Good afternoon! So what are we going to talk about now that the election is over? Oh right, all the problems facing the city, beginning today. Here’s what you need to know.

1. The challenges confronting Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson

Brandon Johnson, who will soon become the city’s 57th mayor, probably won’t have time to catch up on his sleep after an incredibly close election.

Today, my colleague Fran Spielman looks at the daunting challenges confronting the next mayor of Chicago.

“From assembling a personal staff and cabinet and choosing a new police superintendent from three finalists chosen by a civilian oversight agency to speeding up police hiring and devising a plan to stop the traditional summer surge of violent crime, the new mayor has his work cut out for him,” Spielman writes. [Chicago Sun-Times]

There’s also the fact that many voters didn’t back Johnson. That wasn’t lost on the mayor-elect, who vowed last night to reach out to those who supported Paul Vallas.

“I care about you. I value you. And I want to hear from you,” Johnson said during his victory speech. “I want to work with you.” [WBEZ]

Some of Johnson’s first decisions will have to do with the “issue nearest and dearest to his heart and his work over the past decade” — education, writes my colleague Nader Issa. [Chicago Sun-Times]

2. Chicago’s Black political establishment may face a ‘reckoning’

Several prominent Black leaders backed Paul Vallas’ unsuccessful bid for mayor, raising a series of questions about the future of this establishment, writes WBEZ’s Natalie Moore.

“Vallas’ glad-handing and possible horse-trading is how politics work,” Moore writes. “What did Vallas promise to Black Chicago? And now that Johnson has been declared the winner, how will the Black establishment try to curry favor with the new mayor they shunned?

“An even more critical point will be when the ward-level voter breakdowns are released. What will it mean if Black voters cast ballots for Johnson, while their council representatives backed the loser and are seen as out of touch?” [Chicago Sun-Times]

3. The City Council could become more diverse, including a record number of Latino members

Fourteen Latino council members will be sworn into office next month, up from the 12 elected in 2019.

And the number of Asian council members could grow from one to two, report my colleagues Robert Herguth and Sophie Sherry, who take a look at how the council is poised to become more diverse.

“After the 2019 election, there were 18 white members of the City Council; with Tuesday’s election, that number could drop to 14, the smallest number since the 50-ward system was adopted in 1923,” they write.

Black representation looks like it will remain the same with 20 members. And the number of women on the council will increase from 15 to at least 17 and, depending on final results, could tie the record of 18 set back in 2007. [Chicago Sun-Times]

4. Two Chicago firefighters have died this week while battling separate blazes

The most recent death took place this morning as crews battled an extra-alarm fire in a high-rise building near the Gold Coast neighborhood, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

The fire erupted on the 27th floor, meaning firefighters had to climb 26 flights of stairs to get to a staging area where crews were being rotated to fight the blaze.

Chicago Fire Department Lt. Jan Tchoryk collapsed in a stairwell of the building, said Fire Department Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt.

“This has been a tragic week for us — unprecedented,” Nance-Holt said. “I have two funerals to prepare for, two grieving families and a huge department that’s broken.” [Chicago Sun-Times]

Firefighter Jermaine Pelt was killed yesterday while battling a blaze in West Pullman.

“I would call him a hero. He’s my hero,” said Pelt’s father, John. “Right now I’m not feeling that great.” [Chicago Sun-Times]

5. Do plants cry out for help?

Yes, according to researchers in Israel.

They found plants make popping sounds similar to popcorn kernels popping when they are cut, dehydrated or infected. But the noise is inaudible to humans.

“We always thought that plants are silent,” researcher Yossi Yovel told The Washington Post. “And now we realize that they actually make those sounds quite often, and they are meaningful to some extent.”

The researchers put various plants in soundproof boxes with two ultrasonic microphones, which picked up the popping sounds at frequencies between 40 and 80 kilohertz. [Washington Post]

Here’s what else is happening

• Here are five things to know about the felony charges facing former President Donald Trump. [NPR]
• Liberals won control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court for the first time in 15 years. [Wisconsin Public Radio]
• Klaus Teuber, who created The Settlers of Catan board game, died at 70. [AP]
• The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a winner, writes movie critic Richard Roeper. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Oh, and one more thing …

More than 99% of NPR’s funds do not come from federal sources.

I mention it because Twitter added a “state-affiliated media” tag to the network’s main account, a label that is untrue.

“NPR stands for freedom of speech and holding the powerful accountable. It is unacceptable for Twitter to label us this way. A vigorous, vibrant free press is essential to the health of our democracy,” said NPR CEO John Lansing. [NPR]

Twitter has not said why it added the tag.

But The Washington Post reports the move appears “to be inconsistent with Twitter’s own rules,” which at one point stated, “State-financed media organizations with editorial independence, like the BBC in the UK and NPR in the US, for example, are not defined as state-affiliated media for the purposes of this policy.” [Washington Post]

Tell me something good …

Summer really does feel like it’s around the corner even though we just entered spring. So what are your favorite warm-weather hangouts?

Susan G. writes:

“We love the lagoon in Dawes Park in Evanston … it’s fun to watch the ducks and to enjoy the warm breeze coming off of Lake Michigan.”

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