Good morning, Chicago. There’s a lot to recommend today, so I’ll keep it short and sweet.

In commentary, professor Jonathan Zimmerman, a repeat contributor, has praise for Texas and its new required reading list for middle school and high school students. The Lone Star State is notorious for its book bans, but its choices for students are reassuring, Zimmerman writes. The head of a poverty reduction initiative cheers the transformative power of block clubs, particularly in Chicago’s Austin community, as an alternative to governmental solutions. And two AI experts discuss a new Illinois law mandating independent audits for AI developers and the framework that’s needed for those audits to be effective.

In editorials, the Tribune Editorial Board is concerned about the sorry state of State Street but very happy about the upcoming sale tax holiday for back-to-school shoppers. And in letters, a former CTA manager shares an unpleasant experience at a Loop station in arguing that the agency needs to shape up. Anyone who has ever encountered a nasty smell at a CTA station will relate.

Thanks for reading! We'll be back tomorrow.

— Colleen Kujawa, opinion editor

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