Latest news with #Strus
Chicago Tribune
7 days ago
- Climate
- Chicago Tribune
Smoke from Canadian wildfires brings unhealthy air to large swaths of the Midwest
Smoke from Canadian wildfires hovered over several Midwestern states Saturday, bringing warnings of unhealthy air for at least the third day. Air quality alerts were in effect in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, as well as eastern Nebraska and parts of Indiana and Illinois. Forecasters said the smoky skies would remain for much of the day. Canadian environmental officials said smoke from the forest fires would persist into Sunday for some areas. The Switzerland-based air quality monitoring database IQAir, which assesses air quality in real time, listed the city of Minneapolis as having some of the worst air pollution in the world since Friday. The Air Quality Index (AQI) was expected to reach the red or unhealthy category in a large swath of Minnesota. AQI is a system used to communicate how much air pollution is in the air. It breaks pollution down into six categories and colors, along with advice on what is and is not safe to do. They range from 'good' (the color green) to 'hazardous' (maroon). People with lung disease, heart disease, children, older adults and pregnant women are most susceptible to the poor breathing conditions. 'What's been unique in this go-around is that we've had this prolonged stretch of smoke particulates towards the surface, so that's where we've really had the air quality in the red here for the past few days,' said Joe Strus, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area in Minnesota. 'We've sort of been dealing with this, day in and day out, where you walk outside and you can taste the smoke, you can smell it,' Strus said. 'Sometimes we've been in higher concentrations than others. Other times it's just looked a little hazy out there.' The air was improving Saturday, he said, specifically across the Twin Cities and southwestern Minnesota, but state health officials warned that conditions could remain unhealthy for sensitive groups through Monday. Officials said the smoke could spread as far south as Tennessee and Missouri. The EPA's Air Quality Index converts all pollutant levels into a single number. The lower the number, the better. Anything below 50 is classified as 'healthy.' Fifty to 100 is 'moderate' while 100-150 is unhealthy for 'sensitive groups.' Anything above 150 is bad for everyone. Parts of Minnesota exceeded that number on Saturday. Health officials advise people with asthma and other lung disease, heart disease, children and older adults to avoid prolonged exposure to smoke and limit strenuous activities. They said to avoid burning things that could make the air pollution worse and to keep windows and doors closed. 'This is something that's become part of our summer here the last few years,' Strus said, 'and I think a lot of us are just looking forward to seeing a little more movement in the atmospheric winds and we'll be able to hopefully disperse some of the smoke out of here in the next few days.'
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Business Standard
03-08-2025
- Climate
- Business Standard
Canadian wildfire smoke chokes Midwest, sparks air quality concerns
Smoke from Canadian wildfires hovered over several Midwestern states Saturday, bringing warnings of unhealthy air for at least the third day. Air quality alerts were in effect in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, as well as eastern Nebraska and parts of Indiana and Illinois. Forecasters said the smoky skies would remain for much of the day. Canadian environmental officials said smoke from the forest fires would persist into Sunday for some areas. The Switzerland-based air quality monitoring database IQAir, which assesses air quality in real time, listed the city of Minneapolis as having some of the worst air pollution in the world since Friday. The Air Quality Index (AQI) was expected to reach the red or unhealthy category in a large swath of Minnesota. AQI is a system used to communicate how much air pollution is in the air. It breaks pollution down into six categories and colours, along with advice on what is and is not safe to do. They range from good (the colour green) to hazardous (maroon). People with lung disease, heart disease, children, older adults and pregnant women are most susceptible to the poor breathing conditions. What's been unique in this go-around is that we've had this prolonged stretch of smoke particulates towards the surface, so that's where we've really had the air quality in the red here for the past few days, said Joe Strus, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in the MinneapolisSaint Paul area in Minnesota. We've sort of been dealing with this, day in and day out, where you walk outside and you can taste the smoke, you can smell it, Strus said. Sometimes we've been in higher concentrations than others. Other times it's just looked a little hazy out there. The air was improving Saturday, he said, specifically across the Twin Cities and southwestern Minnesota, but state health officials warned that conditions could remain unhealthy for sensitive groups through Monday. Officials said the smoke could spread as far south as Tennessee and Missouri. The EPA's Air Quality Index converts all pollutant levels into a single number. The lower the number, the better. Anything below 50 is classified as healthy. Fifty to 100 is moderate while 100-150 is unhealthy for sensitive groups. Anything above 150 is bad for everyone. Parts of Minnesota exceeded that number on Saturday. Health officials advise people with asthma and other lung diseases, heart disease, children and older adults to avoid prolonged exposure to smoke and limit strenuous activities. They said to avoid burning things that could make the air pollution worse and to keep windows and doors closed. This is something that's become part of our summer here the last few years, Strus said, and I think a lot of us are just looking forward to seeing a little more movement in the atmospheric winds and we'll be able to hopefully disperse some of the smoke out of here in the next few days.
