Air quality alert extends into day two as wildfire smoke from Canada shuts down beaches, venues citywide

Thick, acrid smoke still blanketed the Chicago area Friday morning, prompting closures and cancellations in the city and the surrounding suburbs. An air quality alert currently runs through midnight Friday, though forecasters said the smoke may linger into early Saturday. Chicago's Air Quality Index hovered around "hazardous" by 10:30 a.m. Friday morning, the most severe level for airborne pollutants, but conditions are expected to improve. “Based on the latest forecast trends, it looks like…