Afternoon Briefing: Jurors in Burke trial send first note

Good afternoon, Chicago.

Jurors have begun their first full day of deliberations in the racketeering case of ex-Ald. Edward Burke, the longtime City Council powerhouse charged with abusing his substantial clout for his own personal gain.

The panel sent its first note to the judge this morning less than an hour after resuming its talks, asking for clarification about a count charging co-defendant Charles Cui with using interstate commerce to facilitate an unlawful activity.

Here's what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/breaking and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.

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A temporary migrant shelter will open in Portage Park. Residents have strong feelings.

At a Monday meeting, tempers flared on both sides as Portage Park residents clashed over their views on the shelter. Read more here.

More top news stories:

• Man charged in strangulation of 15-year-old girl in South Shore neighborhood, police say

• Lockport High School officials share timeline of Central Campus ceiling repairs

Southwest Airlines reaches $140 million settlement over holiday flight-canceling meltdown last year

Southwest Airlines will pay a $35 million fine as part of a $140 million settlement to resolve a federal investigation into a debacle in December 2022 when the airline canceled thousands of flights and stranded more than 2 million travelers over the holidays. Read more here.

More top business stories:

• Highland Park considering ban on sale of synthetic THC products

• Retailers are improving their delivery speeds, meaning good news for late holiday shoppers

Column: Cubs Convention is on, while SoxFest remains off. Can an old tradition be revived?

Whether these fan fests are an outdated idea in 2024 is debatable, but traditions in Chicago are worth preserving, so for the Cubs, the infomercial must go on. Read more here.

More top sports stories:

• Bulls’ Ayo Dosunmu adds layers to his game while staying true to himself: ‘You can tell he’s from Chicago by the way he plays’

• Illinois high schools vote against districts for football

Chicagoan of the Year for Theater: Roche Schulfer guided the Goodman through the arts storm of the century

Across the country during the pandemic, nonprofit theaters lost their audiences and were forced to cut staff. Not at the Goodman Theatre. Read more here.

More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:

• Chicagoan of the Year for Books: Every so often, a book comes along that changes everything. Enter Jonathan Eig and ‘King.’

• Chicagoan of the Year for Museums: NMMA founder and outgoing president Carlos Tortolero rethought what a museum could be

Illegal crossings surge in remote areas as Congress, White House weigh major asylum limits

Hundreds of dates are written on concrete-filled steel columns erected along the U.S. border with Mexico to memorialize when the Border Patrol has repaired illicit openings in the would-be barriers. Read more here.

More top stories from around the world:

• Israel strikes south Gaza and raids a hospital in the north as war grinds on with renewed US support

• Behind the shortage keeping cancer patients from chemo