Illinois colleges and universities are finally getting additional funding to improve mental health services for more students in need.

What's happening: State lawmakers last month approved $9 million in funds for the Mental Health Early Action on Campus Act, which was passed in 2019 without funding to implement it.

• It requires colleges to improve mental health training, screening, treatment and other support tools on campus. Allocations were based on each school's self-assessed need.

Why it matters: More than 60% of U.S. college students meet the criteria for at least one mental health problem, per a 2021 survey.

• And requests for counseling and other mental health services have been steadily rising on campuses since before the pandemic.
• Locally, UIC faculty are so concerned about supporting student mental health that it became a major negotiation point in their recent strike.

Between the lines: No one is certain about what's driving the increased need among students, but Jen McGowan-Tomke, of mental health advocacy group NAMI, tells Axios it could be a few things:

• "Many attend college around the time mental health issues begin. … It's also when young people are managing stress and anxiety, which can be compounded by the transition to college and potentially being away from home."
• Penn State researchers found that COVID "has only exacerbated a student mental health crisis that existed before the pandemic."

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We've reached the final installment of our questionnaire series aimed at showing a fresh side of this year's mayoral hopefuls.

Yes, but: Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the last candidate we were going to highlight, declined to participate despite weeks of requests from Axios.

• I guess we'll never know what Lightfoot's favorite taco place is ...

You can read all eight other candidates' answers here.

🏠 Chicago mayoral candidate Paul Vallas is facing questions about claiming property tax exemptions for a home in Palos Heights, even though he is registered to vote at an address in Bridgeport. (WTTW)

✉️ The Chicago-area postal service union says carriers are traumatized after a slew of robberies and other crimes. (Tribune 🔒)

🏈 Bears' great Devin Hester was snubbed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the second year in a row. (Bleacher Nation)

We returned from our Axios D.C. retreat Wednesday night all groggy and exhausted. So naturally we decided to do more work — by testing cabs versus rideshare apps for our feature reviewing life experiences around Chicago.

Why it matters: Ridesharing used to be the logical choice to save money and avoid the notoriously long cab lines at O'Hare.

• But recent driver shortages, gas price increases and consumer habits have started to even things out. Would that be true for us?

The parameters: We touched down at 8:15pm and Justin ordered a Lyft while Monica headed to the cab line. Here's how it went:

Monica's cab

First impressions: For the first time ever, I walked right into my yellow chariot without any waiting in the airport cab line.

Cost and distance: $47 and 24 minutes for 12.5 miles.

Pros: I got to watch a Jimmy Kimmel excerpt and channel 7 news clips, but no more Hungry Hound 😢.

• Tuning into Lite FM, the driver sang along to Lionel Richie's "You Are" and told me more people should follow Delilah's relationship advice because "she is right."

Cons: The intense air freshener smell that still lingers in my brain.

• The driver's super fast (73 mph) speed and his testiness when I tried to explain where he should turn. "I know," he snapped, thus reducing his tip.

The bottom line: I'm glad I supported the flailing cab industry and that my user rating won't get dinged for giving only a $5 tip.

Rating: 🚕 🚕 🚕 (out of 5)

Justin's Lyft

First impressions: The used Honda Civic featuring a duct-taped side mirror was fairly clean with a Febreze-like aroma.

Cost and distance: It was $40.56 in 19 minutes for 17.9 miles

Pros: My driver also drove fast, but there was little traffic, and I was happy to get home after a long day of travel.

• He loved his music and didn't care at all what I thought of the volume. He started singing along when Marc Anthony's chorus from "Adicto" blared from the speakers.
• Oh, yeah, he was also a dashboard drummer.

Con: I didn't like the use of the "brights" to shock slower cars to move out of his lane.

The bottom line: The price was right, the car was fast, and I just downloaded a bunch of new Prince Royce songs.

Rating: 🚗 🚗 🚗 🚗

💼 See who's hiring around the city.

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This month the Steppenwolf for Young Adults program will present a world premiere adaptation of the popular young adult book "Chlorine Sky," directed by Ericka Ratcliff.

Context: Ratcliff is the artistic director of Congo Square Theatre, one of the preeminent Black theater companies in Chicago.

• She's also performed on several other Chicago stages and is an artistic associate at Lookingglass.

The new show runs through March 11 at Steppenwolf. Before she gets too crazy with her rehearsal schedule, we asked Ratcliff about her perfect day in Chicago.

🍾 Breakfast: "It's a toss-up. Probably Wishbone. We are getting the shrimp and grits, some crunchy French toast and one of the many delicious mimosa options — likely mango.

• "Or we head north for some good Batter & Berries. They serve delicious everything, but Chef Ken Polk always has specials that seem like they were planned just for you. Just say yes!"

🧘🏽‍♀️ Morning activity: "Give me a good grounding yoga practice with Aya at Haji Healing Salon. Maybe pick up some Palo Santo and a houseplant on the way out."

More picks

As we've reported all week, we were in the nation's capital for an all-staff Axios retreat. Here are just a few fun photos from our trip!