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* The Hill…
The Senate on Tuesday failed to reopen the federal government for the 13th time, as the shutdown hit the four-week mark. It failed in a 54-45 vote.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are days away from running out, and the largest federal worker union has called for a deal. Ten GOP senators signed on to back Sen. Josh Hawley’s (R-Mo.) bill to fund the SNAP as the government shutdown threatens a program lapse in November.
* Crain’s…
Democrat-led states, including Illinois, sued the Trump administration over food aid benefits set to end for tens of millions of Americans, accusing US officials of unlawfully refusing to tap alternative sources of money during the federal government shutdown.
The US Department of Agriculture announced it won’t fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, starting in November as the budget impasse in Congress approaches the one-month mark. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, the attorneys general and governors from 25 states and the District of Columbia argued the department must use nearly $6 billion in contingency funding to keep the program operational for as long as possible.
The looming cutoff would deepen food insecurity for low-income households that rely on SNAP to buy groceries each month and exacerbate the strain on federal workers who aren’t being paid during the shutdown. More than 42 million people in 22 million households participate in the program, according to government data.
The Agriculture Department has said that it can only use the contingency fund to “supplement” an existing congressional appropriation for SNAP, which means the administration can’t use it until lawmakers pass a new spending measure for the 2026 fiscal year that began on Oct. 1, Bloomberg Government reported.
* Attorney General Raoul…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today joined a coalition of 26 attorneys general and governors in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and its Secretary Brooke Rollins for unlawfully suspending the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps more than 40 million Americans buy food.
“At a time of increased costs for families, the Trump administration is making a deliberate, illegal and cruel decision to cut off access to food for nearly 2 million Illinoisans,” Raoul said. “I will continue to stand with other attorneys general against the president’s unlawful actions that threaten the separation of powers and the rule of law.”
While the federal government funds and sets the monthly allotment of SNAP benefits, state governments are responsible for administering programs in their respective states. On Oct. 10, the USDA sent a letter to state SNAP agencies announcing that if the federal government shutdown continued, there would be insufficient funds to pay full November benefits for the approximately 42 million individuals across the country that rely on them. On Oct. 24, USDA sent another letter to state SNAP agencies suspending SNAP benefits as of Nov. 1.
Despite the USDA’s claim of insufficient funds, Raoul and the coalition argue in their lawsuit that the agency has access to billions of dollars in SNAP-specific contingency funds appropriated by Congress for use during an event like a government shutdown. In addition, the USDA has funded other programs with emergency funds during the shutdown but has refused to fund SNAP, leaving millions of the most vulnerable Americans without the assistance they need to buy food.
The lawsuit is here.
* Illinois Retail Merchants Association…
The Illinois Retail Merchants Association wants to ensure consumers know what to expect ahead of the planned suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits at midnight on November 1, 2025, due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. […]
Retailers expect confusion at check-out counters and are coordinating closely with Gov. JB Pritzker’s office, the Illinois Department of Human Services and others such as the Greater Chicago Food Depository to share important information and updates. That includes working with community organizations and food pantries mobilizing to support those who will be impacted. IRMA has compiled resources for SNAP recipients and retailers, including how to locate local meal programs and food distribution centers, at https://irma.org/government-affairs/snap/.
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* WGN…
Closing arguments have concluded Tuesday in the murder trial of former Sangamon County Deputy Sean Grayson, charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Sonya Massey.
The trial is now in the hands of the jury who have begun deliberations.
In July 2024, a 911 call led to Grayson and his partner responding to the home of Massey, who believed someone was trying to break inside. The call for help turned deadly during a confrontation over her handling of a pot of hot water.[…]
One key instruction the judge is allowing will be for the jury to consider convicting Grayson of second-degree murder, a less-severe felony that would be punishable by four to 20 years in prison, far less than the minimum 45 years of first-degree murder, based on the way prosecutors charged the case.
