Boeing says it plans to move its corporate headquarters from Chicago to the Washington, D.C., area.

The company made it official on Thursday.

Boeing is a major defense contractor, so the move would put its executives in Arlington, Virginia, close to customers in the Pentagon.

It would also put them near the Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates Boeing's business of building passenger airplanes.

The relocation will also put the company close to its rivals, including Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics, which already in the D.C. area.

Boeing’s roots are in the Seattle area, and it has assembly plants in Washington state and South Carolina.

The company moved its headquarters to Chicago in 2001 after an unusually public search that also considered Dallas and Denver.

Boeing isn’t the only company to recently decide to pack its bags for the D.C. area.

In April, local officials approved Amazon’s plan to build a 350-foot-tall building in Arlington.

The building will serve as Amazon’s second headquarters.

CHICAGO —

The Rev. Jesse Jackson announced Saturday that he will step down as president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Chicago-based civil rights group he founded more than 50 years ago.

Jackson, 81, announced his resignation during a quiet farewell speech at the organization's annual convention, where the group paid tribute to him with songs, kind words from other Black activists and politicians, and a video montage of Jackson's 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns.

In the video player above: See an interview with The Rev. Jesse Jackson from last year

Jackson, who has dealt with several health problems in recent years and uses a wheelchair, capped the proceedings with muted remarks. Flanked by his daughter, Santita Jackson, and his son, U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson, the once-fiery orator spoke so softly it was difficult to hear him.

"I am somebody," he said. "Green or yellow, brown, Black or white, we're all perfect in God's eyes. Everybody is somebody. Stop the violence. Save the children. Keep hope alive."

The Rev. Frederick Douglass Haynes, "a long-time student of Rev. Jackson and supporter" of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, will take over as the group's leader, the coalition said in a statement. Haynes is the pastor at Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, according to the church's website.

Jesse Jackson has been battling Parkinson's disease for the last eight years. He suffered a host of health setbacks in 2021, beginning with gallbladder surgery, a COVID-19 infection that landed him in a physical therapy-focused facility and a fall at Howard University that caused a head injury.

Jackson has been a powerful advocate for civil rights and a strong voice in American politics for decades.

A protégé of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., he broke with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1971 to form Operation PUSH, initially named People United to Save Humanity, on Chicago's South Side. The organization was later renamed the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. The group's mission ranges from promoting minority hiring in the corporate world to voter registration drives in communities of color.

Jackson has been a driving force in the modern civil rights movement, pushing for voting rights and education. Among other things, he joined George Floyd's family at a memorial for the slain Black man and has participated in COVID-19 vaccination drives to counter Black hesitancy about the drugs.

Before Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, Jackson had been the most successful Black presidential candidate. He won 13 primaries and caucuses in his push for the 1988 Democratic nomination, which went to Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis.

Jackson said in his remarks that he plans to continue working on social justice issues, including advocating for three survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre who this week saw a judge dismiss their lawsuit seeking reparations.

"We're resigning, we're not retiring," Jackson said.

Ron Daniels, who works with the National African-American Reparations Commission, a panel working for financial payments to Black people as compensation for slavery, told convention-goers that Jackson is a "synthesis" of King and another 1960s civil rights leader, Malcolm X.

"He is an authentic genius," Daniel said. "(Jackson) had the unparalleled capacity to frame and articulate ... political strategy in a way common, ordinary people could understand it."

Marcia Fudge, secretary of the U.S. Department Housing and Urban Development, thanked Jackson for paving the way for Black politicians like herself.

"Most people talk a good game but they have no courage," she said. "But you never left us, no matter how hard (things became)."

Santita Jackson implored convention-goers to follow her father's lead and continue to fight for equality.

"Rev. Jackson has run his leg," she said. "What are you going to do?"

___

Richmond reported from Madison, Wisconsin. Associated Press reporter Gary Fields in Washington contributed to this report.

Authorities in Chicago are investigating several shootings that occurred in the city within a 24-hour span.

Police say two men were shot and killed early Friday morning in downtown Chicago.

According to the Chicago-Sun Times, around 1:45 a.m., five men were leaving a business when they got into an argument with another person they did not know.

That person then took out a gun and began shooting, resulting in the death of a 29-year-old and 26-year-old, The Chicago Tribune reported.

According to the newspapers, the 29-year-old victim was shot in the left side of the head, and the 26-year-old was shot in the chest.

They both were pronounced dead at a local hospital, the newspapers reported.

The Associated Press reported that three others were injured in the shooting.

The news outlets reported that no one had been arrested.

News of the deadly shooting comes as police responded to multiple shootings within 24 hours.

On Thursday, a 14-year-old boy was killed, and a 13-year-old was injured during a shooting in Bronzeville, the newspapers reported.

Later Friday afternoon, a Chicago police officer responding to a domestic disturbance at an apartment was shot as he stepped off an elevator, Chief David Brown said during a press conference.

The officer suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was in serious condition at a local hospital.

Mayor Lightfoot joins Superintendent David Brown for a media availability. https://t.co/sZ8u6JfZSG

— Chicago Police (@Chicago_Police) July 1, 2022

Chief Brown said a gun was recovered at the scene.

The suspect, an ex-convict, was arrested, the AP reported.

CHICAGO —

A gunman on a rooftop opened fire on an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago on Monday, killing at least six people, wounding at least 30 and sending hundreds of marchers, parents with strollers and children on bicycles fleeing in terror, police said.

Authorities said a 22-year-old man named as a person of interest in the shooting was taken into police custody Monday evening after an hourslong manhunt.

The July 4 shooting was just the latest to shatter the rituals of American life. Schools, churches, grocery stores and now community parades have all become killing grounds in recent months. This time, the bloodshed came as the nation tried to find cause to celebrate its founding and the bonds that still hold it together.

"It is devastating that a celebration of America was ripped apart by our uniquely American plague,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at a news conference.

“I’m furious because it does not have to be this way... while we celebrate the Fourth of July just once a year, mass shootings have become a weekly — yes, weekly — American tradition."

Video below: Police describe suspect in Illinois parade shooting

The shooting occurred at a spot on the parade route where many residents had staked out prime viewing points early in the day for the annual celebration. Dozens of fired bullets sent hundreds of parade-goers — some visibly bloodied — fleeing. They left a trail of abandoned items that showed everyday life suddenly, violently disrupted: A half-eaten bag of potato chips; a box of chocolate cookies spilled onto the grass; a child’s Chicago Cubs cap.

