Hey there! It’s Wednesday, and so long summer! The temperature dropped faster than when I suggested a “bad boiz of WBEZ” calendar for the pledge drive in front of the station’s CEO. Here’s what you need to know today.

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1. The U.S. might be able to avoid a huge winter surge, researchers say

Finally some good news in the delta-era of the pandemic: Cases and deaths will likely decline steadily now through the spring without a significant winter surge, according to a consortium of researchers advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

One of the researchers told NPR that things could change and a “moderate” surge is still possible for the winter.

“We have to be cautious because the virus has shown us time and time again that new variants or people loosening up on how careful they’re being can lead things to come roaring back,” warned Justin Lessler, who runs the COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub. [NPR]

Meanwhile, a panel of advisers to the CDC is meeting today to debate which Americans should get booster shots and when. [AP]

In Chicago, city officials are reporting a seven-day average of 408 cases per day as of Sept. 17. That’s a 9% decrease from the previous week. The city is also reporting about four deaths per day. And the positivity rate has fallen to 3%. [COVID Dashboard]

At Chicago Public Schools, officials say 329 students and 142 adults have tested positive for COVID-19. [Chicago Tribune]

2. What will Chicago get out of suing gang members?

Mayor Lori Lightfoot is doubling down on a controversial plan to sue gang members and take their assets in the hope of reducing the city’s high level of violence.

But it’s unclear if that strategy will work, reports WBEZ’s Patrick Smith. Filing lawsuits against gang members has been tried before in the Chicago area, but the results have not been impressive.

And Lightfoot is “assuming a very 1980s version of criminal enterprise” with kingpins and profit motives, says Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell. [WBEZ]

Currently, Lightfoot’s plan is sitting in the City Council’s Rules Committee, where proposals typically die a slow death. It’s not impossible for the plan to get out of the committee, but at the very least, it’s on the slow track for consideration in the council.

3. R. Kelly will not testify at his sex trafficking trial

Embattled singer R. Kelly today told a judge that he will not take the stand at his federal racketeering trial in New York. Kelly’s defense team then rested its case, clearing the way for closing arguments.

As The Associated Press reports, the defense largely relied on a handful of witnesses who said they never saw Kelly abuse anyone, and one went as far to say the singer acted “chivalrous” to his girlfriends.

That’s in stark contrast to the prosecution, which called several female and male accusers who alleged Kelly used a network of managers, bodyguards and others to recruit potential victims. [AP]

4. Emails show how deep the rift is between the Chicago Bears and city officials

I’m not a huge sports fan, but I loooove hot gossip.

WBEZ’s Tony Arnold obtained emails illustrating just how bad the relationship between the Chicago Bears and the Chicago Park District has become. And there could be consequences to this rift. Speculation has mounted that the Bears will ditch Soldier Field and make a new home in the burbs.

The emails show tensions flared earlier this year to the point where the head of the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Bears were firing off emails back and forth and cc’ing their bosses. One sensitive subject was the condition of Soldier Field and the state of repairs at the 97-year-old facility, which is owned by the Park District.

At one point, the head of the Park District accused Bears CEO and President Ted Phillips in an email of having a “propensity for historical misstatements that has forced recent communications between us to be reduced to writing.” [WBEZ]

5. Trump sues niece and The New York Times over leaked tax documents

Former President Donald Trump filed a $100 million lawsuit against his niece, Mary Trump, and The New York Times for obtaining tens of thousands of pages of his tax documents for an investigation into his finances that won a Pulitzer Prize.

The lawsuit accuses the newspaper and Mary Trump of hatching an “insidious plot” to improperly obtain the tax documents. A spokesperson for the Times characterized the lawsuit as “an attempt to silence independent news organizations and we plan to vigorously defend against it.”

Mary Trump was more blunt in an interview with the Daily Beast, calling her uncle a “f***ing loser.” [NPR]

Here’s what else is happening

• Mayor Lightfoot said leaders at the Chicago Park District should have told her about a criminal investigation into allegations of lifeguard abuse. [WBEZ]
  
• Congress has fewer than 10 days to pass legislation to prevent another partial government shutdown. [NPR]
• The Federal Reserve today signaled it could hike interest rates in 2022 if the economic recovery progresses as expected. [Washington Post]
• Top late-night comics, in a rare collaboration, will highlight the seriousness of the climate crisis on their shows tonight. [Washington Post]

Oh, and one more thing …

What kinds of investments should be made to reduce gun violence? Does Chicago need 50 members of the City Council? And when will the city ever realize its dream of a sky filled with airships?

Yes, I’m joking on that last one, but the rest were some of the topics discussed in WBEZ’s “Re-Imagine Chicago” series, which comes to an end tonight. You can watch the hour-long event from the comfort of your own home on Facebook or YouTube beginning at 6 p.m. [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

Today is the first official day of fall, and I’d like to know: What’s your favorite fall food?

Amy writes:

“Baked acorn squash with lots of butter and brown sugar!”

And Lynn K writes:

“Mmmm, fall means 🍁pumpkin chocolate chip bars and 🍁acorn squash stuffed with brown rice, walnuts, cranberries and cheddar cheese.”

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

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