Good afternoon! I’m looking forward to not getting 10 calls and three robo-texts a day from campaigns hoping to win in today’s runoff election in Chicago. Here’s what you need to know.

1. An extremely close race for mayor could show just how progressive or moderate Chicago leans

Will Chicago voters follow New York City and elect a “law and order” candidate for mayor a la Eric Adams? Or will they go in the direction of Los Angeles and send a self-styled progressive like Karen Bass to City Hall?

We may not know for days because of — you guessed it — mail-in ballots, writes my colleague Fran Spielman.

For those watching the results tonight, a 4-percentage-point gap between Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson might be too close for either camp to concede. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Election officials said more than 249,000 early voting and mail-in ballots had been counted as of Sunday. You can find more election news from WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times in this live blog. [Chicago Sun-Times]

And WBEZ will air special election coverage after polls close at 7 p.m. You can listen at 91.5 FM, online or on the WBEZ app.

2. Five students were taken into custody after reports of a gun at Highland Park High School

A demonstration at Highland Park High School against gun violence was followed by a lockdown after school officials were warned a student brought a gun on campus, reports ABC7 Chicago.

A suspect was identified and seen on security footage leaving the building with another student, according to a letter from District 113 Superintendent Bruce Law.

At least five students have been taken into custody, officials said.

Earlier in the morning, students walked out of the school in support of a ban on assault weapons, which they say is needed after the Fourth of July mass shooting in the northern suburb as well as the recent school shooting in Nashville. [ABC7]

3. A Chicago firefighter died and two others were injured while battling an extra-alarm blaze

Firefighter Jermaine Pelt was among those responding to a house fire in the West Pullman neighborhood around 3:15 a.m. today that eventually spread to three buildings, Chicago Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt told reporters Tuesday morning.

Pelt, whom Nance-Holt knew personally, “went down” as crews were ordered out of the area due to worsening conditions.

“Our firefighters and paramedics, they worked feverishly on Jermaine, doing CPR all the way from the scene to Christ Hospital,” Nance-Holt said.

Pelt, who had celebrated a birthday in March and just walked his older daughter down the aisle, was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to officials. [Chicago Sun-Times]

4. Secret ‘risk rankings’ unfairly target struggling customers for faster gas and electricity cutoffs, consumer groups say

You’ll never see this on your bill, but gas and electric companies in Illinois have secretly assessed your “risk.”

That could mean faster disconnections for people struggling to pay their bills and more leeway for those who aren’t, reports my colleague Stephanie Zimmermann.

Consumer groups say this practice — used by ComEd, Peoples Gas and its sister company North Shore Gas, as well as the downstate electric and gas company Ameren — is blatantly unfair.

“We think there’s a strong argument that this process is discriminatory,” says Karen Lusson, a former assistant public utilities bureau chief for the Illinois Attorney General’s Office who’s now with the nonprofit National Consumer Law Center.

State lawmakers are considering a proposal that would give financially struggling customers discounted rates and prohibit accelerated disconnections based on risk ranking. [Chicago Sun-Times]

5. New season, new COVID-19 booster shot

The Food and Drug Administration has decided to allow some people to get a second booster of an updated vaccine to target the omicron variant, NPR reports.

Those eligible include people 65 and older who got their first omicron booster at least four months ago, as well as people with weakened immune systems.

An official announcement is expected within two weeks, NPR reports.

The news comes as the agency is “focusing on planning for an annual COVID booster campaign starting in the fall of 2023 — with vaccines that will have been updated to target whichever variant is expected to be circulating next winter,” NPR reports. [NPR]

Here’s what else is happening

• Former President Donald Trump turned himself in to the authorities today. [AP]
• Finland joined the NATO military alliance today, dealing a blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin. [AP]
• U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García said his 28-year-old daughter, Rosa, died last night. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• Moana will be the next Disney animated movie to receive a live-action remake. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

Does Chicago need a “South Side Ravinia”?

The debate over using public parks for private events intensified during the pandemic, with neighbors complaining about being locked out of an amenity funded by their tax dollars.

So why not have a permanent outdoor venue for musical festivals?

That’s the argument being made for the old U.S. Steel South Works site, nearly 500 acres of land right on the lakefront that has been mostly quiet since the big mill was demolished 30 years ago, writes my colleague Lee Bey.

“There is the Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park and Huntington Bank Pavilion, a 30,000-seat amphitheater on Northerly Island — and those are all well and good,” Bey writes.

“But given how neighborhood parks are being overburdened as event hosts, the city needs more. And something big, new and exciting.” [Chicago Sun-Times]

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?

Renuka writes:

“Favorite warm weather hangout — well a place on my list is Robert’s Pizza for a weekend brunch. Have not been but crying to try!”

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