“There’s no safe place,” said Highland Park resident Barbara Harte, 73, who had stayed away from the parade fearing a mass shooting, but later ventured from her home.

Video below: Highland Park mayor provides updates on parade shooting

Highland Park police Chief Lou Jogmen said a police officer pulled over 22-year-old Robert E. Crimo III about 5 miles north of the shooting scene, several hours after police released the man's photo and an image of his silver Honda Fit, and warned the public that he was likely armed and dangerous.

Police declined to immediately identify Crimo as a suspect but said identifying him as a person of interest, sharing his name and other information publicly was a serious step.

Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said at a news conference “several of the deceased victims” died at the scene and one was taken to a hospital and died there. Police have not released details about the victims or wounded.

Video below: Hospital officials give update on shooting patients

Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek said the five people killed at the parade were adults, but didn’t have information on the sixth victim who was taken to a hospital and died there. One of those killed was a Mexican national, Roberto Velasco, Mexico’s director for North American affairs, said on Twitter Monday. He said two other Mexicans were wounded.

NorthShore University Health Center received 26 patients after the attack. All but one had gunshot wounds, said Dr. Brigham Temple, medical director of emergency preparedness. Their ages ranged from 8 to 85, and Temple estimated that four or five patients were children.

Temple said 19 of them were treated and discharged. Others were transferred to other hospitals, while two patients, in stable condition, remained at the Highland Park hospital.

The shooter opened fire around 10:15 a.m. when the parade was about three-quarters through, authorities said.

Highland Park Police Commander Chris O’Neill, the incident commander on scene, said the gunman apparently used a “high-powered rifle” to fire from a spot atop a commercial building where he was “very difficult to see.” He said the rifle was recovered at the scene. Police also found a ladder attached to the building.

“Very random, very intentional and a very sad day,” Covelli said.

President Joe Biden on Monday said he and first lady Jill Biden were “shocked by the senseless gun violence that has yet again brought grief to an American community on this Independence Day.” He said he had “surged Federal law enforcement to assist in the urgent search for the shooter, who remains at large at this time.”

Biden signed the widest-ranging gun violence bill passed by Congress in decades, a compromise that showed at once both progress on a long-intractable issue and the deep-seated partisan divide that persists.

Video below: 'There were police there within moments,' witness describes Fourth of July shooting

As a word of an arrest spread, residents who had hunkered in homes began venturing outside, some walking toward where the shooting occurred. Several people stood and stared at the scene, with abandoned picnic blankets, hundreds of lawn chairs and backpacks still where they were when the shooting began.

Sunday evening, Ron Tuazon and a friend were picking up chairs, blankets and a child’s bike that they had abandoned. “Everyone’s pretty shaken…. It definitely hits a lot harder when it’s not only your hometown but it’s also right in front of you.

Police believe there was only one shooter but warned that he should still be considered armed and dangerous. Several nearby cities canceled events including parades and fireworks, some of them noting that the Highland Park shooter was still at large. Evanston, Deerfield, Skokie, Waukegan and Glencoe canceled events. The Chicago White Sox also announced on Twitter that a planned post-game fireworks show is canceled due to the shooting.

More than 100 law enforcement officers were called to the parade scene or dispatched to find the suspected shooter.

More than a dozen police officers on Monday evening surrounded a home listed as an address for Crimo in Highland Park. Some officers held rifles as they fixed their eyes on the home. A large armored truck, marked “Police Rescue Vehicle,” occupied the middle of the road near the residence. Police blockaded roads leading to the home in a tree-lined neighborhood near a golf course, allowing only select law enforcement cars through a tight outer perimeter.

Crimo, who goes by the name Bobby, was an aspiring rapper with the stage name Awake the Rapper, posting on social media dozens videos and songs, some ominous and violent.

In one animated video since taken down by YouTube, Crimo raps about armies “walking in darkness” as a drawing appears of a man pointing a rifle, a body on the ground and another figure with hands up in the distance. A later frame shows a close-up of a chest with blood pouring out and another of police cars arriving as the shooter holds his hands up.

In another video, in which Crimo appears in a classroom wearing a black bicycle helmet, he says he is “like a sleepwalker… I know what I have to do,” then adds, Everything has led up to this. Nothing can stop me, even myself.”

Crimo’s father, Bob, a longtime deli owner, ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Highland Park in 2019, calling himself “a person for the people.”

Highland Park is a close-knit community of about 30,000 people located on the shores of Lake Michigan just north of Chicago, with mansions and sprawling lakeside estates that have long drawn the rich and sometimes famous, including NBA legend Michael Jordan, who lived in the city for years when he played for the Chicago Bulls. John Hughes filmed parts of several movies in the city, including “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Sixteen Candles” and “Weird Science.”

Pritzker, a Democrat, promised support for the community as well as to bring gunman to justice.

“There are no words for the kind of evil that shows up at a public celebration of freedom, hides on a roof and shoots innocent people with an assault rifle,” Pritzker said.

Ominous signs of a joyous event suddenly turned to horror filled both sides of Central Avenue where the shooting occurred. Dozens of baby strollers — some bearing American flags, abandoned children’s bikes and a helmet bedecked with images of Cinderella were left behind. Blankets, lawn chairs, coffees and water bottles were knocked over as people fled.

Gina Troiani and her son were lined up with his daycare class ready to walk onto the parade route when she heard a loud sound that she believed was fireworks — until she heard people yell about a shooter. In a video that Troiani shot on her phone, some of the kids are visibly startled at the loud noise, and they scramble to the side of the road as a siren wails nearby.

“We just start running in the opposite direction,” she told The Associated Press.

Video below: Video shows chaotic scene as gunshots ring out during July 4 parade

Her 5-year-old son was riding his bike decorated with red and blue curled ribbons. He and other children in the group held small American flags. The city said on its website that the festivities were to include a children’s bike and pet parade.

Troiani said she pushed her son’s bike, running through the neighborhood to get back to their car.

"It was just sort of chaos,” she said. “There were people that got separated from their families, looking for them. Others just dropped their wagons, grabbed their kids and started running.”

Video below: Witness describes scene after shooting during July 4 parade in Illinois

Debbie Glickman, a Highland Park resident, said she was on a parade float with coworkers and the group was preparing to turn onto the main route when she saw people running from the area.

