The Illinois Tollway announced Friday a series of ramp closures and lane reductions beginning this weekend at the I-290/I-88 interchange at I-294, part of the ongoing $4 billion Central Tri-State Tollway Project. Drivers should expect delays at one of the western suburbs’ busiest junctions, with some closures lasting through spring.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office hosted its first Regional Animal Anti-Cruelty Summit on Nov. 10, drawing more than 100 law enforcement and animal welfare professionals for training on building stronger cruelty prosecutions. The summit grew out of the office’s Anti-Animal Cruelty Specialist program, which has pursued more than 25 new felony cases in 2026.
Ryan Donato’s overtime goal gave the Chicago Blackhawks a 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, with Frank Nazar scoring twice in regulation as Chicago heads into a Saturday matinee against the Winnipeg Jets. Nazar has scored four times in his last four games and ranks second on the team with seven goals.
The FAA’s nationwide ground stop was lifted Friday evening, Fox News reported, with officials blaming outdated equipment. Fox correspondents described the halt as lasting about four hours or more.
Microsoft attributed a global outage of Outlook, Teams and Copilot to an upgrade that followed a recent network change, Fox News reported. The company said there was no sign of a cyber attack.
Federal officials said a nationwide FAA ground stop was caused by overloaded routers and system instability, not a cyberattack. The disruption affected travel at LaGuardia Airport.
Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch said he will not seek the speakership again after 26 members signed a letter against him. Possible successors include Robin Gabel and Kam Buckner.
The Illinois General Assembly begins its fall veto session Tuesday, with data center regulation, housing, Chicago Public Schools funding and ethics on the agenda.
Lawmakers are criticizing the Illinois Department of Corrections over more than 70 fires in about three years at the Joliet Treatment Center. A bipartisan bill would create an independent prison ombudsman.
Aaron Del Mar has called for an Illinois Republican Party state convention in March 2027 to take up bylaws, a platform and new leadership.