Zareen Syed

Air quality alerts issued across Illinois. But how safe are you inside your home? Although it is recommended to hunker inside during these stretches, experts say indoor air quality can often be just as bad, if not worse, than outdoor air quality.

Air quality alerts issued Thursday in Illinois because of Canadian wildfire smoke marked the latest bout in an increasingly common summer occurrence. The alert covers 34 Illinois counties designated as having unhealthy air for all residents.

Text reads: "What to Know About Starvation in Gaza and Deadly Violence Near Aid Sites" over a photo of people holding pans and other containers at a charity kitchen in western Gaza City. Photo by Saher Alghorra for The New York Times.

Palestinians have been forced to routinely choose between risking death by starvation or risking death by gunfire to reach food aid sites where Israeli soldiers have repeatedly fired at the crowds, killing hundreds of people over the last two months, according to the UN. nyti.ms/3GLjBCH

Absolutely gutted. Our colleagues are the best and brightest and their incredible work speaks for itself. Heartbroken for them and for us having lost such unique voices in the newsroom

Pinar Istek anchored the night shift on the photo desk, directing after-hours visual coverage of breaking news. She is a proactive leader who looks out for the whole photo desk and was an essential part of dozens of breaking stories.

Ahmed Ali Akbar went deep on all angles of Chicago’s vibrant food scene way beyond the plate — the economic, cultural and political winds that power it, but also the fun and community that springs up around it.

Shanzeh Ahmad has held multiple roles over her time with the Tribune, contributing features about life, food and religion and holding down Saturday shifts in first appearance court to make sure readers are informed throughout the week.

Sean Hammond is a ferociously productive reporter on the most well-read beat the Tribune has — the Bears. His layoff means that subscribers hungry for news and insight on the team will now be less informed.

Lizzie Kane, our tiger of a housing beat reporter who led a major workplace culture investigation into Guaranteed Rate, has landed one scoop after another, including several just this month, on the Chicago Housing Authority and HUD.

Today, @chicagotribune.com laid off five guild staff members in a roughly 10% cut to our newsroom. These layoffs underscore a sad but unsurprising failure of leadership by Alden Global Capital, our hedge fund owner, and local management.

Chicago Dog Deep Dish pizza: Lou Malnati’s, Portillo’s collab puts poppy seeds in the crust, mustard on top The pizza will be available for 30 days (or while supplies last) at Lou Malnati’s full-service restaurants in the Chicagoland area, Milwaukee and Arizona.

Mustard on deep dish? Bizarre. Does it work? Apparently, yes, according to the good folks at Portillo’s and Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, who are teaming up for a new crosstown collaboration: The Chicago Dog Deep Dish.

absolutely! the concept is really resonating across the country

Lombard’s booming Yemeni coffee shops underscore demand for ‘third places’ and culturally appropriate nightlife These “third places” have become popular hangouts for immigrant and Muslim populations, but they also attract a diverse group of customers looking for alcohol-free spaces that are open past 10 p.m.…

This was a fun story to tackle. The recent Yemeni coffee shop boom in the Chicago area (especially Lombard) underscores the rising demand for a place to socialize that isn’t tied to alcohol, but with a buzzy nightlife ambience.

Lombard’s booming Yemeni coffee shops underscore demand for ‘third places’ and culturally appropriate nightlife These “third places” have become popular hangouts for immigrant and Muslim populations, but they also attract a diverse group of customers looking for alcohol-free spaces that are open past 10 p.m.…

“I love seeing this. Can you believe there are almost 200 people here?" owner of Shibam said on a recent Saturday night — or early Sunday morning. It was 1:30 a.m. and there was an illuminating glow from the outside, where everything else was quiet and closed. “It feels like we are somewhere else."

With a buyout window opening this week, our newsroom's managers are nowhere to be seen and haven't directly communicated a word. Our members have a lot of questions, and we won't accept this treatment from our leaders. They need to say something.

‘The Bear’ Q&A: Lionel Boyce dishes on what it takes to play pastry chef Marcus Lionel Boyce spoke with enthusiasm and thoughtful detail about his training as an actor to portray a pastry chef on “The Bear,” staging at restaurants and learning skills and techniques…

The Tribune also spoke with Lionel Boyce ahead of the new season, which includes an episode he wrote with actress Ayo Edebri, who plays Sydney Adamu.

