Daywatch: Gov. J.B. Pritzker spends big — and plays it safe — in reelection bid

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Good morning, Chicago.

The Powerball jackpot keeps getting larger because players keep losing.

It happened again Saturday night as no one matched all six numbers and won the estimated $825 million grand prize. That means the next drawing tonight will be for a massive $1 billion, according to a statement by Powerball.

The winning numbers Saturday night were: white balls 19, 31, 40, 46, 57 and the red power ball 23.

The increased jackpot will remain the fifth-largest in U.S. history behind another Powerball prize and three Mega Millions lottery game jackpots. The biggest prize was a $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot won by three ticketholders in 2016.

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After a tumultuous first term, Gov. J.B. Pritzker spends big and plays it safe in reelection bid

As he seeks a second term, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who’s spent much of his adult life nursing political ambitions, is casting a wide net for support, an effort aided by a personal fortune that can underwrite months’ worth of TV ads and a robust campaign operation.

Four years ago, in a campaign that ended with a historic 16-point victory over one-term Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, Pritzker encouraged voters to “think big” about the many challenges facing Illinois.

This time, his mantra could well be “play it safe and leave nothing to chance.”

Tom Cullen, longtime brain in Madigan political operation, provided testimony for feds

When federal prosecutors tied former House Speaker Michael Madigan into a conspiracy case involving AT&T this month, they included an insider at the heart of the scandal with an overarching view of Madigan’s once-vaunted statewide Democratic organization and his secretive moves at the Capitol.

That insider is Tom Cullen.

Now, the Tribune has learned that Cullen, a lobbyist who played political point man for years on Madigan’s government staff, has testified before the ongoing federal grand jury looking into broad aspects of Madigan’s political world.

1 in 10 people in the U.S. have a rare disease. These 3 Chicagoland residents are on their own journey with a rare condition.

Amy Tomasulo’s pain is so debilitating she can’t work a full-time job.

“The unpredictability of the pain and the fact that I have the pain every day, whereas some patients don’t, it just makes it too hard to do most everything,” she said.

Attacks of pain come throughout the day, without any warning most of the time. And ordinary tasks like brushing teeth can be a trigger. But a lot of the time, the pain comes out of nowhere.

Tomasulo has a rare disease, which makes daily routines a struggle. And she’s not alone. According to the National Institutes of Health, 1 in every 10 people have a rare disease, meaning 25 million to 30 million people are living with one in the U.S.

Did the Robert Quinn trade play a part in the Chicago Bears’ defensive collapse?

Brad Biggs’ 10 thoughts after the Chicago Bears showed the emotional fallout that arrives with a thud when playing four days after trading away the team’s highest-paid player.

The Dallas Cowboys got off to a fast start against a Bears defense that had played well of late and rolled to a 49-29 victory before 93,767 fans on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.

Still short of 1st anniversary, Evanston’s Double Clutch Brewing named US’ small brewery of the year

Many breweries would not be able to pull off what Double Clutch Brewing is attempting on a quiet side street in north Evanston.

Double Clutch is the rare mashup of vintage auto showroom-meets-brewery, displaying a rotating collection of classic cars and as much memorabilia nodding to auto history (Mobilgas and Phillips 66 signs) as beer (Blatz and Hamm’s signs). The unlikely bedfellows could easily come across as not only incongruous, but needlessly gimmicky.

The reason it does work, however, is the reason many people walk through the front door: the beer.