“People started saying: ‘There’s a shooter, there’s a shooter, there's a shooter,’” Glickman told the Associated Press. “So we just ran. We just ran. It’s like mass chaos down there.”

She didn’t hear any noises or see anyone who appeared to be injured.

“I’m so freaked out,” she said. “It’s just so sad.”

Associated Press writers Mike Balsamo in New York, David Koenig in Dallas, Jeff Martin in Woodstock, Georgia and Fabiola Sánchez in Monterrey, Mexico contributed reporting.

The man accused of shooting and killing seven people and wounding dozens more at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, has pleaded not guilty.

Robert E. Crimo III appeared in a courtroom wearing a mask. He reportedly told the judge he understood the charges.

Last month, the 21-year-old was indicted on 21 first-degree murder counts (3 counts for each victim), 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery.

Authorities previously said the suspected gunman admitted to carrying out the shooting.

The multiple first-degree murder charges allege the suspect intended to kill, caused death or great bodily harm and took action with a strong probability of causing death or great bodily harm on the seven people who died.

Authorities have said the more than 30 wounded range in age from 8 to their 80s.

Investigators believe the suspect left parade route, then used his mother's car to driver to Madison, Wisconsin where he reportedly contemplated another attack. He was arrested upon returning to Illinois.

CINCINNATI —

Jose Barrero hit a tiebreaking RBI single in Cincinnati's three-run fifth inning, and the Reds stopped a five-game slide with an 8-5 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.

“It meant a lot that I could contribute to the victory," Barrero said through an interpreter. “I felt better today. I still have to work on a couple things. I’m working on cutting down on my swing and try to hit it up the middle.”

Aristides Aquino hit a three-run drive for Cincinnati, and Austin Romine doubled home two runs. It was Aquino's first homer since he hit two against the Cubs on May 23.

“I didn’t really think about my last home run when I went to the plate," Aquino said. "I just enjoyed the game and the process and do my best.”

It was the Reds' highest scoring game since an 8-2 victory over Baltimore on July 30.

Joel Kuhnel (2-1) pitched two scoreless innings for the win. Alexis Díaz struck out Nelson Velázquez and Ian Happ with the bases loaded in the eighth before finishing his fifth save.

“To come in that spot and not give up any runs is huge," Reds manager David Bell said. "You expect that he will give up a run and we still hold the lead, but to completely shut it down against those two hitters is really special. I think for any pitcher to get five outs to end the game is special. He looked really comfortable, not that it was easy.”

Five Reds relievers combined for 5 1/3 scoreless innings.

Cincinnati’s Joey Votto made his 1,989th career appearance, snapping a tie with Hall of Famer Larry Walker for the most in major league history by players born in Canada.

The teams combined for four homers and 10 runs in the first four innings.

Patrick Wisdom gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead with a two-run drive that squeezed just inside the left-field foul pole in the second. Aquino responded with his fourth homer in the bottom half, a deep drive into the lower deck in left.

Chicago grabbed a 5-4 lead with three runs in the fourth. Yan Gomes hit a tying a two-run shot that reached the first row of the second deck in left. Christopher Morel then went deep on the next pitch.

“We had some quality at-bats,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “The back-to-backs were fun.”

The Reds tied it in the bottom half with help from a balk called on reliever Anderson Espinoza (0-2).

Cincinnati right-hander Justin Dunn was tagged for five runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings in his second start since coming off the injured list. He had been sidelined by a right shoulder strain.

Chicago right-hander Keegan Thompson lasted just 1 2/3 innings. He was charged with four runs and two hits.

“He was getting ahead in the count, 0-2 and 1-2, but he couldn't put them away,” Ross said. “They hit a lot of foul balls that turned into walks. He couldn't finish the at-bats.”

DYNAMIC DUO

Cincinnati’s Kyle Farmer has driven in three runs over the last two games. Jake Fraley has scored all three.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Reds: OF Nick Senzel left in the fourth with a tight right hamstring. ... RHP Art Warren (right upper arm) was scheduled to make his fourth rehab appearance for Single-A Dayton against Lansing. Warren has been on the 15-day injured list since July 4.

UP NEXT

Cubs: RHP Marcus Stroman (3-5, 4.20 ERA), Monday’s scheduled starter in Washington, allowed five hits and four runs for a no-decision in his last start, also against the Nationals in Chicago.

Reds: LHP Mike Minor (1-9, 6.24 ERA) hasn’t won in nine starts going into Monday’s game against Philadelphia in Cincinnati.

GURNEE, Ill. — An amusement park in Illinois was closed early Sunday after three people were injured in a shooting in the parking lot.

According to Six Flags Great America, the victims were injured after shots fired from a single vehicle, which immediately drove away.

"Park security and on-site Gurnee Police Department Substation officers responded immediately and law enforcement is investigating," park officials said.

This evening, three people were injured outside the park when shots were fired from a single vehicle. The vehicle immediately drove away. Park security and on-site Gurnee Police Department Substation officers responded immediately. Law enforcement is investigating.

— Six Flags Great America (@SFGreat_America) August 15, 2022

Gurnee Police said a 17-year-old boy from Aurora, Illinois, suffered a thigh wound and a 19-year-old woman from Appleton, Wisconsin, suffered a leg wound.

The third victim suffered a shoulder injury but declined transport to the hospital, police said.

"Based on the initial investigation, a white sedan entered the Six Flags parking lot and drove toward the front entrance of the theme park," Gurnee Police said in a statement. "The suspects exited the vehicle and began shooting toward another individual in the parking lot. The suspects got back in the white sedan and quickly left the area."

"The shooting this evening was not a random act and appeared to be a targeted incident that occurred outside the park," police said. "This was not an active shooter incident inside the park."

Park officials told the Associated Press that the park was closed early Sunday but reopened as scheduled Monday morning.

The names of the victims and details about the suspects were not immediately released, the news outlet reported.

