Officials at the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ aren't sharing much about their potential merger. But some hints are emerging from questions WBEZ leaders have and have not answered.

Why it matters: The merger could create one of the city's largest newsrooms and change the way Chicagoans get news for years to come.

Context: Last week Sun-Times and WBEZ employees were surprised to learn about the potential merger from Rob Feder's media column and then had to play catch up.

Staffers also learned that interim CEO Matt Moog, who previously had insisted he had no interest in the job, would become the permanent CEO.

• Thursday afternoon, WBEZ's unflinching Reset host Sasha-Ann Simons told Moog that his abrupt appointment flew in the face of assurances that WBEZ would perform a wide search for a CEO and prioritize diversity.
• "I do recognize that I'm not a diverse CEO," Moog told Simons. "And it's a privilege for me to be here, and my main focus is wanting to help the organization grow and succeed and become sustainable and serve the community."

Staff also learned that WBEZ's historically free content may go behind a paywall.

• And the new venture would be funded, at least partially, through grants.
• "We have been very fortunate to have support from major foundations in Chicago and individuals and we hope to gain more of that support," Moog told Paris Schutz on Chicago Tonight last week.

Many questions remain:

• What's the future of the Sun-Times in print?
• How does WBEZ explain buying a financially troubled newspaper weeks after hiking staff health insurance rates and a year after laying off a dozen employees?
• How does a paywall square with public media values to provide free content to all?

Axios sent these questions to WBEZ, but station leaders declined to comment.

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Full disclosure: Monica and Justin both worked at WBEZ for several years.

Housing prices around the country are setting record highs. In Chicago, prices may be up year-to-year, but they still lag behind other major cities.

Why it matters: Chicago homeowners are being left out of the record high housing market. This could affect everything from housing values to mortgage payments.

By the numbers: The U.S. housing market saw a 19.1% increase year-to-year in all major cities. Chicago saw an 18.6% jump.

• By comparison, Phoenix had a 29.3% increase. San Diego and Seattle’s increases were 27.1% and 25%, respectively.

So what is keeping prices from setting records here in Chicago?

• "One factor is the absence of out-of-state and international buyers," Realtor Jesse Trevino tells Axios.
• Political and social issues also play a role, says mortgage broker David Hochberg: "Chicago lags behind other parts of the country because of the increase in crime ... and skyrocketing real estate taxes."

Silver lining: A Wall Street Journal article points out that mortgage payments are creeping up with record prices, making it hard for people to stay on top of their payments. But with Chicago's lower prices, that's not as much of a problem.

Full Axios story.

Cook County has seen 185 highway shootings in 2021 so far. That's up from 43 in all of 2018. (Washington Post)

✈️ Maybe we need more Rick Bayless restaurants? The Tribune editorial board is going after the city to improve O'Hare, which just ranked dead last in customer satisfaction. (Chicago Tribune)

🇺🇸 Raincheck cashed: President Biden plans to come to Chicago on Thursday (Sun-Times)

👶 Babies are full of joy. You know what else they are full of? Microplastics. (Euro News)

⚾ The MLB playoffs start tonight. For Cubs fans, your 2016 heroes are still playing: Anthony Rizzo & Aroldis Chapman (New York), Kris Bryant & Tommy La Stella (San Francisco), Kyle Schwarber (Boston) and Jon Lester (St. Louis). (CBS Sports) 

Last year, when the Tribune's Nick Kindelsperger got excited about quesabirria tacos — cheesy tortillas filled with stewed beef or goat and dipped in consommé — Monica was skeptical.

• Like why would you even need to add cheese to birria tacos? Right?
• She got even more skeptical when she tried some pretty tame versions that tasted more like ~nothingbirrias~.

But last month she hit quesabirria gold with two places on opposite sides of town.

First up: Quesabirria Jalisco, which operates out of a secret location in Little Village whose address you learn when you call or order online.

• The meat of it: We loved these plump cheesy treats that could feed a small family with one order (four tacos for $16) including a rich, bay leaf-accented broth.

Second up: The newish Taco Boom in Bowmanville is a brick-and-mortar incarnation of the beloved truck.

• The meat of it: For $4.50, we got a cheesy, spicy, soupy, crispy treat with an intense bowl of onion-spiked consommé on the side.

And for carb-watchers, Taco Boom has the Ketobirria (also $4.50) — a disk of toasty cheese filled with saucy meat .

• The only problem: It screams out for a stack of hot tortillas on the side.

Yesterday, we asked you to tell us where Justin was, and dozens of you nailed it: Old Fashioned Donuts in Roseland.

• We randomly selected Darlene J., Vijay K. and Smita R., who will get Axios swag for their knowledge of Chicago donut shops.

And, by the way: Today is Old Fashioned Donuts owner Buritt Bulloch's 83rd birthday. Holy cow! What's he putting in those donuts? Stop in and wish him well, if you go.

Missed out on the swag? Have no fear! We'll be hanging out at The Hideout this Friday for what we hope to be a regular stint called "Axios Office Hours."

• Monica & Justin will be sitting at the picnic tables from 4pm-6pm chatting with whoever comes by. Say hello, give us a tip or pick up some limited Axios merch.