Hey there! It’s Wednesday, and it’s also the first day of September, meaning there’s a good chance Chicago will now go through three different seasons before it’s basically winter in October. Here’s what you need to know today.

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1. More than 500 people have been murdered so far this year in Chicago — the most since 1996

As Chicago braces for the typically violent Labor Day weekend, police officials today reported there have been 524 murders so far this year. That’s the highest since 1996, when 546 murders were reported between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31.

The news comes as many cities throughout the U.S. are trying to curb a surge in violence that has erupted since the beginning of the pandemic, and President Joe Biden has pledged to provide more federal support to local authorities.

But the pressure is particularly intense in Chicago, which has long struggled with a high level of shootings and homicides.

“Young men feel in fear of their lives,” said Lance Williams, a Northeastern Illinois University professor of urban community studies who works with street outreach groups on the city’s South and West sides. “They’re getting guns to try to protect themselves.” [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, an analysis found the Police Department’s data doesn’t support claims that gangs are driving up shootings. [The Trace]

2. COVID-19 outbreaks have been reported in 26 schools in Illinois

Just weeks into the new academic year, more than two dozen schools have reported outbreaks of two or more cases among people who were likely infected on school grounds, reports the Chicago Tribune, citing state data.

A majority of those schools are in districts following Gov. JB Pritzker’s mask mandate, such as Glenbrook Elementary School in Streamwood, where between 11 and 16 cases have been reported. [Chicago Tribune]

In Chicago, the number of new infections appears to have plateaued. The seven-day average of cases is 467 per day as of Aug. 27. That’s just 1% higher than the previous week. The positivity rate is 4.3%. [COVID Dashboard]

Gov. Pritzker says he is “hopeful” Illinois’ surge in cases will begin to level off and drop. As the Sun-Times reports, the state is seeing an average of 4,000 new cases each day over the last week. [Sun-Times]

Meanwhile, an Illinois woman was arrested and charged for allegedly using a fake vaccination card to enter Hawaii and avoid restrictions. According to reports, the card misspelled Moderna as “Maderna.” [KHON2]

3. Texas enacts one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation

A Texas law prohibiting most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy went into effect in Texas after the U.S. Supreme Court did not act on an emergency appeal to put the law on hold.

The nation’s high court could still weigh in, but abortions in Texas will remain extremely limited for the time being, as many clinics say they will comply.

The Texas law comes as Republicans seek to test Roe v. Wade now that the Supreme Court has a conservative majority. And Texas lawmakers designed the law in a way to make it difficult to challenge in court.

Usually, lawsuits seeking to overturn abortion restrictions target government officials. But the Texas law empowers private individuals, not state officials, to sue anyone in civil court who helps a woman seeking a prohibited abortion. [NPR]

4. AOC calls on the Senate to reject Rahm Emanuel’s ambassadorship

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez today urged senators to reject former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel as the ambassador to Japan, saying his handling of the police killing of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald should be a disqualification.

“This nomination is deeply shameful. As mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel helped cover up the murder of Laquan McDonald — a mere teenager when he was shot 16 times in the back by a Chicago Police Officer,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement.

Ocasio-Cortez and other progressive lawmakers previously opposed Emanuel from possibly being nominated as transportation secretary after his name began circulating as a potential contender.

The House plays no role in confirming nominees, but progressives have been outspoken in hopes of steering Biden’s decisions. [Bloomberg]

5. Chicago has a serial egg thrower

Dozens of Chicagoans have been attacked by someone throwing eggs, and a Facebook group of more than 700 people is trying to solve the mystery of who’s behind the attacks, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

The group, Chicago Egg Hunters, helps spread information about the egg attacks and keeps track of where they occur. And Egg Hunters have developed a lead: Some witnesses say they’ve seen a white truck with red graffiti on its side during the attacks.

The Egg Hunters believe the truck is connected to a Southwest Side warehouse. When the Sun-Times contacted a manager, he said he would talk to his delivery drivers and discipline them. [ST]

Here’s what else is happening

• A grand jury indicted three officers and two paramedics in the death of Elijah McClain, a Black man who was put in a chokehold and injected with a powerful sedative two years ago in suburban Denver. [NPR]
• As many as 27 California public school students are trapped in Afghanistan. [NPR]
• Many users are boycotting the streaming platform Twitch because of attacks targeting Black, queer and disabled people. [NPR]
• Street soccer is taking off in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood. [Hyde Park Herald]

Oh, and one more thing …

Chicago is increasingly becoming more diverse, but will that be reflected in the City Council?

The once in a decade process of redrawing legislative districts is underway, and WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel has a good explainer on how the process plays out, why some wards are shaped in weird ways and what could be at stake.

For example, the city’s Latino population is now the largest minority or ethnic group in the city, according to census data. Will that translate to greater representation in the City Council? [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, the same deal is playing out on the state level. Illinois Democrats in the General Assembly steamrolled over Republican opposition to create new legislative maps. [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

The new school year is here, and I’d like to know: What is one of your favorite memories of going to class, either grade school, high school or college?

Mary Nell Murphy writes:

“I grew up in Sun Prairie, Wis., (yes, birthplace of Georgia O’Keeffe) and our high school had Ride Your Horse to School Day. I didn’t have one, but I biked to school in solidarity. It was pretty cool to go out and visit the horses during the day. And no, I’m not that old.”

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

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