“Exit polls show “Generation Z and young millennials under 30 voted at such a high level and skewed for Dems so much we canceled out every voter over age 65 across the U.S. house races…. Now that we have shown we can take decisive action and keep Democrats in power, it is time to step back and let young progressive candidates lead. Let us protect our classmates, those seeking an abortion, our privacy, and our planet. We will be around to see the effects of legislation, let us make the calls.”

Illinois is home to 69 of the 1,000 biggest companies in the U.S. by revenue—fourth most among states. They include Boeing, Abbott Labs, Caterpillar and Kraft Foods. However, the net migration rate out of the state remains high and projected population growth is negative.

According to the governor’s office, income and sales tax collections so far this fiscal year exceed budget forecasts by significant margins (with link to the governor’s full report).

Lisbeth Vargas Jaimes, executive director of the Illinois Independent Craft Growers Association, said many social equity license holders are on the verge of failure because the process has been mired in red tape and delays. “We stand to lose a lot. The idea of social equity being successful… Gov. Pritzker in his debate saying, ‘Hey, people are opening up shops, people are getting loans.’ That is not the case.”

The most recent data shows that Illinois has stayed below the 70,000 claims threshold for 26 consecutive weeks with a little more than 57,000 continued claims as of last week. The IDES said Illinois has seen payroll job growth for 16 consecutive months.

The most recent annual data from the CDC reveal nearly 2,900 deaths in Illinois from synthetic opioids, including fentanyl. That number is more than a 16% spike compared to the previous year, and almost 35% more than the year before that.

Pritzker would also seek to use the additional revenue to pay off bonds issued in 2010 to help the state combat the Great Recession. Approximately one-third of the $1.5 billion borrowed remains outstanding.

Many conservatives have vamoosed to states where Republicans stand a chance. Between 2019 and 2021, nearly 400,000 people on net moved to Florida from other states, according to Census Bureau data. During the same period, masses of people left Illinois (235,000), New York (556,000) and California (610,000).

By next month, the Democrat will find herself presiding over a new historic first for the court, as women take a 5-2 majority for the first time in Illinois’ history. Democrats will also take a 5-2 majority on the court next month, an expansion of partisan power from the current 4-3 split after Democrats won two judicial races in the 2nd and 3rd districts in last week’s elections.

Greg Hinz: As Chicago pivots from one election to another, one of the better questions out there is why the volatile crime issue didn’t help Republicans more—and if that means easy going for Mayor Lori Lightfoot despite steep hikes in crime rates on her watch.

“We shed some light on the concerns we have, and states attorneys have and how we would address some of those things,” said Jim Kaitschuck of the Illinois Sheriffs Association. “Ultimately, now the case has been presented now, it’s a matter of making a determination as to what the General Assembly is able to change or wants to change.”

Of more than 64,000 applications, about 27,000 were approved for the second round of the program. The average level of assistance was nearly $7,500. For applicants who did not have a responding landlord, about 3,100 were approved for direct payments for a total of $25 million, an increase of $15 million from the first round of the program for tenants without a responding landlord.

The Illinois general midterm election wrapped up last week and included more voters than any gubernatorial election since 1998.

The settlement includes an agreement that Google will begin showing additional information on location-tracking settings on an account, making key information about location tracking clear and unavoidable to users and requires Google to give users detailed information about the types of location data that Google is collecting.

Neil Steinberg, columnist from the Chicago Sun-Times, said Pritzker’s avalanche of cash can’t be ignored. “Can anyone make an observation about him that isn’t somehow tainted by the third of a billion dollars worth of hype firehosed at us over the past four years?” Steinberg wrote.

“Consumers were deceived by Google as to when their location was being tracked and how that information was used,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a statement. “With the proliferation of smart devices that collect increased data on its users, today’s announcement highlights the need for updated privacy laws that more effectively protect consumers.”

Lawmakers are back for fall veto session Tuesday. Thursday’s scheduled session day has been canceled.

Illinois accepts mail-in ballots for up to two weeks after Election Day, so it could be sometime before it is known whether Amendment One passed with the official canvas to be announced by the Illinois State Board of Elections Dec. 9.

During his campaign, Gov. JB Pritzker touted his work on reforming the state’s public pension system. His campaign website said he consolidated 650 local pension plans and reduced liabilities “by fully funding pension contributions, going above and beyond with payments and expanding the employee pension buyout program.”

“To make matters worse, reading and math proficiency rates crashed during the pandemic thanks to malingering teachers unions, which resisted a return to classroom instruction long after it was clear that COVID-19 was neither a threat to children nor easily spread by them. In refusing to show up at work, they tried to hide behind politically correct rhetoric. As the Chicago Teachers’ Union put it, “the push to reopen schools is rooted in sexism, racism, and misogyny.” Lesson: These are not people who can be worked with.

“A window is open for a month and a half to make meaningful changes to the SAFE-T Act,” said House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, a former Cook County prosecutor. “And if the Democrats wish to engage and find responsible changes to this law before it goes into effect, count me in.” But he doesn’t expect Democrats to invite Republicans to participate because it “would be an admission … of failure” by the party that backed the law.