Trotter remembered, gay marriage and the rest of the day's news

1 Gay marriage passes

The Illinois House and Senate yesterday passed legislation to become the 15th state to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. The bill now awaits Gov. Pat Quinn’s signature. An unlikely hero for marriage equality emerged during the debate yesterday — Pope Francis, whom Mike Madigan quoted on the floor of the House. [Sun-Times]

2 Nothing Ventra’d, nothing gained

Another day, another black eye for Ventra. CTA boss Forrest Claypool is suspending all deadlines for switching over to the new fare payment system until everyone gets their act together. Claypool also said that he won’t pay Ventra’s contractor until it hits three benchmarks. It’s not within a country mile of any of them right now. [Sun-Times]

3 Trotter remembered

Charlie Trotter died yesterday morning at age 54. The Sun-Times’ Neil Steinberg remembers the mercurial man who paved the road from chef to celebrity. [CSTtv] And chefs from across the city gather to memorialize the trailblazer. [CSTtv]

4 All over the map

Off-year elections are in the books. Bill De Blasio became the first Democrat elected to run New York City in almost a quarter-century, overpowering Joe Lhota with nearly three quarters of the vote. And as expected, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie flexed his muscles in a 22-point win, cementing his position as a legitimate contender in the next presidential race (yes, we’re already talking about that). In the tightest high-profile race, Terry McAuliffe took the governor’s mansion in Virginia, further evidence of that state’s march toward the blue column. The Washington Post looks at the national implications of the results. [Washington Post]

5 Because winter wasn’t bad enough

Customers who use Peoples Gas, which just about everyone in Chicago, can expect to pay about 13 percent more to feel their toes this winter. You can thank a $56 million rate hike for the uptick, which’ll cost the average Chicago house $90 more this winter. [Crain’s]

6 McCown sticks around

Bears’ fans will likely have at least one more week before enjoying the flawed brilliance of Jay Cutler. The quarterback said yesterday that it’s unlikely he’ll be back for Sunday’s game against the Lions. Backup Josh McCown, sporting a QB rating north of 100, will continue to steady the ship. [Sun-Times]

7 Staying power

Beyond the creeping sense of hopelessness that accompanies life inside a cubicle farm, there’s now new research to support tearing those plastic walls. Grid’s Meg Graham explores what companies are doing to make footloose millennial workers stick around for more than a few quarters — an important proposition given the fact that it can cost up to $25,000 to replace one. [Grid]

8 For example …

Branding firm VSA, located in the old Montgomery Ward building, has just such an office. The company moved into the space three years ago and proceeded to turn it from a “raw concrete rectangle” into something that wouldn’t make fresh college grads run to the Peace Corps. [Grid]