Thousands of residents in parts of Florida and Oregon have been warned to stay inside as the amount of fine particle pollution (PM2.5) in the atmosphere reached an “unhealthy” level on Tuesday as of 3 a.m. Eastern time, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) AirNow Map shows.
The EPA uses the Air Quality Index (AQI) to measure and communicate air quality across the United States. The AQI is a standardized scale from 0 to 500 that classifies pollution levels into six categories, ranging from “good” to “hazardous.” Higher AQI values indicate higher levels of pollution and greater health risks for people in the affected areas.
In this case, the AQI has classified the air pollution in parts of Florida and Oregon—including Orlando and La Pine, respectively—as “unhealthy” because of elevated levels of PM2.5. This means the levels of pollution could pose a health risk to all members of the public in the affected areas.
The EPA said, “Even if you are healthy, you may experience temporary symptoms from exposure to elevated levels of particles.”
The agency considers PM2.5 to be one of the most dangerous forms of air pollution. This is because the particles are so fine—less than 2.5 micrometers in size—they can be easily inhaled, penetrating deep into the lungs and bloodstream, potentially worsening any lung or heart conditions. PM2.5 can also trigger mild to severe symptoms such as coughing; eye, throat, and nose irritation; chest tightness; and shortness of breath, making breathing difficult.
The EPA advises people in sensitive groups—which include children, older adults and individuals with medical conditions such as asthma—to avoid long or intense outdoor activities when air quality reaches “unhealthy” levels.
Everyone else should reduce the duration or intensity of outdoor activities until conditions improve. For example, choose to go for a walk rather than a run.
During long or intense outdoor activity, people breathe more deeply and more frequently, which increases the amount of PM2.5 they inhale. This can irritate the lungs and may trigger or worsen existing health conditions.
But it isn’t only outdoor air that’s affected by elevated PM2.5 levels.
Indoor air can also become polluted if these fine particles seep inside through open windows, doors or ventilation systems.
The EPA suggests that those in affected areas should try to keep indoor air as clean as possible by using air purifiers or high-efficiency filters, keeping windows closed and avoiding activities that generate indoor pollution—such as burning candles, using wood‑burning stoves or lighting indoor fires—while the air quality is in the “unhealthy” range.
While the EPA hasn’t established the cause of the “unhealthy” air quality across parts of Florida and Oregon, PM2.5 can come from a variety of sources.
These include dust from construction sites or unpaved roads, emissions from vehicles or industrial plants, or smoke from wildfires or smokestacks.
Residents should monitor the AirNow Map and look out for updates from the EPA as air quality, like the weather, “can change from day to day or even hour to hour.”
A dramatic scene captured by Tigard Police shows a car on fire in the middle lane of Oregon 217 on Saturday following a five-car crash that closed the southbound lanes for more than an hour.
Police responded to the crash just before 6 p.m., they said in a social media post.
Several people were taken to the hospital, police said, but all were expected to recover from their injuries. Three of the five cars involved had to be towed away from the scene.
Oregon State is adding to its running back group via the SEC.
Former Vanderbilt running back AJ Newberry announced he signed with the Beavers via social media on Saturday. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Newberry had 18 carries for 57 yards with three touchdowns and two receptions for 18 yards this season. He had 41 carries for 185 yards and three scores and seven catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns in 2024.
As a freshman, Newberry had 20 carries for 96 yards over four games while redshirting in 2023.
A former three-star recruit out of South Grand Prairie High School (Texas), Newberry was the No. 956 overall prospect and No. 63 running back in the class of 2023 in the 247Sports Composite.
Newberry is the 21st transfer to Oregon State this offseason.
Oregon lawmakers denounced a federal officer’s fatal shooting of a 37-year-old man in Minneapolis on Saturday.
The man was identified by his parents as Alex Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse. He had participated in protests following the killing of Renee Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs officer on Jan. 7.
Bystanders captured Saturday shooting of Pretti on video, which quickly went viral Saturday. Pretti is seen with a phone in his hand, but no videos appear to show him with a visible weapon.
Federal officials said the officer who shot Pretti is an eight-year Border Patrol veteran. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that federal officers were conducting an operation as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and fired “defensive shots” after a man with a handgun approached them and “violently resisted” when officers tried to disarm him.
During a press conference Saturday, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said that violent confrontations would continue in Minneapolis because of the federal government’s tactics.
“They need to pull back on the agents who are there, work with local government and resolve and de-escalate the situation,” Kotek told reporters.
In a social media post, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat, said footage of the shooting “shows Donald Trump’s lawless federal agents again out of control.”
“The Senate cannot vote to keep funding this,” Wyden wrote on the social media platform Bluesky. “Every single agent complicit in these horrors should be put on trial at the state level for real accountability.”
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat, wrote on X that the shooting was “horrific” and “another senseless execution of a citizen by Trump’s lawless federal agents. Federal agents are terrorizing communities in Minnesota, Oregon, and across the country.”
Merkley also demanded the ouster of the Homeland Security Secretary: “Kristi Noem must go. Not one more penny for ICE.”
In a video posted to Facebook, U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter, a Democrat, said, “Another person has been murdered in the streets of Minneapolis today by federal agents.”
Dexter said federal agents killed the man “in cold blood.”
In her message, Dexter also pointed to the arrest and detainment on Jan. 16 of a Gresham family, including a 7-year-old child, outside Adventist Health in Portland as the girl’s parents sought emergency medical care for her.
“We are not safer because of ICE activity and CBP activity,” Dexter said. “We are in fact being terrorized by federal agents using taxpayer dollars. It has to stop.”
U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas, a Democrat, said in a post on X that she was “horrified and outraged” by the Minneapolis shooting.
“Trump must withdraw ICE from Minnesota immediately and impose a nationwide stand down,” Salinas wrote. “The Senate must vote to protect our communities and block ICE funding this week. Anything less is a threat to everyone nationwide.”
– The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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