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If you know anyone who might like this newsletter, send it to them. If this was sent to you by someone else, subscribe here — it's free!  Dear New Yorkers, Yeah, we all just lived through that.  Yesterday, smoke from wildfires in Canada caused a day of especially bad air quality in New York City. The air quality index in the city reached 484 AQI (a measure of various air pollutants on a single scale) which is the highest ever recorded here.  As smoke conditions worsened Wednesday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded flights at LaGuardia Airport because of low visibility. Public city beaches also closed, and school activities were canceled. In recent summers, wildfire smoke has visited New York City from the West Coast, but this week’s haze is the worst on record. The smoke in the atmosphere contains chemicals and particulate matter that can damage the lungs, heart and other organs.  The poor conditions caught many New Yorkers off guard, particularly since city officials were slow to communicate as the haze poured in.  And it’s not over yet. We’re in for more of the same throughout the week and possibly into the weekend, officials and meteorologists predict.  THE CITY spoke to experts about ways New Yorkers can protect themselves — from staying safe if you need to be outside, to monitoring the air quality in your neighborhood.  And, a couple of PSAs for today: The state is distributing 1 million free N95 masks across New York. And the city has suspended alternate side parking for Thursday, June 8, though parking meters are still in effect.   Read more here. In other news: New York City has sued 30 counties elsewhere in the state whose leaders have used emergency orders and declarations to try and block migrants from arriving. The suit, which also names the leaders of those counties as well as the town of Riverhead, argues they’re violating the New York State Human Rights Law as well as New York State Social Services Law, which they say authorizes the city to book hotel rooms anywhere in New York, not just in the five boroughs. “This lawsuit aims to put an end to this xenophobic bigotry and ensure our state acts as one," Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday morning.  Hours later, Rockland County Executive Ed Day punched back. He called the lawsuit frivolous, and said it was the “latest attempt by New York City Mayor Eric Adams to distract from his uncoordinated and poorly planned decompression strategy.” Sponsor message Some other items of note: The Adams administration hired Mayor Eric Adams’ sister-in-law Sharon Adams to a city Department of Education job paying $150,000 per year, public records show. Sharon Adams joined the DOE on March 5  — less than a week after her husband, the mayor’s brother Bernard Adams, ended his service with the city. (Bernard served as senior advisor for mayoral security for just over a year, earning a mere $1 per year despite an initial effort by the mayor to award his brother one of the highest salaries in city government.) The appointment of Sharon Adams continues a trend under the Adams administration of awarding well-paying government positions to members of his family — as well as close friends and longtime associates.  License-holders for cannabis retail stores railed against state officials at a meeting on Tuesday. The meeting came a few weeks after more than 200 people signed a grievance letter against the state’s rollout, which said the program’s management would make it impossible for their fledgling businesses to succeed. City Council primary elections are coming later this month, in redrawn districts. Look yours up in our Know Your District tool, which includes candidates as well as information about how redistricting shaped your area. Did you know? In Manhattan’s District 2 — which includes parts of Murray Hill, Flatiron, Union Square, Greenwich Village and the East Village — incumbent Councilwoman Carlina Rivera is being challenged by Allie Ryan, a documentary film producer who is a member of East River Park Action, a group formed to protest the East Side Coastal Resiliency project.  For the latest local numbers on COVID-19 hospitalizations, positivity rates and more, check our coronavirus tracker.  Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Thursday's Weather Rating: 4/10. We aren't expecting today to be quite as bad as the past few days, but we're still dealing with residual smoke in our skies from Canadian wildfires. High temps near 70 and a few isolated showers are also in the forecast. The vibes are not ideal. THE KICKER: Attention, teens. ‘Tis the season for New York Public Library’s annual Anti-Prom. The event welcomes people of all orientations and gender identities and expressions, and includes dancing and book giveaways. The Bronx event is tomorrow, June 9, and the Manhattan one is on June 23.   Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Thursday. Love, THE CITY P.S. If you liked something about today's newsletter, or didn't, let us know at zshah@thecity.nyc

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