Good morning, Chicago. ✶
🔎 Below: For the first time, Chicagoans will elect the entire Board of Education. We break down what you need to know and how to use our free voter guide.
🗞️ Plus: A Gary mom’s storm recovery journey, the Bears’ Caleb Williams goes down, a Riot Fest recap and more news you need to know.
📝 Keeping score: The Bears fell to the Vikings, 9-3; the Cubs beat the Reds, 9-1; the White Sox bested the Tigers, 8-1; the Stars lost to the Spirit, 3-0.
☁️ Today’s weather: Cloudy with a chance of more rain and a high near 64.
📧 Subscribe: Get our morning newsletter delivered to your inbox weekday mornings.
⏱️: An 8-minute read
TODAY’S TOP STORY 🔎
Your guide to Chicago’s historic school board election
By Becky Vevea, Makiya Seminera, Emmanuel Camarillo and Kate Grossman
Historic election: This fall, Chicagoans will vote for members of the city’s first fully elected school board: 20 members plus an at-large president. Every eligible Chicagoan can cast two votes (yes, two!) — one for a candidate in your school board district, based on your home address, and a second for school board president.
Key context: School board members are responsible for the education of about 315,000 children across more than 600 schools and set priorities for Chicago Public Schools. One of the board’s core functions is making financial decisions — it can raise local property taxes and decide how to spend state and federal funding.
Endorsements: Several education-related groups have endorsed or are providing significant financial support for candidates in the school board election. We’ve got a rundown of which groups are backing candidates.
Our free guide: Search your address to find which district you vote in and compare candidates before Election Day, Nov. 3, 2026. Early voting starts Oct. 1. Tap the image above, the button below or head here for our free guide.
PUBLIC SAFETY 🚨
The push for independent review of Cook County Jail
By Anna Savchenko
The lede: Some Cook County commissioners are pushing for an independent review of the Cook County Jail, citing concerns about deaths, medical care and inadequate supervision. A resolution calling for the review is scheduled for a vote Tuesday in the board’s Health and Hospitals Committee.
The concerns: Advocates, elected officials and faith leaders say the 2023 death toll — the deadliest year at the jail in decades — underscores the need for third-party oversight. In 2023, 18 people died at the jail, many from drug overdoses tied to delays in medical care, according to an Injustice Watch investigation.
WEATHER ✶
After historic power outage, Gary mom hopes for relief
By Elvia Malagón
Following the storm: It has been more than a month since hundreds of thousands in Gary and across northwest Indiana were left without power, some for at least two weeks, following intense storms. The Sun-Times followed up with Melissa Dixon, a mother of four, to see how her family is recovering.
Zooming in: Dixon said she no longer worries about how she will feed her family now that her refrigerator is working. But she’s concerned about potential mold in her basement. And she hasn’t gotten any disaster relief from FEMA.
MORE NEWS YOU NEED 🗞️
- Wounded officer makes appearance: Nearly five months after Chicago police officer Nelson Crespo was critically wounded in a shooting that killed his partner, John Bartholomew, Crespo made his first public appearance at a fundraiser in his honor on Friday.
- Aunt sentenced in boy’s death: Victoria Moreno, 38, was sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to pushing her 3-year-old nephew into Lake Michigan at Navy Pier, killing him, in 2022.
- Violence prevention group seeks funding: Cook County Crime Stoppers says if it can’t get funding soon, its operations will need to “slow down” starting Jan. 1.
- Suburban parents fear cuts: Evanston/Skokie School District 65 parents say they fear the impact of the district’s dire financial straits after officials announced plans to cut $20 million from the budget and close two schools.
- UC’s venue pitch: Renderings have been released for a new, 6,000-seat music venue, as part of the $7 billion project to redevelop the area around the United Center into a mixed-use neighborhood.
RIOT FEST RECAP 🎶
Riot Fest’s wet, wild and abbreviated weekend
By Selena Fragassi
After heavy rains pummeled the area this weekend, Riot Fest organizers made cuts to the annual alt-rock festival’s lineup, as Douglass Park turned into a muddy mess. The Sun-Times was there for it all — catch up on our coverage:
Day 1:
- Riot Fest kicks off with rising stars Violet Grohl, the Paradox and return of local punks Rise Against
- Iggy Pop still has ‘lust for life’ in Riot Fest closer set
Day 2:
- Saturday cut short due to weather, Angine De Poitrine, Aim High still deliver
- Tool gives an ear-blistering performance
- Morrissey’s influence on legions of rockers, balladeers and goths is undeniable in set
- Day 2 photos
Day 3:
ON WBEZ 91.5 FM 📻
In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons, 9 a.m.
- ‘Violent populism’: Political scientist Robert Pape joins the show to discuss this new era that he argues America has entered.
-
What’s That Building?: Dennis Rodkin of Crain’s Chicago Business shares the story of Explorers Club and St. Hubert’s Old English Grill.
Say More with Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith
- Loneliness: An expert and callers weigh in on the joys of solitude and the importance of spending meaningful time alone.
FROM THE PRESS BOX 🏈⚾🏀
- Bear down: When Caleb Williams crumpled to the ground on Sunday, so did fans’ hopes, after the quarterback suffered a hamstring injury. It was one part of a rough Sunday at Soldier Field, writes Steve Greenberg.
- Cubs’ crunch time: “We’ve got to find out about our bullpen” this week, the final one of the regular season, said manager Craig Counsell.
- Snapping out of it: White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami is working hard to emerge from a current slump.
- Sky’s the limit: With the Dream surging, the Sky’s Angel Reese trade looks worse than ever, writes Alissa Hirsh.
- High school football: St. Ignatius and Lincoln-Way Central debut in Michael O’Brien’s Super 25 high school football rankings for Week 6.
CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD 🌭
Today’s clue: 5A: Crown Fountain artist ___ Plensa
BRIGHT ONE 🔆
Phoebe Bridgers takes Chicago fans off the grid
By Matt Moore
With a strict no-phones policy, a heap of ethereal indie-folk-rock cuts and a set design that could convince someone they had an encounter of the third kind, singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers took fans off the grid for an emotional stop on her headlining arena tour at the United Center on Saturday.
Bridgers’ legion surrendered their phones at the UC’s front gates to security, who also quickly sealed smartwatches and other devices in Yondr pouches.
She held court on two stages, one anchored by her nine-piece band and the other mostly reserved for more stripped-down arrangements. A gulf of adoring fans separated the two raised platforms, as thousands in the arena’s seats watched with full attention — low-lit masses devoid of the white glow of a cellphone screen. All eyes were trained on the 32-year-old singer-songwriter.
Saturday marked the second of Bridgers’ two-night stint at the United Center for her “Lost Tour.” She delivered a stellar set that successfully took the quietness of her guitar-driven songs to flashy arena-headlining heights without sacrificing the intimacy she has become known for.
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
What was the last truly no-phones performance you attended? Be sure to tell us when and where — and share your thoughts on the experience.
Reply to this question via email (please include your first and last name). We may run your answer in a future newsletter or story.
Thanks for reading the Sun-Times Morning Edition!
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Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Michael Lansu