Hey there! It’s Monday, and I can’t stop listening to this Halloween remix of the Succession theme song. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Chicago police have the lowest response rate to the city’s new vaccination status mandate

Around 80% of Chicago workers have submitted their vaccination status to the city, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced today, with about 67% of the total workforce reporting being fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The lowest response was from the Police Department. City data shows that more than a third of CPD employees have yet to report their status — and vaccination rates among those that have are lagging behind.

The mayor’s mandate requires all city employees to be fully vaccinated by the end of the year. Ahead of that, employees were required to upload their vaccination status to an online portal maintained by the city by last Friday, Oct. 15. [WBEZ]

Last night, Police Superintendent David Brown’s office sent a memo to CPD employees that said officers who refused to be vaccinated may face a disciplinary investigation that could result in their firing. The memo also said that officers who chose to retire rather than comply with the requirement could be “denied retirement credentials.”

The Fraternal Order of Police, the city’s largest police union, continues to oppose the mandate. [Chicago Tribune]

In an interview with Fox News Sunday, top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci reiterated the call for cops to be vaccinated. “More police officers die of COVID than they do any other causes of death,” he said. “It doesn’t make any sense to not try to protect yourself, as well as the colleagues that you work with.” [NYT]

2. The murder trial of the three men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery begins this week in Georgia

Jury selection begins today in the trial of three men charged with the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, who was fatally shot last year while jogging in southeastern Georgia.

Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan, who are all white, are accused of killing Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, after spotting him running through a residential neighborhood that had recently reported a series of break-ins. Authorities allege the trio chased Arbery in pickup trucks and then shot him three times.

The killing, which was captured on video, came three months before the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and sparked widespread protests. Like the trial of Derek Chauvin, the police officer convicted of murdering Floyd, the outcome of the Georgia trial is seen as a test case for racial justice. [AP]

3. The Biden administration wants to regulate chemicals that end up in your drinking water

The Biden administration today unveiled new regulations on “forever chemicals,” a class of more than 4,000 compounds linked to cancer and other health problems.

Found in common household items such as tape and nonstick pans, the man-made chemicals contaminate drinking water and don’t break down in the environment. In the coming weeks, chemical makers will be required to test their products for the toxic compounds and share the results with consumers.

“It’s time for manufacturers to be transparent and provide the American people with this level of detail,” the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency told tThe New York Times. The agency plans to propose additional regulations by 2022. [NYT]

4. Chicago-area teachers say kids are acting out more as they adjust to in-person classes

More than a month into the school year, Chicago-area educators are noticing a spike in bad behavior as students get used to being back in the classroom, WBEZ’s Susie An reports.

Across the region, teachers say they are seeing kids being more physical with one another, and simple accidents are spiraling into full-blown tantrums. Some students have been pulling pranks, like vandalizing school bathrooms, that are popular on social media.

“The emotional-social readiness that our kids have right now … is, quite honestly, about two years behind what we typically see,” said one teacher, who asked to remain anonymous to avoid retaliation from her district. Both parents and teachers say they need more resources and support from their schools to address the problem. [WBEZ]

5. Chicago Sky celebration slated for Tuesday in Millennium Park

Get that sick day excuse ready, Sky fans: The city will celebrate the Chicago WNBA team’s championship victory tomorrow with a downtown parade and rally.

“The City of Chicago could not be prouder of our winning Chicago Sky,” Mayor Lightfoot said in a statement. “We are thrilled to throw a celebration worthy of this historic moment in Chicago sports and congratulate the Sky for bringing our city its first WNBA title. Let’s get ready to paint the town #SkyTown!”

The parade will start at 11 a.m. outside Wintrust Arena and end in Millennium Park. The city will then host a rally at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion starting at noon.

You can find more details on the parade route and expected street closures in this link. [Chicago Tribune]

Here’s what else is happening

• Colin Powell, the first Black U.S. secretary of state, died this morning of complications from COVID-19. [NPR]

• The Cook County Democratic Party is kicking Chicago Ald. Jim Gardiner off his committee posts for “rude” and “vulgar” behavior. [WBEZ]

• The Department of Justice wants the Supreme Court to block Texas’ ban on most abortions. [CNN]

• Have you seen this stolen skeleton? An Andersonville shop is offering a reward for its safe return. [Block Club Chicago]

Oh, and one more thing …

Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was best known for his cocaine empire, but once upon a time, he also smuggled another form of contraband: hippos.

Back in the 1980s, Escobar apparently brought four hippos to Colombia for his private zoo. That original quartet has now grown to a hoard of somewhere between 80 and 120 hippos, the Washington Post reports, and researchers are concerned about further reproduction.

“Hippos are an invasive species in Colombia,” said ecologist Nataly Castelblanco-Martínez. “If we do not kill a part of their population now, the situation could be out of control in just 10 or 20 years.”

However, persuading the public to help hunt down the hippos could be hard. In some areas, the the animals have become beloved “town pet[s],” and residents sell hippo-related souvenirs to visiting tourists.

“People in Colombia can get very angry when they talk about the hippos,” Castelblanco-Martínez said. [WaPo]

Tell me something good …

Cooler weather is finally here, which means the winter blues are just around the corner. That has me wondering: What’s the best way to brighten up on a gray Chicago day?

Cozy candles, cups of cocoa and cuddles with my cat, Stella, tend to do the trick for me. What about you? Send us your ideas, and we might share them here this week.