It’s here. Updating coverage: Hurricane Idalia’s made landfall on Florida’s west coast—the first major hurricane on record to pass through the bay abutting the Big Bend, where the Panhandle curves into Florida’s peninsula …
■ … flooding streets from Tampa to Tallahassee …
■ … and wreaking havoc on flights to and from Chicago.
■ Its superpower derives from what The Associated Press calls “intensely warm water that acts like rocket fuel.”
■ Also: A supermoon.
■ Media writer Tom Jones explains the value of journalists reporting from dangerous spots within the storm.
‘The greatest external threat to human life expectancy on the planet.’ New research out of the University of Chicago concludes pollution’s menace exceeds that of tobacco or alcohol.
■ The Conversation: Emerging research raises concerns about the dangers of cannabis smoke.
Chicago stories.
■ The Sun-Times: “Two Chicago firefighters escape after man locks them in basement with gasoline-covered floor.”
■ Block Club Chicago: “North Side baseball coach displayed gun after his team lost, police and witnesses say.”
■ A Tribune editorial: Mayor Johnson’s response to gunfire at Friday’s White Sox game has been “ridiculous.”
Swim Club beached. The Friday morning social phenomenon that drew thousands to Lake Michigan near Montrose Harbor, raising safety concerns, is off for the rest of the summer.
■ In a funny announcement on Instagram, organizers cited last Friday’s rogue gathering where, “from what we’re told, multiple Park District employees and CPD officers were seeking out people with Swim Club gear, threatening to arrest them.”
‘Heartless people … held a festival on social media.’ The Sun-Times’ Neil Steinberg shreds arguments from one of the many who objected to his Monday column asserting that the influx of immigrants to Chicago is a good thing.
■ The city’s opening two more migrant shelters on the North and South Sides.
■ Axios Chicago: Housing and economic strain are driving the overcrowding of Chicago’s public animal shelter, which is putting more creatures to death.
Amazon’s warning. The company’s CEO tells employees who are resisting its return-to-the-office policy, “It’s probably not going to work out for you at Amazon.”
■ At The Nib, Jen Sorensen wonders why so many TV shows focus on bosses and investors and not workers:
‘Bored Journalist Syndrome.’ That’s what columnist Matthew Yglesias blames for the surge of interest in nutjob Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign.
■ Columnist Mark Jacob on Twitter X: Andrea Mitchell’s MSNBC interview with Ramaswamy “shows why she needs to retire and be replaced by someone who won’t get bulldozed by fascist liars.”
‘Nobody beats Father Time.’ Ending what he says is the longest-running tenure of any TV sports anchor at any station in the nation’s top 20 markets, Channel 7’s Jim Rose is calling it quits next month.
■ CNN has a new boss—the former chief of the BBC and The New York Times.
They’re back. Five late-night TV hosts idled by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes—Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Seth Meyers and Jimmys Kimmel and Fallon—are teaming up to launch a new podcast, Strike Force Five, with proceeds to benefit their out-of-work staffs.
■ Hear here, beginning today.
Fewer than 1 in 10 Chicago Public Square readers help keep this service free for all. You can join their ranks—with a one-time tip (awesome!) or an ongoing pledge (awesomer!)—for any amount you choose.
| Support Chicago Public Square. |
Thanks. Patrick Olsen made this edition better.