Eight people have been taken to hospitals from the scene of a building explosion in Chicago on Tuesday morning, according to Chicago Fire.Video above: Victims describe building explosion in ChicagoAt least three of those people are listed in serious to critical condition, Chicago Fire said on Twitter. The source of the explosion is unknown at this time and remains under investigation, and the ATF and the Chicago Police bomb unit are on scene to assist.Deputy Fire Commissioner Marc Ferman could not provide further details of the victims' conditions in a brief news conference but told reporters he'd heard the injuries range from "burns to traumatic injuries."Fire companies were dispatched around 9 a.m. local time, Ferman said, and the first unit to arrive, a battalion chief, called for a collapse response after seeing "some sort of an explosion and a partial collapse of the upper floor of a residential building." The battalion chief also called for a hazardous materials response, Ferman said. Authorities had to conduct a "technical sort of search" of the building due to its condition, Ferman said. The upper floor was "compromised," so technical experts were called in to support the structure with struts so rescue personnel could safely search for victims and remove debris. The building has four stories and 35 units, Chicago Fire said on Twitter Tuesday afternoon, and investigators are looking at the top floor as the possible source.Officials were "confident" they had gotten everyone out of the building, Ferman said, but the search remained ongoing. Residents have been displaced, he added, but it's not clear how many.About 135 personnel from fire suppression, special operations and EMS responded to the scene, he said. Officials from gas, water and electric utilities were also on scene, Ferman said.

CHICAGO —

A man climbed five stories of a fire escape to infiltrate a Chicago police facility Monday while officers were undergoing a SWAT training exercise and grabbed at least two guns before he was shot and wounded by police, the chief said.

Police Superintendent David Brown said the suspect was taken to the hospital with injuries not considered to be life-threatening. One officer was taken to the hospital with a sprained ankle.

Brown said the suspect was seen on video leaving the facility and then returning to infiltrate it. He asked where to go to retrieve personal property at the facility in Homan Square on Chicago's West Side. Then he came back to the building and climbed the fire escape to the fifth floor, where a door had been propped open for ventilation because there are no windows on that floor.

Brown said it has not been determined if the man went to the building to retrieve property, saying that the man had an extensive record. It wasn't immediately clear if property taken from the man was stored in the building.

He had no other information about the man, other than to say he was a resident of Waukegan, a suburb about 42 miles north of Chicago.

Brown said investigators believe the man grabbed at least two guns that were on a table during the training exercise and pointed them at officers. He said the guns did not have live ammunition in them, adding that they were either empty or contained munitions such as pellets that are used for training exercises because they sting when they strike a person but do not cause serious injury or death. He said he did not know if the man attempted to shoot officers with the guns.

Brown speculated on what officers in the training room saw as the man entered the room.

“These were guns that were being watched,” he said. “Obviously, someone coming from a stairwell outside startled everyone. Who is this person? Is this person associated with the training? We do have live actors sometimes who come in plainclothes.”

He also said that it was likely the officers said something to the man when they spotted him, but that, “We just don't know what the offender said."

He said most of those taking part in the training were tactical officers assigned to specialized units but that a few of them were uniformed officers assigned to City Hall or to Mayor Lori Lightfoot's home.

The officer was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in stable condition with the ankle injury, according to the Chicago Fire Department. He was not shot, Brown said.

The suspect was initially described as being in critical condition with at least one gunshot wound. Later in the day, Brown said the man's injuries were not life-threatening. Department spokesman Tom Ahern said the man has been placed under arrest and is under police guard in the hospital because he is a suspect in the incident. He did not know what specific charges he might face.

The police facility is in a large red brick building that houses evidence and recovered property on the first floor. Some of the police department's specialized units also work out of the building.

Early Monday afternoon, crime scene tape was stretched across South Homan Avenue a block south of the police station and across the same street just north of the building.

A nearby school was placed on lockdown.

For the eighth year in a row, Chicago has been dubbed the nation's rattiest city.

Pest control company Orkin published its yearly list of America’s “Rattiest Cities,” which bases its findings on how many rodent removal jobs were performed between September 1, 2021, to August 31, 2022.

“Rodent infestations are among the top pest issues of the fall and winter seasons,” said Ben Hottel, an Orkin entomologist in a news release. “Not only are mice and rats a nuisance, but they are known to spread a variety of dangerous diseases, including Salmonella and Hantavirus.”

New York City came in second, Los Angeles finished in third, Washington, D.C. was fourth and San Francisco came fifth.

Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, and Denver rounded out the top 10.

Over 80 million people from the Midwest to the East Coast are under air quality alerts as smoke from the Canadian wildfires sweep across the U.S. border Tuesday, prompting beach closures, warnings about reduced visibility and calls to stay indoors.Canada is seeing its worst fire season on record with hundreds of wildfires raging across the country – more than 200 of them burning "out of control," according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. The wildfires have led to the highest emissions on record for the country, according to a Tuesday report from Copernicus.Video above: The kind of air conditioner filter you need to filter smoke from your homeAs smoke crosses into the U.S., air quality alerts have been issued for the entire states of Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Delaware and Maryland as well are portions of Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Virginia, according to the National Weather Service. Residents are being advised to stay indoors with their air conditioning running or wear N95 masks if they have to be outside.Chicago had the worst air quality in the world Tuesday evening, according to IQAir. The city's Air Quality Index measured at 193 – a high reading designated as "unhealthy."The city has asked all residents – especially those with heart or lung disease, older adults, pregnant people and young children – to avoid outdoor activities and protect themselves from exposure. Chicago Public Schools and camps are also moving activities indoors, city officials said in a news release.Video below: Homemade air purifier can protect against wildfire smoke inside at homeAbout 11 miles away, Evanston, Illinois, is closing all swimming beaches and canceling a concert Tuesday due to the poor air quality, the city said on Facebook, asking residents to limit outdoor exposure through Wednesday. Across the state line in Michigan, the Mackinac Bridge stood covered with smoke Tuesday. Drivers were asked to drive slow and with caution due to the reduced visibility on the bridge. Detroit, Michigan, had the second worst air quality in the world Tuesday evening, with an "unhealthy" Air Quality Index is at 174, according to IQAir.High levels of fine particulate in the air in Michigan could become unhealthy or hazardous for all residents at some points – not just sensitive groups, the state's health department warned. "The most protective option when air is unhealthy for you is to stay indoors with air conditioning, reduce strenuous activities and limit outdoor activities. If you have to be outside, N95 masks offer enhanced protection when used according to product instructions," the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said.Indianapolis drivers were also warned about reduced visibility, with the National Weather Service saying to "be prepared for haze that could suddenly reduce visibilities" in some areas Tuesday and Wednesday.Video below: Canada's provinces, territories sign on to national climate adaptation strategyNew York is also expected to see unhealthy levels of smoke return Wednesday and Thursday to some areas – about three weeks after New York City topped the list of the world's worst air pollution as smoke from the Canadian wildfires wafted south, turning skies orange. "New Yorkers should be prepared for elevated levels of fine particulate pollution caused by smoke on Wednesday and Thursday," Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. "Current projections show the highest concentrations of smoke will slowly push east across the eastern half of New York State during the day Thursday, extending across much of the state."In Ohio, a spokesperson for the Cleveland's mayor's office said "what happened in NY a few weeks ago and Chicago today may happen here in Cleveland tomorrow."The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency issued an air quality advisory, forecasting fine particulate levels in the "Unhealthy" Air Quality Index range.Wildfire smoke carries particulate matter, or PM2.5 – a tiny but dangerous pollutant that, when inhaled, can travel deep into lung tissue and enter the bloodstream, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The particulate matter has been linked to a number of health problems including asthma, heart disease and other respiratory illnesses.

