DuPage County, Illinois

DuPage County prosecutors charged four Chicago men after a pre-dawn break-in at Maria's Gaming Café in Addison, Illinois. Authorities say a group of five, four of them armed, used stolen vehicles, sledgehammers and a crowbar to smash into the business and steal $13,847 from gaming machines in about two minutes. The getaway led police on a chase exceeding 100 mph before occupants fled on foot near Bellwood, dropping three guns, including a handgun modified to fire automatically. Keonte Adams, Dajuan Johnson, Kyronte McCondichie and Daryl Nesbit face charges including armed violence, burglary and unlawful possession of a machine gun. A judge denied pretrial release; all four return to court November 23.

With Election Day set for November 3, DuPage County, Illinois Clerk Jean Kaczmarek says voting procedures remain unchanged despite federal efforts to alter mail-in voting rules. Her office emphasizes strict chain-of-custody protocols for mail ballots, overseen by bipartisan teams of election judges. The comments follow reports of Department of Justice monitors and Department of Homeland Security agents questioning voters at polling sites nationwide, prompting local concern about voter intimidation. A federal court recently limited a DHS effort to conduct "election related" interviews with known U.S. citizens. Former DHS official John Cohen noted armed federal personnel at polling places would be illegal absent extraordinary circumstances. Over 18 million early votes have already been cast nationwide.

The U.S. Secret Service, alongside DuPage County Sheriff's Office, Illinois State Police, PGA Tour officials, and other local agencies, has spent years coordinating security for the Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club, now intensified by President Trump's planned attendance. It marks his first visit to the Chicago area since 2019. Illinois National Guard Black Hawk and other military helicopters are staging in nearby Schaumburg, and heightened security measures are visible on the ground in Medinah.

Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Derek Mayer said spectators should expect amplified screening as they enter the course, with agents adapting standard protective measures to the open-air golf venue. Some protests have already occurred ahead of the visit, though officials say it remains unclear if they will grow large. The added protection comes as the Secret Service simultaneously manages security for Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit, a Trump appearance at a Tennessee football game, and upcoming midterm campaign stops.

Illinois Democrats gathered at the state fair in Springfield for their annual Democrats' Day, with Gov. JB Pritzker, Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, Attorney General Kwame Raoul, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren delivering anti-Trump speeches while downplaying ideological rifts roiling the national party. Warren praised Senate candidate Juliana Stratton for standing up to AIPAC and corporate PACs, touching on divisions over Israel-Gaza policy and campaign finance that have proven more combustible elsewhere. But the celebratory tone was clouded by House Speaker Chris Welch's handling of a sexual harassment scandal involving former Rep. Harry Benton, and the recent indictment of Rep. Carol Ammons and her husband on fraud charges. Welch skipped the main event; three House Democrats have refused to join his working group on the harassment issue, calling its formation flawed.

A day later, Republicans held their own fairground rally, with Gov. candidate Darren Bailey and running mate Aaron Del Mar attacking Pritzker over cost of living, public safety and schools while avoiding mention of Trump. Senate candidate Don Tracy branded Stratton and Democratic Socialist allies as extreme, and House GOP leader Tony McCombie renewed criticism of Welch. Separately, the DNC narrowed its 2028 convention host shortlist to Boston, Denver and Philadelphia, excluding Chicago, which hosted in 2024 and remains in contention for 2032. Pritzker's campaign also launched a TV ad branding Bailey as extreme ahead of November.