Good Wednesday morning, Illinois. Did you press Ctrl + Alt + Del? Comcast service is back but why it was down for hours remains something of a mystery.

Maze Jackson, a political operative, radio commentator and husband of water commissioner Kari Steele, said he was carjacked yesterday in broad daylight, just two weeks after political consultant Bamani Obadele saw his adored Cubs-adorned truck snatched. And congressional candidate Jahmal Cole dove under a parked car yesterday to avoid shots fired on his way to lunch.

“I'm good physically, but mentally...WHOA!” Jackson wrote in a Facebook post describing a physical altercation with “a white man, not a black teenager” at 24th and State streets on the South Side. A police report wasn’t immediately available. “We fought, and while I realize vehicles are material things, in the moment I just couldn't believe he had the AUDACITY to try and TAKE MY SHYT...that I worked for! I completely forgot about the possibility of further escalation.”

Crime continues to be an issue in Chicago with abysmal arrest rates. There were 441 arrests made for the 1,839 carjackings committed from Nov. 1, 2020, to Oct. 31 of this year, according to Chicago Police Department data. That’s a 15 percent arrest rate. If you think that’s bad, armed robbery has a 6 percent arrest rate, and kidnapping, 3 percent.

Obadele had just parked his car to run into a store on 22nd Street between Michigan and Wabash avenues at around 9:40 p.m. on Oct. 23, when he saw a teenager jump into the driver’s seat. Obadele said he tried opening the door handle as the teen started driving off but let go when a bus came too close for safety.

“I’m a big guy with broad shoulders who grew up in Robert Taylor [public housing] and I never felt so helpless in all my life,” he told Playbook of the incident. “It’s a painful space to be in.”

He said police helped by giving him a ride home, but on the way the officers complained about Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and their handling of crime. “That bothered me,” said Obadele, who has consulted over the years for Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and other politicos. “I blame years of lack of investment. You have young people who have a great sense of boldness. They don’t have means, and they feel entitled to take from people who do, and that’s unfortunate.”

Cole, meanwhile, was headed to Nando's PERi-PERi on 53rd Street for a lunch meeting yesterday with activists to help pass out campaign literature when he heard gunfire and lunged under a car to escape it.

“It was a draco or machine gun,” he told Playbook. Cole said he ran down the street, saw windows shot out at an ice cream shop, and jumped a fence. “I wasn’t hit.” But he was shaken. This was the second time in recent weeks that Cole was caught in gunfire, as Block Club reports.

“We need to have a sense of urgency because this isn’t regular,” said Cole, who’s running in the 1st Congressional District Democratic primary. “We need the federal government to be a partner in stopping this.”

MAPMAKER, MAPMAKER: For all the build-up about how the Chicago City Council will redraw its 50 wards, the first public meeting yesterday was underwhelming.

It lasted all of 48 minutes and took input from just five members of the public, who repeated words like “fairness” and “transparency.” Another hearing is set for today at 3 p.m. and the third is Monday at 3 p.m. The virtual hearing will pop up on the City Clerk’s homepage at 3 p.m.

Among the five speakers, there was a minor celebrity in the bunch. Attorney Sam Royko, the youngest son of the late Sun-Times columnist Mike Royko, expressed concern about the boundaries for the West Town.

There was otherwise no presentation of the Latino Caucus’ map that was submitted for review. And the Black Caucus hasn’t even submitted its boundary proposals for public input.

The two caucuses are at odds over how to draw the wards. With the Latino population up in Chicago, according to the latest census, that caucus wants to see its representation increase proportionately on the council. The Black population has declined but the Black Caucus doesn’t want to give up council seats. And everyone seems to agree it’s time for a majority-Asian ward.

All that will likely mean a more diverse council but the clock is ticking. The council has until Dec. 1 to agree on a map or send the proposals to a referendum, and If there’s one thing the caucuses can agree on, it's that they don’t want to have voters decide.

Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: [email protected]

No official public events.

At Malcolm X College at 1 p.m. to testify during a field hearing of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis.

At the county building at 11 a.m. to honor county employees who are veterans.

— Biden called for widespread mandates. His VA is navigating its own minefields: “Public health advocates and administration allies see proof that those mandates work, noting that workforces are overwhelmingly in compliance. But business interests and some unions have argued that there are major downsides to punishing vaccine holdouts, even if they comprise a small portion of the workforce, arguing that it could disrupt critical services, make it even harder to find workers in a tight labor market and upend government functions,” by POLITICO’s Natasha Korecki.

... Support for softening vaccine mandates has softened, according to POLITICO-Morning Consult poll. Here are the crosstabs.

