* WTTW…

The City Council’s Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety on Monday could take its first vote on proposals that would lower the city’s speed limit and permit residents to submit photos of parking violations for enforcement, according to a published agenda.

The measures were introduced in July by Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st Ward), the chair of the committee, with the backing of transit and biking advocates, and stem from the city’s 2017 “Vision Zero” plan to eliminate traffic deaths by 2026.

The speed limit measure would amend the city’s existing ordinance, reducing the speed limit from a maximum 30 MPH to 25 MPH on city streets. It would not apply to streets owned by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

* Mayor Johnson earlier today…

Mayor Brandon Johnson endorses Ald. Daniel La Spata’s ordinance to lower Chicago’s speed limit to 25mph: “Yes. I fully support it … It’s a matter of how we implement it so it’s done in an equitable way.” pic.twitter.com/3lBQQjvlzc

— Alice Yin (@byaliceyin) October 18, 2024

* FYI…

Heads up Illinois. Today is the last day to submit your redesigned IL flag. Here's a couple two tree of mine.https://t.co/WthbUFwBdU pic.twitter.com/nc8wSBHLmx

— Harebrained - NYCC #4023 (@HarebrainedInc) October 18, 2024

* Definitely something to check out!…

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A post shared by Anders Lindall (@anderslindall)

*** Statehouse News ***

* WTTW | As State Lawmakers Eye Transit, RTA Talks Funding Crunch, Potential Cuts and What Pritzker’s Thinking: Asked where Gov. J.B. Pritzker stands on the issue, [Rob Nash, RTA’s government affairs director,] said he’s engaged in the process but hasn’t yet weighed in on specific proposals. “He, I think, is focused on allowing the General Assembly to come up with at least some measure of a consensus and he, I’m assuming, will weigh in as that emerges in the legislative process,” Nash said. “He takes that seriously – let the different constituencies hash it out in the legislature, and then we’ll come together as we’re closer to a final proposal.”

*** Statewide ***

* USA Today | Unemployment claims in Illinois declined last week: New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell to 8,105 in the week ending October 12, down from 8,780 the week before, the Labor Department said. U.S. unemployment claims dropped to 241,000 last week, down 19,000 claims from 260,000 the week prior on a seasonally adjusted basis.

* Sun-Times | Illinois’ most complained-about car insurance companies and how consumers can protect themselves: Lowball offers. Unfair denials of claims. Delayed payment. Some nonstandard insurance companies in Illinois have amassed hundreds of complaints, at far higher rates than better known insurers, a Sun-Times analysis found, leaving customers to question whether they’re getting what they pay for.

* NBC Chicago | Some Illinois schools now part of massive meat, chicken listeria recall: Full list: In Illinois, two schools were listed. One of which was in the Chicago area. Fox Valley Family YMCA, 3875 Eldamain Rd., Plano and Kiddie Scholars, 1031 Kostner Ave, Matteson. Kiddie Scholars did not provide a comment to NBC Chicago

*** Chicago ***

* CBS Chicago | Chicago closes migrant shelters in Hyde Park and The Loop: City officials confirmed Friday that migrant shelters at the Standard Social Club, at 320 S. Plymouth Ct., and at the Chicago Lake Shore Hotel, at 4900 S DuSable Lake Shore Dr., have been closed. All migrants who had been staying at those shelters were offered spots at other shelters. The closures come as the total population of migrants living in shelters dropped to below 5,000 this week, the first time the city’s migrant shelter population has been that low since late June 2003, according to data provided by the City Council Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

* Tribune | ‘It felt like a war’: Laquan McDonald police shooting 10 years ago shocked Chicago, rippled through halls of power: The shooting prompted an investigation into CPD by the Department of Justice. McDonald’s death effectively ushered in a new era of reform as it prompted a lawsuit against the city by the Illinois attorney general’s office, which led to the ongoing federal consent decree — a set of sweeping reform mandates that, a federal monitor has found, the Police Depatment has so far struggled to comply with.

* WTTW | Lake Effect Snow Machine Could Crank Up This Year, According to Winter Outlook: The strong El Niño that held sway in 2023 — which brought warmer temperatures and lower precipitation to Chicago — is expected to give way to a weak La Niña, which will largely deliver the reverse, said Jon Gottschalck, chief of the Operational Prediction Branch of the Climate Prediction Center.(National Weather Service / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Because the Great Lakes water temperatures are currently well above normal, “if we do get arctic air … there could be a high level of lake effect snow,” Gottschalck said during a conference call with reporters on Thursday. “Lake effect could be a real issue in November and December.” A milder start to the winter in the Great Lakes, temperature-wise, is likely to give way to colder weather in late December, January and February, he added.

27% of households in Chicago have no personal vehicle, but locally that number can be MUCH higher.

