City to test tap water:

Chicago water management officials say the city will start testing tap water on streets where lead pipes connect homes to the public water supply. The Chicago Tribune reported that Chicago Department of Water Management officials said that the agency will first ask volunteers to have their water tested before and after street mains are replaced. Chicago officials say the city’s tap water is safe because chemicals are added that protectively coat lead pipes. However, the city says bursts of lead can flow out of household taps. Chicago Public Schools have so far found high levels of lead in dozens of schools. Testing started after the discovery of lead in Flint, Michigan’s water. The brain development of young children can be impaired by lead.

Mailed reminders resume:

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White says his office has resumed sending vehicle registration reminder notices that he stopped mailing during the budget standoff. White said that the stopgap budget that state lawmakers passed over the summer means he can resume sending the notices in the mail. But to make sure he can keep doing so, White says he's drafting legislation that will allow his office to offer advertising space on the mailings.

No interest in stopping carp?

Charter boat operators in the Great Lakes say Congress might be giving up on a permanent solution to the threat of invasive Asian carp. The government has spent millions of dollars to prevent bighead and silver carp from reaching the lakes from the Mississippi River watershed, where they compete with native fish species. But some charter captains say more is needed. They want structures placed in Chicago-area waterways to separate the Mississippi and Great Lakes systems. That would require funding from Congress. Denny Grinold of Fish N’ Grin Charter Service in Michigan says he fears lawmakers are getting “Asian carp fatigue” and are losing interest in a permanent fix. Dave Spangler of the Lake Erie Charter Boat Association says a carp invasion would devastate the lake’s walleye and perch populations.