Hey there, it’s Thursday! And sometimes the small things in life are just enough. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Chicago Teachers Union sets strike vote

The union inched closer to a possible strike this week by calling for a vote to authorize a walkout.

The vote is slated for Sept. 24 through Sept. 26. The Chicago Teachers Union said the earliest it would go on strike is Oct. 7.

Teacher compensation is one of the issues under negotiation between the union and Chicago Public Schools. Mayor Lori Lightfoot last week said the city would increase its offer to 16% over five years to match a recommendation from an independent fact-finder.

The Chicago Teachers Union is seeking a 15% increase over three years. [WBEZ]

Here’s a handy timeline of contract talks between the union and the city. [Chalkbeat]

2. Hurricane Dorian pounds Carolina coast

The Carolinas are being hit with heavy rainfall, flooding and even tornadoes as the Category 2 storm creeps up the East Coast.

As of noon, Dorian carried winds at 110 mph, the upper limit for a Category 2 storm. Forecasters say it threatens to bring up to 15 inches of rainfall and flash flooding.

“This is a life-threatening situation,” said the National Hurricane Center.

Meanwhile, the death toll continues to climb in the Bahamas, where Dorian hit as a devastating Category 5 storm. At least 20 deaths have been confirmed as authorities continue search and rescue missions, and officials believe the toll will rise significantly. [NPR]

Here’s a look at the destruction caused by Dorian in the Bahamas. [NPR]

3. Sean Spicer is speaking at NEIU, and it’s not sitting well with students and teachers

The former White House press secretary will speak at Northeastern Illinois University on Sept. 12 along with Fox News contributor Donna Brazile. The university has agreed to pay $50,000 in speaking fees to the duo, according to documents obtained by WBEZ.

The university says no taxpayer money will be used, and it will tap a fund created by a wealthy alumnus of NEIU who donated money for speaking engagements from “well-respected individuals.”

But the event is sparking criticism from the college community. More than 350 students, faculty, staff, and alumni sent a letter to the university’s president, Gloria Gibson, asking her to withdraw Spicer’s invitation to the public school with a highly diverse student body. [WBEZ]

4. Secret report on Laquan McDonald shooting could soon become public

City Hall’s top watchdog, Inspector General Joseph Ferguson, conducted an independent investigation in 2016 into the controversial police shooting of Laquan McDonald.

But city officials have kept his report secret despite Ferguson’s calls for its release because the public still does not know “the full story.”

That could now change, as a Cook County judge this week lifted one of the legal barriers that city officials say bars them from releasing Ferguson’s report.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot has introduced a measure that would remove the last remaining hurdle for the report’s release. If the City Council OK’s the measure at its Sept. 18 meeting, the city will make the records public, a mayoral spokeswoman said. [WBEZ]

5. Live near the proposed Obama Center? You might get priced out

That’s according to a study out today from the University of Illinois at Chicago, which found “clear evidence” that rents at new and renovated apartments near the proposed Obama Presidential Center will rise to a point that the current residents can’t afford.

The study urges guarantees on affordable housing in the area. Two City Council members representing areas near the center’s location have introduced an ordinance mandating 30% of new or rehabbed developments should be affordable housing. The ordinance would also establish a property tax freeze in the area, among other things. [Block Club Chicago]

Here’s what else is happening

Oh, and one more thing …

It’s Thursday, which means it’s that time of the week when my friends gather at the bar to discuss their stressed-out coworkers who popped off on them. Here’s a handy guide for dealing with passive-aggressive people.

Charmon Parker Williams, a professor of business psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, says people who are passive aggressive often have a hard time with changes in the workplace.

“Employee resistance to changes, like the introduction of new systems or processes, new leadership, a reduction in force, or a new work location often results in passive-aggressive behaviors, especially when employee input was not considered or the change resulted in some degree of loss for the individual,” she says.

There’s a lot of other helpful advice in this article. Check it out. [Fast Company]

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.

Colleen White writes:

“My favorite grade school memory was in 4th or 5th grade in Little Flower Catholic School on the far southwest side of Chicago.

“The science teacher was a nun named Sister Padraic. We were studying the heart and for a number of days we would take our pulse in a calm state and then we would take it again after dancing like crazy to Elton John’s ‘Crocodile Rock,’ some of us doing a dance we called the criss cross.

“Sister Padraic was a short round person … a female version of Friar Tuck. She still wore her habit but that didn’t stop her from joining us dancing. She’d do the twist, moving her arms along her very full waistline. We all got the biggest kick out of it.”

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.