What F’nHappened This Week? Tacos, Indie Spirits, RedMonday and Chicago Sports Whiplash Week of September 26 – October 2, 2026
What F’nHappened This Week? Tacos, Indie Spirits, Red
Monday and Chicago Sports Whiplash
Week of September 26–October 2, 2026
This week had a little bit of everything: tacos and throwback music, an expo devoted to
independent spirits, a Red Bull night out for the people who work in nightlife, and enough
Chicago sports whiplash to require a recovery day. We also kept following the NuEra records
trail, watched Chicago approve a new chapter in the parking-meter saga, and found a few
stories from around the country that made us stop scrolling.
F'nAround got out: Tacos & Tequila, Indie Spirits Expo and Red Monday
We kicked things off at Tacos & Tequila, where the food and drinks came with a soundtrack
from the years that raised us. It was a complete nostalgic throwback: tacos, tequila,
margaritas, music, and the kind of atmosphere that sends you right back to the songs and
memories of growing up. The Chicago festival paired local taco vendors and chef creations
with throwback hip-hop and R&B, tequila tastings, lucha libre, art installations, and its
beloved Chihuahua beauty pageant. We had a blast, and we’re already ready to do it again.
Source: Choose Chicago
The Chicago Indie Spirits Expo gave us a different kind of tasting adventure: independent
spirits and the people making them all under one roof. It’s a chance to get outside the usual
brands, hear what producers are making, and discover bottles you might not have found on
your own. The lesson with an event like this is simple: pace yourself. A room full of
interesting pours can turn “I’ll just try one” into a very ambitious evening. Source: Indie
Spirits Expo
Then there was Red Bull Red Monday, a thank-you party for the bar staff, bartenders, and
nightlife professionals who spend their weekends making sure everyone else has a good
time. Their weekend is often when everybody else clocks out; Monday becomes their night to
let loose. Red Bull’s own description calls it a salute to the people who power parties and
nightlife. We got to be part of that scene this week, and it was a good reminder that there’s a
whole crew working behind every memorable night out. Source: Red Bull
Chicago sports: one team advanced, one got swept, and the Bears found a quarterback
The White Sox swept the Astros in Houston and won their first postseason series since the
2005 World Series—when they also beat Houston. They took Game 1, 6–3, then finished the
sweep with a 7–3 win. A four-run first inning put them in front in Game 2, and Chase
Meidroth’s three-run homer in the sixth helped shut the door. After consecutive 100-loss
seasons, the Sox are now moving on to face Cleveland in the ALDS. Somewhere in the
middle of all that, Pope Leo XIV sent the team a letter of support. Chicago sports can be
strange, but this is a pretty good week to be a Sox fan. Source: NBC Sports / AP
The Cubs had the other kind of postseason week. San Diego swept them out of the NL Wild
Card Series, winning 8–0 and 4–1. Chicago scored exactly one run across the two games,
despite leading MLB with 850 runs in the regular season. The Cubs’ season ends at 89–73,
while the Padres advance to face Milwaukee. So Chicago got one team through and one
team sent home in back-to-back days. If you’re a fan of both, we hope you had snacks and
emotional support available. Source: Reuters
Then the Bears beat the Eagles 27–7 on Monday night, and they did it with Case Keenum at
quarterback. Caleb Williams was sidelined with a hamstring injury, Tyson Bagent was in
concussion protocol, and 38-year-old Keenum made his first start since 2023. He went 24-of-
34 for 247 yards, threw two touchdowns, ran for another, and got the game ball from head
coach Ben Johnson. Caleb watched from the sideline in a ball cap. The backup to the
backup came in and delivered a three-touchdown night. It was not the quarterback plan
anyone drew up, but it was a very good Monday for Chicago. Source: Reuters
And the quarterback picture somehow got murkier after the feel-good Monday. Williams
remained out with the hamstring injury, while Bagent had cleared concussion protocol but the
team still had not named a starter for Sunday against the Jets. D’Andre Swift also missed
Thursday’s practice with a knee issue after being listed as a full participant Wednesday. As
of Friday morning, the Bears had not said who would start. Source: CBS Chicago
The stadium saga added its own plot twist Thursday, when NFL Commissioner Roger
Goodell met with Gov. Pritzker, House Speaker Welch, Sen. Cunningham, Rep. Buckner,
and Bears minority owner Pat Ryan to discuss keeping the team in Illinois. Bears President
and CEO Kevin Warren was not among the listed attendees. That stands out after the Bears’
August statements that Hammond, Indiana, was their focus. Ryan’s presence gives the
ownership group a seat in the conversation, while the Illinois leaders keep working to make
an in-state stadium possible. The Bears bought 326 acres in Arlington Heights in 2021, and
their Soldier Field lease runs through 2033. Source: WTTW
One Chicago team moved on, one went home, and the Bears won without Caleb. If you were
trying to follow all three teams this week, the city put you through a full emotional workout.
