Good afternoon! It’s Tuesday, and it’s a hot one in Chicago. My husband is out of town for a few days, and I’m seriously considering blowing up an inflatable pool in the living room to stay cool. Anyway, here’s what you need to know today.

1. More kids are being hospitalized with COVID-19

Medical experts are raising concerns about COVID-19’s impact on children as schools across the nation are preparing to bring students back into classrooms for the new academic year.

As Axios reports, the latest numbers from the American Academy of Pediatrics show “there were nearly 94,000 cases of COVID among kids in the last week, or about 15% of weekly total cases.”

Kids have a low risk of developing serious illness. But there is a debate among health experts over how dangerous the highly contagious delta can be for children.

And experts expect to see surges of infections two weeks after schools reopen. [Axios]

Meanwhile in Illinois, a recently filed lawsuit seeks to overturn Gov. JB Pritzker’s mask mandate for all students, faculty and staff. [NPR Illinois]

2. How Illinois could look in our climate-change future

By 2100, the state could see a month of temperatures hitting 95 degrees and higher, more flooding, and more health risks from extreme temperatures and diseases carried by mosquitoes and ticks, reports the Chicago Tribune, which talked to climate scientists who worked on a report showing how climate change will affect Illinois.

The news comes after a U.N. report yesterday found it’s too late to prevent global warming and documented how climate change is accelerating.

“What impacts everybody else will impact us indirectly,” Jim Angel, a former Illinois state climatologist, told the Tribune. “Sea level rise can have impacts on Illinois, too. It doesn’t mean the ocean’s going to be lapping at the borders, but it does mean that things like exporting goods to other parts of the world could be hampered.” [Trib]

3. Evanston residents voice their outrage over a plan to keep secret a report on lifeguard sexual abuse

More than a dozen people blasted Evanston officials last night for trying to keep secret the findings of an independent investigation into allegations of widespread sexual misconduct among lifeguards and beach workers on the north suburb’s lakefront, reports WBEZ’s Alex Keefe.

The news comes as the Evanston City Council considers a proposed separation agreement with Erika Storlie, who recently resigned as city manager amid fallout over how officials handled sexual abuse complaints.

That legally binding agreement, if approved, would bar the city from releasing a report from investigators.

That probe was launched after WBEZ last month reported that more than 50 female lifeguards and other beach employees have alleged their co-workers engaged in rampant sexual misconduct — often against underage girls. [WBEZ]

4. Brothers accused of killing a Chicago police officer denied bail

Two brothers accused of killing Officer Ella French and wounding her partner will remain in jail as they await trial, Cook County judges ruled today.

Emonte Morgan, 21, and Eric Morgan, 22, face several felony charges in the Saturday shooting in the West Englewood neighborhood. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Meanwhile, police radio calls show a dispatcher stayed on the air for more than three hours to help officers in the aftermath of the shooting, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

“OK, listen to me, take that damn vest off right now and start compressions,” the dispatcher told the officers in a car with French after the shooting. “Start breathing, whatever we got to do. Start it now. While you’re driving, the officer in the back with her, take the vest off and start compressions now.” [Sun-Times]

5. Bipartisan infrastructure plan passes the Senate but faces uncertainty in the House

In a 69-30 vote, the Senate approved a $1 trillion infrastructure plan to upgrade the nation’s crumbling roads and bridges, expand broadband internet access in rural and low-income areas and help fight climate crises.

The bill, a key element of President Joe Biden’s agenda, now heads to the House, where some progressive Democrats have criticized the plan for not going far enough.

Still, the bipartisan vote in the Senate gives Biden a political victory after some members of his own party doubted he could win over enough Republicans.

As the infrastructure bill heads to the House, the Senate will now focus on a $3.5 trillion budget resolution that aims to greatly expand the social safety net for Americans. Senate Democrats are using the budget process as a way to bypass a GOP filibuster. [NPR]

Here’s what else is happening

• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced he will resign after a report found he sexually harassed 11 women. [NPR]
• The Taliban claimed another provincial capital in Afghanistan as the U.S. continues to withdraw troops. [NYT]
• Dominion Voting Systems filed defamation lawsuits against far-right TV channels Newsmax and OAN, claiming they knowingly spread false conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election. [CNN]
• Beyoncé did a rare media interview, reflecting on her life and career as she turns 40 next month. [Harper’s Bazaar]

Oh, and one more thing …

Starting on Friday, you can take a tour of Chicago’s “ugly” buildings.

The aptly named Ugly Buildings Tour is from Mike McMains, who started doing architecture tours in 2005, reports Block Club Chicago.

McMains’ favorite ugly building is the 15-floor concrete building at 55 W. Wacker Drive, which he calls, according to Block Club, the “Danny DeVito of architecture: It’s short but stands proud and uncompromising next to its taller neighbors.” [Block Club Chicago]

Tell me something good …

More than a year into this pandemic, I feel like I’ve seen everything that’s streaming on Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+ and Amazon Prime. So please, dear reader, give me your TV show or movie recommendations.

Renee Burnett writes:

“I’m just now discovering the PBS series Classic Albums. Some of the episodes are a year old and won’t be available to stream for much longer, but for anyone into music, they are really interesting! I just saw the episodes on Dark Side of the Moon and Rumours, and A Night At the Opera is next on my playlist. Rock on!”

And Matt Huppert writes:

“Too many of us (myself included) slept on Detroiters, the Comedy Central show from Sam Richardson and Tim Robinson that was canceled way too soon. More than just absurdist bits and wackadoo characters, the show has an authentic sense of place and meaningful meditations on adult friendship (but also, absurdist bits and wackadoo characters). If you dig I Think You Should Leave, give Detroiters a try on Paramount+.”

What are you watching? Feel free to email me at therundown@wbez.org or tweet me at @whuntah.

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