Good morning, Chicago.
In 2023, wildfire smoke from Canada helped smash air quality records all across the Midwest. When the numbers are finalized, the smoke could trigger a mandatory U.S. Environmental Protection Agency crackdown on pollution that experts say could slow economic growth.
Dozens of states and the EPA are so concerned they may exclude the smokiest days from the legally binding score cards that determine whether they’re doing enough to fight pollution, according to a joint collaboration between the Tribune and the nonprofit news site MuckRock.
Now some states are considering banding together in a joint effort that could trigger the largest exclusion in the history of the federal Clean Air Act.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Over the past five months since arriving in Chicago, Andrea Carolina Sevilla’s parents have been unable to enroll her in school even though the reason they left everything behind in their native Venezuela was for her to have access to better education.
On Nov. 3, they set out to go back to Texas. And from there, they would go to Venezuela, the country they fled to seek asylum in the United States. They’re among the countless number of migrants who have chosen to leave Chicago in recent weeks in their search for a better life. They’re looking for warmer weather, more resources or to reunite with friends and family in other places.
City ID card event cancellations frustrate migrants desperate for official identification
Before even crossing the U.S. border, Carolina Olachea knew she wanted to be a Chicagoan.
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The 38-year-old from Venezuela heard Chicago was a sanctuary city that could grant her the fresh start she yearned for after fleeing a dangerous hometown where people struggle to find food and there are no jobs.
So it only made sense that after recently arriving in Chicago, Olachea and her son joined hundreds of other migrants seeking a special city government-issued ID, a Chicago CityKey, during an October event at Gill Park on the North Side. But the morning of the event, it was abruptly canceled as city staffers struggled to keep the crowd that had grown to 1,000 under control.
Clout-heavy contractor linked to federal investigations at City Hall and in the suburbs
At the heart of James Bracken’s multifaceted trucking, demolition and excavation operation is a small office in south suburban Markham surrounded by piles of dirt and rigs rumbling in and out of a trucking yard.
Out front, a reserved parking spot is the only obvious sign of Bracken’s authority. But the unassuming office and dusty parking lot belie the clout Bracken and his family wield throughout Chicago and Cook County.
City orders Calumet Fisheries to close due to rodents, but owner is preparing to reopen
Calumet Fisheries, located at 3259 E. 95th St., was shut down Oct. 31 after health inspectors found evidence of about 400 mice and rat droppings. During another inspection a week later, city officials again found about 150 mice or rat droppings in the basement and in a storage area, according to public health data.
Two rows of men sat in near silence, ignoring the plates of dates on offer inside the Mosque Harlem Center in Bridgeview as the first snow of the year fluttered outside the window.
Others trickled in, by twos and threes to embrace Mohammed Aburealh, who was mourning more than 30 extended family members killed days earlier by Israeli bombs dropped during fighting between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas.
With about 85,000 residents, Palestinians are widely believed to make up about 60% of the Arab American population in metro Chicago. Illinois also has more Muslims per capita than any other state in the U.S.
Twenty-six years after stepping on the court in LA for the Liberty of the then-new WNBA, Teresa Weatherspoon found herself experiencing another first day. She had just been officially introduced as the seventh head coach of the Chicago Sky.
Everything was beautiful in the Mighty Macs’ world Saturday night after they earned their second straight Class 4A state championship with a stirring 25-22, 18-25, 25-16 victory over Benet at Illinois State’s electric CEFCU Arena.
Hear that? No, not your neighbor’s leaf blower, it’s the holiday season on its way. We’re at that time of year when pumpkin spice transitions to peppermint mocha and everyone starts looking ahead to the Chicago Christmas tree lighting and related Yuletide events, many beginning this week.