‘The Bear’ Q&A: Liza Colón-Zayas on playing Tina, a chef rooted in reality Liza Colón-Zayas spoke about learning how to play a chef on “The Bear,” and how she’s “glad Tina wasn’t sanitized and sugar-coated.”

When viewers first meet Liza Colón-Zayas’ character on “The Bear,” she has an icy front — reluctant to adapt to the ways of Jeremy Allen White’s Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto.

The Tribune spoke with Colón-Zayas ahead of the new season. Read the interview here.

‘The Bear’ Q&A: Liza Colón-Zayas on playing Tina, a chef rooted in reality Liza Colón-Zayas spoke about learning how to play a chef on “The Bear,” and how she’s “glad Tina wasn’t sanitized and sugar-coated.”

"I’m glad Tina wasn’t sanitized and sugarcoated and that we could see like … if we just invest in the people that we traditionally overlook, it could be beneficial for all of us.” ❤️ Q&A with Liza Colon-Zayas ahead of tonight's all-episodes drop of The Bear!

www.chicagotribune.com/2025/06/25/t...

‘The Bear’ Q&A: Lionel Boyce dishes on what it takes to play pastry chef Marcus Lionel Boyce spoke with enthusiasm and thoughtful detail about his training as an actor to portray a pastry chef on “The Bear,” staging at restaurants and learning skills and techniques…

I spoke with The Bear's Lionel Boyce over a video call last week and he hilariously panicked trying to think of all his favorite Chicago food places. We spoke about him staging at Elske, that perfectly pleasing Copenhagen episode with Will Poulter and if it's really as chaotic as it feels on TV! ⬇️

‼️ I think this is the kind of energy shift this country needs right now (also slightly jealous of New Yorkers right now)

Column: Class and social status in the kitchen and ‘The Bear’ A Chicago sandwich joint switches to fine dining, but restaurants of all types are an ecosystem where class issues play out. How well — or not — does “The Bear” tackle these themes?

With Season 4 of "The Bear" premiering this week, here's a piece from last year where I talked with my vfood & dining colleagues about the show's depiction of class and status in restaurant kitchens — both @louisachu.bsky.social and @radbrowndads.bsky.social had such great insights!

Gift 🔗

Dress made out of her own chip bags? Genius. Former Foxtrot Executive Laura Gardner, founder of chip company, Local Style.

📍James Beard Awards

Isn't that amazing. To think he couldn't get any cooler or more likeable!

Wait … his mom is the filmmaker Mira Nair, who made the incredible romance “Mississippi Masala” starring Denzel Washington and Sarita Choudhury?

This is amazing information (I’m not based in NY so if this is otherwise common knowledge, grant me some grace lol)

YES!!!!

Obsessed with this. I hope it's one day revealed to us that the brains behind these genius ads is his brilliant mom MIRA NAIR (my other fav thing these days is people realizing his mom made Monsoon Wedding)

Research published in the Lancet medical journal estimates the death toll is 40% higher than numbers recorded by the Gaza health ministry

This is the official bsky account for the Chicago Tribune Guild. We learned today that @chicagotribune.com is offering buyouts to our journalists. This move by Alden Global Capital, our rapacious ownership group, shows a total lack of vision and respect for the newsroom and the city we serve. (1/5)

What to do in Chicago this weekend: Puerto Rican Parade, Counting Crows and Old Town Art Fair Our picks for events in and around Chicago this weekend, including Puerto Rican Fest, the first Juneteenth celebrations, and opening weekend for the Grant Park Music Festival in Millennium Park.

Here are our picks for events in and around Chicago this weekend.

Mamdani surges in new poll, leading Cuomo for first time in New York mayor's race The former governor has topped every voter survey since entering the race, but the democratic socialist is gaining on him.

Mamdani is now ahead of Cuomo with just two weeks until the Democratic NYC mayoral primary, a new poll found.

Northwestern announces cost-cutting measures amidst growing financial pressures Northwestern University announced several cost-cutting measures, including a hiring freeze and budget cuts, due to rising costs and uncertainty at the federal level.

Northwestern University faces serious financial pressure following the Trump administration freezing $790 million in federal funding in April.