Good morning, Chicago.

Illinois families shopping for color-coded notebooks, superhero backpacks and a size up in sneakers will see some relief at the checkout counter under a temporary back-to-school sales tax holiday the state passed as part of its annual budget.

The 5% state sales tax break from Aug. 7 to Aug. 16 generally applies to clothes under $125 and school supplies. Portions of sales tax that go to local governments still apply.

Gov. JB Pritzker, who is running for reelection and is widely seen as a potential Democratic contender in the 2028 presidential election, has framed the discount as part of his efforts to provide relief to families struggling with inflation and rising costs due to war in the Middle East and other factors.

Read the full story from the Tribune’s Olivia Olander.

Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including: which Chicago hospitals tied for best hospital in Illinois, what the Cubs and White Sox did at the MLB trade deadlines, and what is “Forgottonia” and how did it get to Steppenwolf?

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How children selling flowers have become synonymous with Chicago’s popular corridors: ‘It’s dangerous’

Experts say that the population of “street-working children” is on the rise in Chicago and other major cities across the country. While it’s not been uncommon to see young kids who sell merchandise on sidewalks or streets around the world in countries suffering socioeconomic hardship, it’s become an increasingly common sight across the city, including River North and near Fulton Market in the West Loop. Kids, sometimes no older than 5, holding a small bouquet, passing between outdoor restaurant tables and lingering on the sidewalk outside bars and nightlife clubs.

Two Chicago hospitals again tie for best hospital in Illinois, rank among top 20 in country

Two Chicago hospitals are again tied for best hospital in the state and rank among the top 20 in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. This is the fourth time the two hospitals have held the No. 1 spot in the state together.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget director Annette Guzman resigns amid finance team shakeup ahead of tough budget

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget director is leaving, the latest shakeup of his administration’s finance team ahead of what is sure to be a grueling budget season.

Annette Guzman, Johnson’s director of the Office of Budget and Management, is departing the role she has held since the start of his administration. Her exit follows the resignations last week of acting Chief Financial Officer Steve Mahr and Deputy CFO Noor Shaikh in June — coming after CFO Jill Jaworski departed at the beginning of this year.

Related:

• Mayor Brandon Johnson brushes off Alexi Giannoulias candidacy, says days of school closures are over

Progressive Ald. Byron Sigcho-López sues to run as independent in Illinois’ 4th Congressional District race

Progressive Chicago Ald. Byron Sigcho-López has filed a lawsuit against the Illinois State Board of Elections and its members in a last-ditch effort to gain a spot on the 4th Congressional District ballot.

The long-shot lawsuit filed Friday comes after the board determined late last month that Sigcho-López and another progressive who had been looking to run as an independent, Mayra Macías, did not collect enough signatures to appear on the November ballot. But Sigcho-López argued yesterday that the decision was based on unfair rules that must be struck down.

Lollapalooza 2026 wrapped with some arrests and hospital trips while Chicago faces Grant Park cleanup

Lollapalooza left the city with its typical tally of modest mayhem: 10 arrests, zero tickets issued and 67 trips to the hospital, according to the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications — figures roughly in line with recent years. Lollapalooza’s promoter, C3 Presents, is now on the hook for the cleanup, including what could be a costly restoration of Grant Park’s grass, which had disappeared under the crowds by the festival’s third day.

Related:

• What we saw — and heard — at the 4-day music festival at Grant Park