🪔 Happy Friday and happy Diwali to everyone celebrating the Festival of Lights this weekend!

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🎂 Happy birthday to our members Melanie Shanks, Linda Cassidy and Marni Olmstead!

Today’s newsletter is 1,123 words — a 4-minute read.

A century after Prohibition, Illinois liquor stores, bars and restaurants are preparing for another last call: This time, it's for THC drinks.

The latest: A new state law aimed at cracking down on unregulated cannabis products will force many popular hemp-derived THC beverages off shelves starting Nov. 12.

How it works: Under the new Illinois Hemp Act, products containing more than 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container will be classified as cannabis and can only be sold by licensed dispensaries.

• To put that in perspective, a 5-milligram THC drink contains 12.5 times the amount allowed under the new limit.

State of play: Stores have until Nov. 11 to sell or otherwise dispose of them before the new restrictions take effect.

Context: The law is designed to bring oversight to intoxicating hemp products sold outside Illinois' regulated cannabis market.

• Supporters argued that the products were inadequately regulated, sometimes packaged to appeal to children and sold without the safeguards required of licensed cannabis businesses.

Yes, but: The restrictions also affect low-dose THC beverages that have become increasingly mainstream.

• THC drinks have appeared on menus at Navy Pier, the United Center and Lollapalooza.

Zoom in: The restrictions are forcing Illinois THC beverage makers to rethink their businesses, from reformulating drinks to reconsidering where they can sell them.

What's next: Chicago-based Plift and other beverage makers are organizing a "Last Call" fundraiser Tuesday at Duffy's in Lakeview East, where participants will join a statewide toast at 8pm.

The bottom line: Unlike the last Prohibition, nobody's going to need a speakeasy. Just a dispensary.

Go deeper

Illinois Republicans are licking their wounds after getting drubbed in the midterms, a defeat many GOP donors apparently saw coming long before Election Day.

Why it matters: The party that once dominated Illinois politics is struggling not only to win elections but also to attract the wealthy donors who once bankrolled its campaigns.

Case in point: Conservative megadonor Richard Uihlein, who poured more than $50 million into Republican Darren Bailey's 2022 campaign and an allied political action committee, contributed just $6,900 directly to Bailey this time around.

By the numbers: Bailey entered the final month of his unsuccessful campaign against Gov. JB Pritzker with about $432,000 in the bank, compared with Pritzker's $44.4 million.

• That's not a typo.

The big picture: Longtime Republican pollster Rod McCulloch says the party's traditional donors have grown weary of pouring millions into losing campaigns.

• "The donor class of the Republican Party decided some time ago that Illinois was a lost cause," McCulloch said on the "Crisis Cast" podcast.
• He pointed to major Republican investments in Richard Irvin's unsuccessful 2022 gubernatorial primary campaign and Paul Vallas' losing 2023 Chicago mayoral bid as examples of donors getting burned.

What they're saying: Bailey's running mate Aaron Del Mar acknowledges the party needs to rebuild its fundraising operation but says wealthy donors also bear some responsibility.

• "You can't build a competitive statewide organization if the people with the resources to help only show up when victory looks certain," Del Mar tells Axios.

Keep reading

🏛️ Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch will not seek another term as speaker after 26 House Democrats publicly opposed his reelection over his office's handling of sexual harassment allegations against former Rep. Harry Benton.

• Welch has held the post since 2021. House Democrats will select a new leader in January. (Sun-Times)

👩🏼‍🎤 The pop group Katseye postponed their sold-out concert at the United Center last night because a member got sick. (Tribune)

🎄WLIT-FM kicked off its holiday music marathon yesterday, marking the start of the merry season. (Block Club)

Earlier this week, we looked at President Trump's push to make daylight saving time permanent and what it could mean for Chicagoans, including winter sunrises after 8am.

• We also asked readers whether they'd prefer permanent daylight saving time, permanent standard time or sticking with the twice-yearly clock changes.

A quick refresher: Permanent standard time would mean earlier summer sunrises and sunsets, while permanent daylight saving time would mean later winter sunrises and sunsets.

What they're saying: Readers had plenty of thoughts about the annual clock-changing ritual.

• "Standard time is more natural and more aligned with our circadian rhythm. As much as I detest a 4:30 sunset, late sunrise would be worse." — Connie B.
• "I think school/work should start an hour later in winter in IL, but we should adopt DST year-round so the day feels longer, brighter." — Jen Y.
• "I like the change of pace. Gives us something to gripe about twice a year!" — Chris H.

More responses

👋 Hi, it's Monica.

Korean culture has been rocking it all over the world in recent years, so I shouldn't have been surprised to see a bevy of Korean specials land in local 7-Eleven stores.

• But I was. And I had to try them!

The verdict: Better, funkier and spicier than I expected from a 7-Eleven.

• 🍗 Eight tender boneless wings ($6.96) delivered bold flavor but lacked crunch.
• 🥟 Ten chicken dumplings ($5) with glass noodles and cabbage came out crisp and tasty but needed a dip in the gochujang and BBQ sauces.
• 🥪 Couched in soft marbled "fire & milk" bread, the K Town chicken salad ($5.49) featured bird and celery bathed in an impressively funky sauce.
• 🍜 The cold K Noodle salad ($5.99) featured crunchy vegetables and tangy sauce but would work better in summer than fall.

The bottom line: If you're craving spicy Korean chow at 2am for under $7, you could do worse than your local 7-Eleven.

• Still, for most of my Korean eating, I'll stick with homegrown local spots.

If you go: The specials last until Jan. 5, 2027.

Read more

👋 Hey, it's Justin! This weekend, iO celebrates its 45th anniversary, giving us the perfect excuse to revisit some of the legendary performers who helped make Chicago the improv comedy capital.

• Last week's TV legends quiz had a few winners. Congrats to Timothy P., Timothy A. and Jackie W.!

Take this week's improv legend quiz

Edited by Larry W. Graham.

🏓 Justin is practicing his backhand for tonight's Ping Pong Ball hosted by the Jackson Chance Foundation, a great organization that supports NICU babies and their families by helping cover their parking costs.

🍗 Monica's intrigued by Wednesday's "Come Through" event at PQM, where chefs Rob Levitt, Zach Engel, Sebastian White and Bar Bambi's Katie Renshaw will serve treats to support food education.

✈️ Carrie is on vacation.

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