Labor Day Traffic in Chicago is Expected to Be Busy. Here Are the Best Times to Leave, Experts Say

Labor Day Traffic in Chicago is Expected to Be Busy. Here Are the Best Times to Leave, Experts Say

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Here are today's top stories It's Friday, Sep. 2nd. 1 Labor Day Traffic in Chicago is Expected to Be Busy. Here Are the Best Times to Leave, Experts Say And just like that, its Labor Day weekend — and Chicago's roads and airports are expected to be filled with traffic. According to AAA, 22% more people are expected to travel for this Labor Day weekend compared to 2021. Here's a breakdown of what to expect, whether you're hitting the road or hopping on a plane. Either way, travel experts recommend getting out the door as early as possible. Read More → 2 5-Year-Old Dies Days After Being Shot While Riding in Vehicle in Rogers Park A five-year-old boy has died five days after being shot in the head while riding in a vehicle in Rogers Park, friends and family say. Police say the shooting took place Aug. 28 at approximately 5:02 p.m. in the 7600 block of North Paulina, when the driver of a black Hyundai pulled up near the vehicle 5-year-old Devon McGregor and his father were riding in. According to authorities, the driver of the black Hyundai then opened fire. Devon was struck in the head and taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition. The second victim, Devon's father, 25, sustained a gunshot wound to the left hand and shoulder. He was last reported in good condition. Read More → 3 No, Illinois' $1.34 Billion Mega Millions Winner Hasn't Come Forward — But a Deadline is Coming Up No, the Illinois winner of the $1.34 billion Mega Millions lottery ticket sold July 29 in suburban Des Plaines has not yet come forward. "For a prize of this magnitude, it's not unusual for the winner to take a while to claim," Illinois Lottery Director Harold Mays Mays previously said in a statement. "I'm sure they're going through a range of emotions." And while that person has 12 months to do so — and can remain anonymous if they so choose, according to Illinois Lottery Officials — a more pressing deadline is coming up: How to get paid. Read More → 4 Cooper Roberts' Family Shares 'Unfortunate News' About 8-Year-Old During His Recovery There are still many unknowns about what the recovery process will entail for Cooper Roberts, the 8-year-old boy paralyzed after being shot by a gunman who opened fire on Fourth of July parade-goers in Highland Park, but his family said they received some "unfortunate news" early on. Cooper is showing signs and behavioral patterns that could indicate some "cognitive loss," marking yet another setback for the young boy and his family. "Cooper wasn't well enough or talking enough to notice these issues earlier while in the hospital," the family said in a statement Thursday. "Therapists are seeing short term memory loss, issues with word recovery, and loss of acuity around fine motor skills." Read More → 5 The Food Guy: Jibek Jolu's Dishes Inspired by Middle East, Europe and Asia Chicago has plenty of restaurants featuring Middle Eastern, European and Asian cuisines, but few have all three on the menu. That's because there are only a handful of restaurants in our area featuring the food of Kyrgyzstan. The family behind Jibek Jolu here in Lincoln Square is from Kyrgyzstan, and when you consider where the countries from the former Soviet Union are located, and the fact people who call themselves Kyrgy, Kazakh and Uzbek were likely nomadic, picking up influences from various parts of the world, it's no surprise to see their menus filled with influences from Russia, Europe, China and Turkey. Read More → 6 How Chicago is Preparing for New COVID Vaccine and Where You'll Find the Boosters With the final hurdles surrounding new booster shots of the COVID vaccine have yet to be cleared, Chicago is already preparing for distribution of the omicron-specific doses starting as early as next week. The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized the new shots aimed at targeting the omicron variant and the now-dominant BA.5 subvariant and an influential Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel is expected to vote on recommendations for who should be eligible as early as Thursday. After that, the CDC has to give its own recommendations before shots can begin. "Coming soon after Labor Day, updated COVID-19 vaccines and these new, what are called bivalent boosters as you may know already, are targeted specifically toward the omicron subvariants, the BA.4 and the BA.5 that are what are circulating right now," said Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady. "It's the first time we've had an updated COVID vaccine since the vaccine rollout." Read More → Got a tip or story idea? tips@nbcchicago.com Follow NBC Chicago Unsubscribe from this Mailing | Unsubscribe from all | Privacy | Terms ©2021 Copyright NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations 30 Rockefeller Plaza - New York, NY 10112