Minor League Baseball player Anderson Comas is the latest professional athlete to come out as gay.

Comas joined the White Sox organization about five years ago. In his post, Anderson wrote about wanting to normalize gay athletes in sports.

"I enjoy my work a lot, being a professional baseball player is the best thing that happened to me so I just wanna say something to those people that says that gay people can not be someone in this life," Comas wrote. "Well look at me I’m Gay and I’m a professional athlete."

Thousands of people commented on Comas' post, noting his courage in revealing something so personal.

Chris Getz, White Sox assistant general manager, said Comas revealed his sexuality to the organization last year.

"I was very pleased that he was comfortable sharing with us in player development," Getz said. "I also was happy at the reaction across the organization, which as you would expect was to support, help and congratulate a teammate."

Comas, who was born in the Dominican Republic, is currently a relief pitcher. The 23-year-old had a 6.35 ERA as a pitcher in 2022.

Being publicly gay in professional sports is a rarity. There are no openly gay players in Major League Baseball. Carl Nassib was the first active player in the NFL to come out in 2021. Michael Sam came out and was drafted St. Louis Rams, but he never played in a regular season game.

JACKSON, Miss. —

The white woman who accused Black teenager Emmett Till of making improper advances before he was lynched in Mississippi in 1955 has died in hospice care in Louisiana, a coroner's report shows. Carolyn Bryant Donham was 88 years old.

Related video above: 1955 warrant in Emmett Till case found

Donham died Tuesday night in Westlake, Louisiana, according to a death report filed Thursday in Calcasieu Parish Coroner's Office in Louisiana.

Till's kidnapping and killing became a catalyst for the civil rights movement when his mother insisted on an open-casket funeral in their hometown of Chicago after his brutalized body was pulled from a river in Mississippi. Jet magazine published photos.

Till traveled from Chicago to visit relatives in Mississippi in August 1955. Donham – then named Carolyn Bryant – accused him of making improper advances on her at a grocery store in the small community of Money. The Rev. Wheeler Parker, a cousin of Till who was there, has said 14-year-old Till whistled at the woman, an act that flew in the face of Mississippi's racist social codes of the era.

Evidence indicates a woman identified Till to her then-husband Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam, who killed the teenager. An all-white jury acquitted the two white men in the killing, but the men later confessed in an interview with Look magazine.

In an unpublished memoir obtained by The Associated Press in 2022, Donham said she was unaware of what would happen to the 14-year-old Till. Donham was 21 at the time.

The contents of the 99-page manuscript, titled "I am More Than A Wolf Whistle," were first reported by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting. Historian and author Timothy Tyson of Durham, who said he obtained a copy from Donham while interviewing her in 2008, provided a copy to the AP.

Tyson had placed the manuscript in an archive at the University of North Carolina with the agreement that it not be made public for decades, though he said he gave it to the FBI during an investigation the agency concluded last year.

He said he decided to make it public now following the recent discovery of an arrest warrant on kidnapping charges that were issued for Donham in 1955 but never served.

___

Associated Press writer Allen G. Breed in Wake Forest, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

A son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson is seeking the Democratic nomination for the Chicago-area congressional seat held by Bobby Rush, who is retiring.Jonathan Jackson on Friday announced his intentions to replace Rush in Illinois' 1st District, the Chicago Tribune reported.Jackson, 56, owns a construction business and is a leader in his father's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. He said in a statement that he would focus on job creation and expanding access to health care and day care.About a dozen people have filed as candidates for the redrawn congressional district which stretches from Chicago's South Side and southwest suburbs toward Kankakee. They include Chicago Alderman Pat Dowell, state Sen. Jacqueline Collins and Chicago and Cook County workforce development chief Karin Norington-Reaves, according to the newspaper.Rush announced earlier this month that he would not seek a 16th term in the U.S. House. The former Black Panther first won election in 1992.

CINCINNATI — Mount Notre Dame senior combo guard KK Bransford, Winton Woods senior point guard Chance Gray and Mason senior center Kyla Oldacre were selected Tuesday afternoon to the McDonald's All-American Girls Game March 29 in Chicago.

The 2022 all-star game roster was announced during ESPN's "NBA Today" show. The game is at Wintrust Arena in Chicago on March 29 at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

Bransford, Oldacre and Gray are three of only 24 players selected nationally to compete in the McDonald's All-American Girls Game. This is the first time Greater Cincinnati has had three players selected for the prestigious all-star game in a single year.

Bransford, a University of Notre Dame signee, is on the MaxPreps national player of the year watch list this month.

Bransford, who won the 2021 Ohio Ms. Basketball award, has helped to lead the Cougars (17-0) to 89 consecutive wins - the second most in Ohio High School Athletic Association history.

Bransford enters Tuesday night's game at St. Ursula with 1,984 career points which is 16 points away from joining the OHSAA record book for most career points (2,000 points minimum).

Gray, who is signed with the University of Oregon, is ranked the nation's No. 7 player overall in the 2022 class by ESPN.

Gray was a Division I first-team all-state selection as a junior. Gray has led Winton Woods to a 17-1 record including 15 consecutive wins.

Gray averages 25.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.6 steals and 3.2 assists. Gray is 27 points away from reaching the 2,000 points milestone.

Oldacre, a University of Miami (Fla.) signee, averages 13.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, 1.9 steals and 1.4 assists this season for Mason (15-2).

Oldacre averaged 14.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.2 blocks as a junior at Mason and was very impressive at Nike Nationals last year. The center totaled four double-digit games, including two 20-point outings in Augusta, Ga.

