• With a Spare the Air Alert in effect today, skies above the Bay Area continue to haze. Currently, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) shows much of the region is experiencing "unhealthy" levels of air pollution; more inland parts of the East Bay are showing by far the worst levels of pollutants born from the wildfires up north. [BAAQMD/PupleAir]
  • There's an ongoing large donation drive for Afghan refugees in the East Bay. The United Afghan Association, in partnership with the All Good Living Foundation in Alameda, is collecting any usable (preferably brand-new) supplies and goods, which will be donated to Afghan refugees and communities struggling amid the Taliban’s control of the country. [ABC7]
  • Members of the Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco (HRCSF) organized at Garfield Park this week to advocate for expanded rental relief efforts and an extension of the state’s current eviction moratorium — that's set to expire at the end of the month. [Mission Local]
  • A growing number of outdoor Bay Area activities this weekend have been canceled due to the worsening air quality outside. [NBC Bay Area]
  • There's worrying evidence that SARS-CoV-2 mutations in breakthrough cases could lead to another, even more, vaccine-resistant strain in the future. [Chronicle]
  • Contra Costa County employees need to be fully vaccinated by October 4... and if not, they could face steep fines or even possible termination. [KPIX]
  • Rejoice, pizza lovers: Fiorella is set to open Monday (and now has a full liquor license, meaning the eatery can serve an array of cocktails alongside its pies, as well). [Hoodline]
  • As hundreds of thousands of acres inside eastern Bolivia’s Chiquitania region continue burning, it's an unsettling reminder that severe wildfire seasons are not just uniquely a West Coast crisis. [Mongabay]
  • More details are emerging about the suicide bombings at the Kabul airport that killed at latest 160 people, which included 13 United States military members; one bomber appeared to wait for the exact moment he was frisked by soldiers to detonate his explosive. [New York Times]

Image: Screenshot/PurpleAir