🌱 Travel Delays On Kennedy Expressway + Boost In SNAP Ending Soon

Good morning, everybody. It's me, Kaytlyn Mroz, your host of the Chicago Patch newsletter — here to impart all the most important things happening in town these days.

But first, today's weather:

Times of sun and clouds. High: 55 Low: 33.

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Here are the top three stories three in Chicago today:

1. Officials are urging drivers to find "alternative routes" as a major project is slated to take over on Kennedy Expressway Mar. 20. The $150 million project will consist of many changes, including the rehab of 36 bridge structures and the installation of new signs. It is set to begin at the Edens Expressway junction onto Ohio Street, the Illinois Department of Transportation announced Tuesday. Officials are anticipating major travel delays and "alternative routes are strongly encouraged." The work is expected to be done in three stages and will continue through 2025. (NBC 5 Chicago)
2. As a reminder, the temporary boost in SNAP benefits is ending in March. The decrease in money will vary depending on income and household size, but SNAP benefits will decrease anywhere from $55 to $255 per person per month. Anyone in need of additional food assistance is encouraged to call 211 or visit 211metrochicago.org for help. (ABC 7 Chicago)
3. Frontier Airlines is debuting a seasonal nonstop route to Jamaica. The seasonal route will provide travel from Chicago's Midway International Airport to Montego Bay, Jamaica's Sangster International Airport. "This new seasonal service to Jamaica will further connect Chicago to a long list of tropical destinations during our winter and spring seasons and bolster our status as one of the world's best-connected international hub cities," Commissioner Jamie L. Rhee of the Chicago Department of Aviation said. (Simply Flying)

Today in Chicago:

• Spring Flower Show: Bee's Knees At Garfield Park Conservatory (10:00 AM)
• Restaurant Week At Greektown Chicago (10:00 AM)

From my notebook:

• Chicagoans have less than a week to say goodbye to Daisies at Logan Square! Owner Joe Frillman will hold its last service on Sunday, Mar. 5 at 2523 N. Milwaukee Ave. (Eater Chicago via Facebook)
• Target and Solo Cup signed leases for warehouses in the southwest suburbs and are expanding their industrial footprints in the Chicago area. Read more about the projects at the link! (Crain's Chicago Business via Facebook)
• Join Preservation Chicago on Wednesday, Mar. 8 at 12 p.m. as they reveal Chicago's seven most endangered list for 2023. For 20 years, this list of imminently threatened historic buildings and community assets is used to gather support from the public to save these sites from demolition. (Chicago Architecture Center via Instagram)
• The Lincoln Park Zoo is hosting its Spring Egg-Stravaganza event on Saturday, Apr. 8 at 8 a.m. Visit the zoo for an experience complete with egg hunts, photos with the Easter Bunny, chats with zoo animal and horticultural experts, scavenger hunts, and much more. (Lincoln Park Zoo via Facebook)

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You're officially in the loop for today. I'll see you around!

— Kaytlyn Mroz

About me: Kaytlyn Mroz is a copywriter at Lightning Media Partners – a content creation agency. She is a Rowan University graduate where she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in writing. Outside of work, Kaytlyn is a dog mom to a boglen terrier named Finn and a golden retriever named Willow.