NuEra and the agencies: what changed in the records trail
The serious center of our week remains the public-records trail around nuEra and the state
agencies. The new developments are mostly procedural, but they show the requests
continuing to move through the offices after the July verdict.
On September 29, the Civil Rights Bureau confirmed receipt of the notice
and that it was under investigation. The notice concerns preparation of a possible Section
1983 civil-rights filing and raises allegations about state conduct and the handling of
information involving nuEra Cannabis, its ownership, and executives. The confirmation is a procedural
step; it is not a finding that the allegations have been proven and does not decide the merits
of a future lawsuit. We used the David Berger enforcement by IDFPR next to what was stated on the record by
nuEra ownership to show selective enforcement and it opened an investigation.
On September 28, the Illinois Department of Agriculture extended its response to a request
for the names of employees who responded to, handled, oversaw, or authorized the
department’s FOIA responses and decisions about whether to refer the verdict to the
Attorney General. IDFPR also extended a request for the names of employees involved in its
FOIA responses and post-verdict referral decisions.
The Governor’s Office extended its response on September 30 to a request asking which
employees handled the Governor’s FOIA submissions, media, and social channels. The
request concerns who received or handled information being brought to the Governor’s
attention.
On October 1, the Attorney General’s Office partially completed the narrowed request for
files 181–220 from the roughly 3,000-file request that has been pending since February, and
extended the rest. IDFPR then emailed to request one more day to correct its extension on
the employee-list request.
So there was movement, but not a final answer to the central questions: what records exist,
which employees handled these decisions, and what the agencies did after the verdict. This
week’s paper trail added another partial production and another set of response dates to
track.
Chicago politics and civic life: parking meters, a bus lane, and 2027 already warming up
Chicago City Council approved the transfer of the parking-meter lease to Stonepeak by a
46–3 vote on September 29. The $2.53 billion transaction covers the remaining 57 years of
the lease originally signed in 2008. The city is set to receive a $75 million transfer fee for
pension funds, a share of certain net income and future-sale proceeds, and seven meter-free
special-event days a year. Ald. Sigcho-Lopez, Ald. Ervin, and Ald. Hall cast the three no
votes. The deal runs through 2084, so Chicago’s parking meters have managed to become a
multigenerational storyline. And Ald. Walter Burnett is already floating a 25–50-cent-per-hour
surcharge for suburban drivers parking in the city. Source: WBEZ
The city also announced a new northbound bus lane on Michigan Avenue, from Roosevelt
Road to Wacker Drive. It’s a 1.5-mile stretch intended to make Loop bus service more
reliable, serving an estimated 22,000 weekday riders across 21 routes. Enforcement
cameras will ticket drivers who block it: $90 for the lane, $100 for bus stops. A red lane down
the Cultural Mile is a more tangible city update than most of the things that get debated at
City Hall. Source: CTA
And Chicago’s 2027 mayoral race continues to take shape. Secretary of State Alexi
Giannoulias is leading early polling and brings a reported $22 million campaign war chest.
