* Attorney General Kwame Raoul…

Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 14 states, filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Labor’s unlawful decision to terminate millions of dollars in funding to improve states’ unemployment insurance systems and prevent fraud.

“Congress approved this funding for states to improve the administration of their unemployment insurance programs, so they can better detect and prevent fraud and make the unemployment claims process more accessible. This administration claims to be focused on rooting out fraud, while simultaneously eliminating tools that help states do just that,” Raoul said. “I will continue to fight back against the Trump administration’s unlawful attempts to cancel crucial funding to states.”

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, challenges the U.S. Department of Labor’s unlawful decision in May 2025 to terminate more than $45 million in plaintiff states’ remaining grant funding that was intended to assist states in modernizing unemployment insurance system technology and implementing fraud-prevention measures. […]

The Illinois Department of Employment Security, which administers the state’s unemployment insurance program, had planned to use the grant funding to implement improvements such as redesigning its claims process to be more user-friendly for claimants, rewriting its materials in plain language, establishing an online portal and rolling out new anti-fraud tools. On May 22, 2025, the Trump administration’s Department of Labor sent letters to the coalition states’ workforce agencies abruptly and unlawfully terminating each grant agreement, claiming that the agreements no longer furthered the agency’s priorities.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Daily Illini | Illinois comptroller candidate Margaret Croke sits with Illini Dems: “As the state CFO, we can make sure (to issue stop payment orders) as we see this improper usage of funds from the state-level,” Croke said. “Because we know that the state intervened, even if (Carol Ammons) is not found criminally liable for whatever she is being charged with, we know she misused funds. It’s disappointing.” […] “A lot of people have asked me about crypto in general,” Croke said. “As it comes to the state level, I have had questions about whether or not we would ever consider having a crypto depository within state government. I don’t see a world in which we would ever hold crypto. It’s unreliable.”

* Press release | Illinois Ironworkers Announce Endorsements for the 2026 General Election: The Iron Workers District Council of Chicago & Vicinity and the Iron Workers District Council of St. Louis & Vicinity today announced their endorsements for the Nov. 3 general election. Together, the two district councils represent the thousands of ironworkers across Illinois. “Ironworkers build the bridges, hospitals, schools and stadiums Illinois depends on, and this election will help decide whether that work keeps going to skilled union labor,” said James Gardiner, president of the Iron Workers District Council of Chicago & Vicinity. “The candidates we endorsed will protect union jobs, defend prevailing wage and stand behind the project labor agreements that get public projects built safely, on time and by a trained local workforce. Our members will be working to turn out the vote between now and Nov. 3.” Click here for the endorsement list.

* Press release | Koehler, Turner highlight $1.8 million to strengthen Illinois’ local food systems: State Senators Doris Turner and Dave Koehler are encouraging local farmers, food processors and agricultural businesses to apply for a new round of funding through the Local Food Infrastructure Grant Program, which will provide $1.8 million to strengthen Illinois’ local food supply chain. “Everyone needs access to whole, nutritious, locally-sourced foods,” said Turner (D-Springfield), chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “By fortifying the food system, we are supporting our local farmers and mitigating food insecurity. This funding will expand access to fresh, local foods, strengthen the local economy, and grow the food supply chain.”

*** Chicago ***

* WTTW | Johnson’s Debt Refinancing Plan Results in Just Half of What He Promised, Forcing Officials to Scramble to Fill Budget Gap: Initially, Johnson said the city would refinance bonds backed by the city’s sales tax revenues that are at least 10 years old to generate between $65 million and $71 million. But that refinancing generated just $36 million when completed last week, according to a spokesperson from the mayor’s office. Johnson’s spokesperson blamed the failure of the debt refinancing plan to generate his stated target on “rising interest rates driven by the Trump administration’s economic policies, including the impacts of its tariffs and needless wars abroad.”

* Fox Chicago | Chicago mayor’s office responds to questions over CPD’s Flock database access: ‘Serious concerns’: The city of Chicago has been quietly paying a third-party company to buy access to Flock’s database. The city reportedly began making these payments in 2024, using nearly $75,000 in taxpayer funds. Since 2023, the city has been under a memorandum of understanding with Flock Safety, which apparently allows Chicago police officers to physically log in to Flock’s portal and gain access to its entire database. A higher-ranking source inside the department told Fox Chicago that only investigators and a designated tech team made up of civilians have access to that network. But CPD, as a department, has not confirmed this yet.

* Crain’s | Chicago’s Divvy expansion deal hits a speed bump amid Lyft-Lime fight: The ordinance, proposed by Mayor Brandon Johnson, would extend Lyft’s contract through January 2033, expand the number of bikes, scooters and docking stations, and lock in lower prices on the South and West sides. But it would also significantly expand the territory where Divvy enjoys priority over competing scooter operators, potentially threatening Lime’s ability to continue operating in Chicago.

* Crain’s | Loop Capital doubles down on athletes and entertainers with $450M deal: The deal, which is expected to bring more than 50 clients to Loop, is part of the Chicago-based firm’s growing focus on athletes and entertainers. “I am amazed at how consistently sports businesses . . . continue to go up,” Loop Capital Chairman and CEO Jim Reynolds. “And (everything) around them is going up. The salaries of the players are going up. There will be players who will become billionaires from their basketball earnings. It is very exciting. Loop has a very strategic advantage in this space.”

