volunteer hours and an interest in an education career into its licensure track.

Most of them are Black and Latina mothers from the South and West sides.

In CPS, perennial staffing imbalances have left some campuses without SECAs, teacher assistants and other support staff. While vacancy rates are at all-time lows, the district is still grappling with how to best recruit and retain workers for those roles. Paraprofessional turnover tends to be high across Illinois, driven partly by low hourly pay and minimal training. […]

Since 2023, more than 1,100 parents have become licensed paraprofessionals through Ladders, including 373 in CPS. The program now runs on a $25 million grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services and has expanded to 11 pilot sites across the state.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Shaw Local | 2026 Election Questionnaire: JB Pritzker, Illinois Governor: “ Unlike the proposal by my opponent Darren Bailey, I do not want the taxpayers to pay for a $3 billion stadium for billionaire team owners. The Bears have built a storied legacy in Illinois for over 100 years, and I’m a proud Bears fan. I’ve always been clear that I want the Bears to stay in Illinois, and that my priority is a sensible solution that protects Illinois taxpayers. I think we should be willing to provide basic infrastructure to support a new stadium. It is my responsibility as governor to make sure that any deal we make is a good deal for all Illinoisans. I’ve worked with our legislature, the Bears, and the NFL to find the best solution for the Bears, and I think Illinois taxpayers should have their voices heeded.”

* Center Square | Embattled lawmaker faces grassroots write-in opponent: He said while he is a registered Democrat, his politics aren’t solely along partisan lines, and he’d bring with him a willingness to work across the aisle, especially on fiscal measures. “I’m conservative when it comes to things like how you spend money and on defense and subjects of that nature. I’m very much a liberal when it comes to human rights, women’s reproductive rights,” Smith said.

* AP | She lived to see ‘Deb’s law’ take effect. Now she can choose how she dies: “I believe that God gave me this extra time so that I could see this law through,” said Robertson, 68. “I believe that people have the right to leave this Earth with dignity and on their own terms.” […] As other states followed suit, what remains generally consistent is that to use the laws, one must have an incurable illness and less than six months to live, said Thaddeus Pope, a bioethicist at Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota. To qualify, one must also be able to understand and make a voluntary decision and be able to take the prescribed medications without assistance.

* WAND | Illinois Secretary of State fights ‘unlawful use’ of license plate data: “For far too long, these tech companies have been able to skirt our laws and put people’s privacy at risk without meaningful oversight. The scrutiny Flock is facing in Washington is long overdue, but in Illinois we didn’t wait for a congressional hearing to act,” Giannoulias said in a statement. We passed strong privacy protections, uncovered unlawful access and – most importantly – forced changes that protect law-abiding drivers in Illinois and across the country,” Giannoulias continued.

*** Chicago ***

* WGN | Chicago City Council to consider renter protections, police misconduct settlements: City leaders are looking to update the decades-old residential landlord-tenant ordinance, but they do not agree on what to change. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and his allies are backing the Protecting Renters Ordinance, also known as PRO. The proposal would establish a registry to keep track of who owns rental units, and whether or not the landlords are complying with the law.

* The Hill | Chicago mayor seeks to block data center expansion: ‘We are not for sale’: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson proposed a data center expansion moratorium ordinance, saying that the city is “open for business” but “not for sale.” The ordinance acts as a 12-month temporary pause to give city officials time to develop long-term policies concerning energy and pollution risks for Chicagoans. It will be referred to a Chicago City Council committee who will put it through the first vote to decide if the proposal can become law.

* Sun-Times | A trio of candy-obsessed artists relocate their Wonka-esque gummy production to Chicago: The actor Martin Starr and musicians and identical twins Ezra and Adeev Potash cofounded Sweet Stash last fall with an additive-free gummy with the complex flavor and texture dimension of candies they discovered over years of globe-trekking.

* Sun-Times | Chicago extends Divvy contract with changes to parking and new bike model coming: The City of Chicago is extending its contract with Divvy as the network of rentable bikes, e-bikes and scooters plans to bring changes to its system, including discounted pricing on the South and West sides and updates to its equipment. Divvy, operated by Lyft, has locked in business with the city until 2033, the city announced Wednesday.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Fox Chicago | Chicago-area residents oppose battery project, but it could help avoid higher taxes: McHenry County has long valued its peace and quiet until this year, when a new clean energy law took effect, and put their neighborhood at the center of a massive project. According to the CEO of the Illinois Environmental Council, “The state incentivized over three gigawatts of storage to be built in Illinois by 2030 through a bill that included a number of protections for battery storage facilities.”

