Good afternoon! It’s Pi Day, and the best pizza pies in Chicago are Lou Malnati’s, My Pi and Kim’s Uncle, according to The Washington Post. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Palestinian community leaders refuse to meet with White House officials in Chicago in protest of the Gaza war

At least two dozen Palestinian, Arab and Muslim community leaders are declining to meet with White House officials in the Chicago area today in protest of the Biden administration’s handling of the war in Gaza, my colleagues Nader Issa and Lynn Sweet report.

The news comes as Illinois’ March 19 primary election approaches and Democratic voters in other states have pointedly not cast their ballots for President Joe Biden in an effort to pressure him to support an unconditional cease-fire.

Illinois doesn’t have a choice for “uncommitted” on its ballot like other states, so community leaders have urged those who want to protest the war to write in “Gaza” or leave the presidential ticket blank. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is an obstacle to peace and called for his ouster. [CNN]

2. Nine people were killed in Chicago within 24 hours

The large number of deaths are unusual for a late-winter weekday.

The slayings occurred over a 24-hour period from Tuesday morning to Wednesday morning, and most of the victims were killed in shootings.

They include a 15-year-old girl and a man, both killed while sitting in a car in Roseland, and an 11-year-old was killed on the North Side.

Kim Smith, a director at the University of Chicago Crime Lab, was surprised to see clusters of deadly violence in the Far South and North sides of the city.

The geographic reach of the violence is an “unfortunate reminder of the scale of resources and the continued focus that we need to muster as a city in order to have safe and healthy communities,” Smith said. [Chicago Sun-Times]

3. City officials prepare to evict an unknown number of migrants from shelters

Mayor Brandon Johnson is vowing to enforce his 60-day limit at migrant shelters beginning Saturday.

But he refused to say how many migrants would be evicted under the long-delayed policy. In January, before Johnson temporarily suspended evictions, city officials said more than 5,600 migrants would be affected.

It’s unclear if that number has grown. Johnson this week said there would be “exemptions,” including for extenuating health circumstances or pregnancy, for those “in the process of securing housing” or leaving Chicago altogether.

Johnson’s determination to carry out the evictions comes as some of his allies in the City Council have slammed the policy. And city and federal health officials are trying to contain a growing measles outbreak at a migrant shelter in the Pilsen neighborhood. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Chicago has a long history of migrant influxes that have shaped the city, my colleagues Tessa Weinberg and Amy Qin report. [WBEZ]

4. Hackers claim they sold data stolen from Lurie Children’s Hospital

The claim comes from ransomware group Rhysida, NBC 5 Chicago reports, citing a “post” it obtained.

The post, which was authenticated by a cyber security firm, said that “all data was sold,” the station reports.

Lurie Children’s Hospital said in a statement it is aware of the claim, which is under investigation by authorities.

The prominent children’s hospital took its phone, email and electronic systems offline in late January following what it called a “criminal threat.”

Details of the threat have not been shared publicly, but the impact could be significant, Cindi Carter, a cybersecurity expert with Check Point Software, told NBC 5.

“We’re talking almost 240,000 patients at that hospital,” she said. “So this is critical.” [NBC 5]

5. Beloved actress Phylicia Rashad is reimagining the Black family drama at Steppenwolf Theater

Rashad, a two-time Tony Award winner best known as Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show, is in Chicago to direct Steppenwolf’s upcoming world premiere of Purpose, which officially opens March 24.

The play is “powered by a unique trio — a celebrity director, a talented playwright and the theater’s first Black co-artistic director — who have been building up to this moment, staging a contemporary family drama that challenges audiences to think about how the dynamics of politics and religion can seep into familial relationships,” my colleague Mike Davis reports.

Purpose takes place in Chicago, a city with its own unique ties to political Black dynasties, from civil rights leader Jesse Jackson’s family to the Obamas, Davis writes.

“I was really fascinated by Chicago as a city of Black political life,” said award-winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, who wrote the script. “I was very interested in imagining a Black political dynasty.” [WBEZ]

Here’s what else is happening

• The death of Nex Benedict, a nonbinary teenager who was attacked at their high school in Oklahoma, was ruled a suicide by the state’s medical examiner. [CBS News]

• Former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin says he is putting together investors to buy TikTok. [AP]

• Here’s where you can see next month’s total solar eclipse. [Chicago Sun-Times]

• A “chemical cat” is at large in the Japanese city of Fukuyama. [NBC News]

Oh, and one more thing …

I don’t know about you, but I’ve got to double down on my calendar because there are too many things to do lately.

Speaking of which, my colleague Courtney Kueppers put together a “bucket list” of things to check out in March, April and May, with events ranging from concerts to plays to art exhibits. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, my friends over at WBEZ’s sister station, Vocalo, are heading to Millennium Park in September to throw a free party called Summer Finale.

Among the acts featured at the event is Pivot Gang, a hip-hop collective of independent artists. And there’s Marquis Hill, an internationally known trumpet player, composer and bandleader from Chicago’s South Side. [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

I’ve been going on something of a book bender and need to add some stuff to my list before I run out. What books do you recommend?

Natalia writes:

“I’m normally quite reserved, so I was alarmed to find myself in the throes of a teary-eyed giggle fit while listening to Dr. No by Percival Everett on my walk home. It’s a James Bond spoof narrated by a mathematical genius with a one-legged dog that speaks to him in dreams. It’s absurd, it’s clever and it’s wildly entertaining. Amir Abdullah’s narration is superb. If you’re in the mood for satire, Dr. No is the book for you.

“The best graphic novel I’ve read in a while is Acting Class by Chicago’s own Nick Drnaso. It’s an unsettling story about a group of misfits who sign up for an acting class led by an unconventional instructor. With each class, the line between reality and fiction becomes increasingly fragile. Though Drnaso’s artistic style appears minimal, it’s far from simplistic — I found his ability to convey emotional nuance in the absence of realism to be very impressive.”

And Ariana writes:

“To stick with the fantasy/fighting theme I’d recommend Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. It’s about two imprisoned female gladiators who have to fight for their freedom. It’s a unique and fascinating take on the scourge of private prisons and the criminal injustice system.

“And for a Chicago connection I’d wholeheartedly recommend Super Sad Black Girl by Diamond Sharp. It’s a poetry collection that uses interesting poem structures to show off Sharp’s creativity without feeling too inaccessible. (I say this as a non-poetry reader!) The poems cover a range of topics but some of the reoccuring ones are depression, family and Chicago. There’s a nice nod to Lorraine Hansberry and Gwendolyn Brooks and a heartbreaking reference to Rekia Boyd as well.”

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