Hey there! What a dreary day in Chicago. Even my dog is over it. She stayed in bed until noon, and my husband had to get her up like she’s a teenager. Anyway, here’s what you need to know today.

1. Chicago’s embattled police superintendent is laying the groundwork for an exit

Aides to Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown have begun preparing a “legacy document” of his accomplishments and goals, report my colleagues at the Chicago Sun-Times.

The news comes as Mayor Lori Lightfoot faces eight challengers in this month’s election who have vowed to fire Brown.

But here’s the thing: “Even if Lightfoot wins a second term and allows Brown to keep his job, he could be just months away from being forced out anyway,” the Sun-Times reports.

“On Oct. 22, Brown will turn 63, the mandatory retirement age for Chicago police officers and firefighters,” the newspaper reports. “The last two Chicago fire commissioners — Jose Santiago and Richard C. Ford II — were required to retire at 63.” [Chicago Sun-Times]

Meanwhile, the Sun-Times is also reporting the head of the Police Department’s detective division is leaving the force. [Chicago Sun-Times]

2. Nearly two-thirds of Chicago voters say they feel unsafe, according to a new poll

I don’t have to tell you that crime has been the No. 1 issue in this year’s city elections.

But a poll out today further illustrates just how heavily the problem is weighing on voters.

The poll — commissioned by WBEZ, Chicago Sun-Times, Telemundo Chicago and NBC5 — found nearly half of voters are looking for the mayoral candidate who can best deal with crime that remains elevated since the beginning of the pandemic.

“When asked to rank issues guiding their decision in the mayor’s race, 44% said crime and public safety were most important, distantly followed by criminal justice reform at 13% and the economy and jobs at 12%,” my colleagues Mariah Woelfel and Tina Sfondeles report. [WBEZ]

3. Former Gov. Pat Quinn endorses Jesús ‘Chuy’ García for mayor

The mayoral campaign for U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García got a boost today from former Gov. Pat Quinn.

“He’s a progressive and I am, too,” Quinn said. “He is a committed reformer over 40 years.”

Quinn’s endorsement is partly noteworthy because he passed over Paul Vallas, who was Quinn’s running mate in 2014. [Chicago Sun-Times]

The news comes as García seeks to close off a main avenue of attacks against him in the mayoral race — his ties to disgraced crypto king Sam Bankman-Fried.

García’s congressional campaign says it will give back money it received from Bankman-Fried to clients who lost money from the collapse of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange. [Chicago Tribune]

4. Car insurance rate hikes would need state approval under a new bill introduced in Illinois

Two state lawmakers are pushing a plan to regulate car insurance rate hikes, giving the state’s insurance department the power to reject or modify increases, reports my colleague David Struett at the Chicago Sun-Times.

Forty-eight states have similar laws on the books. And supporters say these laws prevent discrimination against drivers based on credit score, ZIP code and gender.

State Rep. Will Guzzardi, a co-sponsor of the legislation, said one of his constituents recently transitioned genders and saw an instant 20% increase in their car insurance rate after updating their driver’s license.

In Illinois, car insurers made “$896 million in excess profits” during the first year of the pandemic, when less people were driving, and then raised rates by more than $1.1 billion in 2022, Struett reports. [Chicago Sun-Times]

5. Code red for parents: Disney is planning more ‘Toy Story’ and ‘Frozen’ movies

Disney CEO Bob Iger announced this week the house of mouse is developing sequels to Toy Story, Frozen and Zootopia.

It’s unclear when these movies will come out, so don’t worry about dusting off the Elsa kids costume just yet.

But the news comes as Avatar: The Way of Water this week surpassed Titanic as the third-biggest international movie in box office history, Variety reports.

And somehow we’re getting three more Avatar movies in the coming years. I’m dying to spoil the latest movie because there are so many things that don’t make sense and the characters are weirdly chill about them. Feel free to email me if you want the rant. [Variety]

Here’s what else is happening

• More economists are saying the U.S. could avoid a recession. [New York Times]
• A plan to open a temporary casino in downtown Chicago moved forward today. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• More than 30 puppies and dogs from Texas need help in Chicago. [Block Club Chicago]
• Legendary composer Burt Bacharach died at 94. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

We all make mistakes, but most of them don’t result in losing $100 billion.

That’s the amount of money Google’s parent company lost in market value after its new artificial intelligence technology made a factual error in an ad demo, reports NPR.

In the ad, the AI called Bard was asked, “What new discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope can I tell my 9 year old [sic] about?”

Bard incorrectly said the telescope took the first pictures of exoplanets, or planets outside of our solar system. Womp womp.

As NPR reports, “Social media users quickly pointed out that the company could’ve fact-checked the exoplanet claim by, well, Googling it.” [NPR]

Tell me something good …

Valentine’s Day is next week. And I’d like to know what you love about the Chicago area.

Joanna writes:

“I LOVE Chicago style pizza a.k.a. deep-dish! Growing up, my mom used to order us deep-dish pizza with spinach from the restaurant called Chicago’s. I can’t wait for my daughter to try some too! I also love Chicago style hotdog mmm…”

And Kathy P. writes:

“What I love about Chicago on Valentine’s Day and all year long? Our award winning theaters.

“Steppenwolf, Goodman, Court, Chicago Shakespeare at Navy Pier, Northlight, Black Ensemble, Lookingglass, The Den, Porchlight Theatre at Ruth Page Center for the Arts, Greenhouse, Mercury Theater, Redtwist, Shattered Globe, Second City.”

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