Good afternoon! It’s Tuesday, and I wish my dog liked baths as much as this precious angel. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Chicago suburbs take the lead on gun violence in the aftermath of the Highland Park mass shooting

Momentum appears to be building in Chicago suburbs to ban assault weapons — and putting more pressure on Democrats in the state legislature who are planning their next move.

The Highland Park City Council last night unanimously approved a resolution urging state and federal bans on assault weapons, high capacity magazines and other actions to curb gun violence, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

That comes after Lake County, which includes Highland Park, approved a similar measure earlier this month.

And today, Naperville’s City Council will vote on whether to ban the sale of high-powered rifles.

Gov. JB Pritzker and his fellow state Democrats quickly vowed to tackle gun violence after the Highland Park mass shooting, but there has been little action since then. And that may have something to do with the upcoming election.

“There is internal debate over whether to bring up legislative proposals before the November election — and expose some Downstate Democrats to a vote they would rather avoid — or wait for the fall veto session, which takes place after the election,” reports Lynn Sweet at the Chicago Sun-Times. “The state House needs 71 yes votes to make any bill effective immediately and 60 votes for a 2023 effective date.” [Sun-Times]

2. Was a deadly hit-and-run outside one of Chicago’s oldest gay bars a hate crime?

Three people were killed over the weekend when a silver sedan raced down the street outside the Jeffery Pub, a famous gay bar on the South Side. So far, police say they can’t tell whether it was a hate crime.

“It appears to be intentional,” Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan recently told reporters. “We don’t have any evidence to support that somebody was trying to harm these individuals … because of their race, religion, etc. That can change once we get more witnesses and a suspect in.”

Authorities have found the sedan but are still searching for the driver.

The hit-and-run took place after an argument erupted at the bar and spilled onto the street, police say.

Among those killed were Donald Huey, who was visiting Chicago for a birthday remembrance for his late grandmother, and Jaylen Ausley, who worked with disadvantaged youth on the South Side. [Chicago Sun-Times]

3. Colleges ease COVID-19 restrictions as millions of students head back

Masking requirements are long gone and classes are back to in-person on many campuses throughout the nation, reports NPR. Testing guidelines have also been loosened, and isolation and quarantine dorms are a thing of the past.

College officials tell NPR the goal of easing these restrictions is to try and give students a more typical college experience.

“I don’t think we can just forget about COVID at all,” says Lisa Pearlman, the director of student health services at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. “But I do think we can kind of live with COVID for the first time and still do all of the other normal things. And that feels really different about this year than the past two.” [NPR]

4. One of the four pigs loose in a Chicago suburb has been apprehended

Yesterday I mentioned that four pigs have been on the run in the village of Wayne for about two weeks now.

After the newsletter went out, I got an email from Timothy Roberts, Wayne’s chief of police. He wrote that “a group of homeowners were monitoring the pigs near their house and were able to capture one of the younger pigs.”

Authorities have called in a group called the Chicagoland Pig Rescue for help safely catching the pigs who are “very elusive,” Roberts writes.

“We continue to receive sightings each day, which are forwarded to the rescue group. Hopefully, we have them soon and can get them to a safe place to enjoy life (and so they can tell the story about when they were on the run).”

5. Chicago is pretty thrifty

Tomorrow is National Thrift Shop Day, which I didn’t know was a thing. And it turns out Chicago is the 10th best city for thrift shopping, according to landscaping company Lawn Love.

The company looked at how many thrift stores, consignment shops, flea markets and other specialty thrift shops are in each city.

The top city for thrifting is New York City, followed by Houston, Los Angeles, San Antonio, San Diego, Phoenix, Indianapolis, Austin and Miami. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Here’s what else is happening

• A judge will hear arguments on Thursday for unsealing the affidavit used to justify the search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida residence. [CNN]
• First lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19. [NPR]
• More than 2 million baby swings and rockers are recalled after an infant’s death. [NPR]
• Scotland became the first nation to offer tampons and other period products for free. [Washington Post]

Oh, and one more thing …

How do I get a job that’s just thinking up stuff? NPR recently interviewed a philosopher, and how does one apply for such a job?

Does the resume include something like “fluent in deep thoughts”? “Handy with ideas?” “Expert at readjusting reading glasses”?

Anyway, this philosopher makes the sorta-not-new argument that humans right now need to do more to mitigate the harm experienced by future generations.

He calls this longtermism, which NPR describes as “the idea that humans have a moral responsibility to protect the future of humanity, prevent it from going extinct — and create a better future for many generations to come.” [NPR]

Tell me something good …

I saw Lady Gaga at Wrigley Field last night. And I’d like to know what is one of your favorite concerts or shows you’ve seen, whether it’s a band, comedian, drag queen or anything else.

Vicki writes:

“I was also at the Lady Gaga concert last night with my 13- and 11-year-old daughters. My 11-year-old has had a rough year, impacted by the pandemic, and this was exactly what she needed. Aside from the amazing show (and outfits!) Gaga put on, she had a lot of positive messages to share. Within minutes of the show starting, my daughter was in tears saying, ‘I’m so happy.’ I’ll cherish that moment forever.”

Lynn Weddle writes:

“Best concert by far was Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen at The Salt Shed. Surrounding the stage was the city skyline to the south, the north branch of the Chicago River to the east and those two hot babes (I am female, I can say babes) in front belting out beautiful songs. It was my best evening with my best guy this summer.”

And Rosemary Caruk writes:

“Among local bands, I had a blast at a Greaseballs (surf music) performance at Danny’s in the late 1980s. And of course, there’s Bruce Springsteen. My cousin nabbed tickets to shows two years in a row through Ticketron (which you could get at Sears, where he worked) in the early 1980s: 25th row the first year, 13th the second. Those concerts lasted at least four hours with only one break. It was amazing.

“The seats were on the main floor both years. And the concerts took place at the Allstate Arena (when it was known as the Rosemont Horizon).”

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