Erin Allen: Good morning, y'all. It's Monday. I'm Erin Allen and this is The Rundown. 

Today is the final day for people to file objections against their political opponent in hopes of getting them kicked off the 2023 ballot. In order to do that you have to prove to an election judge that they didn't file enough valid signatures required to run signatures have to be by a registered voter who lives in Chicago and has only signed for one candidate in any single race. So far, we know from the Chicago Sun-Times that downtown Alderman Bryan Hopkins was planning to challenge Mayor Lori Lightfoot's petitions, but he quote "ran out of time." Beyond that, no objections have been filed for any race, including aldermanic and mayoral. That's as of now. May change before the end of the day. 

People detained in Illinois state correctional facilities could soon have access to free menstrual hygiene products and underwear. Lawmakers in Springfield unanimously approved a bill recently codifying this as a right. Representative Barbara Hernandez says some facilities are already handing out menstrual pads and tampons. But this measure would ensure that access is protected against budget cuts and leadership changes. Hernandez said she included underwear in the language after hearing complaints from her constituents who are currently or have been in detention. Many of them said they're limited to one or two pairs a week. The bill now goes to Gov JB Pritzker. 

And now for the latest in "everything costs more" news. Parents, have you noticed that the cost of cold medicine is going up? You're not tripping. The average cost of over the counter medication is up 5% from last year, but my colleague Char Daston reports pediatricians say that's not as bad as it sounds.

Char Daston: Dr. Shelly Flais is a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. She says cold meds are not recommended for kids under four. They're made for multiple symptoms, so combining them with painkillers can lead to overdoses for all kids. Flais says there are better alternatives including tackling congestion the old fashioned way.

Shelly Flais: Pushing fluids, a cool mist humidifier for the room they're sleeping in, and then sucking out the boogers with an old school bulb suction.

Erin Allen: For older kids honey is also an option. Many cough drops already have it as an ingredient. And it's sweet, like honey. 

Nurses and other unionized employees are speaking out against proposed layoffs at Howard Brown Health which specializes in services to Chicago's LGBTQ community. My colleague Michael Puente they spoke to some of them at a rally on Saturday afternoon, when more than 100 people were gathered outside the health agency's Northside headquarters. Organizers say Howard Brown wants to eliminate 115 employees including 82 Union positions represented by the Illinois Nurses Association, Julian Modugno, who works as an event planner for the health agency led the rally and a march.

Julian Modugno: We want to make this place better, and we want to see this organization live up to its own mission statement.

Erin Allen: In a statement, Howard Brown Health says they're working with the union to help address a $12 million revenue shortfall. 

Bad News Bears - the Chicago Bears dropped their sixth straight game the latest to their rivals the Green Bay Packers with a 28 to 19 final score. But that loss was a special one. It means the Bears no longer have the most wins of any franchise in NFL history. For the last 101 years, the Bears organization had won the most regular season games of any team. But now Green Bay has that title. The Bears began playing in 1920, the first year of the NFL and they'll play again in two weeks. 

And a few quick hits before we get to weather. The delivery service DoorDash is investigating the fake accounts that recently targeted a slew of Chicago businesses, including Brown Sugar Bakery in Chatham, and Smoke BBQ in Old Irving Park. And in case you haven't noticed those high gas prices from over the summer have dropped pretty dramatically. According to AAA gas prices, the average in Chicago was more than $6 and June, but as of this weekend, it was as low as $4.23. The Chicago Sun-Times is calling it an early Christmas gift. If you're driving in Chicago, whether you celebrate Christmas or not. It's a welcomed holiday gesture. And if you think your child may be the next Usain Bolt, there's a competition this month to see if they're at least the fastest in Chicago. Fastest Kids in Chicago Race is an exhibition style track meet for 5 to 14 year olds on December 17. You can register your little one online for free at the Chicago Park District website. 

As for the weather cloudy basically all day, the high will be in the mid 40s. Low tonight in the mid 30s. Coming up this afternoon speaking of 2023 elections, some folks are backing Mayor Lori Lightfoot, others are on the fence. Some have changed their mind since backing her the first time around. And then there are those folks who never supported her and never will. I'll talk with my colleague, Maraiah Woelfel who covers city politics to get a sense of where people are coming from. And if you're one of those people who's on the fence, it may help you get your mind around the whole thing. That's this afternoon at two on The rundown. I'm Erin Allen. Talk to you then.

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