In many areas of the South/West Side, and along the entire lakefront, at least 2 out of every 5 households are carless. pic.twitter.com/xyEhH2QNMn

— Jeremy Glover (@JGrantGlover) October 18, 2024

* Block Club | Coffee, Hip-Hop And Mental Health Closes Cafe As Ex-Employees Say They Weren’t Paid For Weeks: Sissac, 25, posted a TikTok that has since gone viral, saying she’s struggled to pay rent and there was a toxic work environment at the cafe. “I haven’t been able to pay my rent this month because of the situation at hand,” Sissac says in the video. “I’m living in a home that doesn’t feel like my home — it feels like it can be snatched away from me at any point, at any time.” Sissac started working for Coffee, Hip-Hop and Mental Health in July as an assistant manager and started to see signs of “manipulation” in August, she said. Employees were given little to no notice about working events, often late at night and after normal business hours, she said.

* Block Club | There’s A Secret Speakeasy In The Middle Of O’Hare — And It’s The Last Of Its Kind: While O’Hare is in the midst of a decades-long effort to modernize and expand the facility, a bar at the heart of the airport has remained frozen in time for more than 50 years. The Gaslight Club in the O’Hare Hilton Hotel is a relic from Chicago’s past. The 1920s-themed restaurant and bar used to have locations across the city and the globe. Now, the O’Hare club is the only location left. Patrons no longer need a golden key to get into the restaurant, waitresses wear slightly more modest uniforms and the menu offers more than just steak and a baked potato. But the soul of the Gaslight Club is still alive, said owner Ray Dabizljevic.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Rolling Meadows seal — once subject of a U.S. Supreme Court case — to be replaced: The Rolling Meadows city seal — famously the subject of a lawsuit by atheist Rob Sherman that led to its alteration — is set to become a relic of the past. […] The silhouette of a man, woman and child in the lower quadrant is what eventually replaced the image of a cross and church in the original seal, designed by eighth grader Cheryl Knudsen for the city’s fifth anniversary in 1960. Sherman, a noted activist from Buffalo Grove who died in a plane crash in 2016, took Rolling Meadows and Zion to court over their city seals and won via a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court decision.

* Daily Southtown | Incumbent Will County Democrats face Republican challengers for countywide offices: Will County voters will have their choice of reelecting incumbent Democrats for coroner, circuit court clerk, recorder of deeds and auditor or voting for the Republican challenger for four-year terms. Voters will also select a county clerk for a two-year-term to fill the vacancy when Clerk Lauren Staley Ferry resigned this summer. Only Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow, who has served in the position since 1992, is running unopposed.

* Tribune | Volunteers from Maine, Niles townships stumping for Dems in nearby swing states: For nearly a month, a self-described Democratic grassroots coalition has had a canvassing effort going where volunteers have been solicited – including from Maine and Niles townships – and bused every weekend to nearby states identified as battlegrounds in the upcoming presidential election. On Oct. 5 and Oct. 6, Chicago-based Operation Swing State took about 40 volunteers from Niles and Maine townships to Michigan and Wisconsin – swing states in the Nov. 5 election – to knock on doors and urge support for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

* Daily Southtown | Calumet City initiates eminent domain to acquire River Oaks Center: Mayor Thaddeus Jones pitched his plan for quick-take action of the long declining shopping center following failed negotiations with Namdar Realty Group, which has owned the property since 2017. “Namdar has offered counter that they think the value of the property is $40 million,” Jones said. “I don’t think there’s anybody in this room that thinks that River Oaks mall in its current state is worth $40 million.”

*** Downstate ***

* WGLT | McLean County Board supports protecting Mahomet Aquifer amid carbon sequestration controversy: The McLean County Board passed a resolution Thursday supporting state action to protect the Mahomet Aquifer that supplies many Central Illinois communities with drinking water. […] At the county board’s meeting on Thursday, members of the environmental justice group Illinois People’s Action [IPA] were in attendance, as they have been in earlier discussions related to carbon sequestration projects.

* SJ-R | ‘This is not transparency’: Alderwoman objects to commenters not being seen: For a second straight week, public commentary has not been part of video broadcasts of city of Springfield meetings, leaving some to believe the decision veered into questionable territory. Haley Wilson, a spokeswoman for the city, said it was “a mayoral decision,” while Ward 6 Ald. Jennifer Notariano countered that city council members weren’t informed of the decision ahead of time.

* Illinois Times | Citizens want a voice in CWLP: Springfield’s City Water, Light and Power (CWLP) is the largest municipally owned utility in Illinois. Local citizen activists with Sustainable Springfield, the Sierra Club and the Faith Coalition for the Common Good are seeking an approach that would, among other measures, include citizen involvement in decision-making for CWLP. This could take the form of a sustainability commission to advise the city council on energy matters, a method which has been adopted successfully in many communities, including the southern Illinois city of Carbondale. Area activist groups have long accused CWLP of mismanagement and lack of transparency. A 2018 report commissioned by the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce included allegations that CWLP was significantly overcharging customers for basic utility services. In 2017, Tim Landis of the State Journal-Register reported on a study by the Sierra Club claiming that “residential customers paid an extra $215 (annually) and commercial customers another $2,300 in 2016,” which was blamed on the continued reliance on the Dallman 1 and 2 plants “as opposed to buying power on competitive, wholesale markets.” CWLP disputed these findings at the time.

