Good afternoon! If you haven’t seen it yet, the “Orchid Show of Wonders” at the Chicago Botanic Garden is amazing. I stopped by over the weekend. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Muslim community leaders urge Illinois voters to protest Biden by writing in ‘Gaza’ in tomorrow’s primary election

The Muslim Civic Coalition, a Chicago-based advocacy group, hopes 200,000 voters will write in “Gaza” or leave the presidential ticket blank in protest of President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, my colleague Nader Issa reports.

Similar efforts have been carried out elsewhere in the nation, including the key battleground state of Michigan, where tens of thousands of voters selected the “uncommitted” option over Biden in the Democratic primary.

Illinois’ ballot does not include an “uncommitted” choice. It’s unclear how big of a dent the campaign will make in Illinois — or if the result will even be discernible.

Illinois State Board of Elections spokesman Matt Dietrich said the only votes that are counted are for candidates certified to be on the ballot or candidates who filed by a notice of intent to be a write-in candidate by Jan. 18.

“So there would be no record of things that are written in, messages and those sorts of things,” Dietrich said. [Chicago Sun-Times]

2. A look at who is giving big money to Biden and Trump in Illinois

Illinois residents have given more than $7.1 million directly to presidential campaigns, my colleague Lynn Sweet reports.

Republican candidates collected $4,293,027, while Democratic candidates got $2,570,371. The difference results from Biden not facing a significant primary, while Republicans did.

Among those boosting President Biden is FF PAC, a super PAC established by Future Forward USA Action, with four contributors from Chicago, including Fred Eychaner the top executive of Newsweb Corp. and the chairman and president of the Alphawood Foundation. Eychaner gave $2 million to the PAC in November.

On the GOP side, a major super PAC supporting former President Donald Trump received $150,000 from Eloise Gerson, a former chair of the Chicago Republican Party. [Chicago Sun-Times]

3. Chicago slowly begins evicting migrants

Dozens of migrants were expected to be evicted from city shelters over the weekend under Mayor Brandon Johnson’s long-delayed 60-day limit on stays.

But ultimately only three people were removed yesterday, my colleague Michael Loria reports. The number is much smaller because many migrants were given extensions because they are in the process of applying for public benefits, city officials said.

The city plans to evict around 2,000 people from shelters by the end of April, a move opposed by some of Johnson’s allies in the City Council.

“We don’t believe the city should be in the business of evicting people, especially those who can’t get work authorization and can’t get rental assistance,” said Ald. Andre Vasquez, chair of the council’s Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights. [Chicago Sun-Times]

4. Home prices are expected to drop

Economists say the $100 billion Americans pay in real estate commissions could be cut by 30%, The Washington Post reports.

That’s because the National Association of Realtors on Friday agreed to eliminate its longstanding standard 6% sale commission and pay $418 million over four years to settle several lawsuits.

“Fewer transaction costs might also incentivize people to move, buying or selling homes more often,” the Post reports.

“Home prices could get pulled down then, too, since part of the reason the housing market is so tight is because people — especially those avoiding high mortgage rates — are staying put and clogging available inventory.” [Washington Post]

5. The Chicago Bears are planning their future around a new quarterback

The Bears traded quarterback Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, and all signs point to USC star Caleb Williams being the team’s top draft pick next month, my colleague Jason Lieser reports.

“Fields exits after three haphazard seasons in which he was an electric runner but one of the NFL’s least productive passers,” Lieser writes. “While his highlight reel is thrilling, those dazzling plays were sporadic and mostly as a runner. The rest of the league’s minimal interest in him as a starter reflected that.”

Williams would be the 26th player to start at quarterback for the Bears in 20 seasons if everything goes as expected. [Chicago Sun-Times]

And he opens the door to the Bears winning the next Super Bowl, columnist Rick Morrissey writes.

“Assuming a title is the goal, the whole glorious idea, at least there’s a chance now,” Morrissey writes. “Nobody can be sure how good Caleb Williams will be, but at this moment, it’s OK to think big – you know, provided the Bears use the No. 1 overall draft pick on the USC quarterback and not on Brand X.” [Chicago Sun-Times]

Here’s what else is happening

• A UN agency warned of an “imminent” famine in northern Gaza. [BBC]

• Former President Donald Trump used dehumanizing rhetoric against migrants during a weekend rally in Ohio. [AP]

• The U.S. Supreme Court today heard arguments in a case focused on government efforts to combat what it views as online misinformation. [NPR]

• The mysterious “Havana syndrome” left no physical evidence of injury or disease, according to two government studies. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

It sounds like you might really have to plan a trip to Grant Park this summer.

The downtown park, referred to lovingly as “Chicago’s front yard,” will be booked by big events for 73 days from May 15 to August 11, Block Club Chicago reports. But that’s down 11 days compared to last year.

“This year’s decline in booked days is due to a drop in setup and teardown days for NASCAR,” Block Club reports. “Last year, NASCAR took up 41 days in Grant Park. The race will take over parts of the park for 29 days this year.” [Block Club]

Tell me something good …

I don’t want to jinx it, but I think winter is actually toast and we’ll avoid Chicago’s “fake spring,” when temps warm up and a late snowstorm hits. But what are you excited to do this spring?

My colleague Courtney Kueppers put together this guide of noteworthy events going down this season. I’m really curious about this year’s EXPO, the weeklong art showcase that was acquired by the London-based Frieze. Courtney reports that nearly 200 modern and contemporary galleries will be set up at Navy Pier.

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