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If you weren't already convinced that the Illinois Policy Institute think tank is an alarmist right-wing organization, just check out the homepage of their blog. The headlines are screaming at you in all caps. And they seem to carefully select the most unflattering screenshots possible of progressive leaders such as Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a strategy right out of the Fox News playbook.

• New Illinois Policy op-ed in Daily Herald: proposed driving fees to fund transit are unfair to suburbanites, even though they'd prevent Metra and Pace cuts

This post isn't completely within Streetsblog Chicago's wheelhouse, but I thought many of our readers would enjoy it, so I recently wrote it up, mostly during an evening at my after-hours office.

It's getting down to the wire as Illinois legislators try to pass a transit reform and funding bill during their fall veto session, which wraps up next week from Tuesday through Thursday. If they don't approve such legislation soon, the result could be major service cuts and layoffs for the CTA, Metra, and Pace.

• "Transit Leaders Plead For Lawmakers To Fill $200 Million Shortfall As CTA, Metra Cuts Loom" (Block Club)

As we approach the the end of October, things are getting eerie. I'm not talking about spectral Halloween decorations. (Sorry, I wound up squeezing two different holiday references into this post.) Rather, I'm referring to the haunting possibility that state legislators may go home from their fall veto session, wrapping up Tuesday through Thursday of next week, without passing a transit reform and funding bill. That could result in service cuts and layoffs, which would indeed be frightful.

• "We need to get through the next two years at least with a [transit] funding mechanism,” said GOP Rosemont Rep. Brad Stephens (WTTW)

The police chief provided information about the movements of the truck driver and bike rider before the crash, and said the department is trying to meet with IDOT.

• After semi driver fatally struck boy, 13, on bike near Manhattan Metra station, mayor posted, "Our children deserve safe streets, protected crossings" (NBC)