The Rundown | Chicago News

It’s Election Day! Polls are open until 7 p.m. Some voters in Pilsen encountered long wait times today amid a shortage of paper ballots. Chicago has approved a $260 million police misconduct settlement tied to disgraced former Chicago Police Detective Reynaldo Guevara. The 32nd annual Black Harvest Film Festival is back this week.

Plus, for the first time, Chicagoans will vote for all 21 members of the city school board. It includes a citywide race for board president.

Suburban Cook County voters have cast over 240,000 ballots before Election Day. A majority of Chicago City Council members are already overriding a small slice of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget proposal. Chicago’s former FBI boss has filed a lawsuit against top Trump administration officials.

Plus, today marks the 10th anniversary of when the Chicago Cubs won the World Series in 2016. The win ended a 108-year championship drought. We look back at what Wrigleyville sounded like when it happened.

The Pope has cast his vote in Illinois. Math scores for students in Illinois continue to be low. Daylight saving time ends on Sunday.

Plus, Curious City hosted a live Halloween event at the Empty Bottle. We hear a story from one Chicagoan.

More than 100 University of Chicago students, faculty and staff rallied in the Main Quad Wednesday night to protest the way the school has handled reports of sexual assault. The city is launching a new program to bring childhood lead testing directly to the South Side. The Chicago Bears have pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Tennessee Titans for star defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons.

Plus, parents in Chicago have a wide range of choices when it comes to where their children go to school, but navigating the public school system can be daunting. Candidates for school board president have distinct views on how to help parents choose a school.

Election officials say early voting numbers in Chicago are up. Former Democratic Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is asking voters to check yes on a Cook County ballot referendum asking whether there should be a 3% income tax on millionaires. Voters in west suburban Oak Park are being asked what they think about Illinois fiscal policy.

Plus, most low-income residents in Chicago who use housing vouchers to subsidize their rent live in high-poverty communities. That’s because there’s not enough affordable housing in low-poverty neighborhoods. Some landlords discriminate against renters using vouchers despite it being against the law. There is one tool that has helped thousands of people successfully move to higher-income neighborhoods and suburbs. They’re known as housing mobility programs.

The fall ballot will ask Chicago voters if they want a permanent site for large-scale festivals and events. Some homeowners on Chicago’s South and West sides could be eligible for thousands of dollars to help avoid losing their homes. Illinois Republican congressman Darin LaHood is asking the Trump administration to reconsider denying disaster aid to communities affected by severe weather in August.

Plus, new analysis of more than two decades of travel times by WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times show gridlock on the Kennedy Expressway has never been worse than these past few years. We look into why record-breaking delays persist on the Kennedy.

Advocates for street vendors and food workers in Chicago are demanding reforms to some city regulations around food carts. Illinois is joining 19 other states and the Federal Trade Commission in suing the bargain chain Dollar General. The Blackhawks had a disappointing loss on Sunday night.

Plus, four years ago, billionaire businessman Michael Sacks wrote a $200,000 check to Brandon Johnson’s inaugural committee and went to see the Chicago mayor-elect to help him set up his administration.When Johnson launched his campaign last month for a second, he named one man as his primary political opponent: Michael Sacks. Who is this Chicago power player now in the eye of the political storm? And how did his once promising relationship with the mayor deteriorate?

Chicago Public Schools has agreed to a settlement in a lawsuit brought by the mother of a girl who was subjected to years of racial bullying. Chicago officials conducted an inspection on Friday of a shuttered funeral home where more than 50 decomposing bodies were found in August. The Pulitzer Prize-winning show, “Omar,” opens Friday night at Chicago’s Lyric Opera.

Plus, dozens of Border Patrol agents are no longer roaming Chicago neighborhoods. Enforcement has grown quieter and less visible, but arrests continue. The fear that took hold in immigrant communities last fall hasn’t gone away. Some are completely shifting their routines to the night to avoid encountering ICE. The shift and the constant anxiety that comes with it takes a toll on their health and relationships.

A University of Chicago panel is outlining the school’s sexual assault policies and prevention measures. The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry is responding to criticism over recently released plans for a new “Welcome Hall.” The Chicago Bears host the New England Patriots in primetime tonight in a Super Bowl 20 rematch.

Plus, each year, Chicago Fashion Week stages creations by local designers through events and runway shows. This year, one show celebrated work from a cast of all openly LGBTQ+ designers.

Doctors say final tissue and molecular tests have confirmed Pope Leo XIV’s lung cancer was localized and no further treatment is needed. Illinois’ U.S. Senate candidates are sparring over federal funding cuts to SNAP food assistance benefits. Five Beluga whales have died in recent weeks at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, and some animal rights activists say the deaths highlight the need to put an end to breeding whales in captivity.

Plus, a 21-year-old woman says she was sexually assaulted at a frat house near the University of Chicago earlier this month. The University of Chicago doesn’t officially recognize the fraternity and neither student involved attends the school. In a lawsuit filed Monday, another student says she was assaulted at a different fraternity near the school in February. The incidents are forcing the university to bring the issue of sexual violence out of the shadows. We hear from current and aspiring students about how they’re feeling.

Another woman has come forward saying she was sexually assaulted at a University of Chicago fraternity house. Mayor Brandon Johnson is again proposing a corporate head tax in his 2027 spending plan. The Chicago Bulls start their 2026 to 2027 season on Wednesday.

