The hazy smoke, which also carries a noticeable scent, has moved into the region from Canada. The alert is in effect until midnight, according to the National Weather Service.

Justin Harbison, aka the "Sewer Monster," helps reduce mosquito populations that might carry the West Nile virus by treating Chicago-area sewers with insecticides aimed at killing recently hatched larvae before they become blood suckers.

‘Hazardous’ Canadian wildfire smoke prompts air quality warning for Chicago. Here’s what you should know. chicago.suntimes.com/weather/2026... @brettchase.bsky.social and Mohammad Samra have more

The nearly 8 billion-gallon Thornton reservoir, which helps prevent flooding, was nearly full this week. The sewer water is slowly being pumped out but it will be weeks before the south suburban quarry is dry again.

This morning, I kicked off a conversation about mosquito season and how to protect yourself on @wbez.org with @pksmid.bsky.social and @maryldixon.bsky.social Give it a listen here. www.wbez.org/say-more-wit...

Lo que significa que el sistema de túneles de Chicago esté al límite tras las fuertes lluvias del fin de semana chicago.suntimes.com/la-voz/2026/...

Mayor Johnson lauds a $12 million pilot project to build underground storage in Austin aimed at capturing floodwater before it overwhelms outdated sewers. The city hopes the concept can be a model for other neighborhoods.

11! Billion! Gallons! Of Water! @brettchase.bsky.social tells all // Chicago's Deep Tunnel anti-flooding system nearly full after days of heavy rain chicago.suntimes.com/environment/...

PHOTOS: Deep Tunnel has never reached its limit. After weekend's heavy rains, it’s almost full. Here's what that means.

You can read more from @brettchase.bsky.social here at the Chicago Sun-Times. chicago.suntimes.com/environment/...

The massive system of tunnels and reservoirs was built to contain Chicago’s flood water. After more than 8 inches of rain over the past 30 days, the system is nearing capacity.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration says it will spend more than $520 million to fix homes and the sewer infrastructure needed to help prevent future floods. Residents are growing impatient.

Despite hostile efforts from the White House to slow the transition, clean energy is showing resilience.

In Englewood, more than 900 people were without power Friday after two days of strong winds and punishing weather that downed trees citywide. Elsewhere, Merrillville, Indiana, suburban Bartlett and downstate communities were hit by destructive tornadoes Thursday.

ComEd ofrece hasta $500 a pequeños negocios para pagar sus facturas de luz cada vez más altas chicago.suntimes.com/la-voz/2026/...

Mangroves may increasingly “drown” as sea levels rise, a new study suggests, which has major consequences for the climate.

Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, keeps shooting out of the ground in Oklahoma. Experts say it means even more wastewater is spreading underground, poisoning the state’s water supply. (Published Oct. 2025 with @readfrontier.bsky.social)

Residentes de Pilsen advierten sobre aire tóxico de trituradora de metales y piden demorar permiso nuevo chicago.suntimes.com/la-voz/2026/...

ComEd is offering payments of up to $500 for small business customers who can’t pay their electric bills following two years of price spikes related to data center growth. The grant applications will be available June 15 on a first-come basis.

Sims Metal runs junked cars and other items through a large shredding operation, creating fumes and noise. Residents worry about air pollution.

The FDA webpage had a stark warning: Some purported autism “cures” or treatments, including chlorine dioxide and raw camel milk, are dangerous and make misleading claims. Under RFK Jr.’s leadership, that advisory is gone. (Published Feb.)

A test sampling of Lake Michigan, the Chicago River and other waterways across Illinois found tiny plastics present, posing potential threats to human health and damage to the environment, according to an advocacy group.

Pocos residentes de Chicago compran seguros contra inundaciones. ¿Deberían hacerlo? chicago.suntimes.com/la-voz/2026/...

Almost every community in the Chicago area is at risk of flooding, and powerful storms are expected to increase. Here's what to know about flood insurance.

Clientes de ComEd podrían enfrentar un aumento de dos dígitos en sus facturas de luz chicago.suntimes.com/la-voz/2026/...

ComEd electric customers will see at least a 12% jump in monthly charges starting in June as big data centers increase demand for power and an unrelated consumer credit ends.