This is the first time a Greater Cincinnati player has been selected for the McDonald's All American Game since former Mason star Sammie Puisis was selected for the 2019 contest.

CHICAGO — Chicago schools have canceled classes Wednesday after the teachers union voted to switch to remote learning due to record COVID-19 levels.

The move comes amid an escalating battle over safety protocols in schools.

Officials in the nation's third-largest school district say they won't switch back to online instruction districtwide, as it was devastating for children's learning and mental health. But the union says the district's safety protocols are lacking, and both teachers and students are vulnerable.

"Tonight, as educators, parents, neighbors and community members, we had to make the tough decision to support a resolution to return to remote learning in our city's public schools," the union said in a statement. "This decision was made with a heavy heart and a singular focus on student and community safety."

CNN reports that Chicago Public Schools called the union's vote an "unfortunate decision."

Both sides are negotiating metrics that would trigger school closures, among other things.

School officials say buildings would remain open for administrators and staff and essential services like meals for students. WMAQ-TV in Chicago says that all sporting events and extracurricular activities scheduled for Wednesday have also been canceled.

The status of class for the rest of the week was unknown.

Starting Jan. 3, people in Chicago will have to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to enter certain indoor spaces.

Proof of vaccination will be required at restaurants, fitness centers and indoor entertainment venues, the city's health department said Tuesday. The mandate applies to anyone 5 years and older.

Starting January 3rd, the City of Chicago will require patrons of certain indoor spaces to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

This decision is driven in part by the Omicron variant and is in line with requirements already in place in other big cities including NYC and LA.

1/2 pic.twitter.com/GA64RpJki9

— Chicago Department of Public Health - CDPH (@ChiPublicHealth) December 21, 2021

The decision comes as the omicron variant spreads rapidly across the U.S.

President Joe Biden addressed the nation about the variant Tuesday. He said people who have been vaccinated and boosted should have sufficient protection from omicron.

"If you're not fully vaccinated, you have good reason to be concerned," Biden said. "You're at a high risk of getting sick."

Chicago's announcement comes one day after the mayor of Boston said vaccines would be required to enter indoor settings.

New York City and Los Angeles have similar vaccine mandates.

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Miami Beach is home to one of the largest Art- Deco buildings from the last century, including Al Capone's house and the fight to preserve these buildings here and around the country.

“I grew up here in Miami Beach in an old house from the 1930s. I was always so fascinated by the older architecture,” said Daniel Ciraldo of the Miami Design Preservation League.

It was a late morning in Miami Beach when I met Ciraldo at the Art Deco Center in Miami Beach. He’s eager to explain what they do at the Design Preservation League.

“This talks about the main styles that we have in Miami Beach. Art-Deco being one of the predominant styles that we want to protect, but there’s also Mediterranean and mid-century modern,” said Ciraldo.

Yeah. He loves architecture. And he loves Miami Beach.

“What makes Miami Beach the state's number one beach for vacation destinations? We strongly believe it’s the arts and culture, the architecture, and the melting pot of different diverse visitors,” he said.

But Ciraldo and the MDPL have taken on a new fight. They want to preserve a house as a historic site.

“It sits on a man-made island in the middle of Biscayne Bay. And it was one of the first homes built on this island, Palm Island, in 1922,” he said.

The house that sits at 93 Palm Avenue had a very infamous owner. Notorious, bootlegger, mobster, and tax avoider, Al Capone.

“A lot of people will tell you he was a very bad person, and he was, but he also played a real role in the history of our city,” said Ciraldo.

The house was purchased over the summer by a developer who quickly applied for a demolition permit. That’s when Daniel and the MDPL stepped in.

We reached out to the owner but were told he had withdrawn the demolition application because they had sold the building.

The fight to preserve the Capone house and Miami Beach is emblematic of what different parts of the United States are grappling with as the country continues to build.

“Some of these sites which are historic, maybe recognized more so in the future,” said Scott Montgomery, an art history professor at the University of Denver.

“It’s not that old. We still have a memory there. But these places may become storied. They already are storied,” said Montgomery.

Montgomery researches music venues of the ‘60s and beyond. He’s worried that in the pursuit of development and profit, we may cast our history aside.

“My favorite cautionary tale is of the medieval walls of Florence, Italy. They tore the walls down to make circuit roads, to modernize and build it up,” he said, “But, since then, I think most of the city of Florence has lamented the loss of these walls that were part of its identity, part of its medieval charm.”

Ciraldo wants to make sure that Miami Beach doesn’t walk down a similar path.

“We have seen a big increase in applications to demolish historically significant but unprotected homes. In the last 15 years, there have been almost 300 of these homes that have been approved for demolition,” said Ciraldo, “It’s such an important part of our history. It would almost be like cookie dough ice cream and taking all the cookie dough out and just being left with vanilla. If we lose all of these homes to big white boxes, what set us apart from any other city?”

A popular actor steps out onto the street and is brutally reminded that, despite his fame and wealth, places still exist where the color of his skin and sexual orientation put him in danger.

That was the story that ricocheted around the world after Jussie Smollett, a Black and openly gay actor, reported to Chicago police that he was the victim of a hate crime.

Nearly three years later, Smollett is about to stand trial on charges that he staged the whole thing.

Video above: Smollett has maintained his innocence throughout the process

He was charged with felony disorderly conduct after law enforcement and prosecutors said he lied to police about what happened in the early morning hours of Jan. 29, 2019, in downtown Chicago. He has pleaded not guilty. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday. Disorderly conduct, a class 4 felony, carries a sentence of up to three years in prison but experts have said it is more likely that if Smollett is convicted he would be placed on probation and perhaps ordered to perform community service.

Smollett told police he was walking home from a Subway sandwich shop at 2 a.m. when two men he said recognized him from the TV show “Empire” began hurling racial and homophobic slurs at him. He said the men struck him, looped a makeshift noose around his neck and shouted, “This is MAGA country,” a reference to then-President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”

Reaction to his reported assault underscored the increasingly polarized political landscape; Democratic politicians and others called it a shocking example of Trump-era bigotry and hate, while Republicans accused liberals of rushing to paint the president's supporters as racists.

Just weeks later came the stunning announcement that Smollett was charged with staging the attack to further his career and secure a higher salary. And, police said, he hired two brothers from Nigeria, to pretend to attack him for $3,500.

