Good morning, Chicago. Steve Harmon’s house shakes when the mining company 100 yards away blasts into what was once farmland. His patio is constantly covered in a thin layer of fine white sand. He and his neighbors also had their groundwater wells replaced two years ago after iron leached into their drinking water. The LaSalle County native is simply thankful the sand mine only operates a few days a week. This is the lesser-known side of the fracking industry that former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have vocally supported on the campaign trail. The cocktail is injected into bedrock to fracture it and force once-trapped oil and natural gas to the surface. Most of this drilling has happened in Pennsylvania, North Dakota and Texas, which have richer fossil fuel reserves and less restrictive regulations than Illinois. However, little attention and oversight has been given to the sand mines in LaSalle County that proliferated because of drilling operations in these other states. Read the full story from the Tribune’s Karina Atkins. Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day. Subscribe to more newsletters | Puzzles & Games | Today’s eNewspaper edition People leave after voting in the Atlanta suburb of Sandy Springs, Ga., on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy) Election Day 2024: What to expect in Illinois, Indiana and key battleground states up and down the ballot It’s almost Election Day. Here’s what you need to know about the races in Illinois and Indiana — as well as other states around the country. How to vote early, get a mail-in ballot or find a polling place in Illinois Chicago’s elected school board races: Everything to know ahead of Election Day Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling and Ald. Debra Silverstein, 50th, right, attend a news conference at police headquarters on Oct. 28, 2024, after a person shot a man Saturday morning in the West Rogers Park neighborhood before engaging in a shootout with police officers. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune) Charges filed in weekend shooting in Rogers Park; alderman calls for hate crime investigation A man is facing a half-dozen counts of attempted murder and several other felonies after he allegedly shot a man Saturday morning before engaging in a minutes-long shootout with Chicago police officers on the North Side. The crime was not immediately charged as a hate crime, disappointing Ald. Debra Silverstein, 50th, who said many in her ward feel unsafe after the shooting. The victim was in traditional Orthodox dress and on his way to synagogue when he was struck by a bullet. Members of the Humboldt Park Puerto Rican community rally on Division Street in response to stand-up comic Tony Hinchcliffe’s derogatory comments about Puerto Rico at at a Republican nominee former President Donald Trump rally on Oct. 28, 2024. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune) Puerto Ricans in Chicago condemn joke at Trump rally: ‘It’s a disrespect to the people’ After stand-up comic Tony Hinchcliffe referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean” at a Donald Trump rally Sunday at Madison Square Garden, Chicago Puerto Ricans said they felt the humiliation of a community that has long suffered from mistreatment and is often undermined. City Council members exit past a portrait of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson after a council meeting at City Hall on Oct. 22, 2024. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) Aldermen expecting Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget plan to include property tax increase Aldermen briefed on Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plans are expecting the mayor to propose a 2025 property tax increase to help close Chicago’s yawning budget gap. Three aldermen who spoke to the Tribune on background Monday said Johnson administration officials told them in one-on-one briefings that the mayor will recommend a property tax hike as part of his plan to balance the budget. The mayor’s team did not specify how large such a tax increase would be, the aldermen said. Nurses and supporters strike outside of University of Illinois Hospital on Aug. 19, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune) Nurses at University of Illinois Hospital vote to authorize second strike Nurses at University of Illinois Hospital & Clinics have voted to authorize what could be their second strike since August — as they continue to ask for better pay, staffing and security. Tracey Scott, CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority, speaks at a groundbreaking ceremony for the National Public Housing Museum in October, 2022. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) Chicago Housing Authority CEO Tracey Scott to leave her role on Friday She will be replaced for the time being by Angela Hurlock, current chairperson of the board, as CHA searches for her replacement. Scott has served as head of the organization for four and a half years. Theresa Reyes McNamara, chair of the Southwest Environmental Alliance, speaks during a news conference held by the Alliance, urging Mayor Brandon Johnson to withhold a permit for Sims Metal on Oct. 28, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune) Activists urge city to delay permitting for a scrap metal shredder in Pilsen Environmental justice activists gathered Monday outside City Hall to demand Chicago officials delay a permitting decision for a scrap metal shredder in Pilsen. The city issued a draft permit on Oct. 8, signaling that the facility, which has racked up environmental violations, is here to stay. Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (86) and Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (29) go up for the Hail Mary pass that Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown (85) caught for a touchdown on the final play Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) Tyrique Stevenson apologizes to Chicago Bears teammates for his viral lapse on Hail Mary: ‘I let the moment get too big’ Less than 24 hours after his viral lapse in focus on the Washington Commanders’ winning Hail Mary, Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson stood up in a full team meeting Monday at Halas Hall and attempted to take accountability. Stevenson knew he let his teammates down when he turned his back to the field to interact with the Northwest Stadium crowd as Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels started the play. Stevenson was supposed to be getting in position, ready to box out wide receiver Noah Brown behind a jump ball. Column: Tyrique Stevenson’s antics made Sunday’s epic Bears loss even more epic Officials stop a fight between Chicago Blackhawks left wing Patrick Maroon and Nashville Predators right wing Michael McCarron in the first period at the United Center on Oct. 25, 2024. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) Pat Maroon’s small roles make a sizable impact on the Chicago Blackhawks For Pat Maroon, even a fight is part of the plan to help change the Chicago Blackhawks’ habits: “If I can dictate that, to play a simple style of hockey … that’s the end goal for me.” Jon Stewart poses in the press room with the award for outstanding talk series for “The Daily Show” during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Jon Stewart will remain ‘Daily Show’ host on Mondays through 2025 Jon Stewart isn’t done skewering the news — he’s signed on to continue hosting “The Daily Show” on Mondays through the end of next year. Paramount announced Monday that Stewart would continue hosting the Comedy Central series once a week, as he’s done through much of 2024 in the runup to the U.S. presidential election. Joe MazzaMary Tilden, Amber Washington and Jodi Gage in “Coronation” by Refracted Theatre Company at the Den Theatre in Chicago. (Joe Mazza) New play asks why America can’t elect a female leader. Will rewrites be needed after Nov. 5? Twenty years from now, Siri will be Kiki. Climate change will render breathing so dicey that the government will issue daily color-coded air-safety notices. Kate Middleton will be the Queen of England. And, if we can believe “Coronation,” at the Den Theatre in Wicker Park, the United States of America will still not have elected a female president. That last part — indeed, the part of the plot that the entire work hinges on — as playwright Laura Winters well knows, may need changes in less a week, after Election Day. The problem is the play, at least right now, runs through Nov. 16. Chicago Tribune’s Holiday Cookie Contest. Voting is over! Here are the 13 finalists for the Tribune’s 2024 Holiday Cookie Contest More than 1,300 readers cast over 2,700 votes in this year’s Holiday Cookie Contest. After weeks of battling it out at the polls, here are the 12 recipes that received the most votes and are moving on to the final delicious round.