Good afternoon! I’ll have to try this with my dog. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. The extremely close mayoral race may come down to Latino voters, analysts say

With just days before the April 4 runoff election, a “striking” number of Black and Latino voters say they have not been contacted by either campaign, according to a poll conducted by the Center for the Study of Diversity and Democracy at Northwestern University and Black and Latino nonprofits.

While the Latino vote is “up for grabs,” the numbers tilt slightly in favor of Paul Vallas over Brandon Johnson, said Jaime Dominguez, a researcher at Northwestern.

“There is an opportunity for both campaigns over the next few days to really engage this electorate,” he said.

When it comes to issues, crime was overwhelmingly the top concern among Black, white and Latino voters, according to the poll.

But Latino and white voters said inflation and the cost of living were their second priority. And Black voters listed police accountability as their second concern. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Meanwhile, here’s a look at why young people in Chicago aren’t voting. [Chicago Sun-Times]

And the Vallas campaign sent out a mailer featuring Mayor Lori Lightfoot slamming Johnson. But the mayor’s campaign said she didn’t sign off on it. [WBEZ]

2. A man brutally beaten by a CTA worker was seeking refuge at a Blue Line station, prosecutors say

The man, Kevin Powell, was known as “a nice guy, never gave anyone no trouble,” said a supervisor at a Bronzeville soup kitchen.

His comments were made after a bail hearing this week for Emmett Richardson, a CTA employee accused of viciously beating Powell, who was later found dead at the LaSalle Street Blue Line station over the weekend.

A Cook County judge set bail for Richardson, who faces felony counts of aggravated battery, at $3 million.

Powell’s death comes amid a homeless crisis that has forced many people to seek refuge on public trains and buses, advocates say.

“There aren’t enough beds in the shelters for everyone. Oftentimes, riding the trains is the only way they can stay out of the elements overnight,” said Sanja Rickette Stinson, the chief executive of the Matthew House soup kitchen frequently visited by Powell. [Chicago Sun-Times]

3. An inside look at Michael Madigan’s vast patronage system inside ComEd

Federal prosecutors this week played damaging videos and other secretly recorded conversations in the bribery trial of four former ComEd executives and lobbyists.

The undercover recordings were made by Joseph Dominguez, a onetime ComEd executive who is now one of the most famous government moles in Chicago, says WBEZ’s Dave McKinney.

In one recording, a close confidant of Michael J. Madigan sat down with Dominguez in March 2019 and explained how the then-powerful Illinois House speaker had long viewed the massive utility as an “old-fashioned patronage system,” report my colleagues Jon Seidel and Tina Sfondeles. [Chicago Sun-Times]

4. The big dollars behind efforts to shape the next City Council

More than $21 million has flowed into City Council races this election cycle, reports Block Club Chicago, which takes an in-depth look today into how “unions, interest groups and some of Chicago’s wealthiest businessmen are waging an expensive ward-by-ward battle over the direction of the city.”

Some of these battles include proxy fights between pro-business moderates against self-proclaimed progressives.

Among the centeralists are the wealthy Michael and Cari Sacks, who gave “$292,000 to 17 council incumbents and five hopefuls,” reports Block Club.

“In fact, the Sacks gave more to council candidates than the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce or any business group.” [Block Club Chicago]

5. The FDA approved Narcan for over-the-counter sales

The overdose-reversing nasal spray will soon be available to buy without a prescription, the Food and Drug Administration announced today.

“Today’s action paves the way for the life-saving medication to reverse an opioid overdose to be sold directly to consumers in places like drug stores, convenience stores, grocery stores and gas stations, as well as online,” the FDA said in a statement.

Public health officials and treatment specialists have long advocated for making the nasal spray more broadly available as the nation struggles with alarmingly high drug-related deaths. [NPR]

In Cook County, officials have previously said the number of opioid deaths last year will likely hit a new record of more than 2,000. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Here’s what else is happening

• Another round of COVID-19 boosters may be coming this spring. [NPR]
• Reparations for Black residents in California could top $800 billion. [AP]
• A Wisconsin school banned a Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton duet from a class concert that promoted LGBTQ acceptance. [NPR]
• Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City features Tom Hanks and aliens. [Pitchfork]

Oh, and one more thing …

What is up with this week? There have been two weird food stories that can’t be unseen. So allow me to share their horror.

First up is the very unappetizing “mammoth meatball.”

“An Australian company on Tuesday lifted the glass cloche on a meatball made of lab-grown cultured meat using the genetic sequence from the long-extinct pachyderm, saying it was meant to fire up public debate about the hi-tech treat,” the AP report. [AP]

Then there’s the 3D-printed cheesecake that looks like something I can’t say on the radio.

Researchers at Columbia University in New York used a printer to make the dessert, and it “tasted pretty sweet — in more ways than one,” said one of scientists. [USA Today]

Tell me something good …

The “road construction season” is upon us, as you can tell from the traffic on the Kennedy. What podcasts do you play when you’re stuck in traffic?

Alex writes:

“When I’m in any boring situation, I listen to a podcast called Camp Here and There. It’s a comedy horror podcast about a summer camp in the Midwest that is affected by supernatural and magical events, as told to us by Sydney Sargent, the camp nurse.”

And Patricia writes:

“I’m listening to Theft by Finding by my favorite author, David Sedaris. I love his books but love his narration even more.”

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