New: µ. The COVID-19 variant designated mu (12th letter of the Greek alphabet) has now been detected in at least 49 of the United States …
■ … but researchers are on the fence whether it’s just a VOI (variant of interest) or, worse, a VOC (variant of concern)—resistant to a vaccine-driven immune response.
■ Northwestern University research confirms the importance of that second shot.
■ The Associated Press: Across the country, police officers and other first responders are among those most hesitant to get vaccinated.
Punishing winds. Chicago could see rough weather Tuesday.
■ A Penn State meteorologist says Hurricane Ida’s devastation bears the “fingerprint of climate change.”
■ A coalition of environmental groups is calling for postponement of a UN climate summit in November because of COVID-19.
■ A Sun-Times editorial: Providing Chicagoans water at affordable rates is a great goal, but clean water doesn’t come cheap.
■ The Onion: “Optimistic Researchers Say There Still Time To Head Off Climate Change Before It Starts Killing Rich People.”
‘Racist infrastructure.’ A couple of urban policy professors suggest Congress make sure infrastructure legislation includes cash for partly or fully removing “highways that have isolated Black neighborhoods.”
■ WBEZ’s Curious City in 2016: “When the Eisenhower Expressway Moved in, Who Was Forced Out?”
■ A radio report from 2012: Why the Ike’s Oak Park ramps are so … weird.
‘It’s not acceptable.’ Mayor Lightfoot says Ald. Jim Gardiner, whose leaked texts directed profanity at a fellow alderman and another alderman’s female chief of staff, needs to go beyond his personal apologies and make a public statement of contrition.
■ A University of Illinois at Chicago economics professor suggests to the Tribune that Chicago aldermen turn down their biggest pay raise in 15 years: “I don’t see why politicians … should get an inflation adjustment when the rest of Chicagoans don’t.”
Hey, now we’re one of those countries. UN human rights monitors are condemning Texas’ new anti-abortion law, which they say violates international law.
■ The U.S. Justice Department is “urgently” looking for ways to challenge that law.
■ A website for people to snitch on people helping Texas women obtain abortions was homeless again.
■ Michael Moore: “Men, angry men, violent men, have now won the right to force the majority gender into giving birth against their will.” (Cartoon: Keith J. Taylor.)
■ A Chicago Theological Seminary professor: There’s more than one religious view on when life begins.
■ Boston University academics warn that the next attack on the Affordable Care Act may cost you free preventive health care.
‘Chicago Party Aunt isn’t afraid to name names.’ The Sun-Times’ Darel Jevens goes behind the scenes to the creation of a joke Twitter account that debuts as a Netflix cartoon series Sept. 17.
■ Here’s the preview.
Chicago Public Square’s pledge to you. Over the next several days, across all media, you’ll encounter no shortage of Sept. 11, 2001, remembrances. You’ll find none here … until Friday.
■ Thanks for supporting Square—which you do just by opening and reading it each day. But bonus thanks to those whose financial support keeps this service coming.