The Rundown | Chicago News

Republicans and Democrats continue to battle over whether to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is not giving up hope on legislation to crack down on homeowners insurance price hikes. The Reverend Jesse Jackson is in the hospital with a rare neurological disorder. Plus, we remember the life of Miguel Perez Jr. – a U.S. Army veteran who drew national headlines after he was deported in 2018.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings ordered the release of as many as 615 people who have been held in mandatory detention by federal immigration authorities. A U.S. Representative from Illinois is on the House committee that released emails from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Chicago Transit Authority has closed the door on fare increases in 2026. Plus, while violent crime in Chicago has declined, domestic violence continues to persistently rise. It skyrocketed during pandemic-era stay-at-home orders and continues to plague the city. Yet, as federal COVID-19 relief grants dry up, organizations that support survivors are bracing for drastic cuts to city-funded programming that they say has changed lives. My colleague Mariah Woelfel has more on what’s next.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is urging people to stay vigilant even as Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino could be on his way out of town. Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs returned a long-lost Purple Heart Medal to the family of a World War II veteran. Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey is going to continue his bid for Illinois governor. Plus, after police killed George Floyd in 2020, there was talk of a racial reckoning. In the theater community, that reckoning took the form of a letter titled “We See You, White American Theater.” The letter demanded that theaters stop tokenizing artists of color and start implementing company-wide anti-racist training. It would ultimately be signed by one-hundred-thousand artists, including many in Chicago. Five years later, my colleague Mike Davis set out to learn what changed.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois is under fire for voting to advance a Republican-led House measure that would help end the government shutdown. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says he’s confident police did not violate the welcoming city ordinance when responding to protests this weekend. The National Weather Service said a La Nina pattern will be active through February, which could mean a colder and snowier winter. Plus, five years after the 2020 murder of George Floyd, the Sun-Times and WBEZ surveyed 21 arts, culture and humanities nonprofits to see what progress they made toward meeting their public promises of better reflecting the city they serve. Sun-Times reporter Erica Thompson talks about the survey and what she learned.

WBEZ’s Prisoncast! and the Mud Theatre Project present a new radio drama — written and performed almost exclusively by currently or formerly incarcerated thespians. “The Story of Violence," based on an award-winning script by playwrights at Dixon Correctional Center in Illinois, examines Chicago’s gun violence problem through five characters’ perspectives as their lives intersect at a downtown hotel room.

O'Hare International Airport today is second in the nation in flight cancellations. The federal government says it's largely complying with an order to improve conditions at the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement processing facility in suburban Broadview. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson wants members of the United Nations to come to the city – and see ongoing human rights violations for themselves. Plus, President Donald Trump has been outspoken in blaming crime on ‘sanctuary’ policies in Democratic states, but the numbers don’t tell the same story. Sun-Times reporter Sophie Sherry breaks down the facts for us.

A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction governing the use of force by federal immigration officers in Chicago. In a separate case, a judge ruled yesterday that the Department of Homeland Security has to improve conditions for detainees at the immigration processing center in suburban Broadview. Chicago-area commuters may soon see the impacts of a massive transit-deal that is awaiting Governor JB Pritzker’s signature. Plus, WBEZ reporter Chip Mitchell brings us tape of U.S. Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino's sworn testimony in the case of federal immigration officers' use of force in Chicago.

A high-stakes hearing is underway over the treatment of protesters and journalists covering the Trump Administration’s Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago. Chicago’s acting cultural commissioner says the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events is entering a new era. A D.C.-based conservative activist group is suing Illinois for records on the state’s role in offering refuge to Texas Democrats this summer. Plus, Sun-Times reporter Lauren FitzPatrick teamed up with the paper’s photojournalists to document ICE agents as they fan out across area streets in large numbers making arrests. She found that not all federal immigration officers are wearing ID badges on their uniforms more than three weeks after an order from a federal judge.

Immigrants who have recently been detained at the immigration processing facility in suburban Broadview testified in federal court about the conditions there. The Regional Transportation Authority is walking back its 10 percent fare increases for the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace next year. In a surprising move, Chicago Cubs’ starting pitcher Shota Imanaga is set to become a free agent. Plus, there have been daily demonstrations outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in west suburban Broadview. One form of protest on Monday was music. WBEZ’s Michael Puente takes us there.

Illinois and 20 other states are suing the Trump administration to block a rule that could make some government and nonprofit employees no longer eligible for student loan forgiveness. Students and staff are celebrating the opening of a new facility at the Philip J. Rock Center and School in west suburban Glen Ellyn. It’s a major-league-high three Gold Glove winners this year for the Cubs. Margaret Burroughs is well known as the founder of the DuSable Museum. But perhaps lesser known is her decades long work in prison education. In honor of what would have been her 110th birthday on Nov. 1, Curious City brings us that story.

