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Good morning. Reema Amin here with Chalkbeat.

Yes, the summer flew by, and yes, it’s back-to-school season already. Who doesn’t love shopping for school supplies? I think about this line from “You’ve Got Mail,” in which one of the characters writes that the fall makes him think of school supplies, and he would his pen pal “a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.”

Chicago Public Schools starts on Aug. 24, so you probably have a bouquet of pencils you need to buy. But as my colleague Makiya reports, you may want to schedule your back-to-school shopping trip in the next week because of a special Illinois tax holiday that will reduce the tax rate on back-to-school supplies and some other items. That includes school supplies, as well as some clothing and shoes.

As always, reply here with feedback or tips. See you tomorrow.

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