* WCIA | Champaign mental health center still owes $180m after rape liability verdict: The plaintiffs asked for costs and pre- and post-judgment interest while Pavilion filed an appeal of the verdict. They asked that the judge either overrule the jury, grant a new trial or reduce the damages awarded. Judge Jason Bohm granted the plaintiffs’ motion, allowing them to recover costs of $5,100 and interest of $8.6 million. He also partially granted The Pavilion’s motion, reducing punitive damages to $120 million but rejecting all other parts of their motion. “The evidence was overwhelmingly against The Pavilion,” Bohm said. “This was not a close case on the issue of liability.”

* WSIL | Comments made over Juneteenth holiday spark debate at Gallatin County Board meeting: A feed of the board meeting shows Board Member Warren Rollman make a motion to approve the schedule, minus Juneteenth. After all but one of the board members vote “yes” in favor, an attendee of the meeting can be heard off-camera questioning the decision to exclude Juneteenth from the holiday schedule. “Well for one we’ve already got too many holidays, and two, it’s a fake holiday created by the Democrats to pander to Black voters,” Rollman responds.

* WCIA | HSHS to close Milliken Medical Group Health Center by end of the year: Millikin officials said the university is exploring other provider options, but does not have a transition agreement set in stone. They stress that while the open-to-public health center is closing, the Milliken community will still be able to get services they need.

* WSIL | Local $30 Million Dollar Complex Underway in Marion: The Field Manager of Stadium Operations is Ralph Santana. He shares what the complex will be used for. “We made it a multi-sport complex. So we can be very diverse. We just didn’t want to hit one side of the spectrum when it comes to sports, we’re just hitting about everything,” Santana said. “On all these complexes, we can play softball, we can play baseball, we can play football, we can play soccer, we can play lacrosse and we can play flag football.”

* WGEM | ‘Childcare desert’: JWCC and PACT team up to create new childcare center: A new childcare center is coming to the Tri-States. That’s after the John Wood Community College Board of Trustees approved the plans at its regular meeting Wednesday. It is a partnership with Parent and Child Together (PACT) for West Central Illinois. The two organizations worked together for the better part of a year in order to make the childcare center happen.

* WJBC | Illinois State University cut the ribbon on its future of healthcare training Thursday: The entire project cost $18 million, which was approved by the Board of Trustees in 2021. Funding of the center breaks down to $2 million in private funds, $2 million in federal funds and $14 million in university money. […] According to a press release from the university, with a high demand for nurses, the simulation center provides much-needed space and allows the Mennonite College of Nursing to enroll more students.

* WGLT | Nomad Theatre’s suite of plays on democracy are set in a literal polling place: Poling’s play, Honest Jake, is set to premiere in Nomad Theatre Company’s latest production called The Polling Place. In other words, the former resident of the Poling polling place penned a play in a polling place for The Polling Place. The collection of election-inspired new short plays runs Oct. 17-19 at the Normal Community Activity Center. The site-specific nonprofit theater had the timing in mind when recruiting 10-minute plays, but requested submissions not include the names of any real candidates.

*** National ***

* Tribune | Distressed about climate change, a ‘supermajority’ of young Americans across the political spectrum want bolder action: In the largest survey of its kind, 85% of nearly 16,000 respondents ages 16 to 25 from all 50 states reported being worried about the impact of climate change on people and the planet. More than 60% said they felt the emotional impact of this global crisis — anxiety, powerlessness, fear, sadness, anger. The study showed high proportions of concern across the board, whether respondents identified as Democrat, Republican, independent or other.

* Deadline | Revelations’ Morgan Freeman, Lori McCreary Tune Up Chuck Berry’s 98th Birthday With TV Series Deal: On the 98th birthday of iconic singer Chuck Berry, Revelations Entertainment has optioned rights to his life story. The production company’s principals, Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary, plan to turn his story into a drama series chronicling the rock pioneer’s formative years. Berry died in 2017.

* The Trace | Threats of Political Violence Are Distorting Reality: This month alone, authorities arrested a North Carolina man with a rifle and pistol after he allegedly threatened to harm FEMA workers responding to Hurricane Helene, the Arizona Democratic Party closed a campaign office that was repeatedly struck by gunfire, and an Alaska man was arrested after vowing to “put a bullet” into the head of multiple Supreme Court justices. These are just some of the politically charged threats or acts of violence involving guns to arise so far this election season. They follow two attempts on Donald Trump’s life in which both would-be assassins wielded semiautomatic assault-style rifles. Research shows that threats against public officials, many of which involve guns, have risen in recent years and are now routine.