* The Civic Federation | GOMB Report Projects Pressure on Illinois’ Budget Amid Federal Policy Changes: After several years of relative fiscal stability, GOMB’s new projections show emerging fiscal gaps beginning in FY2026 and widening through FY2031, driven by federal tax code changes and restrictions/cuts to federal programs like Medicaid and food assistance. The report provides updated revenue and expenditure estimates for the current 2026 fiscal year, which began on July 1, 2025, and a five-year projection through FY2031. The projections are based on current assumptions, demonstrating what would happen if no policy actions were taken to adjust for revenue declines.
* Press Release | Congressional Candidate Daniel Biss (IL-09) Urges State Lawmakers to Redistrict Illinois Congressional Map: “We are in a moment of true emergency, and the Democratic Party must use every tool at its disposal to fight back. Republican legislatures across the country are redrawing maps to lock in minority rule, and Illinois cannot afford to sit on the sidelines. “While I continue to support national reforms to end gerrymandering, we cannot unilaterally disarm while the other side rigs the game. I urge the Illinois General Assembly to pass an updated Congressional map, one that allows Democrats to compete in an additional district while protecting the Voting Rights Act and vital Black and Hispanic representation. The stakes are nothing less than control of Congress and the future of democracy itself.”
* Illinois Answers Project | A Little-Known Legal Loophole Has Scrambled State Efforts to Save Transit Agencies From Financial Disaster: The state proposal targeted tax money collected for Cook and the collar counties for the Regional Transportation Authority. In many instances, that money wasn’t being spent on transportation at all — $83 million of the roughly $193 million in transportation taxes collected last year by the collar counties around Cook was spent on cops and courts. The tax is collected on all retail sales, excluding most food and medical costs. It is all perfectly legal, thanks to a loophole written into state law at the behest of DuPage County leaders in 2008. DuPage County last year collected nearly $70 million on behalf of the RTA and spent it on operations and infrastructure for the county sheriff’s office.
* Crain’s | Springfield moves to reboot stalled energy bill amid rising power prices: The legislation — a follow-up to the 2021 Climate & Equitable Jobs Act — calls for 3 gigawatts of large-scale battery storage to reduce peak demand, which pushes up the price customers pay, and give state regulators more authority to plan for future energy needs. It also would give the Illinois Commerce Commission renewed authority to push power providers to generate more electricity while lifting the state’s decades-old ban on large-scale nuclear plants.
* Crain’s | Johnson: Those opposed to head tax ’should do some real soul searching’: Mayor Brandon Johnson said today the business community is “awfully unreasonable” in opposing his attempt to revive the corporate head tax, but pledged to fight to keep it in his $16.6 billion 2026 budget proposal. “We have constantly asked working people to accept less. That’s not what my ask is in this moment. We’ve balanced budgets off the backs of working people; I’m going to defend working people in this city with everything that I have inside of me,” he said.
* Chalkbeat Chicago | Chicago school board to vote on pension reimbursement to the city: The Chicago school board will hold a special meeting Thursday to authorize a $175 million pension reimbursement to the city. The planned vote on an agreement to pay into a city pension fund that covers city workers and non-teaching Chicago Public Schools staff comes less than two weeks after Mayor Brandon Johnson proposed a record $552.4 million funding boost to the district. The intergovernmental agreement the school board will consider states that the pension payment will only take place if the district receives this money, which would require City Council approval.
* Block Club | Vienna Beef Cafe, Factory Store Now Opening In Mid-2026 At Bucktown Headquarters: While there’s no shortage of Vienna Beef products to be found on street corners across Chicago, neighbors are going to have to wait a little longer for the company to re-launch a cafe and factory store at its Bucktown headquarters. In 2023, the locally-famous hot dog provider announced it was redeveloping its former factory at 2501 N. Damen Ave. to house corporate offices, a factory store, a restaurant and other retail tenants.
