A deeper look at student loans in Illinois

Plus, the Illinois State Fair's karaoke contest. Here's what you need to know today.

Thursday, August 25, 2022 Today's Rundown is brought to you by WBEZ members and   by Hunter Clauss   Good afternoon! If “quiet quitting” is a thing, then please consider me as the employee of the month in that category. Here’s what you need to know today. 1. Illinois residents could benefit greatly from Biden’s plan to forgive student loans   More than 1.7 million Illinois residents hold an average student loan debt of nearly $38,000, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which has state-by-state figures for 2021. That means Illinois is among the states that could benefit the most from President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt and $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients. Jarod Rhymes, a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said he could finish school without any debt under Biden’s plan. “That money that I would be using for federal loans will probably go straight to housing,” Rhymes told the Chicago Sun-Times. [Sun-Times] Nationally, the outstanding debt from federal student loans clocks in at more than $1.6 trillion, according to the Education Data Initiative. In Illinois, borrowers owe a total of more than $60 billion. 2. Just days into the new academic year, four teenagers were shot across the street from a Chicago high school   Four teenagers were wounded in a drive-by shooting yesterday across the street from a Northwest Side high school, an attack that comes just days into Chicago’s new academic year and toward the end of a summer plagued by mass shootings across the nation. The teenagers were in the patio area of an ice cream store when they were shot around 2:45 p.m., right as students were being dismissed from Schurz High School. One of the teens was listed in critical condition at Lurie Children’s Hospital. The mass shooting raises questions about how Chicago Public Schools can improve the safety of students as they commute to and from schools.  And it also highlights how school communities that have struggled with gun violence often find a “lack of resources to help both children and staff cope with the shooting or killing of a student,” report my colleagues at the Chicago Sun-Times.  “Chicago educators and parents have envied the trauma response for students in Highland Park as they head back to schools after the suburb’s 4th of July tragedy.” [Chicago Sun-Times] 3. Chicago’s top public health official tested positive for COVID-19   Dr. Allison Arwady, who has been a calm and reassuring presence for Chicago during the pandemic, announced today she tested positive for COVID-19 and is “experiencing some cold-like symptoms but am otherwise well,” report my colleagues at the Chicago Sun-Times. Arwady credited her mild symptoms to being fully vaccinated and boosted.  Throughout Illinois, about 69% of residents have completed at least their initial vaccine series, and 54% have gotten a booster.  More than 3,600 state residents have tested positive each day over the past week, down significantly from the 30,000 per day at the peak of the omicron wave in January. [Chicago Sun-Times] 4. California is expected to move closer to banning the sale of new gasoline-powered cars. Is Illinois next?   California is poised to ban the sale of new vehicles running only on gasoline by 2035, a major step in the state’s efforts to fight climate change that could have ripple effects throughout the nation. Not only is California the top market for auto sales, but more than a dozen states have followed California’s lead on auto emissions. The policy, which will be voted on today by the California Air Resources Board, doesn’t outright eliminate gas-powered cars, just the sale of new ones.  As the Associated Press reports: “People can continue driving gas-fueled vehicles and purchasing used ones after 2035. The plan also allows for one-fifth of sales after 2035 to be plug-in hybrids that can run on batteries and gas.” [AP] 5. The awesomeness that is the Illinois State Fair’s karaoke contest   Someone really needs to make this story into a movie, a la Best in Show. The New York Times recently chronicled this year’s karaoke contest at the Illinois State Fair. People who want a shot at the state fair have to win first or second place at county fairs earlier in the summer, and the contestants are true legends in their own right.  There’s Tamika Swisher, a 49-year-old nursing home administrator who is known as “Tamika Karaoke” and “the Karaoke Diva.” And there’s Tyson Schulte, last year’s champion who sports a beard and handlebar mustache.  “At one point, he lifted his shirt to show off a body-hair innovation: He had shaved and sculpted the hair on his chest and abdomen so that it looked like a large fur necktie,” the Times reports.  “It’s more or less for humor,” Schulte said. [NYT] SPONSORED BY NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY'S MA IN PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION Build the Skills Now to Drive Change Prepare for roles in government, education, NGOs, and nonprofit organizations in one of the only programs that focuses on both policy and administration. You’ll build the leadership, administrative, and analytical expertise needed to drive change at the local, national, and international levels while learning from experienced faculty who are thought leaders in their fields. Earn your Northwestern master’s degree at your own pace or in as little as one year.   Here's what else is happening A hundred unarmed guards and 50 canines will patrol Chicago Transit Authority stations under a more than $30 million contract. [Chicago Sun-Times] A Cook County detention center for juveniles locks up kids and teenagers for most of the day, according to a report. [Chicago Sun-Times] A converted RV offers new hope in preventing opioid deaths on Chicago’s West Side. [Chicago Sun-Times] I knew this already, but it still blows my mind how the mayor of Kyiv was a heavyweight champion known as Dr. Ironfist. [NPR]    Sasha's Pick Toya Wolfe’s book, Last Summer on State Street, focuses on four girls growing up in the Robert Taylor Homes public housing projects, where Wolfe was a resident. We interviewed the author about her debut novel, and the importance of stories that center the experience of young Black girls. Check out our full conversation by clicking the 'LISTEN' button at the top of this review. [WBEZ Reset] — Sasha-Ann Simons, host of Reset Oh, and one more thing... White Noise is one of those books that has been on my reading list for years. Sorry, there is just too much to read. But I guess I’ve got to get on top of that because Netflix today dropped the first trailer for a movie adaptation of Don DeLillo’s critically acclaimed book.  The film doesn’t have a release date set, but it premieres next week at the Venice Film Festival, reports Pitchfork.  It stars Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig, Don Cheadle, Jodie Turner-Smith and André 3000. [Pitchfork] Tell me something good Summer is coming to an end. My colleague Bianca is relatively new to Chicago and would like to know what are some of your favorite smaller-scale events or activities during the summer. Nancy writes:  “Take in a walk or a bike ride in any of the suburban bike trails or forest  preserves. Fox River Trail, Sterne’s Woods & Fen, Flint Creek and Moraine Hills have been some of my favorites — such beauty to behold!” Feel free to email or tweet me, and your responses might be shared in the newsletter this week.  therundown@wbez.org | @whuntah Thanks for reading and have a nice night! I'll see you tomorrow. — Hunter Clauss ©Chicago Public Media Inc 848 East Grand Ave, Navy Pier Chicago, IL 60611 View in Browser | Sign Up for Newsletters | Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy