Good afternoon! First NASCAR, now Formula One? The international racing series appears to have Chicago on its mind. Here’s what else you need to know today.

1. Trump played a role in the Jan. 6 insurrection, but the courts should decide if he appears on Illinois ballots, a Republican state official wrote

The Illinois State Board of Elections tomorrow is expected to discuss a challenge from five state voters seeking to keep former President Donald Trump off the ballot because of his role in fomenting the Jan. 6 insurrection.

And a hearing officer for the board recommended over the weekend that the courts should ultimately decide the issue, my colleague Dave McKinney reports.

But there’s a twist: The hearing officer, a retired judge from Kankakee County who is a Republican, sided with the challengers by writing Trump “fanned the flames” that led to the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The hearing officer wrote that if the board disagreed with this recommendation to dismiss the case, then it would “find that the evidence presented at the hearing … proves by a preponderance of the evidence that President Trump engaged in insurrection, within the meaning of Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment, and should have his name removed from the March, 2024 primary ballot in Illinois.” [WBEZ]

2. Pro-Palestine students say they’ve lost job opportunities because of their activism

Students and recent graduates say they fear protesting against the war in Gaza could impact their future careers and safety, my colleague Mary Norkol reports.

Some say they are now hiding their backgrounds in interviews and have been hesitant to talk about their heritage.

“It pains me,” said one student who was in line for a full-time position at a New York City hedge fund until the company saw a Palestinian flag in his Instagram bio.

“I wish we didn’t live in a world where we look at your Instagram bio and see a flag and decide that means something.”

The student is now searching for a post-grad position, but his experience at the hedge fund remains in the back of his mind when filling out applications, especially in the midst of rising outcries and hate crimes against Palestinians, Muslims and Arabs. [Chicago Sun-Times]

3. Chicago restaurants are slowly recovering from the pandemic

Eighty-two percent of Chicago restaurants reported being short at least one position last year, according to a national study from TouchBistro, a software company catered to the industry.

The study also found Chicago had the second-highest turnover rate, at 30%, slightly above the national average.

“It was extremely difficult to find labor,” said Amy Le, the owner of Latin-Asian fusion eatery Saucy Porka. “Nobody had any family members or anybody that we could even hire at that point.”

Local restaurant owners say things have started to improve, but food and labor costs are still a concern. [Chicago Sun-Times]

4. The Democratic National Convention is looking for ‘neighborhood ambassadors’

Organizers for the Democratic National Convention want to enlist an ambassador in each of Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods to help recruit about 12,000 volunteers for the August event, my colleagues Mariah Woelfel and Tessa Weinberg report.

“We’re looking for leaders that know the lay of the land within their own respective communities,” said Mo Green, senior director of civic and community engagement for the convention’s host committee.

But while organizers say ambassadors will help ensure the economic benefits of the convention will be spread throughout the city, the ambassadors themselves will not be paid.

Instead, ambassadors will be “vying for cash prizes and a chance to attend the convention,” my colleagues report. [WBEZ]

5. The iconic voice of the ‘Soul Train’ opening is suing to get royalties

Former WVON DJ Joe Cobb says in a lawsuit filed in Chicago that he should get continued royalties for his introduction of the show, which still can be heard in DVD box sets, syndicated reruns and ringtones, my colleague Michael Puente reports.

Soul Train started out small at WCIU, a Chicago station, before hitting the big time and moving west to California.

During the entire syndication run from 1971 to 2006, Cobb’s soulful “soooooul train” could be heard as the animated dancing train bounces on the screen. And it continues to be used to this day — but without any compensation for Cobb, he said.

Cobb said his royalty checks stopped in 2008, but the use of his voice didn’t. He is now seeking at least $75,000 in back royalties. [WBEZ]

Here’s what else is happening

• An enemy drone that killed three American troops in Jordan may have been confused for a returning U.S. drone. [AP]

• More countries have halted funding to a UN aid agency in Gaza amid allegations some of the staff played roles in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel. [BBC]

• The IRS is piloting new software that could let you file your taxes for free. [NPR]

• Nerdette looks at 12 books worth checking out this year. [WBEZ]

Oh, and one more thing …

Did you know you can charter your own CTA train starting at $3,000?

A group of MBA students at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business recently booked a train, and their exploits have been making the rounds on social media.

“We worked with the CTA to design the route, and told them we were going to bars in between,” said Tom Haskin, one of the party’s organizers. “ ‘Make sure nobody gets so drunk they throw up,’ that was their take.”

But this isn’t a new thing, Block Club Chicago reports. The CTA has offered chartered trains since at least the late 1930s.

A CTA spokesperson said there have been only two chartered trains booked in the last two years. [Block Club Chicago]

Tell me something good …

The nephews were over this weekend and we gave them a bunch of books. What were some of your favorite books as a kid?

I was in grade school in the early ’90s when aliens and UFOs were a big thing, and there was this book called My Teacher is an Alien.

There were a couple of books in the series, including one called My Teacher Flunked the Planet. The cover cracked me up: There’s this alien wearing a suit and tie on a spaceship for whatever reason. And he’s standing over a big red button, about to blow up Earth, and one of the kids in the book looks like he’s about to clock the alien.

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