Good afternoon! It’s Monday, and I’m babysitting the nephews on Friday, and I’m hoping to introduce them to Labyrinth and the majesty of David Bowie. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Illinois residents could get $1 billion in tax relief in Pritzker’s election-year budget

Gov. JB Pritzker this week will propose suspending a 1% sales tax on food, freezing a sales tax increase on gasoline and offering up to $300 in property tax rebates for homeowners, according to a top aide.

The governor’s office says the moves, which need legislative approval, are a byproduct of better-than-forecast state revenues and a reaction to skyrocketing price increases on the basic staples of life.

“On a national level, of course, we are experiencing a surge of inflation … that bites into purchasing power and that is hitting working families in Illinois,” said Andy Manar, Pritzker’s deputy governor for budget and economy. “And the governor recognizes that.”

As WBEZ’s Dave McKinney points out, the plan comes as Illinois voters in November will decide whether Pritzker will serve a second term.

“The tax relief would undoubtedly advance the governor’s campaign narrative that the state’s long-running fiscal problems are a thing of the past, thanks to his stewardship,” McKinney writes.

The governor is expected to pitch the tax relief during a speech before state lawmakers on Wednesday. WBEZ will provide live coverage beginning at noon. [WBEZ]

2. Jason Van Dyke is scheduled to be released from prison on Thursday

The release of Jason Van Dyke, a former Chicago police officer who murdered 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in 2014, coincides as the Police Department struggles with a slow pace in implementing reforms, reports the Chicago Tribune.

“The Chicago Police Department remains resistant to change in its orientation and actually actively fights change,” Craig Futterman, a law professor at the University of Chicago and expert on police accountability, told the Tribune.

Futterman and other experts say the pace of change is picking up, but the Police Department’s culture remains a problem.

“I do think the policies are being reformed and that is maybe working a little quicker than the culture being reformed,” said Maggie Hickey, an independent monitor overseeing the Police Department’s reform efforts. “I’m not going away anytime soon, unfortunately.” [Chicago Tribune]

3. U.S. and Russia face off over Ukraine at the U.N. Security Council

The U.S. and Russia sharply clashed today during an open meeting of the U.N. Security Council, with the Kremlin accusing the White House of trying “to whip up hysterics” while the U.S. said Moscow is jeopardizing peace by amassing troops on Ukraine’s border.

“Imagine how uncomfortable you would be if you had 100,000 troops on your border,” said U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

The session kicked off more diplomatic talks, but it’s not clear how tensions will deescalate. The U.S. and NATO have rejected Russia’s demands to stay out of Ukraine, among other things. [AP]

4. Parent company of WBEZ acquires the Chicago Sun-Times in $61 million deal

Chicago Public Media today officially acquired the Chicago Sun-Times, creating one of the largest non-profit news organizations in the country.

To help finance the new operation, Chicago Public Media raised $61 million in philanthropic support from local and national foundations, as well as individuals who “share a belief in journalism’s critical role in informing the public, strengthening local communities, and safeguarding democracy,” according to a statement.

The closely-watched deal is being held up as a possible template for other impoverished news organizations whose newsrooms have been gutted by declining advertising revenues, audiences migrating to social media for their news and disinterested media owners unwilling to invest. [WBEZ]

5. Snowstorms could hit the Chicago area tomorrow and Wednesday

More than 8 inches of snow could pile up in the Chicago area this week, according to the National Weather Service.

But it’s not exactly clear. Some computer models say we could see as much as 20 inches of snow, but the weather service says that’s unlikely.

Forecasters say a mix of snow and rain could begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, turning into mostly snow around 10 p.m. That could continue into Wednesday morning before a break hits in the middle of the day, the weather service says. But a second wave could hit later at night and last until Thursday morning.

The weather service says travel could become “difficult to impossible,” and conditions could be particularly bad during morning and evening commutes on Wednesday and Thursday. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Here’s what else is happening

• Declining enrollment at Chicago’s public schools is a result of a declining number of births, slow growth of Latino families and Black families moving out of the city, according to a new report. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• Chicago police are questioning a person of interest after several Jewish businesses and synagogues were vandalized over the weekend. [Chicago Tribune]
• College students across Illinois say they are depleted and stressed as they begin their second semester. [WBEZ]
• West Side Story actor Kyle Allen will play He-Man in a new live-action film coming to Netflix. [Hollywood Reporter]

Oh, and one more thing …

Efforts to ban books are spreading across the nation, reports The New York Times, with conservative groups in particular targeting books about race, gender and sexuality.

In a preliminary report, the American Library Association says last fall it received an “unprecedented” 330 reports of book challenges, which can include multiple books.

“It’s a pretty startling phenomenon here in the United States to see book bans back in style, to see efforts to press criminal charges against school librarians,” Suzanne Nossel, the chief executive of the free-speech organization PEN America, told the Times. [NYT]

The issue recently made international headlines when a Tennessee school board voted to ban the Pulitzer prize-winning graphic novel Maus, which is about how author Art Spiegelman’s parents survived the Holocaust.

The book topped Amazon’s best sellers list after news of the ban. [BBC]

Tell me something good …

So I’m babysitting the nephews this week, and I’d like to know what fun activities you like to do with young kids.

Me? I’m really looking forward to playing Dungeons & Dragons with the boys when they’re a little older because they have overactive imaginations. They’d get a kick out of some of the monsters in the game, like the “owlbear,” which is exactly what it sounds like.

Feel free to email or tweet me, and your response might be shared here this week.

— Hunter Clauss