* Here you go…

* NYT | The Democrats’ SOS Candidate Keeps His Options Open: Although President Biden has said he intends to mount a campaign, that has not eased Democrats’ obvious worry: the famously dilatory Hamlet on the Potomac might decide not to run for re-election at 81, and worry could turn to panic. But while Mr. Pritzker declined to provide a yea or nay on whether he would run, he added that a last-minute swap of an understudy for Mr. Biden was “such an odd hypothetical if you ask me.”

* Sun-Times | Illinois leads nation in applications for student debt relief: The Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could derail hopes of canceled student debt for 1.5 million Illinois residents.

* Tribune | When it comes to smog, Cook County is the worst neighbor in the country, EPA finds: Newly released data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency show air pollution from the city and 120 of its suburbs contributes more to smog violations in other states than any other county.

* Daily Herald | Taxes? Tolls? ‘Transit is the Answer’ plan brings bevy of questions: Imagine being able to jump from Metra to the CTA or Pace seamlessly. Imagine audible announcements instead of “ruhmmhmmm … delays …” And imagine “real-time” updates on your ride that are delivered in real time.

* Tribune | Nearly half of Chicago voters didn’t choose Brandon Johnson or Paul Vallas. Winning them over could be key in April: Bowen said the largely college-educated bloc of white liberals on the North Side will be listening to how candidates communicate on a variety of issues beyond violence, such as transportation and homelessness.

* Clarence Page | Chicago politics still ‘ain’t beanbag,’ but try to keep it civil: Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a pre-election interview with The New Yorker that, “I am a Black woman, let’s not forget. Certain folks frankly don’t support us in leadership roles.”

* Sun-Times | Dead Bridgeport banker routinely hid bad loans from federal regulators, trial shows: Washington Federal Bank for Savings failure trial lays bare how CEO John F. Gembara told employees to conceal delinquent loans for millions owed by ‘friends of John.’

* Tribune | Controversial Chicago police union President John Catanzara wins reelection: The union leader weathered a challenge from Detective Robert Bartlett, who argued in his campaign that Catanzara’s confrontational style hurt the union’s public image and effectiveness. Catanzara was elected to a four-year term.

* Fox 2 | Illinois State Treasurer returns Purple Heart to family of O’Fallon veteran: Army Specialist Kenneth Wiest received the Purple Heart for his service in the Vietnam War, which included injuries suffered taking enemy fire while inside a helicopter, Treasurer Michael Frerichs said. Wiest also received a pair of Gulf War service medals for his participation in Operation Desert Storm.

* Scientific American | The Forgotten History of the World’s First Trans Clinic: The Institute for Sexual Research in Berlin would be a century old if it hadn’t fallen victim to Nazi ideology

* AP | Fox libel defense at odds with top GOP presidential foes: In an email a few weeks after the 2020 election, Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch described a news conference featuring Powell and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, another attorney who pushed the election lies: “Really crazy stuff. And damaging.”

* Tribune | 90 years ago, the father of Chicago’s political machine died after being struck by an assassin’s bullet intended for FDR: Cermak barely got to speak to Roosevelt that Feb. 15. Just as he reached him, a bystander named Lillian Cross saw a man in front of her take a gun out of his pocket. “I saw the man level the gun, it seemed to me, at Mr. Roosevelt’s head and he fired one shot,” Cross told the Tribune.

* Tribune | Rockford Youth Poet shines light on the health care system as a daughter of immigrants: “There’s a lot of challenges to overcome when it comes to language barriers,” Gamero told the Tribune. “And a lot of this is almost saddening to see just because there aren’t as many accommodations … as there should be.”

* Tribune | Mike Clevinger won’t face discipline from MLB, which closed its investigation of allegations vs. the Chicago White Sox pitcher: Mike Clevinger and the Chicago White Sox received notice from Major League Baseball on Sunday that it won’t impose discipline on the starting pitcher in connection with allegations of domestic violence and child abuse.

* Sun-Times | Walking Man revealed: Friends who knew him as ‘Mojo’ in the ’70s share photos, stories: Mammina remembers one personal moment with Kromelis. She had taken a sudden trip to Hawaii for two weeks but Kromelis didn’t know. “I think he was worried about me,” she said. Kromelis found her at a payphone “and we ended up kissing,” she said. “It was so funny because, I mean, I had a major crush on him. But we never talked about it after that,” she said. “I’m sorry today I wasn’t bolder, because I would’ve followed him anywhere.”