• The mercury is expected to climb as high as 104 degrees in some inland parts of the Bay Area by mid-week. Though the looming heat wave will spare most of the coastal parts of the region, the East Bay and Wine Country — two areas experiencing severe drought conditions, at the moment — will see temperatures well into the 100s Wednesday and Thursday; things are expected to cool down by Friday and into the following week.  [KPIX]
• A three-alarm fire engulfed a West Oakland recycling plant Saturday. The blaze — which began spewing huge clouds of dark smoke into the air around 2 p.m. yesterday that were seen well across the SF Bay — led to temporary local power failures as fire crews worked well into the evening to contain it; one firefighter was injured and a majority of the burnt material appeared to be bales of plastic and other recycled materials. [Chronicle]
• San Franciscans are eagerly gearing up for "COVID-19 Independence Day" on June 15... with people merely happy to see people's facial expressions out in public again. [KPIX]
• As demand for rideshares begins skyrocketing again, so are the prices; "we're getting back to 'normal,'" said one man, laughing, when asked about the soaring Lyft and Uber prices. [ABC7]
• Though to be responsible for igniting the series of fires in Berkeley Hills on Friday, a 12-year-old girl has been arrested in relation to the four blazes. [KTVU]
• The pandemic's not only been a blow to small businesses, but it (for obvious reasons) also led to a drop in ecological tourism — Jamaica’s foremost marine sanctuary, Oracabessa Bay, saw a 60% decline in visitors last year, but numbers are slowly rising again in 2021. [Mongabay]
• A story of a lobster diver who was swallowed by a humpback whale is one for the ages. [NPR/NYT]

Image: Getty Images/Velvetfish