Hey there! I’ve had this song stuck in my head all day and my husband was really thrilled to hear me sing it over and over again this morning. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. The choice before Illinois voters

My colleagues at WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times today examine the records of the two candidates seeking to become Illinois’ governor for the next four years: incumbent JB Pritzker and Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey.

When it comes to Pritzker, the “Gold Coast Democrat has signed four budgets, touted improvements in the state’s shoddy financial ratings, and signed legislation that raised the minimum wage, legalized marijuana and enshrined the right to get an abortion in Illinois at a historic time,” reports the Sun-Times.

But among the governor’s biggest political losses was a graduated income tax hike on the wealthy that was rejected by voters. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Looking at Bailey, the downstate farmer has tackled “cultural issues that garner far-right support but that also ignite controversy,” reports WBEZ. “In only four years in the state legislature, the GOP nominee for governor has specialized in leading the charge on some of the most divisive issues of the day.”

While Bailey’s focus on such issues has helped him make a name for himself, few of his policy initiatives have become law. [WBEZ]

2. The Biden administration scales back its plan to cancel student loan debt as states sue

The U.S. Department of Education this week quietly changed who can qualify for President Joe Biden’s sweeping plan to forgive student loan debt, reports NPR.

The change affects borrowers whose student loans are guaranteed by the federal government but held by private lenders.

These loans, many of which were made under the Perkins and Federal Family Education loan programs, were originally included in Biden’s plan.

NPR reports more than 4 million Americans have such loans, but an administration official says this week’s change will affect about 800,000 borrowers. [NPR]

Meanwhile, six Republican-led states sued the Biden administration, saying it is overstepping its powers by forgiving student loan debt for millions of Americans. [AP]

3. Hurricane Ian makes landfall in South Carolina after causing catastrophic damage in Florida

Florida officials say at least 21 deaths were possibly linked to Hurricane Ian as the storm hit South Carolina’s coast this afternoon.

One of the areas hardest hit by Ian was Fort Myers Beach, where houses were “simply washed away in one of the starkest scenes of devastation,” reports NPR.

Meanwhile in South Carolina, roads in Charleston’s historic downtown were already flooded from rain as Ian moved closer to the state. Ian made a second landfall in South Carolina as a Category 1 storm. [NPR]

In Cuba, protests broke out as several hundred people demanded the restoration of electricity more than two days after a blackout caused by the hurricane hit the entire island. [NPR]

4. Chicago taxpayers were on the hook for $250 million in police-related settlements

My colleague Fran Spielman reports that “Chicago taxpayers shelled out $250 million in settlements and judgments arising out of legal claims against the Chicago Police Department and its officers in 2018, 2019 and 2020 — but glaring deficiencies in how data is collected about those cases made it virtually impossible for the city to learn any lessons from them.”

Those findings were part of a report released this week by City Hall’s top watchdog, Inspector General Deborah Witzburg.

“We are paying out a lot of dollars without giving ourselves the opportunity to learn any lessons as a result. The city is not collecting the sort of information which would allow practices and policies to be improved,” Witzburg said. [Chicago Sun-Times]

5. Do you think you can pull a 90-ton airplane?

Got nothing to do at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow? More than 80 teams of 20 people will test their strength at O’Hare International Airport against a 180,000-pound plane, reports Block Club Chicago.

The event is part of a fundraiser hosted by United Airlines for the Special Olympics. Teams have to raise at least $1,000 to compete in the competition.

And there’s four divisions: one for regular people like me; a “public safety” division for police officers, firefighters and first responders; a “fitness division” for gyms and people really into CrossFit; and … a “hotel division” for people who work in the hotel industry?

Anyway, I’ve been meaning to cut back on all of the planes I move, so I’ll be sleeping in tomorrow morning. [Block Club Chicago]

Here’s what else is happening

• The U.S. issued a new round of sanctions on Russia after President Vladimir Putin signed treaties to illegally annex occupied territory in Ukraine. [AP]
• Mayor Lori Lightfoot dropped a $42.7 million property tax hike from her budget proposal. [WBEZ]
• Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson received a formal induction ahead of the Supreme Court’s new term. [NPR]
• Here’s a look at some of Trevor Noah’s more memorable moments on The Daily Show as he prepares to leave. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

WBEZ has a new addition to its Sunday evening lineup — Notes From America with Kai Wright, a live show (yes, live). It’s a national conversation. A place to gather and share experiences. Process. And figure out where this country is going.

Among the big questions tackled by the show are “can the United States be a democracy where people of different races, origins and identities share power and opportunity? Is it even possible, and what would it take to succeed?”

Notes From America with Kai Wright will air on WBEZ every Sunday now at 5 p.m. CT.

Tell me something good …

I’m not sure what I’m going to be this year for Halloween, so what are you dressing up as?

Sarah Diller tweets:

“I LOVE mash-ups. Past years have included Swiss Miss Piggy, Babe Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Oscar the Groucho Marx.

“I’m still ruminating on this year’s costume, but am trying to figure out how to execute Shia LaBuffy The Vampire Slayer.”

S.L. Wisenberg writes:

“Well, I’ve been the Berlin Wall, Daylight Savings Time and Medusa. I might be a spider this year.”

And Alison writes:

“For baby’s first Halloween, grandma offered to sew his costume. We took her up on it and can’t wait to introduce our miniature David S. Pumpkins and his beat boy skeleton parents. … Any questions?”

Thanks for all the costume ideas. They were amazing. And thank you so much for reading the newsletter this week. It means a lot to me.