* Capitol City Now…

It will be a couple of weeks before all the votes in Sangamon County are accounted for. That leaves a couple of close county races in a holding pattern. […]

“We still have work to do,” said Sangamon County Clerk Don Gray. “Any mail-in ballots postmarked by Nov. 5 along with any provisional ballots, will be qualified and added to the final result on Nov. 19.” This additional period allows time for mail-in ballots to arrive and for provisional ballots cast at polling places to be verified.

Currently, there are about 3,510 mail-in ballots that could still come in, though not all will necessarily count. Time will actually tell how many will be received and how many will be qualified. To be valid, the ballots must meet postmark and receipt requirements. Gray said all verified votes will be added on Nov. 19.

The election authority has until Nov. 26 to compile reports so the election can be certified and official results provided to the State Board of Elections. At that point, Gray said, candidates in close races will have a five-day window to request a discovery recount if the margin is less than 5%.

* WICS…

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced a series of REAL ID enrollment “pop-up” events at central Illinois airports throughout the month of November, encouraging residents to “Get Real” prior to the federal deadline.

Effective May 7, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security will require airline passengers to present a REAL ID to board a domestic flight or enter federal buildings such as military bases and federal courts. […]

The REAL ID “pop-up” events will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the following airports:

Wednesday Nov. 6 at Central Illinois Regional Airport
3201 Cira Drive, Bloomington, IL 61704
Thursday Nov. 7 at Quincy Airport
1645 Highway 104, Quincy, IL 62305
Thursday Nov. 14 at Peoria International Airport
6100 West Everett McKinley Dirksen Parkway, Peoria, IL 61607
Thursday Nov. 21 at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport
1200 Capital Airport Drive, Springfield, IL 62707

The events will offer REAL ID applications, driver’s license renewals and vehicle registration renewals. Appointments for the events are not required but can be made by emailing publicengagement@ilsos.gov.

* Tribune | With 17 races up for election, Illinois Democrats keep a lock on majority of state’s congressional seats: With Republicans winning back the White House and the U.S. Senate on Tuesday and the final balance of power in the House still unclear, Illinois Democrats successfully defended their 14-3 dominance over the GOP in the state’s congressional delegation. In the state’s most closely watched race, first-term Democratic Rep. Eric Sorensen fended off a challenge from Republican Joe McGraw in the 17th Congressional District, a sprawling territory that spans 14 counties and melds Democratic-leaning areas such as Rockford, the Illinois half of the Quad Cities, Peoria and Bloomington-Normal by running through vast expanses of farmland and ruby-red rural communities.

* Tribune | Illinois advisory questions on ‘millionaire’s tax,’ IVF coverage pass easily: Illinois voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved three advisory questions put on the ballot by Democrats, including one asking whether the highest earners should be taxed to fund property tax relief, according to unofficial results from The Associated Press. Former Gov. Pat Quinn, chair of the committee that backs a so-called millionaires’ tax, in a statement Tuesday said the provisions proposed in the referendum question would provide “the largest property tax relief measure in state history.”

* The Telegraph | Amy Elik secures third term in Illinois District 111 race: Unofficial results from Madison County show that Elik received 29,840 votes (61.58%), while Raftopoulos received 18,621 votes (38.42%). “I am incredibly honored and grateful to the people of the 111th district for placing their trust in me once again,” Elik said in a statement. “To every supporter, volunteer, friend, and family member who stood by us — thank you. I’m excited to keep fighting to lower the cost of living, bring fiscal responsibility to state government, and hold the majority accountable. Let’s get to work!”

* Tribune | Niles won’t separate into districts, its trustees will continue to represent the whole town after voters appear to reject districts referendum: Niles voters said “no” to the referendum question that asked, “Shall the Village of Niles be divided into 6 districts with one Trustee elected from each district…?” As of late-evening on election night, 70% of voters responded “No” to the binding referendum, according to unofficial results by the Cook County Clerk’s office from the election Tuesday night.

* Beacon-News | Kane County Forest Preserve District in ‘growth phase’ after voters appear to approve tax hike: Unofficial results on Wednesday showed that 58.59% voted in favor of the tax increase while 41.41% voted against it. Numbers are expected to change somewhat as vote-by-mail and provisional ballots are counted. The property tax increase is expected to be around $10 per $100,000 of home value, which comes to about $3 per month for the average Kane County property owner, according to the district’s webpage on the referendum. From that increase, the district would receive around $6.9 million next year, district staff previously said.

* WCIA | Mahomet-Seymour rejects school district bond proposal: The Mahomet-Seymour community has voted to reject a $112,800,000 bond proposition to pay for the cost of school improvements. It failed with 54% of the community voting to reject the measure. If the measure had passed, the money would have been used to build an elementary school building, to replace the existing Mahomet-Seymour Junior High School building, to repair the Lincoln Trail Elementary School building and to improve school sites.

