There are 1.8 million Chicago residents now eligible for new, updated COVID-19 boosters. And city leaders are urging people to grab them to help prevent another surge.

The city is receiving about 150,000 initial doses of the updated boosters this week — about 20 times more than what it received during the initial rollout of vaccines in 2021. The city of Chicago, as well as a number of Illinois pharmacies, are now administering the updated shots.

Here’s what you need to know about the boosters.

Meanwhile, a Palos Park audiologist is warning that pandemic mask mandates had an unintended side effect: undiagnosed hearing problems.

Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.

COVID-19 tracker | Monkeypox tracker | Afternoon briefing | Compare gas prices | Puzzles & Games | Daily horoscope | Ask Amy | Today’s eNewspaper edition

The Chicago Bears released proposed development plans for the Arlington International Racecourse property in Arlington Heights on Sept. 6, 2022. (Hart Howerton / Chicago Bears)

For the first time, the Chicago Bears confirmed Tuesday that the stadium the team is considering building in Arlington Heights would be domed — but the team also called for taxpayer funding of a portion of the project, and noted the plan was still tentative.

The Bears’ released illustrations of the proposed project, and a statement that was the most detailed yet on its proposal to buy Arlington International Racecourse.

Ald. Matt O'Shea, Ald. Howard Brookins and Ald. Tom Tunney talk, May 26, 2021 during a City Council meeting at City Hall. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Election year fears about voter anger haven’t stopped most members of Chicago’s City Council from giving themselves historically huge 2023 pay raises. With inflation running rampant and aldermen’s annual salaries tied to the consumer price index, those who accept it will get a 9.6% increase next year.

So far, just 15 out of the 50 have told the city they don’t want the raises, a step they must take to stop the yearly raises from taking effect.

Mariah Papy, left, and Zoe Kalbag help pick up litter during the Lollapalooza music festival in Grant Park on July 30, 2022, in Chicago. (Raquel Zaldvar / Chicago Tribune)

The price tag for restoring Chicago’s Grant Park after this year’s four-day Lollapalooza festival totaled more than $400,000, a $120,000 hike from the year before.

The $409,695 bill for 2022 includes the cost of new seed, sod and shrubbery; irrigation; and reinstalling mesh fencing, according to documents obtained by the Tribune through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Only two Divvy bikes and some scooters remain at a long dock outside Union Station in the West Loop, Aug. 30, 2022. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Ridership on Chicago’s Divvy bike-share system surged during the pandemic, but riders this spring and summer likely encountered a new trend: Divvy at times had fewer bikes on the street than at any other point in recent years.

The shortage started in April of this year, when the percentage of the Divvy fleet deployed on the streets hit 63.9%, at that time the lowest level since Lyft, which operates Divvy, began reporting data in 2019, according to Chicago Department of Transportation numbers.

Connecticut Sun center Brionna Jones shoots as Chicago Sky forward Azura Stevens, right, defends during the second half of Game 4 of a WNBA basketball playoff semifinal, Sept. 6, 2022, in Uncasville, Conn. (Jessica Hill / AP)

The Sun raced to a big early lead and never let up in a 104-80 blowout in Uncasville, Conn., that evened the series at two games apiece. The decisive Game 5 will be Thursday night at Wintrust Arena.

The Sky looked a step slow defensively and once again got off to a slow start on offense. Several Sun starters were in foul trouble, but the Sky never took advantage, allowing the Sun to force them outside.

Eye, by Tony Tasset, is a 2007 sculpture on display at Laumeier Sculpture Park. (Laumeier Sculpture Park)

Outdoor sculpture gardens hold many wonders for art aficionados as well as the botanically inclined, with quirky works that are also appealing to the younger members of the family. Imagine discovering a an abstract iron windmill nestled in a forest, or coming upon a larger-than-life happy face set in a well-tended lawn.

Wander through any of these 10 nature-based gallery spaces, and you’ll be enwrapped in a sense of the magical, and come away with a deeper appreciation for both the wonders of nature and the human imagination.