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Chicago Tribune
21-06-2025
- Climate
- Chicago Tribune
First extreme heat wave of 2025 headed to Chicago: What to know for the weekend
Beginning Saturday, Chicagoans can expect intense heat compounded by muggy humidity for the next several days. The National Weather Service has declared an extreme heat warning in Cook County from 10 a.m. Saturday through midnight Monday. Daytime temperatures may reach 97 degrees on Saturday, with a peak afternoon heat index of 106, according to the National Weather Service. At night, temperatures will probably 'struggle' to drop below 80 degrees, said Brett Borchardt, a senior meteorologist at the National Weather Service. That makes this first heat wave of the year particularly dangerous. 'So we have a prolonged period of time where we're not able to cool off, and the effects of heat accumulate,' Borchardt said. 'That's when we start to see those heat-related illnesses crop up.' Through Sunday and Monday, daytime temperatures may continue to hit the mid- to high-90s, and the heat index is forecast to reach 100 to 105 degrees. The National Weather Service may extend its heat warning through Tuesday if conditions persist, Borchardt said during a Friday morning news conference at the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications. High humidity is also contributing to this weekend's heat warning. The combination of extreme heat and humidity can have dangerous health consequences such as nausea, confusion and passing out. The heat can also turn deadly, city officials stressed. Mayor Brandon Johnson urged Chicagoans to take the warning seriously, adding that officials have learned grave lessons from the past. 'We are one month away from the 30-year anniversary of the 1995 heat wave, the deadliest heat wave in American history,' Johnson said. 'We lost more than 700 Chicagoans. Most of them were the elderly and poor. … It really challenged the city to recognize the danger of extreme heat.' Over the last three years, the city recorded 485 heat-related deaths and more than 700 heat-related emergency room visits in Chicago, Public Health Commissioner Olusimbo Ige said. People who are already sick and people older than 65 are the most vulnerable, she added. Certain regions of the city may also be more susceptible to extreme heat because of the urban heat island effect — when factors, including building materials and tree canopy cover, cause the environment to trap more heat. Public health data shows the 60620, 60623, 60628 and 60651 ZIP codes historically see more heat-related emergencies than other locations, Ige said. Residents should stay inside with air conditioning if possible, officials said. According to Ige, 89% of the city's population live in air conditioned buildings. Almost 180 city facilities serve as cooling centers during heat waves, including public libraries, Department of Family and Support Services and Park District buildings. There are an additional 110 spray features at city parks. However, most cooling centers have limited hours that don't extend throughout the evening. According to city data, 33 cooling centers aren't open during the weekend and 26 are not open Sundays. Only 3% of Chicagoans went to a cooling center in 2024, Ige said. Other ways to stay safe during the heat wave include drinking lots of water, wearing light clothing, keeping ovens and stoves shut off and cooling off with a cold bath or ice packs, officials said. The city plans to send teams out to do well-being checks on older and homeless people throughout the weekend, said Maura McCauley, acting commissioner of the Department of Family and Support Services. And for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic, the city is opening all its pools again seven days a week. Outdoor pools open Saturday, and can help residents beat the heat, Park District chief of staff Michael Merchant said.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chicago mayor touts youth programs as teen unrest sparks curfew debate
The Brief Mayor Brandon Johnson says over 106,000 youth were served through city programs in his Youth Impact Report. Streeterville residents are urging City Council to impose an earlier teen curfew after recent disturbances. Johnson opposes the curfew change, saying it doesn't address the root causes of youth unrest. CHICAGO - Mayor Brandon Johnson on Tuesday released a new report highlighting city efforts to engage and support young people—just as some residents in Streeterville push for stricter curfew rules after a string of chaotic teen gatherings. What we know Johnson's Youth Impact Report details programming that reached more than 106,000 young people through the Department of Family and Support Services. That includes 2,000 year-round youth jobs, 155 "kickback" events aimed at safe recreation, and 50,000 teens connected to 45,000 activities via the city's "My CHI. My Future." platform. But on the city's Near North Side, a different picture has emerged in recent weeks. Residents in Streeterville say large groups of teens have been gathering outside the AMC Theater, running into traffic and fighting. In one recent incident, a tourist was shot. In response, Ald. Brian Hopkins has proposed changing the city's teen curfew from 10 p.m. to 8 p.m.