Good afternoon! It’s Monday, and brace yourselves: Single-digit wind chills could hit the Chicago area on Thanksgiving. Here’s what else you need to know today.

1. Shopping for Thanksgiving dinner? Expect to pay less than last year, a survey shows

Illinois residents may not have to pay out as much at the grocery store before Thanksgiving, according to a new report from the Illinois Farm Bureau.

The national average price for a 16-pound frozen turkey dropped 16.3% from last year to $21.50, or $1.34 per pound. In Illinois, the average price for the same turkey is $18.03, the farm bureau said this week.

The American Farm Bureau Federation, which also released its annual cost of Thanksgiving dinner report this week, last month predicted higher prices for wholesale turkeys — what retailers pay — because farms were battling diseases such as bird flu, impacting inventory.

But less consumer demand for turkey and cold storage options led many retailers to lower their prices to help lure customers. Shoppers may have the best luck on a deal at larger grocers, which have more negotiating power because they’re buying in bulk.

“Retailers use items, in this case the turkey, as a loss leader to drive shoppers into their stores, where they fill their baskets with other items that will have a higher return to the retail market,” said Tasha Bunting, director of commodity programs and food systems at the Illinois Farm Bureau. [Chicago Sun-Times]

2. A South Side turkey giveaway helped cover a gap amid SNAP uncertainty

Thousands of halal turkeys have found their way into the hands of families in need through citywide holiday giveaways as Chicago-area residents navigate uncertainty over federal food assistance.

Local charity Zakat Chicago distributed 5,600 turkeys across 35 locations last week as part of its third annual Feasting with Dignity campaign, my colleague Cindy Hernandez reports for the Chicago Sun-Times.

Salman Mohiuddin said this year’s distribution was the organization’s largest yet — and crucial for families struggling with the lapse in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits during the historic 43-day federal government shutdown that ended earlier this month.

Candace Rivas of South Shore, one of hundreds who received a turkey during a South Side giveaway, said her SNAP benefits were reduced during the shutdown, leaving her without sufficient funds to feed her three children. Rivas, 29, said she had to stop working to care for her grandparents and was dependent on the assistance to support her family. [Chicago Sun-Times]

3. Signs across Chicago mark the locations of ICE arrests

As Kade Heather reports for the Chicago Sun-Times, they serve as reminders for the thousands of people arrested by federal immigration authorities under “Operation Midway Blitz” and the pain left behind for loved ones and communities.

Sarita Hernandez and Selva Zafiro, co-founders of Marimacha Monarca Press in McKinley Park, were working at a community art event when members of the Southwest Rapid Response team — part of the immigrant coalition — approached them with an idea.

The signs intentionally resemble the temporary no parking or tow zone signs familiar to Chicagoans.

“It serves as a ‘made you look’ kind of intervention, but then what it actually is doing is documenting something that permanently has impacted many of our communities, has permanently changed people’s lives, has permanently ripped apart families,” Hernandez said. [Chicago Sun-Times]

4. The DuSable museum’s ‘Paris in Black’ celebrates racial pride and artistic rebirth

The new exhibition features works by Black American artists who lived in Europe from the 1890s to the middle of the 20th century and beyond, my colleague Erica Thompson reports. That artistic period included the Harlem Renaissance and “awakenings” in Chicago and other cities.

Archibald Motley Jr. is one of several Chicagoans and School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni included. Visitors will also see oil paintings such as William Harper’s tranquil “Countryside Landscape” from the early 1900s; William Edouard Scott’s colorful “Haitian Turkey Market” from 1934; and Ellis Wilson’s detailed “African Mask” series from the mid-century period. Another highlight: a 1963 portrait of Chicago Defender founder Robert S. Abbott, painted by Chicago artist William McBride.

The exhibit opened over the weekend and runs through early 2027. [Chicago Sun-Times]

5. Rob Miller’s new memoir captures the crescendo and crash of Chicago indie label Bloodshot Records

“The Hours Are Long but the Pay Is Low,” out tomorrow, details Miller’s three-decade journey through music and how he helped build the prominent indie-punk-country label.

As my colleague Selena Fragassi reports, Miller packed up his bags, records and memories in 1991 and moved to Chicago from Ann Arbor, Mich., to escape music. That was after several years hustling as a college radio host, record store clerk, fanzine journalist and production manager.

But just two years later, Miller co-founded Bloodshot with Nan Warshaw and Eric Babcock.

Like any good record, the book is divided into Side A and Side B, which make up two distinct acts in the pages. Side A is “everything that built up to the label,” Miller said, including the foundation of growing up in Detroit alienated from pop culture.

Side B offers a more pragmatic look at the record business and what it takes to run a label, plus “the decisions we made or didn’t make.” [Chicago Sun-Times]

Here’s what else is happening

  • A federal judge dismissed the criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. [AP]
  • The U.S. Department of Transportation launched a “civility campaign” to promote good behavior on flights and at airports. [NPR]
  • Jimmy Cliff, the reggae giant and star of the landmark film “The Harder They Come,” has died at 81. [AP]
  • Chance the Rapper will co-host the first Chicago airing of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.” [Block Club Chicago]

Oh, and one more thing …

Four years ago, someone taped a flyer to a vacant storefront window in Logan Square next to Lula Cafe. It showed a charming line drawing of a cat and announced anyone who texted an accompanying phone number would receive free cat pictures in a text reply.

Intrigue has overcome skepticism about 500 times since, triggering a vibration in the pocket and a smile on the face of Derek Erdman.

“I mean, how many things these days are not a scam? This is one thing that is not a scam. Just cat pics,” he told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Erdman, 51, is a self-taught artist living in a Logan Square apartment filled with paintings, large plants, records, kitsch and two rescued cats: Chichi, who’s shy, and Archie, who’s simple. He spends about four minutes a day happily fulfilling cat pic requests. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Tell me something good …

What is something about the Chicago area that makes you thankful to live here?

Feel free to email me, and your response may be included in the newsletter this week.