Hey there! It’s Wednesday, and I gotta head to a meeting in the alley with a supplier for my bootleg WBEZ merch. Remember, dear readers, take it W-B-Easy™ on yourselves, especially when possibly committing copyright infringement! Here’s what you need to know today.

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1. Only 40% of eligible students in Chicago are fully vaccinated

Chicago’s public schools reopen in less than two weeks, just as a rise in COVID-19 infections has forced city officials to revive a mask mandate for bars, restaurants, gyms and other indoor spaces starting this Friday.

And adding to the uncertainty over the upcoming school year is a troubling fact: Only 40% of kids aged 12 to 17 years old in Chicago are fully vaccinated, according to a WBEZ analysis of data from the Illinois Department of Public Health as of Aug. 9.

“If you carve out different regions in the city, some have vaccination rates comparable to Arkansas, Florida, Georgia,” said Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Stacy Davis Gates. [WBEZ]

The union and Chicago Public Schools today hit an impasse in negotiations over how to protect schools from becoming COVID-19 hotspots, said CTU President Jesse Sharkey. But he added that “right now, we’re saying we’re going back into buildings.” [Chicago Tribune]

2. Pfizer and Moderna booster shots will be available next month

All adults who received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be able to get booster shots starting Sept. 20, the Biden administration announced today.

The plan calls for people 18 and over to receive boosters eight months after their last shot. And health care workers, nursing home residents and other older adults will be prioritized.

People who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will also likely need a booster, health officials said, but a decision will be made after reviewing upcoming data in the next few weeks.

The news comes as health experts are concerned about the waning effectiveness of vaccines in the face of the highly contagious delta variant. [NPR]

3. U.S. intelligence warned the Afghan military could rapidly collapse

As President Joe Biden publicly said it was unlikely that the Afghanistan capital of Kabul would fall to the Taliban, classified assessments from U.S. spy agencies painted a different picture, reports The New York Times.

“By July, many intelligence reports grew more pessimistic, questioning whether any Afghan security forces would muster serious resistance and whether the government could hold on in Kabul,” the Times reports. “President Biden said on July 8 that the Afghan government was unlikely to fall and that there would be no chaotic evacuations of Americans similar to the end of the Vietnam War.” [NYT]

Meanwhile, the Taliban today attacked protesters in eastern Afghanistan who took down the militant group’s banner and replaced it with the country’s flag. [AP]

Afghanistan’s ousted president is now in the United Arab Emirates. [NPR]

Want to help Afghan refugees? NPR created a guide on simple steps that Americans can take as the U.S. continues evacuations. [NPR]

4. Prosecutors say case against R. Kelly is “about a predator”

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

“This case is not about a celebrity who likes to party a lot,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez told a jury of seven men and five women in a Brooklyn courtroom. “This case is about a predator.”

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. [AP]

5. Pritzkers get into bidding war over a steer in Governor’s Sale of Champions

Illinois first lady MK Pritzker outbid her husband by throwing down $105,000 for the Grand Champion Steer at the Illinois State Fair.

The bidding took place at the amazingly named Governor’s Sale of Champions, which sounds like the title of a low-budget comic book. And I’m really hoping the event opens up with someone dressed in a little Lord Fauntleroy get-up yelling, “Let the sale of the governor’s champions … commence!” (Cue up the horns.)

The first lady’s bid tops a previous $104,000 bid in 2016 by then-Gov. Bruce Rauner.

The Grand Champion Steer, whose name is Bob, comes from 17-year-old Landrey Freeman, who gets half of the $105,000. According to the State Journal-Register, the teen said the Sale of Champions was “the best experience of her life.” [SJR]

Here’s what else is happening

• The death toll after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti is near 2,000. [NPR]
• Some Texas schools add face masks to their dress code as a way to get around the governor’s ban. [NPR]
• Pope Francis is pushing the unvaccinated to get shots, saying it is an “act of love.” [NPR]
• Michael Keaton, arguably the best actor to play Batman, reprises his role as the caped crusader in the upcoming Flash movie. [Hollywood Reporter]

Oh, and one more thing …

Smell ya later, waistline.

The Girl Scouts next year will sell a new cookie called Adventurefuls, which has a caramel filling in a chocolate base that tastes like a brownie.

“An indulgent brownie-inspired cookie with caramel-flavored crème and a hint of sea salt, Adventurefuls take cookie lovers on a delicious taste adventure just like Girl Scouts go on their own amazing adventures all year long,” the Girl Scouts wrote in a news release. [NPR]

Tell me something good …

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

Meg Joray writes:

“I just started The Witcher series based on how much I enjoyed it on Netflix. The first book — The Last Wish — contained a lot of material they used in the show, plus the good background stuff you can only get from a book. It made me even more excited for season 2 in December. Also diving into Dune for the first time, before the film’s release (finally)!”

And Suzie tweets:

“I binge-read Talia Hibbert’s Brown Sisters romance trilogy. They’re light reads, funny, a bit steamy, and promise a happy ending. The first book in the series is Get a Life, Chloe Brown.”

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

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