Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶
Regardless of whether you’re celebrating anything this holiday season, we are all in the same boat when it comes to enduring holiday traffic.
And this year’s holiday travel period is expected to be one of the busiest in recent memory, experts say.
Below, we’ve got some peak travel time predictions and tips on how to avoid crowds. 👇
Plus, we’ve got the community news you need to know this afternoon.
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)
TODAY’S TOP STORY
Holiday travel period to be one of the busiest in recent memory
Reporting by David Struett
Home for the holidays: Americans are expected to travel in near-record numbers this holiday season, with airports their busiest ever and roads more packed than any time since the COVID-19 lockdown. About 5.9 million Illinoisans will travel more than 50 miles over the holidays, between Saturday and New Year’s Day, according to AAA. About 90% of those people will travel by car.
Peak travel days: Roads should be busiest Saturday and Dec. 28, according to INRIX, which analyzes transportation data. Avoid the worst congestion by traveling before lunchtime or after 7 p.m., INRIX says. The busiest day for air travel should be Thursday, with more than 48,000 scheduled flights, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Tips to avoid crowds: For those willing to wait a little longer, air travel will be much less busy in the days immediately leading up to Christmas. Christmas Eve should have nearly half as many air travelers. Despite a major increase in flights this year, delays and cancellations remain lower than even pre-pandemic levels, the FAA says.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
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City clears homeless encampment: The city began clearing out a homeless encampment under a West Loop viaduct this morning, where several Chicagoans had been living. The encampment has drawn the ire of residents and their 34th Ward alderperson. Officials say seven people are being rehoused, and 15 people have declined the offer of housing.
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Pope approves blessings for same-sex couples: Catholics around Chicago praised Pope Francis’ approval of blessings for same-sex couples as a “significant” step and “huge shift” toward recognizing the humanity of LGBTQ people.
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Sentencing delayed for ComEd bribery defendants: The sentencings of the four people convicted of a conspiracy to bribe former House Speaker Michael Madigan for ComEd will not go forward as planned, but a judge declined today to put all proceedings on hold, as defense attorneys had hoped.
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Deliberations begin in Burke trial: Earlier this afternoon, the jury of nine women and three men retired to begin considering the racketeering case that could decide ex-Ald. Ed Burke’s legacy.
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Overriding Purple Hotel memories: For some, the Lincolnwood property holds memories of hosting a swanky Hyatt House, for others, a faded flophouse. Head over to the site now, and you’ll see it’s well along to a new life of suburban comfort and commerce as a mixed-use project under construction.
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Dr. Robert M. Vanecko remembered: Dr. Vanecko, a surgeon who served as chief of staff at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and was married to former Mayor Richard J. Daley’s daughter, Mary Carol, died last week at age 88.
- Toy drive seeks donations: Operation Cover Chicago doesn’t have the funds needed to buy enough gifts for about 10,000 kids expected to show up to receive toys Wednesday.
SUN-TIMES STAFF SUGGESTS 🥢
Eat at Cho Sun Ok
I caught up with Sun-Times general assignment fellow Phyllia Cha, who recommends getting a bite to eat at Korean barbecue restaurant Cho Sun Ok in Lincoln Square.
Tried and true quality: “I grew up in Indiana, and when I was little, my family would sometimes take a day trip to Chicago to go to the H-Mart in Niles. We’d finish the day off at Cho Sun Ok,” Phyllis tells me. “Anytime I craved KBBQ, I would think of Cho Sun Ok.”
Why you should go: “I’ve been to a number of KBBQ places around the country, but this one always sticks out to me as the essence of what KBBQ is — no frills. When they serve you, they provide you with a wide array of banchan, or side dishes, each delicious when paired with meat.” Cho Sun Ok is a classic example of Korean barbecue, plus the prices are super reasonable, Phyllis says.
What to order: “I always start with the brisket before moving on to marinated meats, which can be a bit heavier. Try pairing the meat with different side dishes, especially the green onion salad or the soy sauce-marinated onions & pepper. Make sure to order extra white rice so that they can make you kimchi fried rice at the end. (The best parts are the parts of the rice that stick to the pan and get crispy!)”
📍Cho Sun Ok, 4200 N. Lincoln Ave.
BRIGHT ONE ✨
16-year-old ‘Boop!’ actress Angelica Hale forging her own path in music
Reporting by Erica Thompson
At age 16, Atlanta-based Angelica Hale is on a path to stardom as a cast member of “Boop! The Betty Boop Musical,” which is continuing its pre-Broadway run at Chicago’s CIBC Theatre through Sunday.
The musical follows Betty Boop (portrayed by Jasmine Amy Rogers) as she moves from her black-and-white cartoon world into the colorful modern age. Hale plays Trisha, a Boop superfan who befriends her idol. The young actress says Betty Boop is an inspiration for both Hale and her character.
“She basically boosts my confidence, and she consoles me and tells me that I can do these things that I keep telling myself I can,” Hale said of Trisha’s storyline. “That’s really how I see Betty Boop — just as this caring and compassionate and confident girl. And that’s who I try to aspire to be one day.”
Hale has achieved and overcome enough to help guide her in that aspiration; before she amassed more than 1 million Instagram followers and completed stints on “America’s Got Talent” in 2017 (she was runner-up at 9 years old) and “America’s Got Talent: The Champions” in 2019, she received a lifesaving kidney transplant at 6 years old from her mother.
This year, Hale celebrated 10 years “kidney strong.”
“I’m forever grateful that I get to be here today and fulfill my dreams,” she said. “It’s honestly such a blessing. It’s good to wake up every day with gratitude for the things that you get to do.”
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
If you’ve got a Christmas tree up, think of the oldest ornament on your tree and tell us about it. Where and when did you get it? What does it look like?
Email us (please include your first and last name and where you live). To see the answers to this question, check our Morning Edition newsletter. Not subscribed to Morning Edition? Sign up here so you won’t miss a thing!
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Editor: Katelyn Haas
Contributing: Katie Anthony
Newsletter reporter: Matt Moore
Copy editor: Angie Myers
