New York City’s air quality isn’t great. It’s not even good.

Happening in the World: Russia has continued to attack a stronghold in the Ukrainian city Mariupol where defenders are currently staying in a steel plant. On Wednesday, there was an attempt to evacuate the city, but it was delayed due to ongoing fighting. The Kremlin has said it has submitted a draft of demands to end the war, but its goal is said to be to take over the Donbas region of Ukraine. So far, Russia has only occupied certain parts of Donbas. (AP)

Happening in the US: The Justice Department has appealed to reinstate the mask mandate on public transportation. The appeal came two days after a federal judge in Florida ruled to discard the mandate. The Department’s appeal occurred as a result of the CDC indicating that masks on public transportation are necessary to stop the spread of COVID-19. (NYT)

Happening in NYC: According to the American Lung Association’s State of the Air report, NYC has a failing air quality grade, yet NYC’s air quality is improving overall. The ozone levels in Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, and Suffolk County received failing grades again, while Staten Island received a D. The NYC metro area is the only urban in the northeastern US to be on the list of the 25 most ozone-polluted cities. (Gothamist)

Happening in Our Community: Today at 7 pm, CityStep founder Sabrina Peck will be hosting Such Sweet Thunder: A Columbia-Harlem Concert Dance at The Forum on 125th. The event is part of the Such Sweet Thunder series at Columbia, a project that honors the work of Duke Ellington in connection with Shakespeare. The event is free but requires registration.

Hazy skyline via Bwog Archives