Monkeypox and Market Days

Plus, a sales tax holiday for back-to-school gear. Here's what you need to know today.

To view this email as a web page, click here. Today's Rundown is brought to you by WBEZ members and   by Hunter Clauss   Hey there! It’s Thursday, and here’s some hometown pride: Chicago drag queen Shea Couleé will join the Marvel universe. How cool is that? Here’s what you need to know today. 1. Heading to Market Days? Here’s what you need to know about monkeypox   The LGBTQ festival known as Market Days takes place this weekend in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, and it coincides with an outbreak of monkeypox that has been declared a public health emergency in Illinois.  Anyone can get the virus, but the vast majority of cases so far have been identified in men who have sex with other men. My colleagues Courtney Kueppers and Bianca Cseke put together an FAQ about monkeypox with Market Days in mind. It includes advice for people who are attending the festival as well as information about how the virus spreads and who is eligible for vaccinations, which are in short supply. [WBEZ] As Market Days approaches, some within the LGBTQ community are worried about the spread of the virus and confused about how and when to get vaccines. Some also wonder if a line has been crossed between messaging and marginalization. “I feel like with gay men there has been so much negative stigma with gay men and sex,” said Hayden Magri, a bartender. [WBEZ] Meanwhile, the Biden administration declared the monkeypox outbreak as a public health emergency. [Axios] 2. A sales tax holiday begins tomorrow on back-to-school gear   Amid historically high inflation, Illinois will cut its portion of the sales tax from 6.25% to 1.25% on qualified back-to-school items, reports my colleague Satchel Price at the Chicago Sun-Times. The sales tax holiday will last until Aug. 14, and you can find a lengthy list of eligible items in the link. It includes clothing, school supplies and footwear. “The retail selling price on each item must be less than $125, and there are exceptions if, for example, you’re looking to buy sports gear or art supplies like paintbrushes or watercolors,” Price reports. [Sun-Times] 3. An Italian American group wants Christopher Columbus statues returned by Columbus Day   The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans is preparing to release a plan calling for the return of Columbus statues that Mayor Lori Lightfoot removed from Grant and Arrigo parks in 2020, reports Fran Spielman at the Chicago Sun-Times. And the plan includes around-the-clock security measures paid by Chicago taxpayers. That includes 24-hour guards and cameras.  If the plan gets a cold reception from Lightfoot, the committee is counting on a court order to force the mayor’s hand by Columbus Day, Spielman reports.  The statues were removed in the middle of the night in July 2020 after protesters clashed with police in Grant Park as they tried to topple the statue. [Sun-Times] 4. A ‘very serious breach’ at the Daley Center raises concerns about the safety of judges   The breach took place last week and heightened long-running concerns about the safety of Cook County judges, reports WBEZ’s Dan Mihalopoulos. The county’s chief judge detailed the breach in a letter to judges and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. According to the letter, an “angry litigant” forced his way into a locked courtroom after running at the door and kicking it.  The man was “demanding to see a judge” and “could be heard yelling throughout the floor for at least a few minutes” before he forced his way into the courtroom, wrote Chief Judge Timothy Evans. Nobody was hurt, and there “appeared to be no deputies available to respond” to the breach, Evans wrote.  But the sheriff’s office refutes Evans’s claims, saying in a statement that deputies addressed the problem in the courtroom and resolved it. [WBEZ] 5. Chicago’s Riverwalk finds its cultural groove this summer with more concerts and art   The downtown Riverwalk has “begun coming into its own as a cultural destination” this summer, writes Isabella DeLeo for WBEZ.  The city has expanded a Sunday afternoon concert series it introduced last year, invested in more public art and added family-friendly events such as afternoon fishing for children.  That all means visitors will have more things to do along the scenic 1.25-mile riverfront path than ever before. DeLeo highlights things to look out for if you’re planning on checking out the Riverwalk, from art installations to businesses. [WBEZ] And that also reminds me that WBEZ has a great guide to summer events in Chicago that are free. [WBEZ] SPONSORED BY MEALS ON WHEELS CHICAGO Celebrating 35 Years of Serving Our Community Meals on Wheels Chicago is committed to improving the health and well-being of seniors and individuals with disabilities. This goes beyond meal delivery. Interaction with a delivery driver is often the most meaningful contact a client has - 84% of the seniors we serve tell us their driver is the only human contact they have every week.    This August we are celebrating 35 years of serving Chicago. More about how you can help us keep delivering meals for another 35 years can be found on our website. Together, we can address hunger and isolation for some of our city’s most vulnerable citizens. Learn more. Here's what else is happening Four Louisville police officers face federal charges related to the killing of Breonna Taylor. [WFPL] WNBA star Brittney Griner was convicted in Russia on drug charges and sentenced to nine years in prison. [NPR] Lady Gaga confirmed she will star in a musical sequel to Joker. [Variety] This week’s “What’s That Building?” looks at an apartment complex in the South Shore neighborhood once used as an underground abortion clinic by the Jane Collective. [WBEZ] Oh, and one more thing... “Morgue assistant’s meatballs at southern Illinois cook-off not made of male body parts, sheriff says.” That’s the headline of a story that made me do a spit take while reading the news this morning.  The Chicago Tribune reports “a viral satirical article falsely said that a morgue assistant used male meat to win” a spaghetti cook-off in downstate Carterville. That caused local authorities to issue a statement declaring the article as “fake news.”  The website where the article appeared describes itself as a “fabricated satirical newspaper and comedy website,” but some folks appear to have missed that disclaimer. [Chicago Tribune] Tell me something good I finally saw Jordan Peele’s Nope, and I’d like to know what is a scary movie, TV or book that really got you? Rebecca Palumbo writes:  “With all the mentions of truly terrifying stories, this one may seem a little silly. My dad bought me Nancy Drew’s The Haunted Showboat when I was little, and I remember being just petrified of the italics when Nancy saw the showboat and all the ghosts dancing and laughing. I put the book down unfinished and didn’t pick it up again for years. When I did, I discovered a passion for mysteries — but not horror!” @AnimatedCon tweets:  “For me, the scariest movie I ever watched was The Blair Witch Project. I don't know why, but after watching it, I had to sleep with all the lights on in my apartment. A grown a** Black man in the Bronx. They got me.” And Roger Deschner writes:  “The Haunting, original 1963 black-and-white version. Nothing has scared me, a cocky college student when I first saw it, quite like that.” 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 P.S. Did a friend forward you this email? 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