Mayor Brandon Johnson, who launched his reelection campaign last month, spoke at the
City Club on September 30 and framed the race as “billionaires versus the Brandon Johnson
coalition,” arguing that crime could rise if corporations do not contribute more. The election is
February 23, with a runoff scheduled for April 6 if needed. Petition season is approaching, so
this race is about to get much louder. Source: Chicago Patriot News
The weather had opinions too. Remnants of Hurricane Polo helped fuel a rain system that
lingered over the Chicago area from Tuesday into Friday, bringing roughly two to three
inches of rain and a flood watch. The Rock, Fox, DuPage, Des Plaines, and Illinois rivers
were expected to rise. Rain was forecast to move out Friday, with sun expected for the
weekend good news for anyone with outdoor plans and a basement. Source: NBC
Chicago
A few other local headlines worth keeping on the radar: a federal judge ordered fact-finding
into allegations of prosecutorial misconduct in the “Broadview Six” case, after defense
attorneys said prosecutors redacted evidence from grand-jury transcripts. The six protesters
are accused of conspiring to stop a federal agent driving toward the Broadview ICE facility;
the misconduct allegations are now the subject of a separate inquiry. Source: Bloomberg
Law
Chicago’s Business Barometer jumped 11.7 points to 58.8 in September, a stronger reading
than expected. Meanwhile, Teamsters Local 743 representing 40 IT workers contracted to
Rush University Medical Center held a press conference with Mayor Johnson as the
workers continued their fight for a first contract after two years. And the Kane County Board
censured its chair for sharing confidential information. Source: Morningstar · PR Newswire ·
Daily Herald
Around the country: wild stories, strange optics and serious questions
In Calumet City, a Dolton police officer was placed on administrative leave after resident
Shaun Brown said the officer fired at him as he retreated into his home. Brown posted
cellphone and Ring footage, as well as photos of bullet holes around his doorway. The
footage does not clearly show shots being fired. Brown was arrested, the Dolton Police
Department is investigating, and Brown says he has retained counsel and plans to sue. This
is a serious allegation, and the available video does not settle what happened. Source: FOX
32 Chicago
A North Carolina jury returned an $850,002 verdict against former NASCAR driver Jennifer
Jo Cobb in an “alienation of affection” case brought by Tracey Hughes. The award included
$50,000 for alienation of affection, $800,000 for criminal conversation, and $1 in punitive
damages on each claim. Hughes alleged Cobb’s relationship with her husband contributed to
the end of their 17-year marriage; Cobb denied the allegations and said the judgment had
not yet been entered. North Carolina still has a law that lets an affair become a civil lawsuit,
and this case has made that old doctrine national news again. Source: WITN
Meta announced Ray-Ban Audio, a $349 pair of camera-free smart glasses with music, calls,
live translation, and the new Muse AI assistant. The company says they weigh 43 grams and
offer up to 12 hours of battery life, with more available from the case. They arrive alongside a
new camera-equipped model, while the camera-free version appears designed for people
who are uneasy about being recorded by smart glasses. Small wrinkle: audio-only glasses
still have microphones. The camera may be gone, but the privacy conversation is not.
Source: Meta
In other tech news, a small number of iPhone 18 Pro owners have posted reports of green or
pink vertical lines on their displays. iOS 27.0.1 fixed other launch issues but did not list a fix
for these lines, and Apple has not publicly identified their cause. Those reports do not yet
establish a widespread hardware defect. For launch-day buyers, today is the edge of a
typical 14-day return window an uncomfortable time to discover a display problem. Source:
PhoneArena
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino posted an AI-generated video of himself, his
wife, and Eric and Lara Trump celebrating with champagne on a luggage cart after the Xi
state dinner. Some conservative voices called it tone-deaf while many Americans are
struggling with food, gas, housing, and utility costs. The video was intended as a joke about
a party; it landed as a reminder that optics do not take the night off. Source: SoapCentral
President Trump’s public praise of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is also scrambling
Republican plans to make Mamdani a centerpiece of the midterm campaign. Mamdani
pitched a Sunnyside Yard project that he says could bring 12,000 homes and 30,000 jobs.
Republicans who expected to campaign against him now have to explain why the president
they support is complimenting him. Politics keeps writing its own plot twists. Source: Political
Wire / Politico
At the United Nations, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva rejected Trump’s proposed
“Shield of the Americas” anti-cartel coalition, saying Brazil does not belong in anyone’s
backyard. Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has also continued to reject U.S. military
strikes inside Mexico. The disagreement lands amid U.S. strikes on suspected drug boats in
the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, which rights groups say have killed more than 220
people. This is a major regional policy conflict, not just another tough-sounding slogan.