Every day, 20,000 semi-trucks roll in and out of sprawling warehouses along I-80 south of Chicago, carrying good for retailers like Amazon and Target. What's it like to live near one of them? Many residents say it's miserable.

WATCH: Two men promised a $1.1 million 3D printer could fix this town’s housing crisis. To this day, the one duplex it printed still isn’t finished. A $590,000 deposit for the printer was forfeited. And the more reporter Molly Parker asked questions, the weirder things got: propub.li/4nlU1VD

For the first time in more than a century, an eaglet has hatched within Chicago’s city limits. The baby bird hatched at a nest at a park near the Calumet River, the park district says.

The Sun-Times Guild and WBEZ’s SAG-AFTRA are UNION STRONG in our fights for a fair contract. We stand together in our respective fights for the pay, protections and assurances the union workers who bring you Chicago’s headlines — online, on the radio and in print — deserve.

A new study found that over 70 percent of marine protected areas are exposed to high levels of wastewater pollutants—making corals and other marine life more vulnerable to climate change.

📣A must-read: Flooding in Chicago is getting worse. Here's why & what you can do about it, via @brettchase.bsky.social @chicago.suntimes.com: tinyurl.com/3yyw72mw @chjreportinghealth.bsky.social

Pollution is making Iowans sick, a new report from the Harkin Institute and the Iowa Environmental Council finds.

A planned data center in Michigan would use renewables and flexibility to meet most of its demand, while a planned facility in Ohio could go in a different direction—highlighting a contrast in choices between emphasizing cleaner energy sources and relying on fossil fuels.

China is highly dependent on Middle Eastern oil and gas. But its pivot to electrification and clean energy is helping protect the country from the fallout of the war in Iran.

New federal workforce figures show the radical change at EPA in the first year of the Trump administration Among the 4,000 employees who departed in 2025 were scientists responsible for breakthroughs in testing for health risks of biopersistent chemicals.

Exposure to pollution is a choice, former EPA experts say in a new report. And Trump’s EPA is choosing to make Americans sicker.

“Everybody has pretty much had enough”: Why Pennsylvania residents are organizing to stop data center development.

The Trump administration has officially denied an appeal from the state of Illinois for disaster relief funds for summer storms last year that affected 438,000 residents in five Illinois counties.

Zillow scrubbed climate risk data under pressure from California’s real estate brokers and agents who were concerned about its impact on home prices. A plugin in development would restore that data.

The American Red Cross warned of a severe blood supply shortage on Jan. 20, ahead of extreme winter weather conditions across the country. Local health care specialists urge people to get out and donate.

A group of hundreds, many of them nurses still wearing badges after walking from their nearby hospitals, performed a Nightingale Tribute — a traditional send off for nurses — for Alex Pretti, who was killed Saturday by immigration enforcement agents in Minneapolis.

Chicago’s Cardinal Blase Cupich, along with Roman Catholic leaders in Newark and D.C., calls out Trump admin for actions in Venezuela, threats toward Greenland. By @brettchase.bsky.social As always no paywall at Suntimes.com (though it might ask for your email) chicago.suntimes.com/religion/202...

Residents say the odors are so strong they feel ill and it’s impossible to spend time outdoors. They have until Friday to decide if they want to be included or opt out of a class action lawsuit.

More than 100 people gathered under the Little Village arch Wednesday night for a vigil in solidarity with Minneapolis, where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a driver earlier in the day.

Jeff Tweedy's 30-song release Twilight Override was my favorite album of 2025. Check out the full list in comments.

A Chicago Sun-Times political reporter fulfills a teenage dream by joining the White Sox beat, drawing parallels between sports and government coverage.

Chicago lost notable figures in 2025 — a larger-than-life artist, a basketball devotee nun, an Italian beef evangelist and a barkeep from Bridgeport among them.

Construction workers at the Obama Presidential Center have begun installing 5-foot letters from a speech the former president delivered in 2015 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic Selma to Montgomery Civil Rights marches.

The state accused a suburban business of breaking environmental laws after even more asphalt was found in the Sanitary and Ship Canal more than 10 months after a spill of almost a half million gallons of the hot liquid substance.