* Block Club | Voters Say Yes To Free Mental Health Clinics In Englewood, Chatham And Southwest Side: Neighbors in these areas voted on a two-part binding referendum, which, unlike non-binding referendums, requires action. The first question asked if a taxpayer-funded program should be created to offer free mental health services in the Englewood and Greater Chatham area or on the Near Southwest Side. That question asked if neighbors would support funding the programs by raising property taxes up to .025 percent for properties within the area.

* Tribune | ‘Don’t put anything in writing’: Jury views undercover videos in Madigan corruption trial: The videos, taken by then-ComEd Vice President Fidel Marquez over a period of weeks in early 2019, go to the heart of the corruption charges against Madigan and Michael McClain, a former lobbyist who allegedly acted as a conduit between Madigan and ComEd, helping funnel a total of $1.3 million to a handful of the speaker’s loyalists from 2011 to 2019 for little or no work.

* Sun-Times | Felon charged with killing Chicago Police Officer Enrique Martinez: Darion McMillian, 23, from Harvey, faces felony charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder in the shooting Monday night in the 8000 block of South Ingleside Avenue, Police Supt. Larry Snelling announced Wednesday. McMillian also faces felony counts of burglary, possessing a machine gun and possessing a gun as a felon.

* Crain’s | New UIC center will explore how climate change is hurting Chicago’s neighborhoods: UIC’s Center for Climate & Health Equity will receive $4 million over three years from the National Institutes of Health for the work. The center is one of 21 centers nationwide being funded by NIH’s Climate Change & Health Initiative, UIC said in a press release.

* Laura Washington | Washington Park is a palette of Black life in Chicago. I’ll see you there: It’s a good day for a stroll in Washington Park. That is my park, or so I thought and dreamed when I was just a tyke. You can take that walk in a new book by South Side photographer Rose Blouin, “To Washington Park, With Love.” Released recently by Haymarket Books, it presents Blouin’s massive body of work from the summer of 1987, when she visited the park on Chicago’s South Side every weekend to shoot powerful black-and-white images of its people, places and events.

* Crain’s | Metra announces schedule for holiday trains: Metra’s special holiday-themed trains will return beginning on Nov. 30 across six lines. The $5 tickets for the experience go on sale beginning at noon on Nov. 11. The special holiday trains will run on Saturdays. All trains will be decorated for the holidays and feature holiday characters on board.

* Crain’s | Lifeway Foods rejects takeover worth over $280 million: Lifeway Foods, maker of kefir and fermented probiotic products, rejected a takeover offer by the multinational food-products company Danone. The Morton Grove-based company announced that its board of directors rejected the “unsolicited offer” to acquire all remaining shares of the company for $25 per share in a deal worth around $283 million. Danone, a longtime shareholder in Lifeway, owns around 23% of its shares.

* BND | Belleville strengthens ordinance that prohibits homeless people from camping in public: Such camping was formerly prohibited by a one-paragraph section of an ordinance that governs “offenses against public peace and safety.” On Monday night, aldermen voted 16-0 to amend and expand it. The ordinance now includes a more detailed, four-page policy, including a formal process by which officials can remove tents, sleeping bags and other personal property from illegal camps.

* WSIL | Judge found dead with apparent gunshot wound in southern Illinois: According to the coroner, Judge Valentine was found dead at his home in Albion, Illinois, with an apparent gunshot wound. No other details are available right now, and the incident remains under investigation by Illinois State Police.

* Tribune | ‘Join or Die’ review: A documentary about why you should join a club — and why these social bonds are essential to democracy: If you’ve been feeling depleted and disconnected from a world of diminished meaningful in-person interactions, “Join or Die” explores one reason why, as laid out by social scientist Robert Putnam. Collectively, we’re less involved in organized gatherings. There are all kinds of reasons for that, but it’s a fundamental shift that’s affected our quality of life, because the social bonds that result when you join a club or organization are not just a matter of “warm, cuddly feelings,” Putnam says in the film. “In area after area of our community life, our communities don’t work as well when we’re not connected.” And that, he says, has far-reaching effects not only on us as individuals, but on democracy itself.

* Crain’s | Cannabis stocks wilt as Florida legalization fails: Shares in Green Thumb Industries, generally the industry’s best-performing stock, opened at a 52-week low before recovering slightly. The stock was down about 18% in mid-morning trading at $8.64. Verano Holdings and Cresco Labs were hit even harder. Verano shares plunged 24% to $2.44, and Cresco’s stock was down 23% to $1.17 per share.

* AP | Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has surgery to repair labrum tear in shoulder after World Series injury: The Dodgers say the Japanese two-way player is expected to be ready for spring training in February. Ohtani injured his nonthrowing shoulder while sliding into second base on a stolen base attempt, which resulted in a shoulder dislocation. He returned to play the next three games, helping the Dodgers beat the Yankees in five games to win the championship.