Good afternoon! It’s Tuesday, and I saw a majestic Newfoundland dog over the weekend. It’s like a little bear! Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Chicago saw more gun violence this Labor Day weekend

At least 44 people were shot, nine fatally, over the long weekend. That’s a significant increase from last Labor Day weekend, during which 27 people were shot and seven killed.

The uptick in violence came as the Chicago Police Department deployed 400 less officers over the weekend compared to last year. [Chicago Tribune]

Meanwhile, Mayor Lori Lightfoot lashed out at Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who tweeted that Chicago’s violence shows gun control measures don’t work. [Chicago Sun-Times]

WBEZ looked into how Chicago gets its guns and found that it’s mostly small-time traffickers who go to Indiana and other nearby states with lax gun laws. [WBEZ]

2. Students returned to Chicago public schools today

And the school district faces some big challenges this year. Chicago Public Schools is currently trying to avoid another teachers’ strike, which could happen as soon as Sept. 26.

One sticking point is compensation. The school district offered teachers a 16% raise over five years, but the Chicago Teachers Union wants a 15% raise over three years.

Aside from a possible teachers’ strike, Chicago Public Schools also faces big questions this year over whether student enrollment will continue to drop and if CPS will change the way it funds schools. WBEZ created a rundown of those problems and more, which you can find here. [WBEZ]

3. Hurricane Dorian inches closer to U.S.

The hurricane was downgraded to a Category 2 storm today but remains dangerous. The National Hurricane Center said Dorian is growing in size, with hurricane-force winds extending up to 60 miles from the storm’s center.

Forecasters say Dorian will be “dangerously close” to Florida’s east coast later today and through Wednesday evening. [NPR]

Dorian hit the Abaco Islands as a Category 5 storm over the weekend and has hovered over the Bahamas, resulting in at least five deaths and bringing “unprecedented and expensive” devastation, said Bahamas’ prime minister. [NPR]

4. Walmart plans to scale back gun sales

The biggest brick-and-mortar retailer in the world announced it will make a number of changes after two “horrific” shootings took place this summer at Walmart stores.

Walmart will stop selling a type of ammunition that can be used for military-style weapons, discontinue handgun ammunition sales and stop handgun sales in Alaska. The retailer is also asking customers to no longer openly carry firearms in stores unless officers are present.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon is also urging President Donald Trump and Congress to pass “common sense measures,” such as strengthening background checks. [CNBC]

5. How a churchgoing mother was deported

Last month, we told you the story of Julita Bartolome, 66, who is married to a pastor in the Chicago area. She was deported on Aug. 22 to her native Philippines after living in the U.S. since 1988.

Bartolome’s family recently talked to WBEZ about the day she was arrested.

“I was shocked and stunned, and I don’t know where to go, asking people, ‘Where’s my wife?’” recalled Bartolome’s husband Edgardo, a part-time pastor at Filipino Immanuel Baptist Church on Chicago’s Northwest Side.

“And then I’m crying, I’m crying coming home, driving slowly.” [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, a deported veteran is asking officials to reconsider his citizenship application now that he has been pardoned by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. [WBEZ]

Here’s what else is happening

• More candidates are seeking to unseat Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. [Chicago Sun-Times]

• At least 25 deaths have been confirmed after a dive boat caught fire off the coast of Southern California. [NPR]

• Cook County prosecutors declined to bring charges in about one in every five murder cases brought to them by Chicago police between 2011 and 2018. [WBEZ]

• Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie are among the six finalists for this year’s Booker Prize. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

The Harry Potter books have been removed from a Catholic school in Nashville because … the school’s priest said the spells in the fictional books are real, according to The Tennessean.

“These books present magic as both good and evil, which is not true, but in fact a clever deception. The curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells; which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading the text,” the priest said in an email obtained by the newspaper.

The priest said he consulted with exorcists in the U.S. and Rome who recommended removing the books. [Tennessean]

Tell me something good …

Kids are back in school, and I’d like to know what’s one of your favorite memories about going to school or college.

Me? Nothing was funnier in grade school than playing kickball and accidentally nailing the playground supervisor. Everyone would stop playing and bust out laughing so hard that some of us would fall to the ground.

What’s one of your favorite memories of going to school or college? Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet me at @whuntah.

Thanks for reading! Have a nice night, and I’ll see you tomorrow.