Plus, some theaters in Chicago are getting into the Halloween spirit and staging spooky stories this October. We hear from three productions that look at the darker side of being human.

Early voting starts today in all 50 wards in Chicago. Illinois lieutenant governor candidate Carolyn Schofield says her independent ticket is for voters who are “fed up with the extreme partisan politics.” City Colleges of Chicago and Malcom X College celebrated the reopening of the school’s West Campus this weekend.

Plus, colorful, large-scale maps of Chicago’s Austin, North Lawndale and Garfield Park neighborhoods are now living in the Chicago History Museum.

Illinois elected officials and community leaders are calling for an FBI investigation into an attempted mass shooting at a Hindu Temple last Sunday. Gas bills will soon be going up a few dollars for Nicor customers. The Illinois Commerce Commission approved an $82 million rate hike Thursday. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker holds a gargantuan fundraising lead over his two rivals in the race to become the state’s chief executive. Meanwhile Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton held the lead in campaign dollars in the race for U.S. Senate at the end of September but was outspent by her GOP rival.

Plus, stressed Chicagoans may want to “sound their barbaric yawp” over the rooftops. Scream Club invites them to do so into Lake Michigan.

A 19-year-old man was detained on Sunday for allegedly plotting a mass shooting at a Hindu place of worship in Aurora. The Inspector General for Chicago Public Schools has closed an investigation into whether a candidate running for school board president acted inappropriately with a minor almost a decade ago. Before and after school care for students in kindergarten through 5th grade could be cut in Evanston-Skokie District 65.

Plus, Bob Odenkirk has had many phases of his career – from comedy writing on Saturday Night Live to dramatic acting in hit shows like Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. This weekend, the Naperville native enters a new chapter, acting in a play in Champaign.

University of Chicago officials say a person of interest has been identified after a woman reported being sexually assaulted at a frat house over the weekend. Endeavor Health plans to merge under the umbrella of Rush University System for Health. Democratic Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Republican Darren Bailey are sparring over data centers. Lyric Opera of Chicago makes history this week with an American Sign Language interpretation of Mozart's Italian-language "Don Giovanni."

Plus, we have fewer than three weeks until election day. As campaigns hit high gear, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Republican candidate Darren Bailey faced off Tuesday night in a bitterly-fought, hour-long forum.

There are new updates in a sexual assault case unfolding at a University of Chicago fraternity house. Pope Leo XIV is recovering after having surgery today to remove a lung nodule. A group of Pulitzer Prize winners is in Chicago this week helping to open a new traveling exhibit.

Plus, Chicago songwriter Vivian McConnell is known for fusing indie rock with unexpected flares. You can hear Latin rhythms and the flute she learned to play in high school. Around town, she performs with artists like Finom or Spencer Tweedy. But under the moniker VV Lightbody, she has released a new album, called “Period Piece.”

The Vatican said Pope Leo XIV will be admitted to the hospital Tuesday morning. Chicago police are investigating the sexual assault of a 21-year-old woman at a fraternity house near the University of Chicago in Hyde Park. More than 54,000 runners participated in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday.

Plus, Civil Rights Activist Reverend Jesse Jackson Senior would have turned 85 last week. His fraternity brothers hosted youth events at the Rainbow PUSH Headquarters to celebrate his birthday and honor his legacy.

Community leaders in Little Village are calling for accountability after an off-duty Chicago cop allegedly shot a man over the weekend. A point-in-time count of Chicago’s homeless residents shows a 12.4 percent decrease in the city’s unhoused population compared to the same count last year. Republican gubernatorial challenger Darren Bailey wants the Trump administration to reconsider sending aid after severe weather in August. The 3-and-1 Chicago Bears are headed to Green Bay to face the Packers on Sunday.

Plus, former Bears Coach Mike Ditka has died at age 86. He became a symbol for the city of Chicago after leading the ‘85 Bears to the Super Bowl. Remembrances of Ditka are pouring in from all walks of life.

The Chicago White Sox try again tonight to win their way into the American League Championship series. The White Sox hold a 2 games to 1 lead over Cleveland in this best-of-five series. First pitch at Rate Field tonight is a little after 7:00. The family of Silverio Villegas González filed an administrative complaint today seeking compensation from the federal government for his death. A coalition of housing advocates say thousands of Chicagoans are at risk for homelessness if the City Council does not provide enough funding in next year’s budget. Some Illinois students are calling on colleges to cancel their contracts with Flock and remove the company’s automatic license plate readers.

Plus, author Veronica Roth is one of Chicago’s biggest literary names. She’s out this week with a new book called "The Sixth Faction." It revisits one of the biggest moments in her breakout series "Divergent," with a twist.

For the first time during their playoff run, the White Sox are playing in front of their home crowd today. If the Sox win, it’ll be their first time clinching a playoff series while at home since 1906. An Evanston mom is training to run the Chicago Marathon while pushing her daughter in an adaptive wheelchair. Employees at the Barack Obama Foundation and Presidential Center are unionizing. The new AFSCME union will represent more than 250 people who work for the Obama Foundation in Chicago, Washington DC and across the country.

Plus, Before Pope Leo the 14th became the first American to head the Catholic Church, he was known as Robert Francis Prevost, a boy from Dolton, a suburb just south of Chicago. His journey left an imprint across the world, particularly across the Chicago area. A new book, “American Pope” explores the pontiff’s life and his time here.