* Sun-Times | Chicago no longer ‘America’s rattiest city’: “In true Hollywood fashion, Los Angeles has taken center stage,” Orkin said in a statement. “With year-round warm weather, a booming culinary scene and dense neighborhoods that offer ample access to food and shelter, the City of Angels checks every box for rodent survival. From bustling commercial corridors to hidden alleyways, Los Angeles’ signature blend of glam and grit creates a perfect storm for rodent activity.”
* South Side Weekly | Cook County Board Reapproves Contract with ICE-Linked Data Firm as Raids Sweep Chicago: Appriss manages the state’s Victim Information and Notification Everyday (VINE) system, which alerts crime victims and family members when an accused person’s jail or court status changes. The service is considered essential for public safety and compliance with victims’ rights laws, but a clause in the contract referencing “Risk Solutions” permits data to be shared or sold to third parties. Advocates argue the county could continue offering the same service without relying on Appriss, whose parent company, LexisNexis Risk Solutions, collects and sells personal data.
* Lake County News-Sun | Feds arrest at least 12 over weekend in Lake County: ‘The pattern is to … kidnap someone before anyone comes outside’: Dulce Ortiz, executive director of the Mano Family Resource Center and a Waukegan Township trustee, said different forms of “community resistance” are being used to deal with Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the Waukegan area. Ortiz said when the Border Patrol or ICE agents take people into custody, neighbors tend not to run outside to protest — as sometimes happens in Chicago — out of “fear they will be kidnapped themselves.” “By the time our rapid response teams get there, ICE is gone,” Ortiz said. “When (community members) identify an ICE vehicle, they start beeping and honking. A line of 10 cars followed them down Sheridan Road into North Chicago. They left. This is community resistance.”
* Evanston Now | City to respond to, document ICE sightings: The City of Evanston said Monday that Evanston police officers will now respond to reports of federal immigration agents in Evanston, writing in a statement that officers will “attempt to meet with the agent in charge” to obtain information about the agents’ activities and identification. In a brief statement at the beginning of Monday’s City Council meeting, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss said that the city will respond to reports of “masked, anonymous individuals, representing themselves as federal agents,” calling it an issue of public safety.
* CBS Chicago | Evanston, Illinois parents push back on District 65 plans to close schools to balance budget: District officials have said they’re facing big financial challenges, and need to cut $10 million to $15 million to balance the budget after several years of deficits. They also need millions for building maintenance and repairs. The district pointed to declining enrollment, saying elementary schools are below capacity.
* Aurora Beacon-News | New residential mental health facility for youth could be coming to Aurora: The Aurora City Council on Tuesday is set to consider items that would allow the LYDIA Home Association, a Christian nonprofit that has been serving children in the Chicago area for over 100 years, to open a 40-bed residential treatment facility for youth ages 12 to 21 years old who have mental health and behavioral challenges, so have difficulty living in a family setting.
* Daily Southtown | Company intends to buy shuttered mobile home in Blue Island, but zoning still not residential: Attorneys previously agreed in a July meeting the property was unrealistic to save, because infrastructure issues and building code violations would require significant investment. Despite these barriers, Canaan Van Williams, managing partner at Proactive Sustainable Bonds, said his investment group finalized a contract of terms to buy the property by the second week of December following negotiations with the mobile home property owners, Forest View Mobile Home Park Inc., which is managed by Mer-Car Corporation.
* IPM News | Good gourd! These Midwesterners are raising giant pumpkins that weigh as much as a car: But the backyard garden behind his suburban Chicago home is where The Pumpkin House really earns its name. Towering over a blanket of vines are several massive orange gourds, as big as a small car. “I grow the ones that are under a pound all the way up to hopefully a couple thousand pounds,” he said. Adkins is a member of a thriving global community of giant pumpkin growers.
