Good afternoon! It’s feeling downright autumnal out there today and I, for one, am here for it. I guess it’s time to start rewatching Gilmore Girls for the billionth time. Anyway, here’s what you need to know today.

1. CPD’s gang database may soon be gone for good

In a long-awaited move, Chicago’s civilian oversight commission is expected to approve an order tonight that would permanently eliminate the Chicago Police Department’s error-filled gang database.

The move would also require approval from the seven-member Community Commission on Public Safety and Accountability for any future collection of information on Chicago gangs.

“The goal of this is to formally put an end to the gang database as the city of Chicago knows it and put some guardrails up so that something like that never happens again,” Commission President Anthony Driver said.

CPD’s use of the gang database has been a hot-button issue for years. In 2020, the department announced plans to upgrade the database after an inspector general report found it was riddled with errors and racial biases. Driver said the commission has not been convinced that the new database fixed historical inaccuracies.

Eliminating the database would make good on a major campaign promise from Mayor Brandon Johnson. [Chicago Sun-Times]

2. The head of Chicago Teachers Union defends decision to send son to private school

CTU president Stacy Davis Gates is facing criticism for sending her eldest child to a private school, but she says it underscores the “unfair choices” she and other South and West Side parents face.

In an interview with WBEZ’s Sarah Karp, Davis Gates said “it was a very difficult decision for us because there is not a lot to offer Black youth who are entering high school” in Chicago.

“In many of our schools on the South Side and the West Side, the course offerings are very marginal and limited,” Davis Gates said. “Then the other thing, and it was a very strong priority, was his ability to participate in co-curricular and extracurricular activities, which quite frankly, don’t exist in many of the schools, high schools in particular.”

The news was first published on an online news site run by a former CTU employee and has attracted backlash from right-wing and pro-school choice outlets.

Davis Gates also denounced the site for publishing the name of her son’s high school, along with his name and photo. [WBEZ]

3. The latest plan for migrant housing was met with mixed emotions in Greektown

As the city continues to scramble to house migrants, there are plans to move about 200 people into a temporary shelter in Greektown. The plan is to use the Parthenon Guest House hostel to house single adults without children starting on Sept. 15.

The space was previously used as a temporary shelter from October 2022 to February. At a community meeting last night, Ald. Bill Conway (34th) said that “happened without any incidents.”

Residents at last night’s meeting expressed both support and apprehension for the new plan, while city officials acknowledged the need for a more long-term solution.

“With a steady stream of buses of asylum-seekers arriving in our city for a year now, it has become increasingly clear that the current patchwork approach of scrambling to set up temporary shelters is inefficient and unsustainable,” Conway said.

Officials will evaluate the Parthenon’s effectiveness as a temporary shelter after six months to determine if they will continue housing migrants there. [Chicago Sun-Times]

4. This year’s Chicago Marathon could break a record for most runners ever

More than 47,000 runners are currently signed up to run this year’s marathon on Oct. 8, which would beat 2019’s 45,932 finishers for the largest field.

But organizers say it’ll take weeks after the race to calculate the exact number of finishers and determine if the record has been busted. There were also more than 47,000 people registered in 2019. But either way, this year’s field is trending on the crowded side — a sign that runners are putting the pandemic in the rearview mirror.

The marathon was held virtually in 2020 and then limited in size in 2021. Last year, international travel restrictions held the number of finishers to 39,387. But this year “there’s just a great energy that’s fueling this record year,” Carey Pinkowski, the race’s executive director, told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Organizers also suspect the registration boost is, in part, fueled by people who took up running during lockdown and are now ready to take on the 26.2-mile challenge. [Chicago Sun-Times]

5. Meet one of Chicago’s only all-women garbage pickup team

Garbage haulers in Chicago pickup 800,000 tons of trash every year. One of the crews doing that work is made up of Joan Mitchell, Maretha Boyd and Jasilyn Williams — one of the only all-women teams in town.

After being randomly assigned to work together, the crew has been on the same route in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood for the past three years. Their day begins at 4:30 a.m. and despite the many smells and run-ins with rodents, they say it’s a pretty fun job — especially working together.

“We just was lucky,” Mitchell said about ending up on the same truck. “And it was a bond.”

The crew covers between seven and 15 alleys a day and their biggest gripe is people who don’t put their trash in a tightly tied bag. [Curious City]

Here’s what else is happening

• The number of abortions so far this year in Illinois rose 69% compared to the same period in 2020, a new study finds. [NPR]

• Chicago’s IT infrastructure needs a major overhaul and is “barely” working as is, a consultant told the City Council. [Chicago Tribune]

• Teachers at Chicago High School for the Arts reached a contract agreement to avoid a strike. [Chicago Sun-Times]

• Three big questions, asked and answered, about Chicago’s upcoming transition to an elected school board. [WBEZ]

• Scientists found a mysterious “golden egg” on the Alaskan seafloor — and they’re not sure what it is. [Washington Post]

Oh, and one more thing …

The Chicago Public Library announced the novel There There is its 2023 choice for One Book, One Chicago. Every year, the library selects one book for a city-wide book club of sorts. Residents are invited to read the book, then join in on discussions and special events, including a visit from the author, Tommy Orange, in November.

Orange is the first Native-American novelist whose work has been selected for the program in its 22-year history. His best-seller follows 12 characters who are all headed to a powwow at the Oakland Coliseum in California. Readers learn how they’re all connected, why they’re going and about a plot to steal $50,000.My colleague Adora Namigadde talked to Orange about his debut novel and his efforts to highlight lesser-known aspects of Native American history. [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

Hunter frequently talks about his dogs in the newsletter, but we want to hear about your pets. What’s something you love about them?

Rachel B. writes:

“My husband and I have two lovely cats! The first cat we got, Smokey, a fluffy grey cat, turned me from someone that didn’t care for cats to an absolute cat lover! Smokey and I fall asleep cuddled together every night. During the pandemic, we adopted our second cat, Maple, an orange female tabby, from The Catcade and she makes us laugh by sprinting around at full speed and always having something to say. And to brag about my cats, both can sit and give a paw when asked and Maple is learning a new trick - spin!”

Sam Bellgraph writes:

“Ruby is a very athletic corgi, but you would never know by how she walks down the sidewalk. She’s very much on her own time. Sometimes she lays down to see if a passerby will give her attention. It always works. People stop and laugh, then she immediately pops up hoping for pets. I love how dogs help us connect with our neighbors.”

Daniel writes:

“My crazy cattle dog Zoey has a very strong prey drive outside. Recently in the backyard she killed her 8th rat. She often goes after bees and such there, too. Over the weekend she came running in from the kitchen to hide under a bed. Why? She’s terrified of flies, at least when they’re in the house.”

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

Thanks for reading and enjoy this weather! Hunter is back tomorrow.