* Sun-Times | Mundelein coach and teacher accused of recording student exercising and stretching: Diaz, a teacher at Carl Sandburg Middle School and Mundelein High School junior varsity volleyball coach, had his phone legally seized. Several images and videos found on the phone “corroborated the student’s initial suspicion,” police said. Diaz was taken into custody at a family member’s home Sept. 22 and was taken to the Lake County Jail pending an initial hearing.

* Crain’s | Drugmaker Astellas looks to sell U.S. headquarters in Northbrook: The 431,792-square-foot property will provide a relatively rare data point on whether real estate buyers will still pay up for well-located, high-quality suburban office buildings in a market struggling with record-high vacancy, weak demand and decimated property values. While the suburbs are littered with outdated office properties unlikely to compete for tenants in an era of more remote work, the market for top-tier office buildings like Astellas’ campus is relatively tight — with some buildings in the category seeing prospective tenants compete for space.

* Tribune | After years of preparation for the Presidents Cup, Medinah is ready for its moment: Joie Chitwood III has overseen 3½ years of meticulous preparation for this week’s Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club as the event’s executive director, but the international golf tournament’s arrival brings new and unavoidable pressures. “This is an intense moment of time,” Chitwood said. “Everyone’s on adrenaline and caffeine. No matter how much time we had, this week was going to be this week.” More than 30,000 spectators are expected daily during tournament play Thursday through Sunday. Smaller crowds were anticipated for practice rounds Tuesday and Wednesday.

*** Downstate ***

* Illinois Times | Downtown dilemma in Taylorville: The project is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2027. It is to be funded with a $3 million state grant first awarded in 2022 and from additional sales taxes collected in a business development district. Even though a group calling itself the Taylorville Coalition for Responsible Revitalization says almost all owners of the affected properties want the project drastically changed to minimize the potential negative impact, the mayor and council remain behind the outline and so far have shown unanimous support. “I am very shocked and surprised at the pushback,” Mayor Bruce Barry told Illinois Times.

* WAND | DPS approves budget, will use savings to cover multi-million dollar deficit: The final tentative budget for DPS reflects a $6.2 million operating deficit, with a $4.8 million all-funds deficit. According to the district, there are enough savings in district funds to cover the deficit. DPS Board Member Kevin Hale said the district needs to do better at saving money, and the district can save millions by better limiting students’ technology usage.

* WGLT | McLean County looks to fill radio frequency gaps with police, fire system update: As implemented in McLean County, though, there have been gaps and dead zones in which radio reception either didn’t work at all or faded inside buildings. “Some of these areas have been dead for 20 years. Some of these areas have just had terrible coverage,” said Sheriff Matt Lane, who currently chairs the Emergency Telephone System Board [ETSB] in McLean County.

* WCBU | Washington approves Business Development District, with quarter-percent sales tax increase: An estimated $700,000 in revenue generated annually by the BDD sales tax will go toward infrastructure work and business recruitment within the district. Some of the funds will jump start the redevelopment of Washington Plaza. Also, the money will provide help for existing businesses through programs like facade and beautification grants, and assist in the redevelopment of vacant and underutilized properties.

*** National ***

* NYT | Why Some Schools Are Hitting the Brakes on Electric Buses: Now, some U.S. school leaders are abandoning electric buses or scaling back plans to buy more. A few have auctioned off their fleets, hoping to recoup several thousand dollars on vehicles plagued by mechanical problems. And the districts that have stuck with the technology often relegate the buses to the shortest routes. […] On a full tank, a diesel bus can cover about 500 miles, enough to haul students on long field trips and to out-of-town sporting events. But the district’s electric vehicles can travel just 80 to 90 miles on a single charge and less during the winter, Ms. Lopez said. It can take about seven hours to fully charge a bus.

* WSJ | The Vigilante Who’s Taking Down Recruitment Scammers, One Fake Job Ad at a Time: Jay Jones spends hours daily hunting for scams on LinkedIn and other sites: ‘You turn the lights on, and the roaches run.’ A smiling woman named Linda Anthony wants to hire you. Jay Jones is convinced she is a bot trying to scam you. Jones says he first encountered her on LinkedIn one evening just after midnight. Her title on the platform: “Contract Recruiter” at “Confidential Jobs,” based in Smyrna, Ga. He found her clone, “Linda Anthony,” a “Contract Specialist” also at “Confidential Jobs”—this time in California.

* Reuters | US air traffic vulnerabilities exposed by old computers, severed cables and stalled upgrades: Despite billions already spent or approved, the Federal Aviation Administration still relies on aging, often incompatible systems that can turn a single equipment failure or severed cable into flight chaos — a risk officials warn will persist without a far larger overhaul. […] In September 2025, more than 2,000 flights were delayed and hundreds were canceled at two Dallas-area airports due to a telecom outage after a contractor cut fiber lines, impacting communication systems at the Dallas airports. It disrupted flights for 100,000 American Airlines (AAL.O) passengers alone.