A measure that would allow citizens to sue Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents now awaits the governor’s signature. A bill to let people who are terminally ill end their own lives medically has cleared the Illinois legislature. Illinois lawmakers passed an energy bill last night that will strengthen the reliability of the electrical grid. Plus, horror writers gathered at the University of Chicago’s Divinity School recently to discuss the ways they approach the genre. It was part of the American Writers Museum’s upcoming exhibition called American Prophets: Writers, Religion and Culture that opens in November, exploring the ways writers tap into religion and spirituality. WBEZ contributor Adora Namigadde spoke with writers Tananarive Due, Matt Ruff and Juan Martinez.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker made a plea to federal immigration agents to leave children alone over Halloween. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was in Gary, Indiana today and denied any American citizens are getting caught up in immigration enforcement operations despite numerous confirmed reports of such incidents. Graduation rates in Illinois have reached a 15-year high while other measures for high school students are lagging behind. Plus, federal immigration agents were out in force during the most recent Chicago school board meeting. Members were distracted as their phones lit up with messages about what had been going on outside. WBEZ’s Sarah Karp tells us what happened as the news from the street filtered into the board chambers.

Former sheriff's deputy Sean Grayson has been found guilty of one count of second degree murder in the killing of Sonya Massey. Gov. JB Pritzker has declared what he’s calling an “agricultural trade crisis” in Illinois – and he’s signed an executive order he says will mitigate it. Chicago Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard got the first hat trick of his NHL career on Tuesday. Plus, we hear from WBEZ reporter Mawa Iqbal outside the courthouse in downstate Peoria, where she’s been following the trial of Sean Grayson. She reports on reaction to the verdict from the community and from Sonya Massey’s family.

A federal judge is ordering Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, a leader of the Trump administration’s Chicago deportation blitz, to appear in her courtroom every evening over the next week. The murder case of a white former sheriff’s deputy accused of killing Springfield-area resident Sonya Massey is now before a jury. Chicago has been dethroned as the rattiest city in the country. The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago is currently overflowing with Yoko Ono artwork. It’s all part of a major retrospective that highlights her decades-long career of art and activism. WBEZ’s Courtney Kueppers takes us there.

A former downstate sheriff’s deputy charged with murdering Springfield-area resident Sonya Massey last year took the witness stand. Hundreds of Illinois political candidates lined up early this morning to get their names on next year’s primary ballot. Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams says the team is having trouble capitalizing on key moments. Plus, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in west suburban Broadview has become a place where religious leaders say immigrants lack access to spiritual care, and where clergy have been attacked while speaking out against the Trump administration. Religious leaders say such practices violate religious liberties and contradict the administration’s claim to the U.S. as a Christian nation. WBEZ’s Esther Yoon-Ji Kang brings us the story.

Federal immigration enforcement disrupted schools across Chicago’s North and near Northwest Side today with at least eight schools cancelling activities or keeping students inside after reports of agents in the area. A new investigation from the Sun-Times shows more than a dozen Chicago city council members got campaign contributions from a political action committee whose leaders include landlord Corey Oliver. Lollapalooza is telling Chicago City Council members that it generated more impact for the city this past summer than in any year prior. Plus, Illinois may have turned a corner in the fight against an aquatic menace: carp from Asia. WBEZ’s Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco brings us the story from the Illinois River.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive order he says will demand justice as deportation efforts continue in the Chicago area. Federal immigration agents faced off with protesters outside a discount mall in Little Village. Illinois gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey is mourning the death of one of his sons and multiple family members in a helicopter crash in Montana. Plus, how do you keep alive the memory of Chicagoans whose lives have been cut short by gun violence? A program called Notes for Peace thinks music is part of the answer. We follow the process of one song from start to finish.

Opening statements began today in the murder trial of a former sheriff’s deputy charged with killing Springfield-resident Sonya Massey last year. Lawyers for Gangster Disciple co-founder Larry Hoover are seeking clemency from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. The Chicago Fire are back in the Major League Soccer playoffs tonight for the first time in eight years. Plus, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson sat down with WBEZ city hall reporter Mariah Woelfel to discuss the new taxes that prop up his $16.6 billion budget, his response to President Trump’s threats to federal funding and militarized-style immigration enforcement in Chicago.

Workers from the Environmental Protection Agency’s regional office in Chicago have started receiving furlough notices amid the government shutdown. Chicago budget hearings are underway and part of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposal to close the deficit includes taxing large corporations with a $21 fee per employee each month. Plus, a former top U.S. Homeland Security official is keeping an eye on President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign in Chicago and he doesn’t like what he’s seeing.

The City of Chicago and eight other local governments are suing the Trump Administration over restrictions placed on federal emergency grants. Places of worship continue to be on high alert as federal immigration enforcement escalates in the Chicago area. Jury selection has begun in the first-degree murder trial of a former Illinois sheriff's deputy in the death of Sonya Massey. Plus, we learned last week that the Chicago Housing Authority paid approximately $22 million to three companies with close ties to a CHA board commissioner. Since then, we’ve learned two of those three insiders have faced accusations from the CHA’s inspector general. WBEZ investigative reporter Dan Mihalopoulos joins host Clare Lane to talk about what he found.