Good morning. It's Thursday, and it's also Lloyd Richards Day, according to a proclamation from the Manhattan borough president. We'll find out how the day became official. We'll also check on the Canadian wildfires and the air quality today in New York. |
 | | Lloyd Richards.Don Hogan Charles/The New York Times |
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A man named Jack Shalom got a call a couple of years ago from someone who had been a classmate at Hunter College in the 1970s. |
"I'm talking about someone I had not seen or spoken to in 45 years," said Shalom, who is 69. "We had a teacher named Lloyd Richards for acting and directing. That was the first thing we started talking about — his impact." |
The city remembers Richards's impact on theater as the director who brought "A Raisin in the Sun" to Broadway, as well as August Wilson's plays. |
Shalom and his classmate remembered Richards's impact on them. "I didn't become a professional actor," Shalom said. "but he was the most remarkable teacher I ever had, and I say that as someone who went on to teach high school mathematics." (And to co-host a weekly arts program on WBAI-FM, he said as he repeated, "I'm not a professional actor.") |
The conversation led the two Hunter classmates, who reached out to a third alumnus, to wonder about recognition for Richards and, as Shalom put it, why "the city has not done anything for him." |
That, in turn, led to something of a campaign to designate a Lloyd Richards Day. Shalom said it had to be today because Richards was born on June 29, 1919, and died on June 29, 2006. A ceremony will be held at noon outside the August Wilson Theater on West 52nd Street. |
The location is appropriate because "there's no August Wilson Theater without Lloyd Richards," Shalom said. "He directed every play of August Wilson's on Broadway and won the Tony for directing 'Fences,'" in 1987. |
Mayors have long designated days to recognize people or events. Just this month, Mayor Eric Adams declared June 15 as PIX11 Day in the city, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the debut of WPIX-TV. Earlier Adams had declared June 12 Jennifer Raab Day, honoring the president of Hunter College, who is stepping down. Before that the mayor declared April 21 Ariel Palitz Day, recognizing the director of City Hall's Office of Nightlife, who left after five years as the city's "bar czar." |
Shalom discovered that six people in New York City apparently have the power to issue such proclamations, the mayor and the five borough presidents (although the borough presidents' designations apply only to their boroughs, not the entire city). |
Kenneth Cobb — the assistant commissioner of the city's Department of Records and Information, which keeps the municipal archives — agreed. "They seem to have broad powers," he said of the six officials. "I also don't believe there are strict rules about this. It's largely honorary." He said the only reference to proclamations in the city's administrative code had to do with something of a different nature — proclamations announcing rewards for information that helps the authorities catch and convict criminals. |
The City Council also votes to designate days. Last week the Council voted to make July 8 "Reggie 'Combat Jack' Day in the City of New York," for Reggie Ossé's "multifaceted contributions to the hip-hop industry as a lawyer, executive, editor and podcaster. |
The prime sponsor was Ossé's son, City Council member Chi Ossé. |
The July 8 proclamation was "not as official as making something a holiday," he told me, "but just like many of the resolutions that are passed in the City Council, it's a statement from the largest city in the world." |
He added that the resolution honoring his father "wasn't my idea." He said he and the committee counsel, Regina Paul, had been working on drafting resolutions for the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. "Regina threw that in there for me, which was very sweet," Ossé said. |
As for Lloyd Richards Day, Shalom said someone he knew from his college days knew someone who knew the Manhattan borough president, Mark Levine. "Eventually he said, 'We're going to do it,'" Shalom said. |
Expect widespread haze on a mostly sunny day near the mid-80s. The evening is partly cloudy, with temps around the high 60s. |
Suspended today and tomorrow (Eid al-Adha). |
 | | James Estrin/The New York Times |
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Another wave of smoky air |
 | | June 7: The Statue of Liberty, out there somewhere.Justin Lane/EPA, via Shutterstock |
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The air in Buffalo, as described by a National Weather Service meteorologist on Wednesday, had "more of a campfire smell." The question is how much the air in New York City will smell like that today as another plume of smoke from Canadian wildfires drifts east. |
Various computer forecast models were not in agreement on Wednesday. But officials left the air quality health advisory in effect through today, and Basil Seggos, the commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, said the effects of the smoke would probably be visible through Friday and possibly over the weekend. |
It increased the chances of another unnerving day of haze, and that brought to mind unwelcome reminders of the old-print sepia look of the skyline just three weeks ago, when you had to squint to see the city's reference-point landmarks. The Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty — they were still out there. They couldn't see us, either. |
The state said the maximum air quality today would reach 130 in the New York area, 110 on Long Island and 130 to 140 in the Hudson Valley — all levels considered unhealthy for people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution. Hochul said it was possible that brief temporary spikes could push the air quality index into the "very unhealthy" or "hazardous" categories across the state. |
Officials said that older adults and people with breathing problems or heart disease should take precautions. Mayor Eric Adams said that "vulnerable residents may want to adjust your activities." N95 masks will be given away at some subway stations and Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North stops. The fire department will give away N95 or KN95 masks at firehouses, with a limit of two per person. |
The predictions for the Adirondacks (151) and western New York (165) fall into a category that is considered unhealthy for all. |
New York City will send out alerts if the air quality index rises past 200, the level considered "very unhealthy." You can sign up for those alerts by visiting http://nyc.gov/notify, but it's worth noting that officials said that "warnings sent by your body are equally important," including watery eyes, a scratchy throat, shortness of breath or a headache. |
Setting: Broadway and 19th Street. |
Characters: Me, walking north in a hurry while eating a sandwich, and a woman walking south at a quick pace, also eating a sandwich. |
Me: "Two fried eggs on a toasted roll, no meat, no cheese." |
Her: "Ham, egg and cheese on a roll." |
Glad we could get together here. See you tomorrow. — J.B. |
| Melissa Guerrero, Johnna Margalotti and Ed Shanahan contributed to New York Today. You can reach the team at nytoday@nytimes.com. |
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