🥖 It's Monday! Happy National Hoagie Day. May we suggest Home of the Hoagy? (I guess we go with the "y" in Chicago)

☀️ Today's weather: Mostly sunny with a high of 76.

🎂 Happy birthday to our member Jennifer Comparoni!

Today's newsletter is 1,121 words — a 4-minute read.

Mayor Brandon Johnson will seek a second term leading Chicago, he announced yesterday at the DuSable Black History Museum in Washington Park.

Why it matters: Johnson's entry officially kicks the crowded 2027 race into gear as he asks Chicagoans for four more years.

What they're saying: "We most certainly have more work to do, and while it's our responsibility to recommit to the work of building the safest, most affordable, most climate-resilient big city in America, it's important to acknowledge that progress has been made," Johnson told the crowd.

Zoom in: The mayor and others touted the city's historic low homicide numbers during his tenure, as well as investments in community violence intervention programs, expanded mental health services, youth jobs and worker-friendly policies like expanded paid time off.

Friction point: While some progressive alders spoke in support of Johnson on Sunday, the mayor's fraught relationship with the entire City Council will be a vulnerability during the mayor's race.

• Alders have slowed some of his plans, such as increasing the subminimum wage, or stopped them altogether, such as his proposal to implement a corporate head tax in the 2026 budget.

State of play: Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, Cook County Board of Review Commissioner George Cardenas and businessman Willie Wilson are challenging the mayor.

By the numbers: Johnson reported about $631,000 in his mayoral campaign fund for the filing period that ended in June, while Giannoulias declared nearly $22 million during that same period, according to the Illinois Board of Elections.

• Mendoza had about $1.6 million on hand and Quigley's fund sat at a little more than $375,000.

What's next: Chicago's mayoral election is slated for Feb. 23, 2027.

More on the race

Judy Markey, one half of Chicago's legendary radio duo Kathy & Judy, has died. She was 82.

The big picture: Markey and Kathy O'Malley dominated the midday airwaves at WGN Radio from 1989 to 2009 and continued with a weekend show through 2017.

Context: Kathy & Judy were groundbreaking for Chicago talk radio, becoming the first female duo to broadcast in what was, and remains, a male-dominated field.

• Their listener-driven show tackled relationships, family, work and everyday life from a perspective rarely heard on talk radio at the time.

Zoom out: The duo's chemistry, along with newsman Steve Bertrand, was electric.

• "Kathy and Judy changed the way Chicago heard radio: two strong, successful women who connected with an audience that wasn't being heard," Bertrand tells Axios.

Zoom in: Markey suffered from a rare neurological disorder and her physical condition had worsened late in life. Bertrand says she chose to pursue an assisted death in Europe, gathering close friends to say goodbye before making the trip.

The bottom line: "For those of us in a certain age group, Goodbyes have become a way of life," Kathy O'Malley wrote on social media. "This one is a bitch."

Go deeper

👋 Hey, it's Justin!

Yesterday, the Bears pummeled the Panthers 59-37 in the highest-scoring season opener in NFL history. The Bears' 59 points were the most they've scored in any game since 1980.

• Caleb Williams had four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing), and the offense piled up 552 yards. The defense was lousy, but it didn't matter.
• The Bears are 1-0.

State of play: This season, we're trying something new: a Monday morning caption contest!

• What caption would you give the photo above to sum up yesterday's action? Smart Brevity, y'all.

I'll go first: "We've waited a long time for this."

📫 Reply to this email with your caption, and we'll highlight the winner next week!

⚖️ Chicago-born rapper Lil Durk was found not guilty by a federal jury in a murder-for-hire case. (LA Times)

📲 A tech industry trade association sued the state of Illinois on Friday to block new taxes on social media companies scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2027. (WTTW)

⚾️ The White Sox enter a crucial three-game series in Cleveland tonight. The Sox hold just a half-game lead over the surging Guardians. (MLB)

Your newsletter helps you make sense of what's happening in your community quickly and clearly.

Why it matters: Membership helps support the local reporting that keeps you informed about the people, decisions and stories shaping where you live.

💙 Become an Axios Chicago member today and help our newsroom keep delivering journalism built for your community.

Thanks for reading — and for supporting local news.

During a recent visit to the Vatican to meet Pope Leo XIV, Chicagoan Ron Onesti had to dig deep to figure out what to bring as a gift.

His choice? A 16-inch softball — a Chicago classic.

What they're saying: "I couldn't bring him a beef. I couldn't bring him a pizza. Giardiniera was already taken," Onesti tells Axios. "You know, so not a whole lot left."

Details: Onesti, the president of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, was in Rome for business when he got a chance to meet the Holy Father.

Context: The gift idea came from the 16-inch Softball Hall of Fame in Forest Park, which encouraged Onesti, a Hall of Fame inductee, to present the ball to His Holiness.

Zoom in: "When I gave him the ball, he said, 'This is amazing,'" Onesti adds. "I was a second away from going deep for him to throw one. He was ready to do it!"

State of play: Onesti asked him to join his team back here in Chicago.

• "He laughed," Onesti proudly exclaimed. "The power of softball, man."

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The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry unveiled design plans for its new main public entry, the North Portico.

• The design is meant to honor the museum's Beaux-Arts style, built for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, the museum said in a release.

What's next: The museum doesn't have a construction start date, a spokesperson tells Axios.

Edited by Tyler Buchanan and Delano Massey.

📸 Carrie is excited for Chicago Exhibition Week, especially the Museum of Contemporary Photography's exhibit "If Emmett Till Lived: Freedom on American Ground."

🥎 Justin can't ignore that Pope Leo loves softball. On the same day the media league starts its playoffs? To quote Elwood, "We're on a mission from God."

🏝️ Monica is on sabbatical.

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