Good morning, Chicago.

Chicago officials are preparing for the dangerous heat expected today and tomorrow, reminding residents of the cooling centers around the city and assuring families that all Chicago Public Schools classrooms are equipped with air conditioning.

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National Weather Service officials warn of dangerously hot conditions that will settle over Chicagoland for the next two days with a heat index, which measures what the temperature feels like, that could reach 115 degrees.

“Nearly our entire region will experience at or near historic high temperatures this week, but high heat index values will make for an extremely dangerous situation for many residents,” said Tom Sivak, FEMA Region 5 regional administrator.

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Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks during an interview on Aug. 18, 2023. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Asked about how his first 100 days have fared, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s answers paint a picture of a new chief executive who hopes to keep the fire that ignited his grassroots campaign burning while revealing few details about how his progressive agenda will unfold.

He and other City Hall mainstays have characterized his style as more diplomatic than his predecessors, but the new mayor also balked at the mention of critics who say he has not moved quickly or forcefully enough on issues ranging from cracking down on crime to passing legislation championed by leftists.

Rebekah Piunti, of Joliet, drums on a bucket as the Illinois Nurses Association begins a four-day strike at Ascension St. Joseph Hospital in Joliet on Aug. 22, 2023. (Trent Sprague/Chicago Tribune)

Nurses allege that several floors of the hospital are understaffed, with high patient-to-nurse ratios that present danger for the most critical cases. The surgery and telemetry floors, as well as the labor and delivery floor are particularly overwhelmed.

Tim Mapes, former chief of staff to House Speaker Michael Madigan, arrives with his attorneys at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago, on Aug. 9, 2023. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

The faults of human memory and former Democratic insider Tim Mapes’ state of mind after he was forced to resign in 2018 were the focus of Mapes’ defense, as his lawyers pushed the argument that he was truthful in the grand jury but just couldn’t remember answers to the questions he was asked due to the stress-filled, intimidating nature of the grand jury setting in November 2021.

The Chicago Chop House. (Charles Cherney/Chicago Tribune)

Located in a 126-year-old Victorian brownstone on Ontario Street, the Chop House has been a Chicago steakhouse fixture since 1986. More recently, it has been serving up red meat for attorneys in the protracted ownership battle.

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White Sox executives Ken Williams and Rick Hahn on Oct. 26, 2012. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

The Chicago White Sox have relieved executive vice president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn of their responsibilities effective immediately, the team announced Tuesday.

Notre Dame players practice at Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Aug. 30, 2012, in advance of playing Navy. (Peter Morrison / AP)

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Notre Dame is on a mission.

Beat Navy, yes, but it has been 11 years since Notre Dame last played in Ireland. There is a whole new generation of potential fans to convert on the Emerald Isle and beyond. Already an iconic brand in the United States, Notre Dame gets an opportunity to grow internationally when it takes on the Midshipmen on Saturday at Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Jazz trumpeter jaimie branch. (Ben Semisch)

A child of Chicago’s boundless improvised music scene, the trumpeter brought a blistering, fearless sound to every project she touched, writes critic Hannah Edgar.

Actor Joe Sikora, shown here in 2015, is starring in the second season of the Starz series “Power Book IV: Force.” (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Sept. 1 will be a big day for Joseph Sikora.

He has been awaiting the day, actually Friday night at 7 p.m. CT, for a long time, ever since he completed shooting the final scenes of the second season of the Starz series “Power Book IV: Force.”

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Those scenes were shot in Chicago, all over Chicago. If you watched Season 1 last year, and millions of you did, you saw the city in a vibrant, non-cliched fashion, which reminded many of the gritty feel of the Dennis Farina-led “Crime Story” series that aired in the mid-1980.

Executive chef and partner José Sosa plates the Carpaccio di Polpo at Ummo. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

UMMO’s menu includes a range of options from lighter vegetarian dishes and seafood options to heartier pasta and meat dishes that highlight Italian ingredients.