Hey there! It’s Thursday, and research suggests heat can slow down your brain. So I guess Chicago got smarter with today’s fall-like weather. Here’s what else you need to know.

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1. Vaccination rates are dangerously low in mostly Black and low-income Chicago suburbs

Vaccination rates in the Chicago area reveal a stark gap between Black, low-income suburbs compared to predominantly white and wealthy areas, according to a WBEZ analysis of Cook County records.

In north suburban Northbrook, more than 81% of residents are completely inoculated. But only about 13% of residents in south suburban Dixmoor are fully vaccinated, the worst rate in Cook County.

“They’re going to get hit very hard if we have another surge,” said Dr. Rachel Rubin, co-lead of the Cook County Department of Public Health. [WBEZ]

The news comes as health experts around the world are pushing to significantly ramp up vaccination efforts as the highly contagious delta variant spreads. A new study released today by scientists in France highlights the variant’s risk to people who are not fully vaccinated. [Washington Post]

2. You could win $1 million today

Illinois officials today are expected to announce the first winners of the state’s vaccine lottery. One lucky winner will take home $1 million, and three students will each receive a $150,000 scholarship.

Eligible residents who were at least partially vaccinated by July 1 were automatically entered into the lotteries, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Winners will be contacted by the department, and they will have seven days to claim their prizes.

If you didn’t win today, don’t sweat it. Beginning next Monday, the state will do weekly drawings that will see 22 people win $100,000 each. On Aug. 26, the last day of the lottery, two people will each win $1 million, and 11 students will win $150,000 scholarships.

Dear Lord, I promise to never work again if I win the $1 million prize. [Chicago Tribune]

3. Chicago’s climate change problem

It turns out that Chicago isn’t the climate change haven that it might appear to be on a map. The New York Times takes an in-depth look at current extreme weather patterns and the challenges that loom on the horizon for the city, which is built on a swamp.

“Chicago is built on a shaky prospect — the idea that the swamp that was drained will stay tamed and that Lake Michigan’s shoreline will remain in essentially the same place it’s been for the past 300 years. The lake may have other plans,” the newspaper reports.

Among the biggest problems are widely fluctuating water levels on Lake Michigan, which is expected to see higher highs and lower lows. The Times reports that “the speed and uncertainty of the changes underscore how Chicago, in some crucial ways, is perhaps more immediately exposed to the dangers of global warming than cities on the ocean.” [NYT]

4. In an echo of Surfside, a Chicago condo building was warned about “urgent” repairs three years ago

A consulting firm warned in a 2018 report that a condo building near Water Tower Place needed some repairs “as soon as possible, as the conditions pose an imminent hazard to the facility users and to the structure itself,” reports Crain’s Chicago Business.

The firm examined the parking garage at the base of the building, located at 111 E. Chestnut St., and found 18 columns showed signs of “severe concrete deterioration.”

Three years later, the repair work hasn’t even started, and the building’s condo management company told residents this week that it can’t do anything because the parking garage is owned by a separate company.

“My stomach is churning. I’m stressed out. It’s disheartening and frightening that this hasn’t been done in three years,” one resident told Crain’s. [Crain’s]

Meanwhile, the death toll from the devastating collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo building in Surfside, Fla. rose to 60 as the search for survivors shifts to a recovery effort. [AP]

5. There won’t be any fans in the stands for the Olympics

The Tokyo Olympics will largely be a made-for-TV affair after organizers today announced that spectators will be banned from events held in the capital, which is now under a state of emergency in response to a surge in coronavirus cases.

Prior to today’s announcement, organizers were planning to allow some domestic fans in the stands even as public pressure mounted to once again postpone the games.

As NPR reports, the decision to bar spectators reflects the political price politicians in Tokyo are paying for pushing forward with the Olympics. In last weekend’s local elections, Tokyo voters denied the ruling Liberal Democratic Party a majority in the municipal legislature. [NPR]

Here’s what else is happening

• Chicago’s top cop still can’t prove decisions by Cook County judges are a cause of the city’s violence. [WBEZ]
• A U.S. citizen is among six people arrested so far in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. [Washington Post]
• The Scripps Spelling Bee returns tonight with special guest Jill Biden. [NPR]
• Marvel Studios released a trailer for its upcoming What If …? animated series that will make you miss the late Chadwick Boseman. [YouTube]

Oh, and one more thing …

Despite being known as the cheesehead state, Wisconsin doesn’t have an official state cheese. So a bipartisan group of lawmakers want to correct that by officially giving the designation to colby, which was created in Wisconsin more than 100 years ago, The Associated Press reports.

Wisconsin produces 3.4 billion pounds of cheese each year, the most of any state, but colby isn’t the most popular. The USDA says the state’s most produced cheese is mozzarella followed by cheddar. [AP]

I remember the first time my parents took me and my siblings to the Mars Cheese Castle in Kenosha, Wis., and the entire drive up, I kept thinking about a magical castle built from cheese and how I wanted to claim the cheese throne so I didn’t have to go to school ever again.

Tell me something good …

It seems like everyone I know is buying house plants or gardening, so I’d like to know what you’re growing, planting or buying this summer.

Tom writes:

“I’m seizing the opportunity to spend time with my daughter, after we had to pause visits last year due to COVID-19. We’ve planted four different types of tomato and pepper plants from pots, carrots and herbs from seed, and added some color to the front garden with a rose bush and bees balm. We’ve also planted zinnias and a sunflower from seed as part of the Forest Park Public Library summer program.

“This summer is trucking along at a fast pace. I’m looking forward to the harvest starting in August and the wonderful blooms lasting into the fall. Soon it will be time to design Halloween costumes, but I’m not rushing that yet.”

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

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