* Block Club | ‘Green Bay Sucks’ Has Become An Anthem For Chicago: The “Green Bay sucks” chant has become a fixture at Bears games, but it has also spilled into just about every corner of the Chicago sports scene, and even some places that have nothing to do with sports. It broke out at Wednesday night’s Fire soccer game at Soldier Field. It was yelled at Cubs and White Sox games all summer — uniting North and South side fans when the two teams played each other — and at Blackhawks and Bulls games. Bears fans have even brought it to games against teams other than Green Bay, including their season opener at Carolina.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Sun-Times | Judge makes feds’ ‘Broadview Six’ filing public after attorney’s name is hidden from view: A federal judge on Friday rejected an attempt by U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros’ office to shield parts of a new “Broadview Six” filing from the public, including the name of an attorney representing the United States government, as multiple inquiries into the tainted case appear to be moving forward. Sensitivities to an ongoing investigation by the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility appeared to trigger the partial redaction of documents. But U.S. District Judge April Perry noted that the government has already “publicly disclosed” that inquiry.

* Tribune | ‘Broadview Six’ judge requests US attorney’s office communications, including Boutros email: While Perry has made no finding at this point that there was intentional misconduct in the Broadview case, the judge said at the Oct. 1 hearing it was clear that “several aspects of this prosecution were very flawed” and that certain representations made to her by Boutros’ office were not accurate. She also said whether a cover-up occurred to hide illegal conduct — or maybe simply something that was “embarrassing” — does not matter.

* Naperville Sun | This Naperville-based run club is giving 20-somethings a reason to stay in the suburbs: “There’s a lot of young people here, but for some reason there isn’t really a place for people to meet each other between the ages of 18 to 28,” said Campolargo, who is also a Naperville resident. “We thought this would be something that we (would) want ourselves and maybe other people would want the same thing.”

* NBC Chicago | Some suburban Metra trains canceled due to crew shortages: Some Metra train lines to and from the Chicago suburbs were canceled Friday morning due to crew shortages. Service alerts posted to Metra’s website Friday morning showed at least two Metra BNSF trains that were scheduled to depart from the western suburbs to Chicago’s Union Station would not operate.

* The Read Deal | Jerry Reinsdorf’s Michigan Avenue Real Estate offloads Evanston apartments for $32M: Reinsdorf’s Chicago-based Michigan Avenue Real Estate Group sold the Maeve on Ridge apartments at 1555 Ridge Avenue in Evanston to local firm Arnel Incorporated for $31.5 million in a deal inked this week, public records show. Michigan Avenue bought the land for the development for $3.9 million in 2020 and took out a $17 million construction mortgage to fund the project, according to public records. Reinsdorf’s company, which he runs with Thomas Meador, last refinanced the building in 2022 for $18 million.

*** Downstate ***

* IPM News | Data center companies have approached Champaign County for projects in Sidney, Tolono: ABEI Energy, an independent power producer based in Spain, contacted the county about a data center site outside of Tolono on May 7, 2025, with a few additional conversations afterward, Hall said. Nodiac, a data center developer based in Denver, inquired about a site outside of Sidney on Aug. 28 and Sept. 3, 2026. Sidney Trustee Leroy Schluter said he was surprised when news broke about the data center proposal Wednesday. “The village President John Finn did not know anything about it,” he said. “I myself didn’t know anything about it, so that was news to us.”

* KSDK | Ameren Illinois begins major power grid upgrades in Granite City after tornado damage: More than a year after a tornado devastated parts of the Granite City area and left thousands of customers without electricity, Ameren Illinois is investing in upgrades designed to make the local power grid more reliable. Construction is underway on a series of electric infrastructure improvements, including a new switching station near the U.S. Steel facility, upgrades to two existing substations and installation of a new 69-kilovolt power line.

* WGLT | Illinois Wesleyan expands two programs encouraging McLean County high schoolers to stay for college: “Expanding McLean County Direct Admit to every high school in the county sends a simple message to local students: We want you here,” said Gaelyn Rose, vice president of enrollment at IWU, in a written statement shared with local media. “Talented students should be able to see Illinois Wesleyan as an accessible, attainable next step — not simply a university in their hometown but a place that is actively investing in their future.”

* Heartland News | River to River yard sale in southern Illinois this weekend: Vendors all along Highway 146 in southern Illinois will over hidden treasures for sale this weekend. The River to River Yard Sales will take place along the entire, roughly 90 miles between Cave-in-Rock and East Cape Girardeau. The yard sales started October 8 and will remain open until Sunday, October 11.

* Press release | Gov. Pritzker Announces Expansion of the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville: Today, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced $17 million in funding to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) to expand the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC), which includes $15 million from the State of Illinois and $2 million from the Illinois Corn Growers Association.

*** National ***

* Bloomberg | Wall Street Sees an Ominous Sign in Bond Market’s Latest Selloff: What’s not in question is that during the past few weeks it spiked to levels not seen in over a decade and drove the latest leg of the bond selloff that’s sent US Treasury yields to a 24-year high. And that, in turn, is fanning fears of a potential shift that will heap pressure on an already battered market and keep borrowing costs elevated across the economy.