This made the spotlight on Smollett shine even brighter, but this time he was vilified as someone willing to use one of the most potent symbol of racism in the U.S. to further his career.

“The most vile and despicable part of it, if it’s true, is the noose,” Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr., who is Black, said during Smollett's first court appearance. “That symbol conjures up such evil in this country’s history.”

Smollett also became a national punch line. He was the subject of a “Saturday Night Live” skit and a host of Black celebrities, from NBA analyst Charles Barkley to comedian Dave Chappelle, took turns poking fun at him.

Then came the anger that Smollett's fame accorded him influence that is out of reach for most. Reports indicated Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, at the request of former first lady Michelle Obama's onetime chief of staff, communicated with a member of Smollett's family early in the investigation. Foxx recused herself from the case then her office suddenly dropped the charges, and Foxx found herself at the center of a media firestorm as she refuted the suggestion that her office gave the television star a break.

All that set the stage for what turned a simple question of Smollett's innocence or guilt into a convoluted legal saga that has dragged on for nearly three years.

The trial was delayed in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought cases around the country to a halt for months. But also, charges were filed, dropped and filed again by a special prosecutor who was brought in to take over the case.

Smollett — whose career has since faded — will this week return to the glare of the media spotlight, but this time as he passes the forest of news cameras as he makes his way to and from court.

The producers of “Empire,” on which he starred for four years, renewed his contract for the sixth and final season in 2019, but he never appeared in an episode. Nor has he released any music or given significant musical performances.

He has, however, directed an independent film, funded by his own production company, that is premiering at the American Black Film Festival this month. The movie, “B-Boy Blues” is an adaptation of a 1994 novel, the first in a series, about the lives of gay Black men in New York.

But once in court, what will unfold will be what may sound like a bad movie for the simple reason that a short movie is exactly what authorities have long maintained Smollett was trying to create.

Key witnesses will be the brothers, Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, who say Smollett wrote them a check to stage the attack. They are expected to characterize Smollett as the star and director of an “attack" in full view of a surveillance camera that he mistakenly believed would record the whole event.

And, according to their lawyer, the brothers will also describe how Smollett drove them to the spot where the incident was to play out for a “dress rehearsal.”

“He was telling them ‘Here’s a camera, there’s a camera and here’s where you are going to run away,’” said their lawyer, Gloria Rodriguez.

___

Associated Press reporter Andrew Dalton contributed from Los Angeles.

CHICAGO, Ill. — On the west side of Chicago, Damon Lamar Reed shows off a portion of his "Still Searching" portrait project.

"I was kind of oblivious to this stuff, and when I started doing research and finding out things, it was really shocking," he said. "I just wanted to do something."

He’s using his talent to draw more eyes to the dozens and dozens of unsolved cases of missing and murdered Black women that have plagued the south and west sides of Chicago for decades. It's an issue many may not have heard of outside of those neighborhoods.

"We're one of the biggest cities in the United States. Not only should this be a priority for our police department, but this should be national, international news," said Nikki Patin.

Patin is the community director for the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, one of the local organizations that have been sounding the alarm about what’s happening in the city.

Since 2001, at least 75 women, ages 15 to 58, mostly Black, who were missing were eventually found murdered in similar ways: most died of strangulation. Their bodies were found in alleys, dumpsters and abandoned buildings around the south and west sides of Chicago. Fifty- one of those murders are unsolved.

"The problem is that in most places, I think that would trigger somebody saying, 'Hmm, there's a pattern,'" said Patin, "but as far as I know, on like a major media level, there's not been a lot of discussion."

Advocates like Patin say the reason so many of these women and their families haven’t received justice is because of the color of their skin and the neighborhoods they come from. She says instead of seeing someone who needs to be found, many assume that Black women and girls who go missing led dangerous lives and put themselves in harm's way.

"That's why you choose to live in a civil society, right? Because you are paying into a system that hopefully has your best interests at heart, and I think that, especially in the cases of missing and murdered Black women, it's heartbreakingly clear that, that is not applied to all of us," she said.

Last year, 250,000 women went missing and 100,000 were women of color. On average, African Americans remain missing four times longer than white Americans. The highly-publicized Gabby Petito case threw into the spotlight the disparities in media coverage that missing women of color receive compared to missing white women. It's a statistic that Gabby’s father even brought up to the media himself.

"There's something wrong. and it's an American tragedy, " said Rev. Robin Hood.

Rev. Hood is a pastor in Chicago’s west side. As an ambassador for his own community, he’s been working with the families of many missing and murdered women. Recently, he’s been helping the family of Shawteiya Smith, who was murdered four years ago. It was recently found that DNA evidence from her case vanished in the hands of detectives.

"We have to protect all our women, all our girls, all our children, we have to protect and we have to demand this from a public official and law enforcement."

Natalie Wilson is the founder of Black and Missing Foundation. With her public relations background, she works with families whose loved ones don't get media coverage. She hopes that both reporters and folks from white communities help in the search for missing women everywhere.

"Media coverage is so vital because it alerts the community that someone is missing and it can greater the chance of the recovery, but it also puts pressure on law enforcement to add resources to the case," said Wilson.

Advocates in Chicago are doing what they can, but to find as many women as possible they say they need everyone – media, law enforcement and the public – to join their efforts.

"This is not a problem that Black women and girls are going to solve by themselves, nor should they," said Nikki Patin. "This should be, you know, of all efforts, this should be a group effort."

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Scientists at Northwestern University have developed a wearable device that can spot coronavirus symptoms before the person does.

The wireless sensor monitors coughs, fever and respiratory activity. The hope is that the data can help physicians better understand and treat COVID-19.

It looks like a small band-aid, but researchers say the little silicone patch can detect COVID-19 symptoms and record data right to your smartphone or tablet.

“It's a fully wireless battery-operated device that can communicate with any standard Bluetooth-enabled consumer gadget,” said John Rogers, Bioengineering and Neurological Surgery Professor at Northwestern.

The wireless, rechargeable battery-operated device sits just below the suprasternal notch at the base of the throat. From that location, it monitors coughing intensity, respiratory sounds, heartrate and body temperature.

“It's really that subtle motion of the surface of the skin,” said Rogers. “It's almost like a stethoscope in the way you can think about it, but fully digital and wireless in its operation and continuous, in terms of data collection.”

It can be worn 24/7 and produce continuous streams of data using artificial intelligence. All of that data transmits wirelessly to a HIPPA-protected cloud.