02-08-2025
- Climate
Canada wildfire smoke brings unhealthy air to large swaths of the Midwest
Smoke from Canadian wildfires hovered over several Midwestern states Saturday, bringing warnings of unhealthy air for at least the third day. Air quality alerts were in effect in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, as well as eastern Nebraska and parts of Indiana and Illinois. Forecasters said the smoky skies would remain for much of the day. People with lung disease, heart disease, children, older adults and pregnant women are most susceptible to the poor breathing conditions. Canadian environmental officials said smoke from forest fires that was causing reduced visibility and poor quality would persist into Sunday for some areas. The Switzerland-based air quality monitoring database IQAir, which assesses air quality in real time, listed the city of Minneapolis as having some of the worst air pollution in the world since Friday. The Air Quality Index (AQI) is expected to reach the red or unhealthy category in a large swath of Minnesota and will likely remain through Saturday. AQI is a system used to communicate how much air pollution is in the air. It breaks pollution down into six categories and colors, and advice on what isn't safe to do. They range from 'good' (the color green) to 'hazardous' (maroon). 'What's been unique in this go-around is that we've had this prolonged stretch of smoke particulates towards the surface, so that's where we've really had the air quality in the red here for the past few days," said Joe Strus, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area in Minnesota. 'We've sort of been dealing with this, day in and day out, where you walk outside and you can taste the smoke, you can smell it," he said. "Sometimes we've been in higher concentrations than others. Other times it's just looked a little hazy out there.' The air quality on Saturday was improving, specifically across the Twin Cities and southwestern Minnesota, he said, but state health officials warned the air could remain unhealthy for sensitive groups through Monday. The smoke could start to dissipate Saturday before spreading as far south as Tennessee and Missouri. The EPA's Air Quality Index converts all pollutant levels into a single number. The lower the number, the better. Anything below 50 is classified as 'healthy.' Fifty to 100 is 'moderate' while 100-150 is unhealthy for 'sensitive groups." Anything above 150 is bad for everyone. Parts of Minnesota exceeded that number on Saturday. Health officials advise people with asthma and other lung disease, heart disease, children and older adults to avoid prolonged exposure to smoke and limit strenuous activities. They said to avoid burning things that could make the air pollution worse, and keep windows and doors closed to keep the smoke from getting inside. 'This is something that's become part of our summer here the last few years," said Strus, "and I think a lot of us are just looking forward to seeing a little more movement in the atmospheric winds and we'll be able to hopefully disperse some of the smoke out of here in the next few days.' ___ The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP's environmental coverage, visit
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'We got to get tougher': Cavs identify main reason for their playoff elimination vs Pacers
INDEPENDENCE — Two years after the Cavaliers were bullied out of the NBA playoffs by the New York Knicks, Cleveland's lack of toughness has returned to the forefront. This is a conversation the top-seeded Cavs are driving on the heels of their 4-1 series defeat to the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal. Advertisement 'We got to get tougher — mentally, physically,' Cavs small forward Max Strus said Wednesday, May 14, less than 24 hours after Cleveland's season ended way earlier than it expected. Toughness comes in different forms. Unlike against the Knicks in 2023, the Cavs weren't crushed by the Pacers in rebounding. The Cavs actually outrebounded the Pacers 229-208 in their second-round matchup, including 70-35 on the offensive end of the floor. As far as game-by-game results go, the Cavs won the rebounding battle twice, lost it twice and tied with the Pacers once. In this year's playoffs, the toughness the Cavs sought had more to do with focus, fight, composure and assertiveness. It was tied to keeping up with the Pacers' elite transition offense and handling their full-court defensive pressure. Indiana's relentless pace clearly wore down Cleveland on multiple fronts. Advertisement 'If you look at the series, we kind of weren't ready for Game 1,' Strus said. 'I think the Miami series [sweep in the first round] didn't really prepare us for that, and we kind of slept on that and didn't come out with the same force and aggression. 'Then Game 2, can't lose that one. The toughness in teams and knowing how to win and toughing games out, that's where it is. You got to close those games out when you're up. [In Game 5] we were up [19 points] in the first half. In the playoffs, those got to be wins, and that's where we needed to grow and learn as a team and kind of understand that.' Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus (1) celebrates a basket during Game 3 of a second-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers on May 9, 2025, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Cavs playoffs: Jarrett Allen not derailed by injury this time, but postseason performance a letdown Advertisement Strus knows what is required in the postseason because he went to the NBA Finals with the Miami Heat in 2023, yet he is hardly the only member of the 2024-25 Cavs kicking himself about a lack of collective toughness. The topic became a central theme of player season wrap-up news conferences at Cleveland Clinic Courts. A small sampling ... All-Star point guard Darius Garland : 'The mental toughness, the physical toughness that we've been through before and just trying to get over that hump. … It's hard getting over that hump, so we've got to figure out what can we do to make that next step.' Forward Dean Wade : '[The Pacers] kind of absorbed the punches we were throwing and just kind of stayed in the fight. And then whenever we got tired, they just kind of took over.' Center Tristan Thompson: 'Every matchup [in the playoffs] is about which team can be more physical. The possessions go down. The physicality goes up. The whistle is blown less. So it's about physicality, mental toughness, who's going to play hard and compete for longer. I think you've got to give the Pacers credit. They competed at a higher level with physicality for longer.' Indiana Pacers guard Aaron Nesmith (23) shoots over Cleveland Cavaliers forward Max Strus during Game 4 of an Eastern Conference semifinal May 11, 2025, in Indianapolis, Indiana. More Cavs: Cleveland Cavaliers need Evan Mobley to be top player, not 'nonexistent' in playoffs For the Cavs, exhibiting toughness at times in the regular season has yet to consistently translate to requisite playoff grit. So how can the Cavs become tough enough to flourish when it really counts? Advertisement 'I think it can be learned through tough times,' Strus said. 'That's with anything in life. When you go through tough times, tough things, you kind of learn more about yourself and kind of who you want to become and who you are from those experiences.' Strus called the Cavs being eliminated by the Pacers in Round 2 'a wasted opportunity.' All he can do now is hope the Cavs come back with a vengeance in the playoffs this time next year. 'You can talk about it all you want,' Strus said. 'But until you actually show up and be about it, talking don't really matter.' Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@ On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich. This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs confess 'we got to get tougher' to succeed in NBA playoffs
New York Post
14-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Max Strus' sad group text blows up after stunning Cavaliers elimination
Cavaliers wing Max Strus showed up physically, but that's about it. Facing the daunting task of being down 3-1 to the Pacers in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals, the Cavaliers needed a miracle, which never came as they were eliminated in Game 5, 114-105. Strus attempted to rally the team ahead of the elimination game, sending a group text to his teammates saying, 'If you don't believe, don't show up for work.' Advertisement Max Strus followed that up going 0/9 from the field and scoring zero points. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect The reserve wing then followed that up by going a putrid 0-for-9 from the field and scoring zero points while adding seven rebounds and two assists. The story was told live on the TNT telecast before Game 5 by reporter Jared Greenberg. Advertisement 'A group text message was sent out to every single Cavalier player,' Greenberg said before reading the message, later adding that Strus did not believe the Cavaliers were done. The usually reliable sharpshooter had played well in the series from an offensive perspective, scoring 12.2 points per game, and entered Game 5 shooting 40 percent from 3-point range, the second-best figure on the team. Strus will now be watching the rest of the playoffs from home as the Pacers move on to face the winner of the Knicks vs. Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Advertisement The Knicks hold a 3-1 series edge with Game 5 in Boston on Wednesday night. Cleveland now heads into the offseason wondering what went wrong as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The series took a stunning turn when the Cavaliers blew a seven-point lead in the final 48 seconds of Game 2, sending them into a 2-0 deficit they were unable to fight back from. TNT's Jared Greenberg reads Max Strus' text message during the pregame show of Game 5. X ,@haterreport Advertisement The Cavaliers also dealt with health issues as Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, DeAndre Hunter, and Evan Mobley battled injuries in this series.
