Good afternoon! After a chaotic campaign session, we’ve finally arrived at Election Day — or Election Season, considering we may not know the results of some congressional races for days or even weeks. (Some of those races are closer than me and frozen pizzas.) Here’s what you need to know.

1. What to watch if you’re following results from across the nation

This year’s fight for control of Congress may be one of the most consequential in recent history, with inflation, threats to democracy, crime and abortion rights weighing heavily on the minds of many voters.

Republicans need to pick up just five seats to take the majority in the House, and there are 64 districts that are considered competitive, reports NPR.

Here’s a look at several bellwether districts that could determine which party takes the House.

Among them is Illinois’ 17th Congressional District, where Democrat Eric Sorensen, an openly gay former local TV meteorologist, faces Republican Esther Joy King, an Army JAG Corps officer who describes herself as “unapologetically pro-life.”

As NPR reports: “If King pulls off the win, it could be an indication of things going Republicans’ way.” [NPR]

Meanwhile, the situation is more unpredictable in the fight for the Senate, with toss-ups in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona and Wisconsin. [NPR]

2. Haven’t voted yet? Here are some election guides for what’s on the ballot in Illinois.

Polls close at 7 p.m., so you may still have time to vote depending on when you’re reading this newsletter.

My colleagues at WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times created this handy election guide that gives you a preview of what will appear on your ballot and where you can find a polling place. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Speaking of polling places, more voters in Chicago have taken advantage of in-person early voting than casting their ballots by mail for the first time in the last two election cycles, officials say. [Chicago Sun-Times]

If you’re still undecided about something, here’s a look at some of the big races and questions that may appear on your ballot. [WBEZ]

And there may be a ton of judges. My friends over at Injustice Watch have a really handy guide to help you get through these down-ballot races. [Injustice Watch]

In Illinois, Democrats running in statewide races are entering today with an advantage over their Republican challengers, according to a WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times poll conducted last month. [WBEZ]

NPR and WBEZ will air live election coverage beginning at 7 p.m. You can listen at 91.5 FM, online or on the WBEZ app.

3. Hundreds of students walk out of a prestigious Chicago high school to protest a German soldier costume

Students at Jones College Prep High School walked out of classes this week to protest the school’s handling of a student’s German soldier-style Halloween costume, reports my colleague Nader Issa at the Chicago Sun-Times.

The school’s principal, Joseph Powers, last week told students and parents in an email that he didn’t believe the student meant to dress up as a Nazi but rather a 1980s-era East German soldier.

But videos surfaced online of the student goose-stepping and saluting during a Halloween costume contest. Amid a public backlash, Chicago Public Schools suspended Powers last Friday pending an investigation.

Students say the Halloween costume is just the latest example of how school administrators have mishandled troubling allegations over the years, including discrimination and unequal treatment of boys and girls sports. [Chicago Sun-Times]

4. Some promising news in the efforts to prevent long COVID

Patients who took the antiviral drug Paxlovid were less likely to develop long COVID months later, according to a new study from researchers at the Veterans Health Administration.

Paxlovid, which has been available in the U.S. for almost a year, has already shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization for COVID-19 patients who are more likely to develop severe illness.

As NPR reports, the drug is “provided for free by the federal government at pharmacies across the country. It requires a prescription, and patients with COVID-19 must start it within five days of symptom onset.” [NPR]

5. The Black Panther sequel is a ‘beautiful and dignified’ tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman

Reviews are coming in for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which is out this Friday, and I just know I’m going to get teary-eyed when I see the movie. Just reading about it in the Chicago Sun-Times is making me a little emotional.

As movie critic Richard Roeper writes, there was “great anticipation and huge pressure for the sequel to match or even top the original.”

“And while there was talk of recasting the role, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever wisely chooses a different path that celebrates and pays tribute to the character of King T’Challa and to Boseman in a beautiful and dignified and moving manner, while also setting the stage for a new Wakandan adventure, and surely many more to come,” Roeper writes.

Reviews for Wakanda Forever have been overwhelmingly positive so far, with the film sporting a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of this afternoon. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Here’s what else is happening

• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the attack on her husband will affect her political future. [New York Times]
• A treaty against fossil fuel energy emerges at the international climate summit in Egypt. [AP]
• A Philadelphia man ate 40 rotisserie chickens in 40 days. [Food & Wine]
• Chris Evans has been named People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive. [AP]

Oh, and one more thing …

The National Park Service wants people to stop licking a toad that can get you high, and it has begun rolling out warnings about the psychedelic amphibian.

The toad, known as the Colorado river toad, secretes a potent toxin that can make people sick. But “some people have discovered that the toad’s toxic secretions contain a powerful hallucinogenic known as 5-MeO-DMT,” reports NPR.

“In recent years, smoking the amphibian’s secretions has grown in popularity — so much so that the species is even considered threatened at least in New Mexico due to ‘collectors that want to use the animal for drug use,’ ” NPR reports. [NPR]

Tell me something good …

I got to see this precious sweet angel last week. His name is Ernie, and he is a big dog who thinks he is a small dog.

But he’s got me thinking: What is one of your favorite pets?

Martii writes:

“We have two rescues: Princess TimmyPants who the rescue told us is a corgi dachshund, and Lady Charlie TightsLeggings, who we believe is a pit dane mix. The two of them brought me so much joy over quarantine — even when it was barking and wrestling for attention during many a Zoom call.”

Denise tweets with a photo:

“Willie has something very important to say, @whuntah.

“By the way, he’s not a very good boy. He steals sandwiches, misjudges his girth & the size of his tail, and has his nose in everyone’s business. But he’s still my favorite guy.”

And Sharon tweets of her favorite pet, Bootsie (also with a pic):

“When we were working from home every time I spoke on the phone or a zoom she assumed I was calling her over to get petted. And showed up in a mock court proceeding and made the Judge laugh.”

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