Good afternoon! It’s Wednesday, and the construction workers next door were listening to a cover of “Blinding Lights,” and now it’s stuck in my head. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Lightfoot needs a lot more money to overcome negatives in the upcoming election, political experts say

Mayor Lori Lightfoot may need as much as $15 million to mount a successful defense of her record if, as expected, she runs for reelection, a veteran political operative tells the Chicago Sun-Times.

That’s way more money than the $1.7 million reported in her primary political account.

There are two main issues that Lightfoot needs to address, said the operative, Victor Reyes.

“The perception of her personality and then, the crime situation. People need to perceive that they’re safer under her watch. And that’s just not there right now,” he said.

Meanwhile, the City Council’s Black and Latino caucuses have separately been polling voters about their efforts to draw the city’s 50 wards. But both polls included a question about Lightfoot, the Sun-Times reports.

The Black Caucus poll shows Lightfoot with a 28% approval rating. The Latino Caucus poll had it at 30%. [Sun-Times]

Meanwhile, Ald. Raymond Lopez announced he will run for mayor.

Lopez, one of Lightfoot’s top critics on the City Council, leans more conservative and supported failed efforts to roll back COVID-19 vaccine mandates for police officers. [WBEZ]

2. Crisis teams handling mental health emergencies show signs of progress in Chicago

Chicago began experimenting with two crisis teams in September as a way to reduce what advocates say were unnecessary arrests and hospitalizations of people experiencing mental health emergencies.

And the teams have handled more than 160 calls that did not result in an arrest or use of force, according to the city’s Health Department.

Each team includes a social worker, a paramedic and a police officer. These two teams are running on just one shift, on weekdays and in five of the city’s 77 community areas.

Additional teams are scheduled to launch this summer that don’t include police officers.

“It’s a win-win for everybody because the taxpayers pay for the jails and for uninsured people in the hospitals,” said Jennifer Garross, a social worker on one of the teams. [WBEZ]

3. A recent attack on a CTA train operator highlights safety concerns from public transit workers

A coalition of bus drivers and train operators for the Chicago Transit Authority is demanding more safety measures be put in place following an attack this week in the North Side’s Edgewater neighborhood, reports Block Club Chicago.

An operator for a Red Line train was pushed onto the tracks at the Granville station on Monday after a customer said they dropped their phone, according to police. The operator did not hit the electrified third rail and was taken to a nearby hospital.

“All of us here have been assaulted or threatened with assault,” Eric Basir, an organizer with the Chicago Transit Justice Coalition, said at a recent protest. “The trauma we endure is wearing away at our souls. … Our safety is neglected by the CTA.”

Among the coalition’s demands is assigning two-person crews. [Block Club Chicago]

4. The U.S. announces new sanctions against Russia amid alarm over civilian deaths in Ukraine

The Biden administration today escalated its efforts to punish Russia by announcing sanctions targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters and toughening penalties against Russian banks.

The move comes a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the United Nations Security Council to do more as he accused Russian troops of killing civilians.

The European Union is also discussing a ban on Russian coal, and NATO leaders are considering additional sanctions on Moscow and more aid to Ukraine. [AP]

Meanwhile, Russia’s failure to take over Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv is being called “a defeat for the ages.” [AP]

5. Payments on students loans are paused again

The Biden administration announced today it is extending a moratorium on student loan payments to Aug. 31. The pause will also affect interest and collections. About 7 million borrowers who are in default will have their accounts reset and put in good standing.

“If loan payments were to resume on schedule in May, analysis of recent data from the Federal Reserve suggests that millions of student loan borrowers would face significant economic hardship, and delinquencies and defaults could threaten Americans’ financial stability,” President Joe Biden said in a statement.

While an extension was expected, this latest one is much shorter than what many Democrats had hoped for.

And it also “puts Biden in the precarious political position of asking millions of voters to resume loan payments on the eve of November’s midterm elections — unless he does what many experts expect him to do and simply issues another extension over the summer,” NPR reports. [NPR]

Here’s what else is happening

• The Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot Amir Locke during a no-knock raid in February will not face charges, prosecutors announced today. [Star Tribune]
• In case you missed it, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law yesterday guaranteeing COVID-19 sick leave for vaccinated teachers. [WTTW]
• The Chicago Symphony Orchestra revised its programs after maestro Riccardo Muti tested positive for COVID-19. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• The “cannabis amnesty boxes” at Chicago’s airports are rarely used. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Oh, and one more thing …

The international art fair EXPO returns to Chicago tomorrow after a two-year hiatus and features pioneering Black artists.

And Jamillah James, a Senior Manilow Curator at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, says she’s on the hunt for the city’s next art star.

“There’s a type of freedom that artists have here. They can make the work they want and have the conversations they want to have,” said James. “That’s why you get such exciting, experimental work coming out of the city.”

Chicago has a rich history of inspiring artists, especially Black and brown ones.

“There has been a willingness to embrace Black artists and artists of color at Chicago institutions for quite a long time,” James said. “Many museums are now catching up and reconsidering their orientation towards artists of color, but I find that Chicago is a city that’s always been a welcome home.” [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

What are you planting in your garden or windowsill pots this spring?

Julie Brandt writes:

“I am not a great horticulturist, but my boyfriend is pretty knowledgeable. On a recent trip to a house that I’m about to demolish (I do residential development), I looked around the yard and thought, yuck.

“But he looked around and said, ‘I think those are daylilies growing by the garage.’ Score!

“I spent a couple of hours digging as many out as I could — a few went in at my pedway, and the rest will go to another property I’m renovating that has a giant yard that is badly in need of some color. I figure, if they don’t survive the transplanting, I’m no worse off. But if they do, look at all the money I saved! Cross your fingers for me!”

Feel free to email or tweet me, and your response might be shared here this week. And speaking of plants, if you become a WBEZ member, you can get a pothos houseplant.