The Rundown: Traveling this week? Here are some tips.

Plus, Biden took part in one of the weirdest presidential traditions. Here’s what you need to know today.

O’Hare
In this Nov. 29, 2015 file photo, travelers walk to their gates at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
O’Hare
In this Nov. 29, 2015 file photo, travelers walk to their gates at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

The Rundown: Traveling this week? Here are some tips.

Plus, Biden took part in one of the weirdest presidential traditions. Here’s what you need to know today.

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Hey there! I’m getting ready to head out of town this week and trying to stuff some board games into my bag. Speaking of which, the newsletter will go on a short break Thursday and Friday. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Thanksgiving travel may reach pre-pandemic levels this year. Here are some tips to help you prepare.

An estimated 2.7 million people in Illinois are expected to travel this year, according to a forecast from AAA. So be prepared to face congestion at airports and on roadways, experts say.

My colleague Mitch Dudek at the Chicago Sun-Times compiled a bunch of useful travel trips to help folks avoid some headaches.

If you’re driving, “avoid being on the road between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. on the day before Thanksgiving and between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day,” Dudek reports, citing information from AAA.

And if you’re flying, you might want to consider booking another flight to the same destination for later in the day in case the original flight gets canceled, said travel expert and blogger Gary Leff. [Chicago Sun-Times]

2. Lightfoot’s allies created a new campaign fund allowing them to skate around restrictions

The campaign fund, called the 77 Committee, allows allies of Mayor Lori Lightfoot to “accept unlimited funds, including from city contractors who are severely bound under city ethics rules from contributing to Lightfoot’s campaign fund or a Lightfoot-aligned political action committee,” reports Gregory Pratt at the Chicago Tribune.

As Pratt points out, allies of former Mayor Rahm Emanuel did something similar, raising more than $5 million to help Emanuel win a second term in office.

But the news “underscores the political battle Lightfoot’s supporters are anticipating in the coming months and also the significant loopholes that exist in campaign finance laws and city ethics rules that are designed to limit the influence political backers have on elected officials’ government actions,” Pratt reports. [Chicago Tribune]

Meanwhile, candidates hoping to run in Chicago’s upcoming elections today entered a crucial phase — submitting their paperwork to appear on the ballot. [Chicago Tribune]

3. The deadly mass shooting at an LGBTQ club in Colorado follows a national wave of anti-gay rhetoric

Five people were killed and at least 25 others were injured during a mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, marking the deadliest attack on LGBTQ people in the U.S. since the Pulse shooting in 2016, reports NPR.

LGBTQ advocates say the attack comes amid a surge in anti-gay rhetoric and legislation.

“You tolerate hateful language, it leads to hateful legislation and it leads to hateful violence,” Kevin Jennings, the CEO of Lambda Legal, an LGBTQ civil rights organization, told NPR. “This is not an accident.”

Lawmakers across the nation have introduced more than 300 anti-LGBTQ bills in 36 states in the past year, according to the Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group.

And research has shown the rate of suicidal thoughts among LGBTQ youth is on the rise, particularly among queer people of color and trans youth. [NPR]

Meanwhile, the suspected gunman in the attack was being held on murder and hate crime charges. [AP]

4. Biden today took part in one of the weirder presidential traditions — pardoning turkeys

Two turkeys named Chocolate and Chip received pardons from President Joe Biden. And seriously, what is up with this strange Thanksgiving tradition?

Well, the history is even more bizarre. As NPR reports, the tradition began in 1947 thanks to the “turkey lobby,” and it was originally meant to highlight turkeys that would be eaten by our nation’s commander in chief.

“The first Thanksgiving turkey on record to receive a reprieve was in 1963 when President John F. Kennedy received a 40-pound turkey with a sign around its neck that read, ‘GOOD EATING, MR. PRESIDENT!’ ” NPR reports.

“We’ll just let this one grow,” Kennedy said. [NPR]

5. A herd of deer finds refuge in Chicago’s largest cemetery

As many as 16 deer roam the 335 acres of Rosehill Cemetery on the North Side, including “mature bucks with antlers with multiple points that would be an impressive catch for a hunter outside the city,” reports my colleague Stefano Esposito at the Chicago Sun-Times.

“The deer are beautiful,” said Michael Weidman, Rosehill’s director of family services.

“They love to eat all of the flowers. So any flowers that people bring to their services and they lay on top of a fresh grave, usually by the next morning — with razor-like precision — all of the flowers have been eaten overnight,” he said.

If you click the link, you’ll find amazing photos of the deer by Sun-Times photojournalist Ashlee Rezin. [Sun-Times]

Here’s what else is happening

  • A pot dispensary is a step closer to moving into the old location of the Rainforest Cafe in Chicago. [Chicago Sun-Times]
  • Ald. Ray Lopez announced he is dropping out of the mayoral race, saying it would increase the odds of a challenger unseating Lightfoot. [Chicago Sun-Times]
  • Chicago election officials blew a deadline to make all polling places compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. [Chicago Sun-Times]
  • Officials with the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and United Parcel Service say they are confident packages will arrive on time this holiday season. [AP]

Oh, and one more thing …

I’m loading up my phone with podcasts to listen to as my husband and I drive out of town to visit family members.

And I just remembered a really good episode of Curious City. My friends on the show examined the crucial role Indigenous Americans played in the creation of Chicago and whether the city would later grow into a Midwestern metropolis without their help. [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

Speaking of podcasts, what are you listening to?

I really enjoyed The Run-Up by The New York Times, which examined the midterm elections not as a horse race, but in the context of the moment and what they mean for Americans going forward.

I haven’t listened to it yet, but a friend recently recommended Sold a Story from American Public Media, which looks at “how teaching kids to read went so wrong.”

Feel free to email me, and your recommendations might appear in the newsletter this week.