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Temperatures are dropping, leaves are falling and your chance to play a role in democracy is fast approaching. President Donald Trump is halfway through his four-year term. And the chance to push his agenda forward — or stop it in its tracks — has arrived. In Illinois, citizens can vote in U.S. House races to help determine if Congress switches to Democratic control and for governor and other state races to determine the balance of power in Springfield. On the eve of the 2018 midterm elections, whether you’re politically apathetic or ready to tackle your ballot with black ink, here are five things to know about Election Day in Illinois. 1. The big races All 435 House members are up for election this fall, while a third of the 100 U.S. senators are up for election. In Illinois, voters also pick other offices, including governor, in the midterms. You probably know J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat. And incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican. Perhaps you know about both of their ...

Five takeaways after the Patriots pull away from the Packers to score a 31-17 victory and a sixth-straight win. Brady over Rodgers oversimplifies it The allure of Sunday night’s game for the national audience was the battle between Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, with two of their generation’s elite quarterbacks trading possession of the football, and with the Patriots’ victory will come the headlines that Brady outdueled his Packer counterpart. But that assessment would be dramatically oversimplifying things. Brady and Rodgers were both fine. Brady finished 22 of 35 for 294 yards and a touchdown; Rodgers went 24-for-43, totaling 259 yards and two scores. Their passer ratings were 99 and 89.2, respectively. Per that measure it was Brady’s sixth-best game of the season; only one of Rodgers’s eight games has been worse. So Sunday was less of a duel than it was the Patriots overcoming a series of significant offensive injuries to take advantage of a Green Bay defense that has no...

Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley suffered a broken collarbone in the No. 15 Utes' 38-20 loss at Arizona State and will miss the rest of the season, according to coach Kyle Whittingham. The injury represents a significant blow to the Utes' chances of winning the Pac-12 South for the first time since joining the conference in 2011. Utah fell to 6-3 overall and 4-3 in the conference, and is one of four teams in the division with three losses. Huntley, a junior, was replaced by Jason Shelley in the third quarter, and the redshirt freshman completed 4 of 11 passes for 59 yards with an interception the rest of the game. The Utes kicked a field goal to cap the drive during which Shelley entered the game, but were held scoreless from there as Arizona State scored the game's final 17 points. Over the previous month, Huntley had been playing the best football of his career. Coming into Saturday's game against ASU, the Utes had scored 40-plus points in four straight games. ...

The efficiency in which Alabama produces NFL defensive linemen is without peer in college football. In the last three drafts, six Alabama defensive linemen have been picked. Five of them — all but Da’Shawn Hand in the fourth round this year — were taken in the top 55 picks. This is nearly as impressive as the mid-2000s Miami teams that had a defensive back picked in the first round for five straight years. That defensive line will have the attention of pro scouts on Saturday night as they hone in on the top prospects for the 2019 NFL draft. Alabama plays rival LSU in a game heavy on top prospects. Alabama’s defensive line features another group of NFL-ready monsters. It starts with nose tackle Quinnen Williams. He’s been Alabama’s breakout player this year as a redshirt sophomore. In the past, Alabama has used traditional big body nose tackles to occupy gaps. At 6’4 and 295 pounds, Williams is not that. Instead, he’s more of gap-shooting disruptor in the middle, though he ca...

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Friday asked the Justice Department (DOJ) to investigate a "fabricated allegation" against newly minted Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh from a woman identified as Judy Munro-Leighton. Grassley, in a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director Christopher Wray, wrote that Munro-Leighton admitted to the committee on Nov. 1 that she previously lied about an allegation that Kavanaugh and a friend raped her in the backseat of a car. Grassley requested that Munro-Leighton be investigated for making "materially false statements" and for obstruction of the committee's investigation into misconduct claims against Kavanaugh. He wrote that Munro-Leighton said she “just wanted to get attention," "it was a tactic" and it "was just a ploy" when investigators pressed her on Friday. "Under questioning by Committee investigators, Ms. Munro-Leighton admitte...

Police say a second person has died at the hands of a shooter who opened fire inside a Florida yoga studio on Friday before killing himself. Tallahassee Police Chief Michael DeLeo told reporters Friday night that the gunman shot six people and pistol-whipped one other person before fatally shooting himself. The conditions of the other victims are unclear. The death toll from the shooting inside a small Tallahassee shopping center now stands at three, including the suspect. Authorities have not identified the shooter or the victims. DeLeo said authorities are investigating possible motives. He declined to say what kind of gun the shooter had. City spokesman Jamie Van Pelt said the shooting appeared to be a part of a domestic dispute. DeLeo said police are asking for anyone who saw something unusual around the time of the shooting to contact police. He said the shooter acted alone. "We're all very saddened and shocked by the events that occurred, but it's i...

Authorities have charged Alec Baldwin with assault and harassment after he was arrested for allegedly striking a man in the face during a dispute over a parking spot outside the actor’s New York City home. Baldwin didn't comment as he walked past reporters and photographers after he was released from police custody. (Nov. 2) AP Alec Baldwin is flatly denying he "punched anyone over a parking spot" prior to his arrest on Friday. Baldwin was arrested and charged with assault in New York after allegedly punching a man over a parking dispute, police told USA TODAY. Baldwin called the situation "egregiously misstated" in a response posted on a Twitter account for the Hilaria and Alec Baldwin Foundation. "The assertion that I punched anyone over a parking spot is false. I wanted to go on the record stating as much," he wrote, saying the "negative charges" were "clickbait entertainment." "Fortunately, no matter how reverbera...