—a move that some neighbors support. Kathy Gregg, a Streeterville resident, plans to address City Council members on Wednesday. "It's different these last couple of years. It's escalated," Gregg said. "I don't think most of the kids are coming down with guns or tasers. There's just a few." The other side Mayor Johnson has pushed back on the idea of a curfew, arguing that it won't address the broader challenges facing Chicago youth. "I don't believe creating policies for a narrow space in Chicago is the right approach because it's not dealing with the actual issue," Johnson said. The Source FOX 32's Nate Rodgers reported on this story.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Yahoo
'Accelerated Moving Event' unfolds at Gompers Park encampment, housing assistance offered
The Brief After months of community members asking for the city to intervene, an Accelerated Moving Event (AME) unfolded at Gompers Park. Many of the unhoused individuals living in tents accepted permanent housing on Wednesday. Safety concerns and disruptions to youth sports prompted calls for city intervention. CHICAGO - After months of debate, a long-standing homeless encampment in Gompers Park on Chicago's Northwest Side is in the process of coming down. Still, those living in tents will not be forced to leave, according to city officials. While tensions have run high over the issue, many of the individuals living in the encampment walked away with permanent housing on Wednesday. What we know The City of Chicago's Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) hosted an "Accelerated Moving Event" in partnership with All Chicago on Wednesday to quickly connect unhoused individuals with shelter and other services. The scheduled event helped speed up and fund the process of placing individuals into housing, allowing them to complete multiple complicated steps at once. They were brought to a nearby building where they met with housing case managers, selected apartments, and even chose furniture. "It's pretty much a one-stop-shop for housing and it's very comprehensive," said 39th Ward Alderman Samantha Nugent. "This has proven to be the most successful way to get the unhoused into housing and actually stay in housing and youth services. Also, I do support the restoration of the park, and I understand the concerns of our community." Since last year, residents have raised concern about safety, citing recent incidents involving an off-leash dog attacking community members, as well as indecent behavior and reports of drug paraphernalia and knives found in the park. The fire department has also responded to multiple fires at the encampment. "The fire department was called out roughly 35 times over the last year," Nugent said. Youth baseball games and practices, which were at risk of relocation due to the encampment, are now expected to return to the park. "Right now, things have been kind of quiet, and I think everyone is really hopeful that we are going to have games moved back here after things are back to normal," said Ryan Johnson, president of the Gompers Park Athletic Association. What's next Although many of the unhoused individuals have accepted services, tents remain in the park for now—as it could take between 30 to 90 days to move them into newly selected homes. As encampment members move into housing over the next several weeks, any abandoned property left behind will be removed during the next monthly park cleanup; however, city officials explain that the Accelerated Moving Event is not an encampment shutdown. "This isn't a closure, this isn't a sweep, but it is an opportunity for people to move out of housing and possibly, the park having less foot traffic," said Sendy Soto, Chief Homelessness Officer for the City of Chicago. "We would love to provide an opportunity where everyone can move into housing and receive the wraparound services but we don't have those resources, our partners don't have those resources, so until we can address the gap in availability of affordable housing or even the shelter beds we need, we cannot force people and we wouldn't be forcing people to leave a public space." City officials say they will continue working to restore the area while ensuring those in need receive ongoing support. In the coming months, the Chicago Park District is planning several projects at Gompers Park. According to Nugent, they include restoring the lagoon, building the Nature Play Space that was a winning Participatory Budget project from 2022, and resurfacing the basketball parking lot on Pulaski Avenue. Notices will be posted in advance of construction, and during that time those still living in tents will be asked to relocate to other areas.
