Good afternoon! Sunny weather and mild temperatures are expected for the next few days. Here’s what else you need to know today.

1. Chicago’s top cop admits he mistakenly touted the wrong murder clearance rate for this year

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling had told West Side residents at a public safety forum on Jan. 30 detectives had “cleared” 76% of murders last month. But this past Friday, the department released numbers showing only three of the homicides committed this year had been cleared, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

“This was my miscommunication, and I own it,” Snelling said in a statement. “My goal in discussing these cases was to bring attention to the victims and communities plagued by the trauma of violence. My miscommunication should not overshadow the great work being done by the Bureau of Detectives to bring justice to the victims and a measure of closure to their families.”

Another 16 cases have been cleared this year, but they involved murders committed in previous years. And it isn’t apparent if any of the cases cleared this year led to arrests and criminal charges, according to the Sun-Times.

A police spokesperson told the newspaper that Snelling’s error “has since been rectified and corrected internally.” [Chicago Sun-Times]

2. Chicago has spent just 29% of federal COVID-19 relief funds meant to ‘transform’ the city

Officials promised to use the aid to strengthen the city’s social safety net and give direct aid to Chicagoans struggling to recover from the pandemic — but have spent less than $160 million, of $550 million, on such programs, WTTW reports.

The federal funds have been earmarked for programs such as affordable housing, mental health, violence prevention, youth job programs and help for unhoused Chicagoans.

Chicago has until 2026 to use the money, according to federal rules, but the spending must be budgeted by the end of this year, WTTW reports.

“We certainly should have spent the bulk of this money by now, when the pandemic was raging,” Ald. Matt Martin, 47th Ward, told the TV station. “We have to take a hard look at why we let millions of dollars sit on the shelf while people were suffering.” [WTTW]

3. Striking Chicago Teachers Union members at Instituto del Progreso Latino reached a tentative agreement over the weekend

The union members have been on strike since Tuesday and are preparing to vote on the tentative agreement, my colleague Mary Norkol reports for the Chicago Sun-Times.

Members were demanding better wages and more resources. The agreement includes improvements in special education staffing, recruitment and retaining of bilingual staff, and support staff such as a librarian and school nurse, according to the union, which represents 48 staff members at both Instituto schools.

“We have kids that are lost. They need extra support within the classroom,” said Maureen O’Donnell, who teaches world history, civics and consumer education, in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times last week. [Chicago Sun-Times]

4. ESPN’s segment on Bears Hall of Famer Steve McMichael left the studio cast choked up

ESPN’s Postseason NFL Countdown aired a 10-minute segment before yesterday’s Super Bowl on former Bears defensive tackle Steve McMichael and his quest for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame while battling ALS.

As the Chicago Sun-Times reports: “ESPN correspondent Sam Borden reported and voiced the segment, which had access to McMichael’s Homer Glen home. The segment includes McMichael’s wife, Misty, Bears Hall of Famers Richard Dent, Dan Hampton and Mike Singletary and former Sun-Times reporter Dan Pompei. Former sports anchors Dan Jiggetts and Mark Giangreco make cameos.

The segment examines McMichael’s career with the Bears, shows his transformation into a wrestler and explains when Misty first noticed the onset of ALS. Afterward, studio host Sam Ponder and former receiver Randy Moss appeared emotional, and former coach Rex Ryan, whose father, Buddy, coached McMichael, fought back tears.”

McMichael found out last week he is part of the 2024 class of the NFL’s Pro Football Hall of Fame. [Chicago Sun-Times]

5. In a former Chicago church, a new photography show is a portal to the world of burlesque

California’s desolate Mojave Desert may be the setting for “Lust in the Dust,” a new photography exhibition that just opened at Epiphany Center for the Arts in Chicago’s West Loop. But the documentary project’s origin story starts here in Chicago, with a local photographer, a TV-series-turned-cult-classic and a burlesque performer with an 8-foot python, Andrew Meriwether writes for WBEZ.

In the late 1990s, Chicago photographer Joe Gallo, now 70, was inspired to shoot a series of portraits inspired by the HBO television series Carnivále. Gallo started documenting various burlesque performances across the city, and through those connections, he was introduced to the famed Miss Exotic World Museum, a retreat center and archive situated in Helendale, Calif., on a former chicken ranch.

Gallo’s photographs — displaying through March in a converted West Side church that is now a cultural venue — transport the viewer to what feels like an alternate dimension, where glamorous dancers in sequined costumes pose and shimmy against an otherworldly and arid landscape. [WBEZ]

Here’s what else is happening

• A judge ordered Elon Musk to testify in the SEC’s investigation into his 2022 takeover of Twitter. [AP]

• Boston airport agents found mummified monkey remains inside a traveler’s luggage. [NPR]

• Bob Edwards, the longtime ‘Morning Edition’ host, died at 76. [NPR]

• Tim Mapes, a former aide to Michael Madigan, was sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Oh, and one more thing …

Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday — and Paczki Day. In Poland, the Tuesday before Lent has historically been thought of as a way to use up food before the fasting period. Eggs, butter, sugar and fruit get used to make a traditional dessert called paczki — fruit- or cream-filled pastries similar to donuts with powdered sugar or icing on top.

Pronounced “punch-key,” the tradition started during medieval times and has been especially popular among Polish Americans since the early 20th century.

Bakeries across the Chicago area will be selling paczki, including all Stan’s Donuts locations. [NBC Chicago]

Tell me something good …

The recent fire at Palace Grill made me realize I probably take Chicago’s old-school diners for granted. So I’m wondering, what are your favorites?

Feel free to email us, and your response might make it in the newsletter this week.