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Today's newsletter is 1,113 words — a 4-minute read.

Many emergency rooms seeing young people in need of mental health services lack the resources to provide that care.

Why it matters: About half of suicide-related visits from young people occurred at ERs with fewer annual pediatric visits, where therapists or other mental health care professionals aren't on staff.

• That's according to a new study by doctors at Northwestern and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital.

The big picture: Suicide was the second leading cause of death among 10- to 14-year-olds from 2018 to 2024, according to another study, published this month in JAMA Pediatrics.

What they found: Emergency visits by children aged 5 to 17 with suicide-related crises increased by 74% between 2016 and 2022, and all pediatric mental health-related ER visits increased by 24% during that period.

By the numbers: About 67% of pediatric suicide-related ER visits were females, with patients aged 15-17 making up more than half of the visits.

• More than 60% of the patients were white, 16% Hispanic and 13% Black.

Between the lines: Youth from racial and ethnic minority communities are experiencing escalating rates of severe mental illness, study co-author and physician Audrey Brewer tells Axios.

• This has been linked to poverty, chronic exposure to racism, stigma related to mental health conditions and trauma related to violence.
• These conditions are compounded by limited access to health care in their communities, leading them to seek treatment at ERs where the interventions are brief, Brewer adds.

What's next

American colleges are largely failing to create a healthy free speech climate on campus, but the University of Chicago breaks from that trend, according to a new national ranking.

Why it matters: Students are self-censoring at high rates amid intense political pressure from the Trump administration and efforts by some universities to change policies in response.

By the numbers: The rankings involved surveying around 63,000 students at 262 campuses, finding an average overall score of D-, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).

Zoom in: University of Chicago tops FIRE's list for the third time in seven years, with a B- grade.

• Northeastern Illinois University is the second-highest-ranked Illinois school, coming in at No. 74, followed by Northwestern at No. 90.

How it works: FIRE defined self-censorship as refraining from sharing views because of fear of social, professional, legal or violent consequences.

• The topic students identified as the most difficult to discuss was the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with 50% of students reluctant to broach it.

What they're saying: "FIRE continues to provide an important service by calling attention to campus free expression issues around the country," UChicago law professor Tom Ginsburg, faculty director of the Chicago Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression, tells Axios in a statement.

• "Survey data always requires care in interpretation, but the overall report reminds us of the importance of educating students and faculty about these issues so that we observe less support for cancellations and disruption of speech on campuses."

Go deeper

Listeners looking for real-time updates on extreme weather pushed WBBM-AM into the top spot in the August Chicago radio ratings.

Why it matters: Social media may have transformed how people get breaking news, but radio still has an immediacy advantage when severe weather hits — especially for drivers.

Context: August was a rough month for extreme weather in the area, including a record-setting derecho that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of customers.

What they're saying: "We are fortunate that listeners across Chicago know that when storms get dangerous, WBBM Newsradio will be all over it," WBBM news director Craig Schwalb tells Axios.

Meanwhile, WXRT-FM continued its torrid ratings streak, posting another gain to cap a strong summer for the modern rocker.

• WVAZ-FM (V-103) saw the biggest decline from July.

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🗳️ President Trump endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey yesterday, saying, "I'm all for Bailey." (Capitol Fax)

⚖️ The Supreme Court rejected President Trump's bid to restrict mail ballots for now, allowing states to continue using their existing processes during the midterms. (Tribune)

🧑‍⚖️ Chicago is one of the cities suing to block a new Trump administration rule that could penalize immigrant families for accessing public benefits. (Axios)

🏀 After 17 seasons, Taj Gibson is retiring as a player in the NBA and returning to the Bulls as an assistant coach. (NBC Sports)

⚾️ The White Sox beat the Guardians 7-3 last night in Cleveland. The Sox now lead the AL Central by 1.5 games. (Sun-Times)

Martini Expo makes its Chicago debut this week, celebrating classic and quirky spins on the cocktail and its deep history here.

What to expect: A week of special events running through Sunday, featuring new concoctions by master bartenders, food best accentuated by the drink and a tour through "Chicago martini landmarks."

Flashback: Robert Simonson, a longtime liquor writer, and Mary Kate Murray, co-writer with Simonson of The Mix newsletter, launched Martini Expo last year in New York.

What they're saying: "Martinis belong to the world, not just one city! We always intended the second event to be in a different city than New York. And Chicago is a great drinking city with a longtime love of Martinis," Simonson tells Axios.

Zoom in: The writer's deep knowledge of the classic cocktail informs Thursday's Martini Tour Through Time, a bus ride to Chicago landmarks integral to the martini's history.

• The tour ends at the famed Billy Goat Tavern, where author and burger expert George Motz will serve his Oklahoma fried onion cheeseburger from Hamburger America.

If you go: Tickets for Martini Expo are still available.

📧 Tell us: Who serves the best martini?

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Edited by Larry Graham.

🍝 Carrie didn't have a Nonna, but plenty of you do. Tortello's wants its recipes to feature on its November menu!

🥎 Justin and the Axios softball team are rolling into the semis! Big 12-9 win against a great WBEZ/Sun-Times team in the media league playoffs last night. Now to ice down the ol' hammies before next week!

⛱️ Monica is on sabbatical.

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