CHICAGO’S 78th NEIGHBORHOOD? Gov. Rauner’s pushing plans for a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign outpost that would anchor a new community on long-vacant land just east of the Chicago River and south of Roosevelt Road. (Rendering: The Related Companies.)
■ The broadcaster who once gave the Chicago area WSEX radio is dead at 84.
RAHM’S RERUN. Mayor Emanuel tells Crain’s he has no doubt: He’s seeking the job again in the February primary.
■ But, before the Sun-Times editorial board Wednesday, he got defensive about his budget.
■ … A budget that raises taxes for the sixth time in seven years.
■ … But that wins Sun-Times editorial board approval for a tax-shift that continues “Chicago’s strong history as an incubator of the arts, especially live theater and music.”
■ Rauner’s lopping $200 million off the state budget, including cuts to social service programs for homelessness prevention, addiction treatment and autism therapy.
CURIOUS TIMING. Weeks after U.S. Rep Bobby Rush backed Chris Kennedy’s bid for governor, Rush’s son and brother showed up on Kennedy’s payroll.
■ The Democratic candidates for Illinois governor mostly agree on a need to legalize pot.
■ A new study concludes that Lyft and Uber are cutting into CTA use.
LEARNING TO PUNCH NAZIS. BuzzFeed takes you to a Chicago gym where antifascists are training to fight.
■ A Chicago theater has canceled a speech by alt-right agitator Milo Yiannopoulos.
■ Ahead of Nazi ally Richard Spencer’s University of Florida speech, the state’s governor has declared a state of emergency.
‘I HAVE SHAKEN WITH FEAR EVERY TIME I THOUGHT HE MIGHT BE AT A PROFESSIONAL EVENT.’ In an exchange with Poynter columnist (and her former Tribune colleague) Jim Warren, Variety TV critic Maureen Ryan shares more about her assault by a TV industry executive.
■ How a determined newspaper reporter overcame society’s “habit of disbelieving women and girls” to out a teacher with a long history of sexual assault and harassment.
FACEBOOK AD CRACKDOWN. Republican Sen. John McCain is joining Democrats to back a law that would require online political ads to disclose their funding.
■ USA Today: Congress is spending millions on Russia investigations—but you’ll probably never know exactly how much.
■ Developing story: President Obama hits the campaign trail today for the first time since leaving the White House.
SHIFTING DIAGNOSIS. Developing story: After first speaking approvingly of a bipartisan deal on health insurance reform, President Trump is backing away from it.
■ Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin slaps Attorney General Sessions’ crackdown on sanctuary cities: “You can’t give an opening statement throwing a bouquet to local police and then ignore what the superintendent of police in Chicago tells you has nothing to do with gun violence.”
■ Trevor Noah on The Daily Show in Chicago: “The only place we should be building a wall is around Harvey Weinstein.”
PRIME TIME. Tonight at midnight Pacific Time brings the deadline for cities’ bids to become home to Amazon’s second headquarters. Here’s some of what Chicago and other towns are putting on the table.
■ Quartz: One big city “offered a middle finger” to Amazon.
