A rise in HIV and AIDS infections in Chicago: The Rundown

Good afternoon! It’s Tuesday, and watch out for potentially severe storms that could bring golf ball-sized hail. Here’s what else you need to know today.

1. HIV and AIDS infections are up in Chicago after years of decline as cases rise among Latinos

HIV infections grew 29% in Chicago between 2022 and 2024 after about two decades of decline. AIDS cases are also up slightly. In 2024, there were 818 new HIV cases — and nearly half were among Latinos, my colleague Elvia Malagón reports.

That increase is particularly significant because it marks the first time Latinos accounted for most of the new diagnoses, said John Peller, CEO of the AIDS Foundation Chicago.

Chicago health officials said possible explanations include a change in migration patterns, which may have included people who hadn’t been tested or maintained care, and ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic interrupting HIV care.

The change comes amid two contradictory trends. Testing and treatment for HIV have advanced to allow people with the virus to live relatively normal lives if treated and not transmit it to anyone else. But those advancements are at risk as funding for treatment and prevention for communities most at risk are under attack.

“What we’re seeing right now is really setting us back in the trajectory of the HIV epidemic and it shouldn’t be that way,” Peller said. “It’s going to ultimately cost taxpayers and society more money to take care of people who are living with HIV, who may come down with an AIDS diagnosis, [and] end up in the hospital than it would be to prevent HIV in the first place.” [Chicago Sun-Times]

2. Low-interest loans are available for residents and businesses impacted by last year’s severe storms

People in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties can apply for federal disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration if their properties were damaged by storms in August 2025. Some Chicagoans experienced flooding twice in that month, Lizzie Kane reports for the Chicago Sun-Times.

Homeowners can apply for up to $500,000 to repair or replace their homes. Both homeowners and renters can receive up to $100,000 for damages to personal property.

Businesses and some nonprofits are eligible to borrow up to $2 million for physical damages to assets, including machinery, equipment and inventory. Even if a business or nonprofit didn’t suffer physical damages, it can still apply for loans to cover fixed debts, payroll costs and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

Interest rates are as low as 3% for homeowners and renters, about 3.6% for nonprofits and 4% for businesses. Payments are not due and interest does not accrue until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement, according to the SBA. The loan amounts and terms are set based on each applicant’s financial situation. [Chicago Sun-Times]

3. The first blood drive at a new Bronzeville clinic highlights the need for a diverse donor pool

As WBEZ’s Michael Puente reports, donated blood is essential for patients undergoing surgery, cancer treatment, organ transplants and trauma care. Blood is also needed for people living with chronic illnesses, such as sickle cell disease, which often require closely matched blood types.

Sickle cell disease affects about 100,000 people in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 90% of people with sickle cell disease are Black.

“Right now, we don’t have enough diverse donors — diverse meaning African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans,” said Tammy Winchester, emerging markets manager for the American Red Cross of Illinois. “This is our effort to march forward and educate the community to start participating in this ... call of action.”

Some people choose not to donate blood due to lack of education, lack of access or fear of needles, Winchester added. But she said the need for blood donors should overcome those fears. [WBEZ]

4. These are the 2026 James Beard Award finalists, including 3 Chicago chefs

Bailey Sullivan of West Loop’s Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio is a finalist in the emerging chef category. Plus, Norman Fenton of Cariño in Uptown and Jacob Potashnick of Feld in Ukrainian Village are among this year’s finalists in the best chef Great Lakes category, the James Beard Foundation announced Tuesday from The Wellsley, a private event space in Chicago’s River North, owned by the Boka Restaurant Group.

The food industry’s highest honor also announced the ceremony will remain in Chicago through at least 2028, a one-year extension from what had been previously announced.

You can see the full list of finalists in the link. [WBEZ]

5. 2026 started as a renaissance year for composer Florence Price. Then came controversy

Price, a Black composer who died in 1953, made music in Chicago now championed by the classical music world. But some arrangers have veered far from her original scores, opening up debate about whose work is open for interpretation, WBEZ arts contributor Hannah Edgar reports.

The 1939 piece “Rainbow Waltz,” originally written for piano, was arranged for orchestra and conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin in a recent performance in Vienna. But the piece played that day was so heavily stylized and reharmonized, online commentators erupted in criticism that has not ebbed in the months since the concert.

Scholar Alexandra Kori Hill, who co-edited the new Cambridge companion on Price’s music, describes “Rainbow Waltz” as rooted in 20th-century “Afro-American pastoralism.” That atmosphere, she said, is lost in the arrangement played in Vienna.

“In the classical tradition, there’s an expectation of performing the original of something, particularly with arrangements of music by a person whom we’re still starting to understand stylistically,” Hill said. “It becomes even more urgent when it is music by a person that comes from an underrepresented or systemically marginalized group of people.” [WBEZ]

Here’s what else is happening

• The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy. [NPR]
• Averaging $4 per gallon, U.S. gas prices have hit their highest level since 2022. [AP]
• Six books were named finalists for the 2026 International Booker Prize. [NPR]
• Here’s what 16 Chicagoans say Transgender Day of Visibility means to them. [Block Club Chicago]

Oh, and one more thing …

With money raised by law firm Motorcycle Safety Lawyers, nonprofit All Kids Bike donated a fleet of 24 bikes to students at Sidney Sawyer Elementary School. For some, it was their first time on a bike, my colleagues Minju Park and Candace Dane Chambers report.

“I was a little nervous because it was my first time,” said kindergartener Monsé Maldonado. “I thought I was gonna drop myself, but I didn’t. It turned out good.”

The school will also receive a curriculum to teach kids how to ride; participants will first learn using the balance bike method, focusing on balance and steering first without using the pedals.

You can see photos of the children’s first lesson in the link. [WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times]

Tell me something good …

Spring has arrived in Chicago, meaning many of us are itching to get outside as much as possible. So I’m wondering, what springtime traditions do you have for the first warm days of the year?

Feel free to email me, and your response may be included in the newsletter this week.