Good afternoon! I’m eating my body weight in Girl Scout cookies. Tagalongs and Samoas all the way. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Lightfoot, García and Vallas appear to be the frontrunners, a new poll found

With just three weeks before the Feb. 28 election, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García and former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas are in a dead heat, according to a WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times/NBC5/Telemundo Chicago poll.

García led with 20%, followed by Vallas with 18% and Lightfoot with 17%. All three fall within the poll’s margin of error. And a large number of voters — 18% — remain undecided.

It is unlikely any candidate will win a majority of the votes cast in this month’s election, setting the stage for an April 4 runoff between the two candidates who won the most votes.

In hypothetical runoffs, Lightfoot trails behind both Vallas and, by a wider gap, García. In a contest between García and Vallas, 47% of respondents chose the congressman and 36% went with Vallas.

I know some readers are probably asking: What about Brandon Johnson, the candidate endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union?

He still remains unknown to many voters, with 22% saying they did not recognize his name, according to the poll. And in a one-on-one race between Johnson and Vallas, the candidates would be neck and neck.

In a Johnson-García matchup, Johnson trails 37% to García’s 47%. [WBEZ]

2. Mayoral candidates weigh in on … ghosts

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, former CPS CEO Paul Vallas, U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, state Rep. Kam Buckner and Ald. Sophia King squared off today at the first of two mayoral forums presented by WBEZ, the Chicago Sun-Times and the University of Chicago Institute of Politics.

The forum included questions received from the public, including this one from John in Rogers Park: Do you believe in ghosts?

King: “No.”

Buckner: “Ghost bus, unfortunately, yes,”

Vallas: “Yes.”

Lightfoot: “I believe in spirits from a material world.” (A nod to The Police.)

García: “Sometimes.” [YouTube]

On a more serious note, Vallas was the main target of attacks from competitors determined to stop him from rising to the top of the nine-candidate field. [Chicago Sun-Times]

3. NASCAR says its Chicago street race could pump $113 million into the local economy

A top NASCAR official is touting this summer’s street race in Chicago as an opportunity to lift the city out of a pandemic slump, filling up hotel rooms and broadcasting scenic parts of downtown across the world, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

In a meeting with the newspaper’s editorial board, NASCAR Chicago Street Race President Julie Giese said the race could pump $113 million into the local economy.

And 65% of the expected 100,000 attendees could come from out of town, boosting hotels that have suffered during the pandemic.

A NASCAR study — conducted by Frisco, Texas-based CSL International — also “expects tourists to book 24,000 hotel room nights in Chicago and generate $8.9 million in city, county and state tax revenue,” the Sun-Times reports. [Chicago Sun-Times]

4. Drag shows could be restricted or criminalized in at least nine states

Performing a drag show on public property would become a criminal offense under a proposed bill pushed by Republican lawmakers in Tennessee.

And at least eight other state legislatures across the nation are moving along with similar versions of that bill, reports NPR.

“Conservative media and Republican lawmakers have claimed that their opposition to drag shows is about protecting children,” the station reports. “They often repeat a homophobic trope that drag queens and the LGBTQ community are ‘grooming’ young children.”

The news also comes as Republicans target transgender Americans.

“This year, we are seeing the most, by far, pieces of anti-transgender legislation that we’ve ever seen in a single year,” said Erin Reed, an independent legislative researcher and activist. [NPR]

5. She was declared dead, but funeral home workers found her breathing

Talk about nuclear-grade nightmare fuel.

“Workers at a nursing home on Long Island, N.Y., pronounced an 82-year-old woman dead on Saturday — but nearly three hours later, staff at a funeral home discovered the woman was still alive and breathing,” NPR reports.

Now, state officials are investigating how the nursing home, the Water’s Edge Rehab and Nursing Center in Port Jefferson, handled the situation.

“This is an awful situation that has caused unnecessary trauma for the impacted resident and her loved ones,” said a spokesperson for New York Attorney General Letitia James. [NPR]

Here’s what else is happening

• Sen. Mitt Romney appeared to tell fellow GOP lawmaker Rep. George Santos “you don’t belong here” during last night’s State of the Union address. [NPR]
• LeBron James has now scored more points than any NBA player in history. [NPR]
• Chicago principals are more diverse than those nationally and in other urban districts, according to a UChicago study. [WBEZ]
• Remember Elián González? He’s poised to become a Cuban lawmaker. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

The safest city in the nation is just a short drive from Chicago.

Naperville was given the top honor in a survey of crime data by finance technology company MoneyGeek, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

And another Chicago suburb, Joliet, was named the eighth safest.

Chicago, meanwhile, was near the bottom: 239 of 263. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Tell me something good …

Valentine’s Day is next week. And I’d like to know what you love about the Chicago area.

Judy Yacker writes:

“In the dead of winter, when it’s cold, gray and dreary, I love going to the Garfield Park Conservatory and walking in the lush, flowery, warm rooms. It’s like being on a tropical vacation in the middle of Chicago. Such a gem of a place!”

And Dee writes:

“I love WXRT radio for all of these years and all of the DJ’s and the way they celebrated Lin Brehmer’s life and times after he passed away two weeks ago.

“I love the Art Institute, the nearby Lurie Garden and Millennium Park and the gorgeous lakefront and its walkways/bike-ways. I love all the green space along the lakefront and I love the little neighborhood stores that dot the city. I love the amazing variety of restaurants and music venues.

“I loved growing up on the North Side.”

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