Source: Reuters
In Indianapolis, 19-year-old Jamiya Sutton was charged after allegedly blocking a school bus
carrying 37 students, forcing the door open with a handgun, and ordering the driver outside
during a road-rage confrontation. No shots were fired and no one was hurt. The charges
include several counts of criminal confinement and pointing a firearm. There is no version of
“you cut me off” that should end with a school bus full of kids caught in the middle. Source:
Law &; Crime
McDonald’s is testing ads from outside companies on drive-through menu boards at 450
company-owned restaurants. The ad appears after you place your order, so you can sit there
waiting for your food and watch a commercial. Somewhere, a YouTube executive just said,
“Finally, someone understands the customer experience.” Source: The Verge
The September jobs report landed Friday with a thud: 29,000 jobs were added, well below
the roughly 90,000 expected. August payrolls were revised down to 133,000, unemployment
ticked up to 4.2%, and annual wage growth cooled to 3%. Markets moved higher Friday, and
investors read the weak report as lowering the odds of another near-term rate hike. Reuters
noted that the chance of an October hike had already fallen to about 22%, from 69% a week
earlier, after cooler inflation data. Weak jobs are not automatically good news; they are just
the kind of bad news markets think the Fed may respond to differently. Source: Reuters
Pennsylvania’s Attorney General says a large Penn State drug-trafficking ring involved 14
people connected to five fraternities. Prosecutors allege new-member pledges were made to
cut cocaine with creatine and package it for campus distribution. Five defendants waived
arraignment this week and intend to plead not guilty; a pretrial conference is scheduled for
November 16. The case has been called “Operation Drugs Unlimited,” which sounds like the
title of a college movie until you read the actual charges. Source: Wall Street Journal
And a grim one from Tennessee: officials halted the execution attempt of Christa Gail Pike
on Wednesday after she continued breathing and had a heartbeat despite two doses of
pentobarbital. She was taken to a hospital. Pike would have been the first woman executed
in Tennessee in more than 200 years. Gov. Bill Lee ordered an outside review and paused
the state’s remaining scheduled execution this year. Whatever your view of the death
penalty, the state’s inability to complete the procedure as planned raises serious questions
about its protocol. Source: CBS News
A medical helicopter crashed into the Pacific shortly after leaving Catalina Island Wednesday
night. Two people aboard a pilot and a nurse died. Two others were rescued and reported
stable, while the patient being transported remained missing as the search continued. The
NTSB is investigating; officials had not released a cause. Source: Los Angeles Times
The NTSB’s preliminary report on the September 6 Amazon Air cargo crash at Miami
International said the controller did not relay tailwind information to the pilots, even though
the applicable FAA procedure required it. The 767 landed fast, ran about 1,200 feet past the
runway, and struck two vehicles, killing five people on the ground. The report also describes
the first officer repeatedly warning that the plane was too fast during the final approach. The
aircraft was carrying contact-lens packages from San Juan. The investigation is ongoing, so
the report is preliminary. Source: NTSB
Pennsylvania reported its fifth measles-associated death this week, with 943 confirmed
cases across 39 counties. State officials said the person who died was unvaccinated; the
state’s previous four deaths were also reported as unvaccinated. Pennsylvania’s state count
and the CDC’s national tally do not match because they use different criteria for attributing a
death to measles. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. questioned the state’s reported
deaths before later walking back his remarks. The case numbers matter, and so does
explaining why the state and federal counts differ. Source: Pennsylvania Department of
Health
Around the world: a foiled cockpit attack, a withdrawal, and Spain’s housing revolt
One story making the rounds is not new in the way the headline makes it sound: the alleged
rope-cutting incident in Benidorm happened in January 2021. The case is only now reaching
court, where prosecutors are seeking six years for attempted homicide after a worker
reportedly dangled high above the ground when one of his safety ropes was cut. It is a
terrifying case, but the incident itself is five years old, so we’re not passing it off as breaking
news. Source: The Sun
Spain’s government approved emergency housing measures Tuesday after the September
23 eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her Madrid home sparked protests. The
measures would extend eviction protections for vulnerable tenants through 2030, extend
some existing rental contracts, and tighten rules affecting certain property investors.
Parliament still has to vote on the decrees. Abascal’s rent had risen sharply after her building
changed hands, and her eviction became the face of a broader fight over housing costs and
tenant protections. Source: Government of Spain
The Pentagon announced Wednesday that the last U.S. troops and equipment have left Erbil
Air Base, formally ending the 12-year anti-ISIS mission in Iraq under the 2024 withdrawal
agreement. Trump hailed it as the end of “a very expensive excursion into Hell.” Iraq
declared a four-day “Sovereignty Days” holiday. Iran-backed militias celebrated the
departure; Kurdish officials warned about ISIS resurgence and expanded Iranian influence.
The U.S. shifts to training and intelligence support run out of Jordan. Twelve years,
thousands of lives, and a holiday with a four-day weekend. Source: Associated Press
On Wednesday, Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing
in Tabuk after the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain. Reuters reported that the aircraft
dropped more than 14,000 feet in 30 seconds; a passenger helped subdue the co-pilot, and
a reserve crew landed the plane safely. Israel’s defense minister called it an attempted
attack intended to crash the plane. Flydubai said the reasons remained unknown and
cautioned against premature speculation. President Trump floated a possible Iran link, but
that has not been established. The captain was reported stable, and the co-pilot was
arrested. Source: Reuters
One last Chicago laugh
And because apparently every week needs one tiny thing that sticks in your head: is it just
us, or does that morning Darren Bailey ad sound like he says “Ellinois” instead of Illinois?
Now we’ve heard it once, we can’t unhear it.
That was the week: Tacos & Tequila, independent spirits, Red Monday, a Sox breakthrough,
a Cubs exit, an unexpected Bears win, and a growing records trail that still has more
questions than answers. We’ll see what next week brings—and what actually comes back
from the agencies.