Hey there! It’s Wednesday, and I have to book it to the newsroom to pick up my new work computer because my current one used to serve as a Speak & Spell during the Cold War. Here’s what you need to know today.

(By the way, if you’d like this emailed to your inbox, you can sign up here.)

1. The pandemic’s impact on Chicago’s public schools may be worse than the district has publicly reported

Something caught my eye when I was reading this story from WBEZ’s Sarah Karp about how Chicago Public Schools can’t get its contact tracing program off the ground, partly because the school district didn’t get ahead on testing for the new academic year.

A source close to the Chicago Teachers Union says the number of students and staff who are in quarantine is nearly double the number reported last week by Chicago Public Schools.

The district last Thursday said 2,900 students and staff members had been identified as a close contact to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. But two days later on Saturday, the district told the union there were 5,665 students and 98 staff members who had potentially been exposed to the virus, according to the source close to the union. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, San Antonio schools Superintendent Pedro Martinez will be the new head of CPS and the first Latino to permanently oversee the nation’s third-largest school district. [WBEZ]

2. Pritzker signs Illinois’ most ambitious plan to tackle climate change

Gov. JB Pritzker today signed a bill that greatly expands clean energy while phasing out fossil fuel-burning power plants by 2050, a political victory for the first-term governor as he prepares to campaign for reelection.

“We can’t outrun or hide from climate change — not to the north where the boundary waters burn, not to the south where Ida swallows lives and livelihoods in the blink of an eye. … We’ve seen the effects of climate change right here in Illinois repeatedly in the last two and a half years alone: a polar vortex, devastating floods, microbursts that destroy buildings …,” Pritzker said. [Chicago Sun-Times]

The bill also seeks to entice Illinois residents to buy electric vehicles by offering $4,000 rebates. Here’s a look at what else is in the sweeping legislation. [WBEZ]

3. Justice Department seeks to block enforcement of Texas’ abortion law

The Justice Department wants a federal judge to temporarily block enforcement of a Texas law that prohibits most abortions as the Biden administration’s legal challenge to the law plays out in court.

A preliminary injunction “is necessary to protect the constitutional rights of women in Texas and the sovereign interest of the United States in ensuring that its States respect the terms of the national compact,” attorneys for the Justice Department said.

The controversial law bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, when many people are not aware they are pregnant. The law also has no exemptions for cases of rape or incest, and it allows private citizens to sue anyone who aids a prohibited procedure, from doctors to ride-share drivers. [NPR]

4. Southern Illinois is out of ICU beds amid surge of COVID-19 cases

Illinois residents seeking urgent medical care in southern parts of the state may have to wait longer because hospitals have run out of intensive care unit beds.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reports that all 87 beds are occupied in the area, known as region 5 in Illinois’ COVID-19 response plan. As a result, officials are delaying some surgeries, and the state has sent more staff to help overwhelmed hospitals. [Chicago Tribune]

Nationally, one in 500 Americans have died of COVID-19, reports The Washington Post. People who are older than 85 make up a quarter of the death toll even though they represent 2% of the population. [WaPo]

5. What California’s recall election says about vaccine mandates

Voters in California overwhelmingly decided against recalling Gov. Gavin Newsom, and political observers believe the election is a vindication for vaccine mandates and other aggressive moves to contain COVID-19.

That’s because Newsom campaigned on his response to the pandemic, and the leading Republican candidate, Larry Elder, vowed to repeal vaccine mandates for state workers on his first day in office.

“We’re doing what the White House needs to do, which is get more militant on vaccines,” Sean Clegg, one of the governor’s top advisers, told The New York Times last week.

The recall election may also signal the limits of far-right Trumpism as Republicans seek to take control of Congress in next year’s midterm elections. [NYT]

Here’s what else is happening

• The FBI apologized to U.S. gymnasts for mishandling an investigation into abuse allegations against former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. [NPR]
• Congressional lawmakers want Facebook to ditch plans to release an Instagram app for kids after a Wall Street Journal report revealed the social media platform is harmful to teenage girls. [NPR]
• The World Anti-Doping Agency will review its ban on cannabis after it prevented U.S. sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson from competing in the Tokyo Olympics. [NPR]
• A revamped tax program is offering relief to homeowners on the Northwest Side. [WBEZ]

Oh, and one more thing …

An avalanche of new TV shows and movies is about to hit the U.S. of A, and before someone sends me an email about how I need to read a book, how do you think I put this newsletter together? Magic? I wish.

Among the shows I’m looking forward to is Y: The Last Man, an adaptation of a comic book about a mysterious event that kills off every mammal with a Y chromosome except for one young man.

And there’s The Harder They Fall starring Regina King and Idris Elba. As NPR writes, “In the real Wild West, some 25% of cowboys were Black. But there have been few commercial Westerns that have looked remotely like the fiery revenge tale director Jeymes Samuel has cooked up.” [NPR]

Tell me something good …

Fall is quickly approaching, with its Halloween costumes, pumpkin spice lattes and a slate of new TV shows. So I’d like to know: What do you enjoy the most about fall?

Larry from Streamwood writes:

“What do I love about fall? If I could be a little selfish: my birthday. My birthday is in October and I am turning (shhh) 50. I usually get self reflective around my birthday and think about what I accomplished / milestones / etc. This is a big one, so I am extra reflective and will be a little more critical of myself.”

You do you, my friend!

Feel free to email me at therundown@wbez.org or tweet me at @whuntah.

Have a nice night! If you like what you just read, you can subscribe to the newsletter here and have it delivered to your inbox.