“We can determine not only when a cough occurred but whether that cough is a dry cough or a wet cough or whether you're having coughing fits,” said Rogers.

Scientists say the real-time data streaming from patients can give insights into their health not currently being captured or analyzed by traditional monitoring systems.

Another important feature is decontamination.

“Because it's entirely enclosed without any switches or data ports or any kind of openings, it allows us to do very rigorous sterilization, so we immerse these devices in hot alcohol,” said Rogers.

One thing it cannot do is measure blood oxygenation levels – a potentially important early indicator of the disease. But they say the they plan to add that capability to the next round of devices.

The ultimate goal is to be able to catch COVID-19 symptoms early, better understand its onset and progression, and hopefully save lives.

“What we've been able to do is create very thin lightweight soft device platforms that allow mounting on this very sensitive region of the body in a way that sends essentially physically imperceptible,” said Rogers. “So, you put it on and you kind of forget that it's there”

The next step is to find manufacturing partners to scale up production of the device. Rogers says that depending on volume, it could cost less than $100 per device.

From the streets of Chicago to Puerto Rico, a school dropout to a college graduate, the president and CEO of the Latino Community Development Agency in Oklahoma is using his life experience to help thousands of Latinos."Well, I was a Puerto Rican kid born and raised in Chicago – southside Chicago, where all the mess is still going on today. A mom that didn't know how to raise a kid, so I was raised by the streets," said Raul Font, president of the Latino Community Development Agency. "At some point in time, my mom, Puerto Rican, decided, 'I need some help. I need to be raising these kids in Puerto Rico.' So, We go to Puerto Rico, and I quit school. I quit school at 11 years old. I decided that school was not for me, and I was mad at the whole world because everyone had parents, nice houses and stuff, and I didn't.""You said you were raised by the streets at the age of 11, moved to Puerto Rico. It's a culture shock, culture change. What was that like for you?" sister station KOCO 5 asked."We had a problem of fitting in. We didn't know where to fit in, and I personally not having a home and not having a country, it was pretty hard," Font said. "We got in a lot of trouble, but we were really not into gangs."What kind of trouble did Font get into as a child?"I could still open your home in about 18 seconds, most likely," Font said. "I knew how to push the envelope. But then, at that age, that preteen age where you really get in trouble, here comes the basketball. This guy comes up and says, 'Just bounce the ball every time you ...' I started going to the basketball court, and I started seeing them play, and I started kind of imitating them. And then I realized that maybe there is something else that I can do."Font said basketball gave him the structure he needed to get to where he is today. "The structure and the support, because behind every basketball team there is someone there that is always watching you and making sure that you are at practice and that you're doing the right thing," Font said. "Nobody around in our neighborhood went to college. So, everybody kept on saying, 'You can take this to college.' I don't know what that was, but if they were going to pay me to go to college, why not? Why not try it?"Font also explained how he got involved in the Latino Community Development Agency."In the early 80s, I worked for the State Department of Education. Then, I was maybe the highest-ranked Latino in any state or federal program around, which is sad," he said. "But I thought that sitting at the table was important. Finally, we got the attention of several leaders in the community that said, 'Hey, there's not an agency that serves Latinos. How about if we start petitioning the United Way for some funding and start one?' A group of three of us, plus me, we decided to go to the United Way. And the United Way, in their wisdom, decided to give us $42,000. And that's how we got started.People who do this kind of work don't do it for recognition. Font was recently named one of the 100 most powerful people in Oklahoma."If it's a personal recognition and it doesn't yield anything for the community, then it's, what am I going to do – take a plaque and put it in my office or go away two years from now and it doesn't do anything? It has to produce something for the community," Font said. "What happens at LCDA is not because of me. It's because of the people that we hire and their passion."Watch the video above for the full story.

CHICAGO —

After five years of legal battles, gentrification concerns and a federal review, Barack and Michelle Obama dug shovels into the ground Tuesday during a celebratory groundbreaking on their legacy project in a lakefront Chicago park.

Construction on the Obama Presidential Center along Lake Michigan, near the Obama family home and where the former president started his political career on Chicago's South Side, officially began last month.

Standing near an excavator and other heavy equipment, Obama described how the city's South Side shaped him, first as a community organizer, then as a husband, father and elected official. He said the center was one way of giving back and he hoped it would bring an economic boost to the area and inspire a future generation of leaders.

"We want this center to be more than a static museum or a source of archival research. It won't just be a collection of campaign memorabilia or Michelle's ballgowns, although I know everybody will come see those," he joked. "It won't just be an exercise in nostalgia or looking backwards. We want to look forward."

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and several city aldermen were among the few people allowed at the event, which was streamed online to limit crowds amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The presidential center will sit on 19 acres of the 540-acre of Jackson Park, named for the nation's seventh president, Andrew Jackson.

It will be unique among presidential libraries. Obama's presidential papers will be available in digital form. The sprawling campus will include a museum, public library branch, athletic center, test kitchen and children's play area.

The initial cost was projected at $500 million, but documents released by the Obama Foundation last month showed it is now roughly $830 million. Funds are being raised through private donations.

Organizers estimate about 750,000 visitors will come to the center each year.

Work on the Obama Presidential Center is expected to take about five years. Currently, heavy machinery peppers the site that's fenced off with green tarps.

Progress has been delayed by lawsuits and a federal review required because of the location in Jackson Park, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. At the same time, fears about displacing Black residents in the area developed into a yearslong battle resulting in city-approved neighborhood protections, including for affordable housing.

Some neighborhood activists said Tuesday that they were already seeing rising housing prices and would keep pushing for more protections in surrounding areas. Environmental advocates have also objected to the location and the loss of green space. During the event, a plane pulled an aerial banner reading, " STOP CUTTING DOWN TREES. MOVE OPC."

Obama, who didn't take questions during the event, has said over the years that the center will benefit the surrounding area with new jobs and new trees would be planted on the campus.

He chose Chicago over several cities, including Honolulu, where he was born and spent his early years.

It's a part of Chicago that has special significance for the Obamas. The center is near the University of Chicago where Obama taught law and where the Obamas got married and raised their two daughters. Michelle Obama also grew up on the South Side.

"This city, this neighborhood courses through my veins and defines me at my very core," she said at the event. "This substantial investment in the South Side will help make the neighborhood where we call home a destination for the entire world."