Good afternoon. It’s Tuesday, and enjoy the weather because the Farmers’ Almanac predicts the winter will be a “polar coaster.” Here’s what you need to know today.

1. How the University of Illinois handles sexual harassment claims

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is facing criticism over how it handles claims of sexual misconduct against its faculty.

The university helped several professors keep seemingly clean records even though they were found to have violated policies. That allowed them to move to other universities and, in one case, win a Fulbright grant, according to an investigation from NPR Illinois and ProPublica Illinois.

The investigation also found the university did not notify the public of the allegations until news organizations or others uncovered them. [WBEZ]

2. Brazil rejects $22 million for Amazon rainforest

The country’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, said he will not accept aid from Western nations unless he gets an apology from French President Emmanuel Macron.

Macron last week accused Bolsonaro of “lying” about his commitment to fighting climate change and threatened to jeopardize a trade deal between the European Union and South American countries.

World leaders who attended last weekend’s Group of 7 summit pledged to give Brazil $22 million to fight massive fires in the Amazon rainforest, which absorbs a significant amount of Earth’s climate-warming carbon dioxide. [BBC]

3. Cook County announces plan to toss out pot convictions

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said today her office is aiming to wipe out “tens of thousands” of minor marijuana convictions.

The move comes after state lawmakers created a pathway to expunging pot convictions when they approved legislation legalizing recreational marijuana starting Jan. 1.

Foxx said her office will team up with a San Francisco-based nonprofit that has helped California counties erase pot convictions. Foxx said marijuana convictions tied to other offenses are not eligible for an automatic expungement. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Meanwhile, former Chicago alderman and gubernatorial candidate Ameya Pawar is part of an effort to create a “wellness” facility that combines pot dispensaries with spas and dining. [Crain’s Chicago Business]

4. Epstein accusers get day in court

Scores of women took the stand today to speak out against Jeffrey Epstein, the wealthy financier and alleged sex trafficker who comitted suicide as he awaited trial.

Many accusers feared that their chance to speak in court had been robbed when Epstein died, but the federal judge overseeing the case decided last week to allow his accusers to tell their stories.

While the criminal case against Epstein died with him, several civil lawsuits have been filed against his estate. [NPR]

5. U.S. farmers are losing patience with trade war

There is growing discontent in farmland, USA as the trade war with China is increasingly affecting American agricultural products.

U.S. sales of soybeans, pork, wheat and other products to China have fallen sharply as the trade war escalates. Beijing has already pledged to stop buying American agricultural products and said last week it will impose additional taxes on $75 billion-worth of U.S. goods. [New York Times]

How does the trade war affect Illinois farmers? The Illinois Farm Bureau says China buys 30% of the state’s soybeans and 93% of sorghum, a grain that helps feed livestock and is used to create ethanol. [IFB]

Here’s what else is happening

• Reading and math test scores for Chicago Public Schools students remained flat this year after a decade of significant improvement. [WBEZ]

• Parts of a Missouri law banning abortion after eight weeks of pregnancy were blocked by a federal judge. [NPR]

• Purdue Pharma is offering to settle more than 2,000 opioid lawsuits for $10 billion to $12 billion. [CNBC]

• And today in celebrity news: The alligator hunter who caught Chance the Snapper has a Chicago girlfriend. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Oh, and one more thing …

There’s a pet-friendly B&B in rural Idaho that’s shaped like a giant dog. (Cue the “doghouse” jokes.)

The Dog Bark Park Inn is a two-bedroom house shaped like a beagle that includes “expansive views of prairie grain fields and surrounding mountains.”

The inn is also near Hells Canyon National Recreation Area and starts at $132 a night on Airbnb. [Travel+Leisure]

Tell me something good …

Labor Day weekend is (finally) approaching, and I’d like to know where’s the best place to camp near Chicago.

Melissa Smejkal writes:

“Warren Dunes is the absolute best! The beach is so wide and beautiful. You feel like you are on vacation even though it’s just over an hour from downtown.”

And Stan Zimmerman writes:

“I’d say Halsted-Boystown. That’s as campy as it gets.”

Where do you like to camp? Feel free to tweet or email me your answers, and they might be shared here. Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet me at @whuntah.

Have a nice night! I’ll see you tomorrow.