Good afternoon. It’s Wednesday, and I’ve been watching videos of fat cats all day. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. The City Council approved a bid to bring a casino to Chicago

Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s plan to bring a $1.7 billion casino to Chicago overcame a major hurdle today when the City Council overwhelmingly approved the proposal in a 41-7 vote. It now heads to the Illinois Gaming Board.

The Lightfoot administration has argued a casino will help bail out the city’s underfunded pensions, long a source of frustration for Chicago taxpayers.

But “the money collected in gambling and entertainment taxes will only be a drop in the massive bucket the city needs to fill each year in order to pay for the pensions of its current and former employees,” reports my colleagues Becky Vevea and Mariah Woelfel.

In 2028, when the city expects to rake in the full amount of money the casino is estimated to bring in, it will still fall about $40 million short of its required pension payment, due to annual increases, according to the city’s top financial officer.

Still, some members of the council argued it’s better to have something than nothing. [WBEZ]

2. Lightfoot’s 10 p.m. citywide curfew for minors passed the council despite questions over its effectiveness

The City Council also today approved a new curfew plan that was forged in response to the deadly shooting of 16-year-old Seandell Holliday this month in downtown’s Millennium Park. The vote was 30-19.

Several council members said there is little evidence showing the strict curfew will work in curbing gun violence. Even a top official at the Chicago Police Department struggled to make the case and failed to provide evidence during a hearing last week.

And many critics have pointed to this 2018 report from The Marshall Project, which found that “a voluminous body of research has cast strong doubts on the claims that juvenile curfew laws prevent victimization or reduce juvenile crime.”

Now, our attention turns to the ACLU of Illinois, which has signaled it may take the city to court over the new curfew. [WBEZ]

3. It’s 21 weeks into the year and America has already seen 213 mass shootings

That averages out to about 10 a week, reports NPR, citing figures from the Gun Violence Archive, an independent data collection organization.

The data show the recent mass shooting at a Texas elementary school and a racist attack at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, are not outliers. And mass shootings happen in the U.S. with depressing regularity.

We ended 2021 with 693 mass shootings, per the Gun Violence Archive. The year before saw 611. And 2019 had 417. [NPR]

Meanwhile, Democrats are again pushing bills aimed at curbing gun violence. But the proposals, like similar ones before them, face long odds in the Senate, where 60 votes are needed to overcome a filibuster. [AP]

Here’s a look at how other countries have responded to mass shootings. [Washington Post]

4. A look at Illinois’ gun laws

In the wake of the deadly mass shooting in Texas, my colleague Patrick Smith evaluated the current state of gun control in Illinois.

He reports that despite having some of the strictest gun laws in the country, Illinois still permits the purchase of so-called assault rifles.

That includes the AR-15-style gun that was used in the Texas shooting and many others. The weapon has been described by experts as a “highly-effective killing machine” and lambasted by gun-control advocates as a weapon with no purpose beyond slaughtering people. [WBEZ]

5. Illinois’ GOP primary for governor may show just how much support is behind the far right

There were two separate debates last night among the six candidates seeking the Republican nomination. That kept the two frontrunners — Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin and state Sen. Darren Bailey — from sharing the same stage.

But the debates offered a split screen look at the challenges Republicans have in seeking the top office in a state that leans blue.

On one channel is Irvin trying to forge a moderate-friendly path to victory. That’s why he demurs on questions that could hurt him in the general election, such as whether he voted for former President Donald Trump. [Sun-Times]

On the other channel is Bailey, who is hoping to energize far-right voters by evoking Trumpism, both in style and substance. For example, Bailey last night described Chicago as a “crime-ridden, corrupt, dysfunctional hellhole.” [Sun-Times]

All that said, the results of the GOP primary could give us the best measuring stick for how much support is behind the far right in Illinois and the direction of the state’s Republican Party.

Here’s what else is happening

• Inflation is expected to persist into next year, according to the Congressional Budget Office. [Washington Post]
• More cyclists are being killed by cars, and Chicago and other cities are trying to do more to address the problem. [NPR]
• Chicago’s “Walking Man” is in critical condition after being attacked last night. [Chicago Tribune]
• Uniformed police officers will be banned from marching in a Pride Parade in suburban Aurora. [WGN]

Oh, and one more thing …

Being an online influencer isn’t just a young person’s game.

The New York Times looks at so-called grandfluencers — people over the age of 65 who share “a new vision for what it means to live meaningfully with age.”

That includes The Old Gays, a group of four friends who started posting on Tik Tok in 2020 and have attracted 7.1 million followers. And there’s the more scripted Retirement House, which follows six senior influencers as they perform goofy stunts.

“I’ve been acting for 30 years, and I’ve done a handful of stuff,” said Retirement House’s Monterey Morrissey. “And here I am doing 10 seconds on an iPhone, and three and a half million people watch it.” [NYT]

Tell me something good …

What are some of your favorite restaurants?

Jamie Studenroth writes:

“Mother’s Ruin in Avondale! They are taking bar food to the absolute next level. Great spot to grab some food if you don’t want to commit to a full dinner. Also an amazing late night food spot + cool bar in general. I had the old bay waffle fries, and my friend got the deep fried red velvet oreos. OK, now I’m hungry.”

Laura writes:

“My favorite restaurant right now is Etta in Bucktown. Small plates for sharing and so many different and creative dishes. Save room for dessert! Great atmosphere and wonderful staff.”

And Diana writes:

“We just tried Aba for brunch yesterday after hearing nothing but raves, and I’m joining that chorus. There was definitely the feeling of ‘THIS is a Lettuce restaurant?!’ What with the gorgeous decor, top notch service, etc. Not that Lettuce is bad, this is just definitely like an upgrade. Anyway, give it a try!

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