Good afternoon! Here’s an interesting factoid from Chicago’s Music Box Theatre: “If Robert Downey Jr. wins for Oppenheimer, he’ll be the first Saturday Night Live cast member to get an Oscar.” And here’s what you need to know today.

1. Illinois Democrats push to protect access to fertility treatments

Democrats in the state capital are pushing multiple bills this year to further protect and expand access to in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments, my colleague Mawa Iqbal reports.

The proposals come after the Alabama Supreme Court last month ruled that embryos should be considered children, opening a new front in the debate over reproductive rights in the U.S.

The ruling also has put Republicans in a bind, placing their belief that life begins at conception against the popularity and support of fertility treatments. It remains to be seen how Illinois Republicans will react to local efforts to protect those treatments.

One proposal under consideration in Illinois would give a $500 tax credit to physicians and patients fleeing states that are limiting access to health care that is lawful in Illinois — which can include abortion, gender-affirming care and fertility treatments. [WBEZ]

2. The White Sox and the Bears may combine their pitch for taxpayer money to help build new stadiums

The developer working with the White Sox to build a new stadium in the South Loop said he is trying to forge a “financing partnership” with the Bears that could pave the way for Chicago to build two new stadiums at the same time, my colleague Fran Spielman reports.

The developer, Related Midwest president Curt Bailey, said the financing plan includes a $450 million subsidy from the tax increment financing district created to bankroll infrastructure improvements needed to develop the site.

Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf put a $900 million price on that work, but Bailey cut that estimate in half and argued the entire investment is well worth the return. [Chicago Sun-Times]

3. The festival season is approaching — and there’s a leadership flux in Chicago’s Cultural Affairs Department

Mayor Brandon Johnson fired the city’s top cultural chief, Erin Harkey, more than two weeks ago, surprising some in the arts community.

But Harkey is still on the job, my colleagues Courtney Kueppers and Mitch Dudek report. A mayoral spokesperson said Jennifer Johnson Washington, the department’s first deputy commissioner, would temporarily take over after Harkey departs.

“I’m really in the dark, I don’t know what’s coming next and if this signals any bigger changes,” said Esther Grisham Grimm, who serves on the city’s cultural advisory council and is the executive director of the nonprofit arts organization 3Arts.

The leadership flux comes just weeks before the city’s festival season begins.

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events is in charge of events like The Taste of Chicago and Blues Fest. It also funds a number of arts organizations and individual artists, an effort that Harkey, who was appointed by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, expanded. [WBEZ]

4. Momentum appears to be building for basic income programs in the U.S.

From big cities to rural counties, there have been more than 150 basic income pilot programs across the nation, NPR reports.

The idea of providing cash aid without conditions was considered a radical idea before the pandemic.

But “interest exploded after it became clear how much COVID stimulus checks and emergency rental payments had helped people,” NPR reports. “The U.S. Census Bureau found that an expanded child tax credit cut child poverty in half. That is, until the expansion ended and child poverty spiked.”

Cook County is home to one of the largest cash aid pilots in the country. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has vowed to continue funding the program after the two-year pilot ends.

But some advocates worry such programs will begin to fizzle out once federal aid from the pandemic runs out. [NPR]

5. A CTA bus driver and a passenger helped save 14 people from burning homes

Anastasios Adamopoulos was driving his CTA bus in the South Shore neighborhood early Monday morning when he saw an ominous orange glow, my colleague Emmanuel Camarillo reports.

As the bus got closer, Adamopoulos discovered a massive fire was consuming two homes.

“The flames were reaching for the heavens, that’s how intense it was,” he said.

Adamopoulos, 63, said he didn’t think twice as he pulled the bus over and jumped off along with a passenger. Together they ran to the homes and alerted residents, who were able to escape the fire unscathed.

“I don’t think I did anything more than what the next guy would do,” he said. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Here’s what else is happening

• Today is Super Tuesday, and millions of voters are heading to the polls in 16 states and one territory. [NPR]

• The Biden administration cracks down on credit card late fees. [Washington Post]

• It’s unclear what caused Facebook, Instagram and other Meta services to go down for users around the world. [New York Times]

• Looking for something to read? This month’s Nerdette Book Club selection is Martyr!, the first novel from poet Kaveh Akbar. [WBEZ]

Oh, and one more thing …

Here’s something I didn’t know until this morning: The average cost of a wedding in Chicago was $56,000 last year, according to wedding planning app The Knot.

“When looking at the average wedding cost by the 20 largest U.S. metro areas, Chicago ranked No. 2, behind New York where the average cost was $63,000,” reports Chicago Sun-Times contributor Olivia Dimmer, who talked to local couples who are finding creative ways to stay under budget.

Among the tips given by wedding planners and experts is choose your date wisely, consider nontraditional venues and don’t rule out the courthouse. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Tell me something good …

The Oscars are on Sunday. Who would you like to see win this year?

Lisa Zook writes:

“I expect Oppenheimer to walk away with many awards on Sunday and I am also hoping for Lily Gladstone.

“I’d love to see Past Lives recognized. I found it to be a beautiful, poignant, expressive film about life and the choices we make and don’t make. I found it to be an insightful film about the particular experience of immigration and what is left behind or what becomes impossible when new possibilities open.

“I think it’s such a beautiful tribute to love and to reconciling ourselves with our pasts and the roads we did not take. Having seen all the best picture nominees, Past Lives gets my vote, followed by Anatomy of a Fall. We’ll see if the Academy shares my opinion!”

Feel free to email me, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.