|
Happy Friday. Before you dive headfirst into the weekend, take a minute to read these local stories from WTTW News. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
The Illinois Capitol is shown in May 2024. (Capitol News Illinois file photo) |
|
Illinois lawmakers head back to Springfield next week to finish out their fall veto session. They first convened Oct. 14-16, with final meetings going Oct. 28-30. While the legislative leaders focus on some of the issues most pressing to Illinois residents, the Trump administration continues its aggressive push for immigration enforcement and National Guard troops in the Chicago area.
Here are some of the hot topics for the upcoming veto session: =
Immigration
There are currently no bills in the Illinois House related to immigration enforcement.
However, Sen. Karina Villa (D-West Chicago) is vocal about her opposition to the presence of federal immigration agents. She’s been talking with immigrant rights groups, like the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and working on legislation to keep ICE out of places like higher education institutions, hospitals and court houses.
Transit
Chicago-area transit agencies face a $280 million budget shortfall at the start of 2026, which is expected to grow to $789 million in 2026, according to the Regional Transportation Authority. Without new funding from the state, riders will see cuts to service. An effort to create new transit funding and reform the agencies failed to advance in the spring session.
Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) proposed revenue streams to help fund transit, which have gotten pushback. Notably, imposing a delivery fee for online orders.
Energy
The big energy bill currently in committee in the House seeks to put requirements on energy efficiency, allow for new nuclear reactors in the state, tighten labor standards in the solar industry and incentivize battery storage.
Hemp Regulation
Hemp is still unregulated in Illinois. Cannabis and hemp derive from the same plant and can cause a high if ingested. Hemp, however, has much lower levels of THC — the psychoactive compound in the cannabis plant. Both are legal in the state.
Governor JB Pritzker is a proponent of regulation, saying it undercuts the state’s legal cannabis industry and potentially harms children and teens. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
(WTTW News) |
|
Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday he would form a commission to document what he called “countless acts of harassment and intimidation and brutality and abuse of power” during a series of increasingly aggressive immigration enforcement raids across Chicago and the suburbs.
“Donald Trump, Stephen Miller, Kristi Noem, Tom Homan, and Greg Bovino have failed their oaths of office and allowed agents under their command to act unconscionably under the color of law,” Pritzker said. “They have given the impression that their actions are immune from investigation or accountability. They are not.”
More context:
Pritzker signed an executive order forming the Illinois Accountability Commission and charged it with creating a “public record of abuses” committed by the president, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, border czar Tom Homan and Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino.
“We have a duty to ensure that the truth is preserved, so the public can know what they’re elected and appointed officials have done,” Pritzker said.
Raids intensify:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents fired tear gas at a crowd during an aggressive raid in Little Village with no warning, Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward) told WTTW News.
Sigcho-Lopez, whose ward also includes Pilsen, said he did not hear agents issue an order to the crowd to disperse or a warning that they would deploy the chemical agents if people did not leave the area before he was hit by tear gas.
The mid-morning raids marked the second day in a row that federal agents, accompanied by Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino, conducted aggressive immigration raids in Little Village. Video footage showed agents detaining a man at a bus stop near 26th and Whipple streets, prompting a crowd of angry residents to flock to the scene. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
(WTTW News) |
|
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed budget for 2026 sets aside just $82.5 million to cover the cost of resolving police misconduct lawsuits, even though the city has already agreed to spend $90 million next year to resolve 176 lawsuits tied to former Chicago Police Sgt. Ronald Watts and his team.
Chicago taxpayers have spent at least $267 million to resolve lawsuits alleging Chicago police officers committed a wide range of misconduct — including wrongful convictions and improper pursuits — so far this year, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News.
That tally does not include the $90 million the City Council agreed to pay to 180 people who spent a combined nearly 200 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted based on what they allege was fabricated evidence gathered by Watts, who was convicted in 2013 of taking bribes, and other officers.
That settlement will be paid in two installments in 2026, officials said.
Johnson’s proposed spending plan would be the sixth annual spending plan to set aside just $82.5 million to cover the cost of resolving police misconduct lawsuits. The city’s 2020 spending plan increased the budget for police misconduct from $35 million to $82.5 million, records show. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
Darren Bailey, the former state senator who is running to become Illinois’ next governor, announced early Thursday that his son, daughter-in-law and two of his grandchildren were killed in a helicopter crash in Montana.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Back in the Day: October 24, 1964 - Stevenson Expressway Opens |
|
On this day, 61 years ago, the Stevenson Expressway, the Cook County stretch of Interstate 55 opened in Chicago. Originally called the Southwest Expressway, it was renamed the Adlai E Stevenson Expressway a year later in honour of the late United Nations ambassador and former governor of Illinois. To date, the Stevenson Expressway (I-55) acts as a main artery between Chicago and St. Louis. Built-in stretches following President Eisenhower's signing of the 1956 Federal Aid Highway Act, the Stevenson has undergone frequent renovations and modernizations since its unveiling on Oct. 24, 1964.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Learn about sponsorship opportunities. |
|
|
|
The 2025 Chicago Festival Guide |
|
Every Friday, WTTW News highlights the fairs, markets and neighborhood gatherings worth checking out. Click here for the full list.
Oct. 24: Adults Night Out: Howl-o-ween (Lincoln Park) | Map
Going to the zoo? Dressing up for Halloween? Usually, those activities are for children, but not at Friday’s Adults Night Out: Howl-o-ween event at the Lincoln Park Zoo. Per the event page, “This 21+ Halloween party at the zoo includes a haunted trail, Halloween-themed animal chats, free face-painting, a live DJ, and seasonal pop-up bars and concessions.”
Oct. 25: Nightmare on Chicago Street (Elgin) | Map
Suburban Elgin is transformed into a zombie apocalypse for a night of mayhem and fun. Tickets are available here.
Oct. 25: BatFest (Batavia) | Map
Batavia's free Halloween event promises, "downtown trick-or-treating, music [and] dance performances, costume contests for humans and pets, activities by local businesses and a community parade."
Oct. 26: Lincoln Scared (Lincoln Square) | Map
Bring the little ones for this early 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. trick-or-treating event.
Oct. 26: Meet Me on Milwaukee (Wicker Park) | Map
Meet Me On Milwaukee is a pilot series of “pedestrianization” events aimed to boost foot traffic, eliminate car traffic and allow Chicagoans to freely explore a busy city neighborhood. This is the last event of the year.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What's your favorite gameday meal in Chicago for watching the Bears? |
|
|
|
Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. Here's what you had to say:
"Jake Melnick’s Poncho Wings“ — @roseycatt
“For the early games, bagels and spread from Steingold’s. For the later games, fried chicken and pimento mac and cheese from Honey Butter Fried Chicken” — Josh Terry, newsletter producer |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
5:30 PM | 7:00 PM |
|
|
|
|
Want more WTTW News content? Follow WTTW on Instagram to check in with us daily, go behind-the-scenes, and more. |
|
Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry |
|
|
|
|