— 23 more labor unions file new legal challenge to Chicago’s vaccine mandate deadline: “The 23 plaintiffs include Teamsters Local 700, Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local 130 and Service Employees International Union Local 1, according to a copy of the legal challenge. They are seeking an injunction to force arbitration over Lightfoot’s vaccination policy — and pause the Dec. 31 deadline for city workers to get fully vaccinated until the matter is resolved — because of what they describe as a violation of their collective bargaining rights,” by Tribune’s Alice Yin.

— And there’s this: Judge rules unvaccinated doctor can treat Covid patient with ivermectin at Naperville hospital, by Tribune’s John Keilman.

— ALD. GILBERT VILLEGAS launches congressional bid in new heavily Hispanic district in Illinois: “The new heavily Hispanic district creates a very rarely available open congressional seat anchored in heavily Democratic Chicago,” by Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet.

— State Sen. Omar Aquino hasn’t made a decision on whether he’ll run for the newly created 3rd Congressional District that was created to ideally give Latinos greater representation. “I haven’t made any decisions as my focus is on my family’s health,” he told Playbook. Aquino and his wife had twins just a few days ago.

— Higher than expected income buoys budget forecast from Pritzker’s office, but deficits still projected to grow: “Buoyed largely by higher than expected income and sales tax revenue through the first three months of the current budget year, the governor’s office said it now expects a year-end surplus of $418 million in the state’s general fund. That’s up from an $88 million surplus projected in June when Pritzker signed the $42 billion spending plan passed by the Democratic-controlled legislature,” by Tribune’s Dan Petrella.

— Illinois VA department working to address gaps in veterans' care: “Acting director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs Terry Prince told legislators at a hearing Tuesday that admissions are slower than usual because of the pandemic, given that they must pause every time there’s a COVID-19 case in any of the five state-run veterans’ homes. But he said the real culprit is staffing,” by WTTW’s Amanda Vinicky. WITH VIDEO

— Counterfeit prescription pills loaded with fentanyl a growing menace in overdose crisis: “Buying a pill on the street is gambling,” said Robert Bell, special agent in charge of the DEA’s Chicago field division. “It’s extremely dangerous.” Tribune’s John Keilman reports

— Northwestern earns a C grade for safety, one Chicago hospital earns an F, in latest hospital ratings: “In all, about 29% of more than 100 Illinois hospitals graded earned As, compared with 35% when grades were released in the spring, according to Leapfrog, which rates hospitals twice a year. That places Illinois 24th in the country for its percentage of A hospitals, down from 17th in the spring,” by Tribune’s Lisa Schencker.

State and local officials call for using $2.6B from federal infrastructure bill to rebuild Eisenhower Expressway: “Local and state leaders gathered Tuesday to build momentum for a rebuild of the headache highway,” by Sun-Times’ Mitch Dudek.

Rebuilding I-290 could boost economy, reduce travel times and improve safety, new report says. Sun-Times’ Madeline Kenney reports.

— City Council member demands broader solution to homelessness in Chicago: “A City Council committee extended an alternative housing deal with a downtown hotel through the winter. But Ald. Walter Burnett said more must be done. ‘If we don’t do anything soon to help these folks, they’re just gonna take liberties and sleep in our backyards,’” by Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman.

— Store closure rekindles concerns over food deserts: “When an Aldi in West Garfield Park unexpectedly closed last month, it left residents with only one other nearby supermarket and concerns about how they can find fresh foods and healthy produce,” by Sun-Times’ Cheyanne M. Daniels.

— Friday is a day off school to get vaccinated. Why aren’t more CPS schools giving Covid-19 shots? “Other cities are offering shots at all schools. City officials say shots are plentiful across the city, especially at doctor’s offices,” by WBEZ’s By Sarah Karp.

— Top federal prosecutor in Chicago to stay on as four-year term expires: “An aide to U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin confirmed to the Tribune on Monday that there were no imminent changes to the leadership of the U.S. attorney’s office,” by Tribune’s Jason Meisner.

— CLEAN GAME: Cards Against Humanity is out with a new “Climate Catastrophe Pack,” a 30-card expansion about "humanity’s spectacular failure to avert climate change and the resulting existential crisis,” according to a statement from the Chicago-based company. All profits will be donated to the Coalition for Rainforest Nations, an organization that works to stop deforestation.

— Salvation Army’s red kettles return for the season equipped with Venmo, PayPal donation options for the 1st time, by Tribune’s Shanzeh Ahmad

Oak Park tenants ordered to leave apartments after fears raised over potential building collapse: “A structural analysis of the 55-year-old building will take three to four weeks, management said,” by Sun-Times’ Clare Spaulding.