* Naperville Sun | What started with a claw machine is now a Halloween arcade run out of a Naperville garage: For four years, Mueller has been running a Halloween-themed arcade out of his home at 2129 Countryside Circle in Naperville. What started as a birthday gift for his eldest daughter’s 7th birthday has turned into a yearly operation known as the Game Over Haunted Arcade. “It’s just impressive that they do this and they do this all for free and they just open it up,” said neighbor Patrick Cunningham, who takes his kids to the arcade.
* WTVO | ‘Neighborhood dispute’ leads to arrest of Winnebago County prosecutor: Assistant State’s Attorney Keith Doherty, 57, was charged with the crime of Battery on Friday, October 24th, Boone County court records show. According to Belvidere Police, officers were called to the 400 block of Pocahers Circle around 10 p.m. for a “neighborhood dispute.” Officers spoke to the parties involved and placed Doherty into custody, police said. Doherty appeared in court Monday morning and was released pre-trial. He is due back in court on November 25th.
* 25News Now | Peoria County schools face uncertainty amid federal government shutdown: Special education, after-school initiatives, and school nutrition programs could all see funding cuts. The regional superintendent for Peoria County schools, Dr. George McKenna, highlighted the long-term uncertainty as the primary concern, noting that districts have not yet reduced programs.
* Press Release | Governor Pritzker Announces Rockford Brake Manufacturing to Reopen Idled Factory: Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) today announced an Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) for Startups agreement for Rockford Brake Manufacturing’s $6.6 million investment to reestablish the company and reopen a historic Rockford factory. Four former employees of Gunite Corporation have created a new business, which will save Rockford’s longest-standing factory since parent company Accuride closed Gunite’s doors in February 2025 after announcing Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Bolstered by State incentives, the former Gunite employees are purchasing the idled factory and are relaunching operations as Rockford Brake Manufacturing.
* WCIA | UIS unveils new resource for students struggling with mental health: A new bench — donated by Josh’s Benches for Awareness — serves as a resource for students who might struggle with their mental health. It was unveiled on Monday and is inscribed with the suicide prevention hotline. School officials said it’s meant to serve as a visible reminder to students that support is available.
* WSIL | Perry County Justice Center guided tours to take place this week: “Today, the PCJJC is a fully functioning justice center with two operational law enforcement agencies, courts, prosecutor’s office and a jail,” Sauer said. “Unfortunately, it is no longer logistically possible to host a community open house in what is now a secured operational facility.”The community can still view public portions of the Justice Center during regular hours, and films by Cole Steinbecker of AeroLens Productions are available for public viewing.
* NYT | Trump Says He Is Prepared to Send ‘More Than the National Guard’ Into U.S. Cities: But throughout his nearly hourlong speech, his usual ramblings about the physical appearances of audience members and steam-powered catapults were laced with dark warnings about how he might choose to deploy military forces. “We have cities that are troubled, we can’t have cities that are troubled,” Mr. Trump said. “And we’re sending in our National Guard, and if we need more than the National Guard, we’ll send more than the National Guard, because we’re going to have safe cities.”
* AP | Judge extends order barring the Trump administration from firing federal workers during the shutdown: U.S. District Judge Susan Illston granted a preliminary injunction that bars the firings while a lawsuit challenging them plays out. She had previously issued a temporary restraining order against the job cuts that was set to expire Wednesday. Illston, who was nominated by Democratic President Bill Clinton, has said she believes the evidence will ultimately show the mass firings were illegal and in excess of authority.
posted by Isabel Miller
Tuesday, Oct 28, 25 @ 2:47 pm
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“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
― H.L. Mencken
Comment by Dotnonymous x Tuesday, Oct 28, 25 @ 3:13 pm
For some reason I was thinking about that Mencken quote just the other day….
Comment by Friendly Bob Adams Tuesday, Oct 28, 25 @ 3:21 pm
Calling Brandon Johnson tone deaf does a disservice to those who are hearing impaired.
Comment by Just a guy Tuesday, Oct 28, 25 @ 4:35 pm