Good morning, Chicago.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump made their final pitches to voters yesterday in the same part of Pennsylvania at roughly the same time, spending the last full day of the presidential campaign in a state that could make or break their chances.
Focusing on Pennsylvania’s southeast corner, Trump took the stage in Reading, about 30 miles from Allentown, where Harris held her own event about half an hour later.
“If we win Pennsylvania, we win the whole ball of wax,” Trump said. “It’s over.”
Indeed, a Trump victory in Pennsylvania, flipping its 19 Electoral College votes, would puncture the Democrats’ “blue wall” and make it harder for Harris to win the necessary 270 votes.
Here in Illinois, the last Republican presidential candidate to win in Illinois was George H.W. Bush in 1988, but lower-ballot contests are more competitive.
Illinois voters will be asked if millionaires should help fund property tax relief, whether insurance should cover in vitro fertilization and if there should be civil penalties for candidates who interfere with election workers.
Chicago is holding its first school board elections, a key step as the city transitions from a mayor-appointed school board to one elected by voters. That transition has been rife with conflict.
In neighboring Indiana, two of the state’s top elected leadership positions will change hands after the election, with no incumbents running for governor or U.S. senator.
Wisconsin is no stranger to close presidential elections. The margin of victory was less than a percentage point in the state’s 2020, 2016, 2004 and 2000 elections. So it might be again this Election Day. Wisconsin voters will also consider a statewide ballot measure that would amend the state constitution to specifically ban noncitizens from voting in state elections.
When the polls close this evening, follow along as we track live results. Last minute questions about voting? Check out our voter guide.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Chicago police officer shot on South Side has died, police superintendent confirms
A Chicago police officer was shot and killed Monday night in East Chatham, according to Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling, who said the 26-year-old officer “gave his life for this city.”
“There is a family suffering right now,” Snelling said, declining to immediately release the officer’s name.
Long lines and a blustery Election Day greeting Chicago-area voters — weather befitting the end of a turbulent campaign season
Pre-Election Day weekend and the eve of the election saw massive lines in parts of Chicago and the suburbs. Polling places in Illinois will be open today from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and prospective voters may find the Election Day weather an adequate reflection of the bluster of the campaigns from the White House to the county courthouse.
“Very windy yet mild and only sporadically showery weather is due Election Day,” iconic Chicago meteorologist Tom Skilling predicted. “It’s kind of fitting, isn‘t it, that strong winds are to buffet the area? Kind of fitting a tumultuous election would fall on a day with strong winds.”
The issues facing Chicago Board of Education candidates at a contentious time for CPS
Off-year elections in Chicago, such as mayoral and aldermanic races, typically favor traditional Democratic and progressive activists, according to Wayne Steger, a political science professor at DePaul University. This year’s school board race coinciding with the presidential election means voter turnout will be higher, but unpredictable — as former President Donald Trump’s supporters may bring differing opinions to the polls, Steger said.
“The stakes are enormous, both for students, for parents, for taxpayers, for the ability of the city at large to attract and keep families,” said Steger.
In the weeks leading up to the election, money has poured into the school board race from different education-related groups. Over 30 candidates in 10 districts have spent more than $8 million on their campaigns, according to election records.
Affordable Care Act open enrollment begins in Illinois amid election that could mean future changes
Chicago-area residents might notice fewer health insurance plans available and a mixed bag when it comes to costs, as they select Affordable Care Act plans this open enrollment season, which kicked off Friday amid an election that could have consequences for future coverage.
The death toll in Lebanon crosses 3,000 in the 13-month Israel-Hezbollah war, Health Ministry says
The 13-month war between Israel and Hezbollah has killed more than 3,000 people in Lebanon, the country’s Health Ministry said yesterday, more than double the number of people killed since their last major war two decades ago.
The war shows no signs of ending, and Israel has said it is carrying out new operations targeting Hezbollah infrastructure across Lebanon and in parts of Syria while Hezbollah continues to launch dozens of rockets into northern Israel.
Automated ticketing of drivers parked in bike, bus lanes set to begin
Owners of vehicles parked in bike and bus lanes downtown can now receive warnings and, soon, tickets in the mail, as a delayed program to test automated ticketing for the parking infractions has begun.
The pilot program, which uses cameras on eight city vehicles to enforce parking violations, began yesterday. For the first month vehicle owners will receive only warnings, but as of Dec. 5 they could receive tickets with fines in the mail. When tickets start being issued, drivers will receive a warning for the first violation, and will be fined for subsequent infractions.
CTA says train service returns to prepandemic levels this fall, touting a win for embattled President Dorval Carter
After years of cuts, CTA train service is returning to prepandemic levels this fall, the agency said yesterday.
The transit authority is adding service on each of its eight rail lines on all days of the week. But service will look different than prepandemic, the agency said. More riders have returned on weekends than weekdays, so some rush hour service will be reduced so more can be added on weekends, especially Sundays. Additional changes could be made as the CTA evaluates ridership.
After the worst 3-point shooting season of his career, Chicago Bulls’ Nikola Vučević is on a hot streak. Can he keep it up?
Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vučević rinsed out the sour taste of last season with a flurry of sharpshooting to start this year, going 14-for-28 (50%) from behind the arc despite taking more attempts (4.7 average) than any other season in Chicago.
Shane Waldron will continue to call plays for the Chicago Bears offense. ‘We’re going to look inward,’ Matt Eberflus says.
The Chicago Bears staggered back from Arizona on Sunday night with plenty of corrections to make and issues to address after a lopsided 29-9 loss to the Cardinals.
Now 4-4, the team should have a bounce-back remedy ready this week with the 2-7 New England Patriots visiting Soldier Field on Sunday. Still, the task of reversing the backward momentum from these last two losses will prove challenging.
Here are three things we learned yesterday about the Bears’ next steps.
Oprah Winfrey, Paul McCartney and more pay tribute to Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones rose from running with gangs on the South Side of Chicago to the very heights of show business, becoming one of the first Black executives to thrive in Hollywood and leaving behind a vast musical catalog that includes some of the richest moments of American song and rhythm. Over the past half century, it was hard to find a music lover who did not own at least one record with Jones’ name on it or someone in the music, television or movie industries who did not have some connection to him.
Those who knew him shared public tributes to Jones yesterday.
Review: ‘Into the Woods’ by Kokandy Productions is a magical Sondheim adventure
This isn’t a concert-style staging and nor is it a copy of the Broadway revival; it’s quite different, writes Tribune theater critic Chris Jones. But it’s still a very intimate experience that comes with a full appreciation of how the stakes in a good “Into the Woods” have to be life and death.
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