Good morning, Chicago. ✶
🔎 Below: A reported sexual assault near University of Chicago’s campus has put fraternity safety problems in the spotlight.
🗞️ Plus: The lobbyists stocking Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton’s campaign war chest, takeaways from our CPS School Board president forum and more news you need to know.
📝 Keeping score :The Bulls beat the Bucks, 125-104; the Fire lost to the Union, 3-1.
🌧️ Today’s weather: Showers with a high near 63.
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⏱️: An 8-minute read
TODAY’S TOP STORY 🔎
Lobbyist campaign cash helps fuel Stratton’s Senate run
Reporting by Robert Herguth, Tina Sfondeles and Mitchell Armentrout
Inside the war chest: As she vies to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is accepting a number of campaign contributions from lobbyists representing special interests, records show. In total, Stratton has raised more than $5 million since the beginning of last year, while her opponent, Republican Don Tracy, has reported less than $400,000.
The sources: Some of the lobbyists work for firms that lobby Illinois’ state government, overseen by her political ally and benefactor, Gov. JB Pritzker. Others work for firms that lobby Congress and other arms of the federal government. The lobbyists or their firms represent clients at the state and federal levels over subjects that include technology, education, energy and finance, records show.
Key context: Much of that money has come since Stratton was endorsed last November by the campaign reform organization End Citizens United after the group lauded Stratton for „refusing corporate PAC donations and pledging to crack down on dark money in politics.“
PUBLIC SAFETY 🚨
No arrests in wake of reported sexual assault at frat house, police say
Reporting by Sophie Sherry and Mary Norkol
No one in custody: No arrests have been made in the day since the University of Chicago announced that school officials had identified a man accused of sexual assault at an off-campus Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity party. A police report first obtained by the Sun-Times showed a woman reported being assaulted early Sunday at the frat house.
Safety in spotlight: Alpha Epsilon Pi isn’t officially recognized by UChicago, and the people involved weren’t students. That raises questions about what the university can do and how fraternities and colleges can improve safety.
ELECTIONS ☑️
School Board president candidates face off in forum
Reporting by Emmanuel Camarillo and Makiya Seminera
School board showdown: The three candidates vying to become the first elected Chicago School Board president sharpened the choices for voters at a forum we hosted with WBEZ and Chalkbeat Chicago on Wednesday. The forum was broadcast from WBEZ’s studios in front of an audience made up of Chicago Public Schools students, who also asked questions.
Taking a stance: With just three weeks until Election Day, candidates Jessica Biggs, Hilario Dominguez and Victor Henderson offered differing views on a range of topics, from school ratings to potential school closings to dealing with the school district’s struggling finances.
Candidates’ controversies: Each candidate has baggage their opponents have called disqualifying, but on Wednesday, Henderson and Dominguez blamed Biggs for resurfacing controversies that have followed their campaigns. Hours after the forum, the inspector general’s office at CPS announced it closed its recently reopened investigation into allegations that Dominguez had inappropriate conduct with a minor in 2017.
See for yourself: Head here for our key takeaways. Watch the full forum broadcast above or head here.
MORE NEWS YOU NEED 🗞️
- Healthcare system merger pitch: Endeavor Health announced plans to merge under the umbrella of Rush University System for Health, officials said. If approved, the combined system would include 12 area hospitals, creating one of the largest healthcare systems in the region.
- Remains identified: More than two months after Chicago police discovered dozens of decomposing bodies inside a South Deering funeral home, the Cook County medical examiner’s office has identified all of the remains.
- Man accused of mass shooting plot: A 19-year-old man was ordered detained by a Cook County judge after being accused of plotting a mass shooting at a Hindu place of worship in the Aurora area last weekend, police said.
- Election lawsuit tossed: A judge tossed a suit seeking to force Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas to choose between re-election or a mayoral bid.
- Plant operations halted: A judge ordered the temporary halt of operations at a South Side animal feed plant that has been the source of hundreds of complaints over putrid odors for years.
- Sinfonietta announces return: The Chicago Sinfonietta will return in January with two Martin Luther King Jr. tribute concerts, following a pause in programming due to financial challenges.
- Battery-powered train: Metra unveiled a new battery-powered train it hopes to run in 2028. The public can tour the machine at the LaSalle Street Station in the Loop on Thursday.
- Pursuit of the suits: The controversial tan suit former President Barack Obama wore in 2014 has gone missing — so has a replica he wore this year in a comedy sketch. The Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet is now looking for both.
CITY COUNCIL RECAP 🏛️
Mayor’s borrowing power survives, Council OKs $260.8M settlement
Reporting by Fran Spielman
Mayor’s veto survives: During Wednesday’s City Council meeting, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s fourth veto survived an attempted override, preventing alderpersons from making it more difficult to issue city debt by raising the threshold for approval from 26 votes to 30 votes.
Emotional debate: The vote allowed Johnson to avoid what would have been a humiliating defeat by the slimmest of margins. Before the vote, Budget Committee Chair Jason Ervin (28th) delivered an impassioned speech, accusing his colleagues of targeting Johnson because he is Black.
Settlement OK’d: The Council also agreed to pay a $260.8 million global settlement to 17 plaintiffs framed for murders by corrupt former Chicago Police Det. Reynaldo Guevara, in an effort to avoid „runaway“ jury verdicts a city attorney warned could have topped $1 billion.
‘Smart Streets’ expanded: Additionally, the Council expanded a program using surveillance cameras on CTA buses and city vehicles to catch and automatically ticket motorists parked in bus and bike lanes.
ON WBEZ 91.5 FM 📻
In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons, 9 a.m.
- Medicare Advantage: Open enrollment for 2027 begins Thursday, and many seniors with private Medicare coverage face fewer options and higher costs as major insurers discontinue Medicare Advantage plans. An expert stops by to discuss.
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Meet your candidate: Christian Mitchell, Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor of Illinois, and Aaron Del Mar, the GOP’s lieutenant governor hopeful, join the show.
Say More with Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith, 10 a.m.
- Talking environment: Is the environment a factor when you’re deciding who you do business with? How do you spot a company that’s promoting its green reputation when it’s really gray? Callers weigh in.
CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD 🌭
Today’s clue: 1A: Bulls player Essengue
BRIGHT ONE 🔆
New Bears Hallmark movie is a gooey homage to Chicago
Reporting by Richard Roeper
„Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story“ is like a game plan where the coaches write down the first 15 offensive snaps in advance, and the team follows that script to the letter. It’s a predictable, time-tested, winning formula, with few surprises and a high degree of safety.
Filmed during the blistering heat of July (kudos to the actors and extras wearing their winter layers), this third entry in the „Holiday Touchdown“ franchise (after Kansas City and Buffalo) brings the Hallmark recipe to Chicago.
This is a warm-hearted, eggnog-laced version of Chicago during the holidays, where it’s all about the open-air holiday market, singing Christmas karaoke, getting together with family — and rooting for the Bears to beat those Packers.
There are a number of cameos from real-life current and former Bears, notably Coach Ben Johnson, Colston Loveland and Peanut Tillman.
Loveland, quarterback Caleb Williams and general manager Ryan Poles were among the team members who attended the movie’s premiere Tuesday at the Gorton Center in Lake Forest. The movie airs 7 p.m. Saturday on the Hallmark Channel.
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
What’s your chilly weather comfort food? Where in Chicago can you find it made best?
Reply to this question via email (please include your first and last name). We may run your answer in a future newsletter or story.
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Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Michael Lansu
Inside Stratton’s campaign war chest 2026
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