
Afternoon Briefing: About those air quality readings yesterday
Good afternoon, Chicago.
Readings from several popular weather apps had people across the Chicago area spending much of yesterday wondering whether their air was safe to breathe — until the dangerously unhealthy levels were revealed to be a glitch.
Early in the morning, Google's air quality map showed that Chicago had the worst air in the country. Apple's weather app, too, showed that the Air Quality Index had climbed into the 400s, a reading so hazardous that people are encouraged to stay indoors. (The Air Quality Index, which ranges from 0 to 500, is a measure of the density of five pollutants in the air: ground-level ozone, particulates, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide.)
To put that in perspective, that's as high as the levels reached in 2023 when smoke from wildfires in Canada blanketed much of the East Coast and turned the sky in New York City orange.
Here's what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
Highland Park parade shooter sentenced to life in prison without parole
Robert Crimo III will spend the rest of his life in prison for opening fire on spectators at the 2022 Highland Park Independence Day Parade. Read more here.
Chicago Housing Authority board member reprimanded for 'sexually graphic conversation,' report says
A Chicago Housing Authority board member had a 'sexually graphic conversation' in front of agency employees and has been reprimanded by the interim board chair, a housing authority Office of the Inspector General report reveals. Read more here.
More top business stories:
Column: Nikola Jokić or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for MVP? How the Tribune's Bulls writer voted for NBA awards.
It's finally time for the most controversial stretch of the NBA season — the waiting period between submitting end-of-year ballots and announcing the final award winners. Read more here.
'Étoile' review: A dance of egos, hookups and ballet backstage drama — and it's funny!
In the Amazon dramedy 'Étoile,' a ballet company in New York and another in Paris swap some of their talent for a season, hoping the gimmick will sell more tickets and fix some financial struggles. Read more here.
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Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton first major Democrat to declare bid for retiring Dick Durbin's Senate seat
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton today became the first of what is expected to be many candidates to launch bids for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Dick Durbin.
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San Francisco Chronicle
5 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee promises ‘relentless effort' at community inauguration
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee promised during a community inauguration Sunday to lead with 'openness, honesty and relentless effort' and invited the community to join her to make the city better. 'If we match hope with hard work, there's nothing that this city can't do, so let's do it,' Lee said on a stage at Jack London Square. 'Let's grab whatever you can grab — a paintbrush, a policy idea, a neighbor's hand, because the next chapter of Oakland starts now.' She added: 'All of you are co-authors of this next chapter.' Lee was elected in April and sworn in last month. The former congresswoman replaced former Mayor Sheng Thao, whom voters ousted in November in a recall fueled by a federal investigation that resulted in bribery charges against her. Thao pleaded not guilty to the charges. Lee takes over as the city confronts a historic budget deficit, public safety concerns, homelessness and illegal dumping, among other issues. By the end of this month, the city must balance its budget, which includes an annual deficit of about $140 million. Lee previously said the city will address the deficit through both short- and long-term solutions, though she did not provide specifics. During her remarks Sunday, after she again took the oath of office, Lee spoke of her work in the first few weeks of her administration. The goal from the start was to 'turn hope into action,' the Democrat told the crowd, which included faith leaders, business owners and other dignitaries, including California Attorney General Rob Bonta, California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie. Already she's met with faith and business leaders to discuss public safety strategies. She acknowledged that despite violence prevention efforts and a decrease in homicides last year, some residents still don't feel safe. 'We've got to work to change this narrative in Oakland,' she said. Lee also said she traveled to the state Capitol to advocate for the city, 'because Oakland deserves its fair share of state resources,' she said. 'I made it clear: Investing in Oakland lifts the entire Bay Area.' State Sen. Jesse Arreguín, a Democrat whose district includes Oakland, said the city needs a 'proven leader with integrity and experience' to unite the city and region. 'That leader is Mayor Barbara Lee,' he said. Arreguín, who serves as chair of the public safety standing committee, said he's committed to working with Lee to curb crime in Oakland and make the city safer. He pledged to support the city's Ceasefire strategy and other violence-prevention programs. Oakland City Council President Kevin Jenkins called Sunday 'a beautiful day in Oakland.' He noted that Lee is the city's fourth mayor in two years. 'But I think we got it right this time,' he quipped. Jenkins described Lee as a mayor for all, especially Oakland residents 'who don't know where City Hall is.' 'The way she campaigned is the way she's going to govern: with integrity,' he added. Selena Wilson, CEO of the East Oakland Youth Development Center, urged the public to support Lee. 'We must continue to stand with her.' Barbara Leslie, president and CEO of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, picked by Lee as a co-chair of her transition team, said she can attest that Lee 'hit the ground running.' 'Frankly, my goal is just to keep up,' Leslie said, joined by members of the Rotary Club of Oakland #3 and Oakland Restaurant Collective. 'We are here to support you, as your success is Oakland's success,' Leslie said.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump sends in troops in make-or-break moment for his immigration crackdown
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Boston Globe
10 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Chinese hackers and user lapses turn smartphones into a ‘mobile security crisis'
Foreign hackers have increasingly identified smartphones, other mobile devices, and the apps they use as a weak link in US cyberdefenses. Groups linked to China's military and intelligence service have targeted the smartphones of prominent Americans and burrowed deep into telecommunication networks, according to national security and tech experts. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up It shows how vulnerable mobile devices and apps are and the risk that security failures could expose sensitive information or leave American interests open to cyberattack, those experts say. Advertisement 'The world is in a mobile security crisis right now,' said Rocky Cole, a former cybersecurity specialist at the National Security Agency and Google and now chief operations officer at iVerify. 'No one is watching the phones.' 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Hegseth has rejected assertions that he shared classified information on Signal, a popular encrypted messaging app not approved for the use of communicating classified information. China and other nations will try to take advantage of such lapses, and national security officials must take steps to prevent them from recurring, said Michael Williams, a national security expert at Syracuse University. 'They all have access to a variety of secure communications platforms,' Williams said. 'We just can't share things willy-nilly.'