Good afternoon! I can’t stop thinking about all of the weird things that were not explained in the Avatar sequel because, as a dork, this is what I do when I’m not writing this newsletter and confronting the existential dread of “news.” Speaking of which, here’s what you need to know today.

1. Chicago’s mayoral election may be decided by a small percentage of the city

With nine candidates running for mayor, every vote is going to count.

But if historical trends hold up, about 1 million of the city’s 1.5 million registered voters will sit out the Feb. 28 election, report my colleagues Amy Qin and Alden Loury, citing local election data.

Fewer than four out of every 10 voters showed up in all but one of the last five February municipal elections.

And “Chicago is coming off a November 2022 midterm election where just 46% of registered voters turned out — the lowest citywide figure for a midterm election in the past 80 years,” write Qin and Loury.

When it comes to the city elections, turnout might be lower because these are nonpartisan races and can take voters more effort to discern the differences between candidates.

“Nonpartisan races are tough, who do I vote for? They’re all Democrats,” said Christopher Z. Mooney, professor emeritus in the political science department at the University of Illinois Chicago. [WBEZ]

2. The Chicago Police Department falls short in helping officers amid a troubling rise in suicides, watchdog says

The Police Department does not properly train supervisors to identify officers in need of mental health services, according to a report from City Hall’s top watchdog. The finding adds a greater sense of urgency to a problem that has grown in the last four years.

A total of seven officers died from suicide in 2022, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

“The people in charge really don’t care,” said Carrie Steiner, a former cop turned psychologist. “I think that’s exactly how Chicago police officers feel.”

The department told the Sun-Times it plans to hire more professional counselors this year and reach a goal of at least one counselor at each of the city’s 22 police districts. It currently has 17 counselors for about 11,600 sworn officers. [Chicago Sun-Times]

More broadly speaking, mental health services have been an issue in the mayoral race, with some candidates vowing to reopen clinics that were shuttered more than a decade ago. [WBEZ]

3. You can hear the mayoral candidates square off this week on WBEZ

The station will air candidate forums live on Wednesday and Thursday beginning at 11 a.m.

Tomorrow’s forum includes Mayor Lori Lightfoot, U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas, state Rep. Kam Buckner and Ald. Sophia King.

The second forum on Thursday features Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, businessman Willie Wilson, Ald. Roderick Sawyer and community activist Ja’Mal Green.

The forums will be moderated by Reset host Sasha-Ann Simons and will include questions from the public that were submitted to WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times.

4. AMC will soon charge more for the best seats in its movie theaters

AMC Theatres this week announced a new pricing system that is similar to concerts and sporting events, a move that comes as theaters across the nation struggle to bounce back from the early days of the pandemic.

The new system includes three categories. Middle seats will be called “Preferred Sightline” seats and will cost more, while seats in the front row will cost less. The remaining seats will cost the price of a standard admission ticket.

As NPR reports, the movie theater chain has already begun rolling out the new pricing system in select areas of the country, and it plans to completely switch over before the end of the year. [NPR]

5. There’s a new gorilla king at the Brookfield Zoo

Jontu, a 26-year-old gorilla from the Saint Louis Zoo, will be the new leader of a group of female gorillas at the Brookfield Zoo, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

This peaceful transfer of power comes as 7-year-old Zachary departs the zoo to live it up with a bunch of other male gorillas in St. Louis before he’s introduced to the ladies.

“He’ll learn basically how to be a responsible male gorilla,” said Tim Snyder, Brookfield’s vice president of animal care.

“In the wild, male gorillas, once they reach a certain age — it’s anywhere from 6 to 13, depending on the troop and the situation — what they’ll do is leave the troop they were born into and they’ll either be solitary in the wild or they’ll join small groups of males. We’re kind of mimicking that here, by sending him to St. Louis to join a bachelor group,” Snyder said. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Here’s what else is happening

• Rescue workers are racing to find survivors in Turkey and Syria as the death toll from this week’s massive earthquake surpasses 6,000. [AP]
• Here’s a look at the key issues to watch for in President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address tonight. [NPR]
• Two Democratic senators are proposing an Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights. [NPR]
• Here are eight things to do in Chicago for Black History Month. [WBEZ]

Oh, and one more thing …

Colleagues of Rick and Morty’s Justin Roiland say his behavior had been troubling for years before he was dropped from the show last month, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Roiland, a co-creator of the widely popular TV show who voiced the two titular characters, was removed after NBC News reported he faced felony domestic violence charges in Orange County.

Multiple sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Roiland engaged in obscene behavior at work and “was involved in at least one instance of alleged sexual harassment during the show’s third season, notably its first with female writers.”

It’s unclear how Cartoon Network handled that allegation. [Hollywood Reporter]

Tell me something good …

Valentine’s Day is next week. And I’d like to know what you love about the Chicago area.

Lindsay writes:

“I love The Catcade. For less than $20, you get an hour in a room full of rescue cats and kittens and free arcade games. They even throw in a non-alcoholic beverage. It’s magical!”

Erin Daughton writes:

“I love watching the moon rise over Lake Michigan in the summer. You and your friends can guess exactly where it will appear.”

And Liza writes:

“Some of the things I love about Chicago: the lake, awesome live theater, so many independent bookstores, walkable shopping areas, an easy vote by mail system, art festivals in the summer and markets in the winter, living in a state that still has abortion access, and did I mention the lake?”

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