The Rundown | Chicago News

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.