— As the prosecution rests, will Kyle Rittenhouse take the stand in his own defense? “After nearly two dozen witnesses over five days of testimony, Kenosha prosecutors rested their case against the teenager Tuesday afternoon. Their attempts to portray Rittenhouse as a chaos tourist who came to town to impose his sense of justice occasionally fell flat, with some of the state’s own witnesses seemingly backing up the self-defense claims,” by Tribune’s Stacy St. Clair and Christy Gutowski report

... PLUS: 5 takeaways as the Rittenhouse defense begins

— CPD cancels days off, union says department bracing for Rittenhouse verdict: “The Rittenhouse connection was made by Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara, who accused the city of violating a mediation settlement by failing to provide notice to officers before canceling their days off,” by Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman and Frank Main.

VA rejects cannabis research as veterans plead for medical pot: “Scientists say the VA and the DOJ have a history of stonewalling anyone who wants to conduct trials of plant-derived cannabis for therapeutic purposes,” by POLITICO’s Natalie Fertig.

We asked what topic you know more than anyone else in the room: We have lots of sports experts, including former college athletes House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, state Sen. Napoleon Harris, state Rep. Kam Buckner, and political consultant Lissa Druss, who worked for 13 years as a sports broadcaster. Chicago Ald. Tom Tunney knows restaurants (it helps that he owns one). John Straus, former head of the Illinois Commission on Science & Technology, is an expert on condominium declarations (he’s a condo board president). Political consultant Jim Nowlan can tell you how to operate a Linotype machine. And Kelsey Rooney, who’s working on a doctorate in archaeology, knows more than anyone about ship construction and shipwreck conservation.

For tomorrow, What got you in the most trouble as a teenager? Email to [email protected]

THE FIFTY: This week we’re zeroing in on Louisiana, where an upcoming election between a progressive activist and a longtime incumbent will test whether reformers can crack the traditionally tough-on-crime office of the sheriff. Jessica Pishko reports.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi will preside over a field hearing in Chicago of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. The focus: “the urgent need to build vaccine confidence and increase vaccinations in the city of Chicago, the state of Illinois, and across the country,” Krishnamoorthi’s team says in a statement.

Panelists include: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Illinois Department of Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Chicago Community Trust CEO Helene Gayle, Muslim Community Center’s Omar Khan, Pandemic Health Navigator Program’s Martha Martinez, Interfaith Youth Core’s Don Abram, and Covid survivor Ben O’Donnell. The hearing is at Malcolm X College starting at 1 p.m.

— Trump makes — and loses — overnight bid to block Jan. 6 investigators, by POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney

— Inside the bitter, nasty feud over making daylight saving time permanent, by POLITICO’s Hailey Fuchs

— More Black head coaches doesn’t mean college basketball’s problem is solved, by The Undefeated’s Jesse Washington

— Christie Hefner, the former chairman and CEO of Playboy Enterprises, hosted a book signing last night for her friend Bob Corn-Revere, author of “The Mind of the Censor and the Eye of the Beholder.” Corn-Revere was lead counsel representing Playboy in a precedent-setting case that determined cable TV’s standards should be comparable to print, not broadcast. His new book examines the roots of censorship in the United States, including the story of Anthony Comstock, America's “censor in chief.” Hefner told the group gathered in her high-rise home that the book is a “hopeful” tale “because it shows how far we’ve come. The censor does not prevail.”

Chicago Law School First Amendment professor Geoffrey Stone and Penn Jillette of Penn & Teller fame wrote testimonials on the book’s inside cover. Stone was among attendees at the event, along with Better Government Association’s David Greising, American Writers Museum President Carey Cranston, attorney Laurel Bellows, former Ald. Edwin Eisendrath, digital content creator Jennifer Schulze, and attorney David Epstein.

— State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit celebrated her big 5-0 birthday (better known as 49 Forever) and announced she’s running for re-election last night at a party with friends at Capital Grille in Lombard. In the crowd: Reps. Anna Moeller (43rd) and Barbara Hernandez (83rd), DuPage County Board member Dawn DeSart, former Rep. Ed Sullivan, and former Chicago Ald. Joe Moore.

Saturday at noon: A panel discussion on the intersection of climate change and infrastructure. Hosted by the Chicago Humanities Festival, panelists include Friends of the Parks’ Juanita Irizarry, architect Derek Hoerferlin, eco-advocate Toni Anderson, and professor and Great Lakes advocate Rachel Havrelock. It's the final installment of a three-part deep dive series about the Great Lakes and will take place at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts. Tickets here.

TUESDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to CN4 Partners media strategist Michael Kolenc, Prairie Group Consulting’s Fred Lebed, and political observer Timothy Thomas Jr. for correctly answering that John Altgeld was Illinois’ first foreign-born governor. He was from Germany.

TODAY’s QUESTION: Who is the Illinois expressionist artist known for painting animal portraits? Email to [email protected]

Cresco Labs chief comms officer Jason Erkes, Highland Park City Manager Ghida Neukirch, Rodriguez Media Communications CEO Eve Rodriguez Montoya, and Crain’s reporter Ally Marotti

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