Good afternoon! It’s Tuesday, and I’m thinking of starting a side hustle selling bootleg WBEZ merch, like a T-shirt that says, “Take it W-B-Easy on yourself!” Here’s what you need to know today.

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1. Chicago officials will revive mask mandate

Masks will be required for both the vaccinated and unvaccinated inside bars, restaurants, movie theaters, gyms and other indoor spaces beginning on Friday, city officials announced today.

Dr. Allison Arwady, the city’s top public health officials, said the mandate will stay in place for as long as Chicago reports an average of more than 400 cases per day. She also said more restrictions may return if the average soars above 800.

Arwady said that while an average of 400 cases per day may sound high, it is well below the peak of the winter surge, when the average surpassed 2,000 daily cases.

She said today’s move to reinstate a mask mandate is “not a cause for alarm, it is a cause of caution.” [WBEZ]

Chicago is currently reporting a seven-day average of 419 cases per day as of Aug. 12. That’s up 21% from the previous week. The positivity rate stands at 4.3%. When it comes to vaccinations, 63% of eligible residents are fully inoculated. [COVID Dashboard]

2. Los Angeles schools are open. Could Chicago learn from it?

Hundreds of thousands of students returned to classrooms this week in Los Angeles, home to the second largest school district in the nation. And now we’ll see whether the district’s rigorous testing protocols will be enough to prevent public schools from becoming COVID-19 hotspots.

Like Illinois, California mandates masks for students, teachers and school staff. But the Los Angeles Unified School District is also mandating testing, with 500,000 tests a week at a cost of $350 million, reports the Los Angeles Times. About 1,000 healthcare technicians and 30 lab workers are on hand to process the tests as quickly as possible. [LA Times]

The district has also created a website that tracks infections. [LAUD]

The first day of school in Chicago is Aug. 30, and Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union are still negotiating over safety precautions. [WBEZ]

New York City, which has the largest public school system in the U.S., doesn’t begin the new academic year until Sept. 13.

3. An “influx” of Afghan refugees could come to Chicago

That’s according to RefugeeOne, a Chicago-based organization that helps refugees relocate.

“It’s a little bit hard to predict how many folks will be coming to Chicago in the near future. RefugeeOne has already received paperwork for two Afghan families that we will be welcoming … so we do anticipate to see an influx in arrivals,” said Jims Porter, group’s communications and advocacy manager. [WBEZ]

In Afghanistan, evacuations continue in the capital of Kabul. The chaos that has erupted — causing the U.S. to send back some troops — undermines President Joe Biden’s “competence narrative,” writes NPR.

But despite the Taliban’s return to power, most Americans appear to not want the U.S. to stay in the country. [NPR]

Meanwhile, a recent analysis from a government watchdog lays out eight paradoxes of the decadeslong U.S. mission in Afghanistan. [NPR]

4. Businesses and minority communities are hit hardest by Cook County property taxes

Six in 10 communities that saw the largest jumps in residential property taxes were in majority Black and Latino areas, according to a new report from the Cook County treasurer’s office. When it comes to commercial property taxes, seven in 10 communities with the largest increases were also majority Black and Latino neighborhoods.

“It’s extremely hard for Black families, in particular, and also Latino families to create generational wealth through property ownership,” Hal Dardick, director of research affairs for the treasurer’s office, told the Chicago Tribune. “And the fact that they get taxed at higher rates can make it even more difficult to build that wealth. And it can, in cases where it gets too extreme, lead to a tax sale and even the loss of a home that represents that generational wealth.”

One reason property taxes are high? Schools, which are primarily funded by property taxes.

“This is an eternally broken system,” said Treasurer Maria Pappas. [Tribune]

5. Federal trial of R. Kelly begins tomorrow in New York

Opening statements begin tomorrow in the sex trafficking trial of R&B singer R. Kelly, who is accused of leading a racketeering enterprise of managers, bodyguards and other employees to recruit women and children for sex.

The singer has denied all wrongdoing and has pleaded not guilty. Some of his attorneys claim his accusers were “groupies” who only came forward because of the #MeToo movement.

But prosecutors are expected to portray Kelly as a sexual predator who used his stardom to abuse several women and children. Kelly is also accused of grooming two teenage boys, including a 17-year-old he met at a McDonald’s in 2016.

The singer also faces federal and state cases in Illinois and Minnesota, which will not move forward until the New York trial is completed. [AP]

Here’s what else is happening

• Construction is underway on the Obama Presidential Center. [Block Club Chicago]
• The Biden administration may recommend COVID-19 booster shots eight months after the last vaccine. [NPR]
• Tropical Storm Grace is drenching Haiti two days after a massive earthquake killed at least 1,419 people. [AP]
• New Zealand is locking down the entire country for at least three days after finding one coronavirus infection. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

Man, Monty the piping plover can really fly. The beloved bird took off from Chicago’s Montrose beach and was spotted 1,100 miles away near Galveston, Texas, just two days later, reports WTTW.

If you’re not familiar with Monty, he and partner Rose were first spotted in 2019 and became the first piping plovers to nest in Chicago in decades. The endangered piping plover population had at one point been down to fewer than 20 pairs, but it has steadily increased in recent years.

Rose is expected to head to Florida for the winter. And the couple’s two surviving chicks, Imani and Siewka, are making progress in practicing longer flights. [WTTW]

Tell me something good …

I’ve been blowing through a lot lately and need some recommendations. What did you read this summer that you really enjoyed?

Lisa Siedt writes:

“I can highly recommend Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. My husband and I listened to it together on a long drive earlier this summer, and I’m listening to it again now. It has been the start of many discussions. What limitations will AI have since limited humans created it? If AI can think and feel, won’t they be able to have sadness, pain, etc. that humans are responsible for causing? What other ethical questions will this involve?”

And Dave Barta writes:

“My good read for this summer was The Guncle by Steven Rowley. It’s about an uncle who takes in his niece and nephew for the summer after a family tragedy. There are light moments and dark moments as the characters deal with the trauma. But overall it’s an uplifting book about growing up and dealing with significant life events.

“Another good read is What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera. It’s a fun story that made me reconnect with my memories of first crushes/break ups, and all the things that happen when we are in our late teens and trying to discover who we are. Both books were perfect summer reads.”

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

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