Hey there! I’m going to a renaissance fair this weekend with my husband and some friends. I’ll be “dressed up” as a beer-drinking wizard. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Chicago officials vow to help nearly 80 migrants bused out of Texas by Gov. Greg Abbott

Seventy-nine migrants were evaluated this morning after arriving in Chicago last night as part of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to send undocumented immigrants into Democrat-led cities.

The migrants, all originally from Venezuela, include seven infants, five other children and eight “youths,” according to Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration.

They spent the night at shelters, and city officials are interviewing them to determine what services they need.

U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García told the Chicago Sun-Times that Texas officials lured the migrants on a bus by promising they would have access to lawyers, housing and other forms of assistance.

“We need to ask the question of whether Governor Abbott may be involved in trafficking of migrants for political gain,” García said. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Some migrants said they traveled almost 40 days to reach Texas. One migrant named Jesus told the Chicago Sun-Times he experienced a “week of terror” as he traveled through Mexico.

“People told us no one is going to help you, you aren’t worth anything here. You can’t eat at a restaurant here, you have to eat in the streets. They treated us horribly. I told many of them, why are you like this, we’re just hungry and want to eat,” he said. [Chicago Sun-Times]

2. The Chicago Police Department is working to fill more than 1,000 vacancies, a Lightfoot aide says

The police department faces 975 vacancies for patrol officers and 105 empty detective positions, and a top mayoral aide says the department is trying to train enough recruits to keep up with retirements.

The staffing shortages have garnered renewed attention, not just because of concerns over crime, but due to officers complaining they are overworked and frequently have their days off canceled.

Those cancellations are partly blamed for a series of officer suicides. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Meanwhile, mayoral candidate Paul Vallas this week unveiled a plan to boost the ranks of officers. That plan includes waiving residency requirements for veteran officers and aggressively recruiting members of the armed services. [Chicago Sun-Times]

3. Republicans are preparing lawsuits against Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan

Republican lawmakers and state attorney generals are quietly discussing possible legal challenges that could “limit or invalidate” President Joe Biden’s plan to cancel some student debt, reports The Washington Post.

The newspaper reports that attorney generals from states including Arizona, Missouri and Texas have met in recent days to coordinate their strategies. And big names in conservative circles, including Sen. Ted Cruz and the Heritage Foundation think tank, are also exploring their own options.

Sources told the Post no decisions have been made, but “a legal battle could carry stark financial consequences for millions of student borrowers, who rejoiced last week after Democrats delivered on a long-standing promise to erase some of their debt.” [WaPo]

4. Student test scores fell sharply during the pandemic to levels not seen in decades

National test results released today laid bare the pandemic’s devastating effects on American students, with 9-year-olds losing ground in math and reading — and erasing decades of progress.

“It’s as if 9-year-olds were performing at the same level in math as 9-year-olds did back in 1999, and at the same reading level as in 2004,” reports Chalkbeat.

The news comes from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a test also known as “the nation’s report card.” And it provides the first nationally representative report on how students performed in math and reading just before the pandemic compared to this year.

“I was taken aback by the scope and the magnitude of the decline,” said Peggy Carr, who heads the National Center for Education Statistics, which administers the test. [Chalkbeat]

5. Drag racers could face prison time under a bill proposed by a Chicago Democrat

Drivers involved in drag races and other street stunts could be charged with a felony and face up to three years in prison under a proposed legislation introduced this week.

State Rep. La Shawn Ford told the Chicago Sun-Times he wants to send a “strong message” to those involved in Chicago’s underground car culture.

“It’s lawlessness,” he said. “The fact that they can do it and the law is silent on punishing [them] is alarming in itself.”

The bill comes after a weekend in which Chicago police struggled to respond to races that may have killed a woman visiting from Florida. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Here’s what else is happening

• Ginni Thomas, who is married to Justice Clarence Thomas, pressed Wisconsin lawmakers to overturn the state’s 2020 election results, emails show. [Washington Post]
• A group of 16 Lyft drivers and passengers from Illinois and elsewhere are suing the rideshare company over allegations of physical and sexual assault. [Chicago Tribune]
• R. Kelly said he will not take the stand in his trial in Chicago. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• Chicago officials gave $500,000 to two local abortion groups that are preparing for a wave of patients. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Oh, and one more thing …

As college students head back to class, my colleague Anna Savchenko looked at an extremely rare offering: the only liberal arts degree-granting program for incarcerated women in Illinois.

Northwestern University provides the classes at the Logan Correctional Center in central Illinois. Experts say such programs help people stay out of prison, and students at the women’s prison say it gives them something to look forward to.

“Just knowing that you are deserving of accomplishing something, or have the opportunity to do things that normal 21-year-olds would do, pursuing an education, pursuing your dreams, just makes you feel human,” said student Chelsea Raker. [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

With the Chicago Sky in the WNBA semifinals this week, I want to hear about your all-time favorite sports memories.

Carol White writes:

“Many years ago, as an adult, I attended my first ever Penn State game, against Boston College. (Interestingly enough it was held in Foxborough Stadium as BC did not have a large enough venue for us.)

“Reading the program I noticed that there were two players which I read as their names ILB and OLB, and I asked my friends, ‘When did (then) coach Paterno start recruiting Scandinavian players?’

“After they got over their convulsive laughter they explained to me that those were playing positions — inside linebacker and outside linebacker. Suffice it to say that I knew nothing about football and remain proud of that to this day.”

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