Hey there! It’s Hunter! I’m back after a quick trip to Ohio for a wedding and a pit stop at Skyline Chili. Anyway, here’s what you need to know today.

1. It’s official: Biden will cancel up to $10,000 in student loan debt for most borrowers and extend the payment freeze

President Joe Biden finally announced the details of his long-awaited plan to offer some level of student loan forgiveness to about 43 million Americans.

Biden said individual borrowers earning less than $125,000 a year, or less than $250,000 a year for couples, can qualify for up to $10,000 in forgiveness.

Students who received Pell Grants can get up to $20,000 in loan forgiveness if they meet the same income requirements.

The Education Department said it will release more details on how borrowers can claim this relief in the weeks ahead. The White House estimates today’s plan will erase the student debt of about 20 million people.

Biden also extended the federal student loan payment pause through Dec. 31. [NPR]

2. Why the Sky deserves to be your favorite Chicago sports team right now

The Chicago Sky have advanced to the WNBA semifinals after a decisive Game 3 win against the New York Liberty. The team on Sunday will face the winner of the Connecticut Sun and Dallas Wings series.

The Sky are aiming to win back-to-back championships at a time when they have “earned, and deserve, broader attention from Chicago’s sports watching public,” reports Zachary Nauth for WBEZ.

“The Cubs sold off most of their fans’ favorite players, the talented White Sox have frustrated backers with fumbling play, the Bears are great for tailgating but not so much for playoff runs, and the Bulls are just beginning to show signs of life,” Nauth writes.

“But in the newish Wintrust Arena where the Chicago Sky play professional women’s basketball, getting there is a breeze, good seats can be had for under $50 and the team is not just the city’s only champs — the players, team and league are downright inspiring to their supporters.” [WBEZ]

3. Illinois Democrats, hoping the abortion debate will help deliver election wins, get a $5.5 million boost from Pritzker

Billionaire Gov. JB Pritzker is pumping millions of dollars into efforts to maintain the grip Democrats have on political power in Illinois, reports the Chicago Tribune.

The moves come as “Democrats are facing potential headwinds in the November election on the economy, crime and corruption,” the Trib reports.

But Pritzker and his fellow Democrats are hoping the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn abortion rights will galvanize their base and win over independents. [Chicago Tribune]

Nationally, there have been some signs the debate over abortions has upended an election cycle that political observers had previously believed would be a slam dunk for Republicans.

Earlier this month, voters in the conservative state of Kansas voted to keep abortions legal. Then last night, a Democrat who campaigned heavily on abortion rights won a special election for the U.S. House in an evenly divided district in New York. [Washington Post]

4. Just days into the new school year, some CPS students face two-hour bus rides

Transportation issues have once again emerged at Chicago Public Schools, which has blamed the problem on a bus driver shortage during the pandemic.

Clarissa Edwards, the mother of a special education student with disabilities, tells the Chicago Sun-Times her daughter’s commute is worse than last year.

“It’s super hard as a parent to justify putting your kid through four hours on the bus to get to school,” Edwards said. “It’s just really hard.”

School district officials say they are prioritizing buses for special education and homeless students during the driver shortage. CPS CEO Pedro Martinez says about 20% of children have routes over an hour long, while up to 4% face commutes closer to two hours.

“I just ask families, be patient with us, give us a couple weeks,” Martinez says. “There’s going to be opportunities for us to get more efficient on the routes.” [Chicago Sun-Times]

5. The war in Ukraine, half a year later

Today is the 31st Independence Day of Ukraine, and it also marks six months since Russia began its invasion of the country.

In this photo essay, NPR takes a look at the result of the war and what remains.

“Charred cameras that once held tender family photos. A coffee cup sits on a table near a recliner, singed and flaking. A kitchen table holds food left uneaten. What were they cooking that last day of normal?” [NPR]

Meanwhile, The Washington Post looks back at the 36-day battle for Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv, which would “represent the biggest foreign blunder in the 22-year rule of Russian President Vladimir Putin.” [WaPo]

Here’s what else is happening

• California is expected to ban the sale of new gasoline-power cars by 2035. [CNN]
• Members of Chicago’s City Council are weighing whether to accept a 9.62% pay raise right before an election. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• Columbus statues won’t return to Chicago parks until there is a security plan, says Mayor Lori Lightfoot. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• The “morally dubious podcaster” is becoming a trend in pop culture. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

Have there been any androgynous heroes?

I ask because Jason Momoa says he’s playing a “quirky and androgynous” villain in the next installment in the popular Fast and Furious franchise.

And I am very interested to see how the trident-wielding Aquaman portrays an androgynous villain. [Hollywood Reporter]

But going back to my question, David Bowie was definitely a hero and was super androgynous. And now I wish I could see him knocking out Aquaman.

Tell me something good …

Summer is coming to an end. My colleague Bianca is relatively new to Chicago and would like to know what are some of your favorite smaller-scale events or activities during the summer.

A. Anne Holcomb writes:

“Here is a free activity. Please check out the South Shore Nature Sanctuary (before it could be gone forever). There’s even a not-free concessions stand at the beach should you get hungry or thirsty.

“The South Shore Nature Sanctuary is located to the Northeast of the South Shore Cultural Center (formerly a 19th Century private country club that is also a wonder to see inside— and where The Blues Brothers movie was filmed).

“The South Shore Nature Sanctuary is a little slice of heaven that at 4.2 acres is not too big, nor too small. An improved path and boardwalk takes you through at least 4 ecosystems filled with native plants (that have been belovedly tended by trained local resident stewards), which ends in two community circles and an amazing Chicago skyline vista. See what Chicago looked like when our First Nations.

“Council of the Three Fires was here!

“Though part of a Chicago Park, this area is threatened by the Tiger Woods PGA Golf Course plan (despite a lot of resident opposition) who wants that climaxing vista for TV cameras and whose trademark is “clear and open fairways”. Plans are in place to clear-cut over 2,000 trees in Jackson and South Shore Parks for this privatized and monetized park development.

“The Chicago Sun-Times recently did an editorial on how the Tiger Woods PGA Golf Course plan should be scrapped. As a South Shore resident and Co-chair of ETHOS, an environmental justice block club, I concur!”

Feel free to email or tweet me, and your responses might be shared in the newsletter this week.