PHOENIX (AP) — Extreme heat alerts continued for tens of millions of people in the United States on Tuesday as cities including Chicago broke records at the start of a week of sweltering weather.

States in the Midwest started to bake Monday in what the National Weather Service called a dangerous and long duration heat wave that was expected to stretch from Iowa to Maine into at least Friday.

On Monday, Chicago broke a 1957 temperature record with a high of 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36.1 degrees Celsius). Hot and muggy conditions will continue this week with peak heat indexes near 100 F (37.7 C) at times, the National Weather Service in Chicago said in a post on social platform X.

The heat didn’t stop people in Chicago’s Grant Park from ordering the hottest dishes off the menu at the food truck where Emmanuel Ramos is a cook, WBBM-TV reported.

“They be ordering the hottest stuff on the hottest day,” he said. “They order ramen, corn — they just want everything hot. I don’t know why,” said Ramos. “Right now, something that would be good is the smoothies.”

The U.S. last year saw the most heat waves, consisting of abnormally hot weather lasting more than two days, since 1936. Officials warned residents to take precautions.

Much of the Midwest and Northeast were under heat warnings or watches with officials announcing the opening of cooling centers and urging people to limit outdoor activities when possible and to check in with family members and neighbors who may be vulnerable to the heat.

The heat has been especially dangerous in recent years in Phoenix, where 645 people died from heat-related causes in 2023, which was a record. Temperatures there hit 112 F (44.4 C) on Saturday. Weather service forecasters say the first two weeks of June in Phoenix were the hottest start to the month on record there.

A meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix, Ted Whittock, advised reducing time outdoors between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., staying hydrated and wearing light, looser fitting clothing. More than 100 cooling centers were open in the city and surrounding county, including two new overnight ones.

In Southern California, firefighters increased their containment of a large wildfire in mountains north of Los Angeles on Monday after a weekend of explosive, wind-driven growth along Interstate 5.

The warming temperatures come amid growing concern about the effects of extreme heat and wildfire smoke. The nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity on Monday sent a petition to the Federal Emergency Management Agency asking it to recognize extreme heat and wildfire smoke as major disasters.

The agency did not immediately issue a specific response to the petition. A FEMA spokesperson for the western U.S. states said there was nothing that would preclude an emergency declaration for extreme heat, but noted that there would need to be an immediate threat to life and safety that local authorities could not respond to.

While much of the U.S. swelters, late-season snow was forecast for the northern Rockies on Monday into Tuesday. Parts of Montana and north-central Idaho were under a winter storm warning. As much as 20 inches (51 centimeters) was predicted for higher elevations around Glacier National Park.

Meanwhile, a fresh batch of tropical moisture was bringing an increasing threat of heavy rain and flash flooding to the central Gulf Coast.

Hurricane season this year is forecast to be among the most active in recent memory.

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Three people arrested on suspicion of stealing from several elderly women appeared in court on Monday. The trio is accused of visiting shopping centers and stealing purses before taking off in a getaway vehicle.

From the start of the year to April, 15 separate victims were stolen from or even robbed in several locations, spanning across Mira Mesa shopping centers and National City; most victims were Filipino/Asian women between the ages of 64 to 89. The majority of the incidents took place at Asian markets.

“Just to think that you would take advantage of somebody—what if it was your mom, what if it was your grandmother?” said one National City resident. “And just hearing stuff like that—it’s heartbreaking.”

Now, the county is working on prosecuting the person in question, defendant Shawntece Davis. Monday afternoon, she pleaded not guilty to several counts of theft from an elder, robbery, burglary, conspiracy to commit elder theft and more.

Davis didn’t work alone. Her two co-defendants were also arraigned last week with not-guilty pleas.

“This case represents the worst—these defendants targeted the most vulnerable in our community,” said Deputy District Attorney Scott Pirrello.

The defendants could face up to eight to 17 years in state prison if convicted of all charges.

Here’s how the trio would operate: As elderly women left a store, walked to their car, and began to unload groceries, the suspects would act, stealing unattended purses while the victims were distracted. However, not all who work around the area are aware.

“We’re not experiencing something like that—I hear that somewhere, but here at Target? No,” said a local Mira Mesa Target employee.

Eddie Jimenez with SD Landhousing Security Service was also a former grocery store owner and operator in National City, he says there are preventable steps victims can take.

“Grocery outlets should be able to offer them assistance,” Jimenez said. “Especially if they’re senior citizens, they can ask a manager if one of their box boys can take them out to the car.”

Prosecutors warn this is happening across the entire county. They advise to never bring a large purse to the store or leave a bag unattended.

For podcasts like Happy Half Hour, events like the fair are basically our Christmas. Yeah, we love the rides, the activations, the camaraderie, the merriment. But to be totally honest, we’re here for the food. 

Dip us in corn batter and fry us. Dust some powdered sugar on our heads. Load us up with fatty, drippy, sloppy, sweet and salty goods. This episode, food critic Troy Johnson and the crew hit up the San Diego County Fair, and they brought along Z90.3’s Rick Morton to yuk it up while they test the Fairtastic Food Competition finalists. We also asked Lori Sutherland, who owns fair favorite Tasti Chips, to weigh in.

But first, here are some basic facts about San Diego’s biggest annual party: It’s the county’s longest running event, established in 1880 in National City, though it has been held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds since 1936. It has nearly 100 food booths, 80 rides, and it re-debuts with a new theme each year. 

This year’s theme is “Let’s Go Retro!” which focuses on all things nostalgia. In that vein, guests can also use their tickets to access the Toyota Summer Concert Series for anyone with a same-day pass as an upcoming show—highlighted acts this year include Little Big Town, Ludacris, and, for a blast back into the present, Yung Gravy.

But back to the food. For fair foodies, every year conjures up the same question: What’s your plan, what are you going to eat? Troy’s plan requires strategically hitting certain food groups at certain points in your eating journey to optimize digestion, so you can then eat more food. 

We brought in some friends to judge, like we do every year, and whittled it down to 18 finalists after trying each submission.

The winner? Only one vendor can come out on top every year, and even though the competition is really to highlight the variety of mom-and-pop makers, we have to crown someone the best. The 2024 Fairtastic Food Competition winner is the Disco Pop Shake from TJ’s Ice Cream, which was entered in the “sweet” category.

Here are the other five winners by category:

• THEME — Savory: Spam Fries by Boba King
• NEW — Sweet: Cap’n Crunch Berry Chicken Sandwich by Biggy’s
• NEW – Savory: Hot Honey Funnel Cake Chicken Sandwich by Funnel Cakes by Chicken Charlie’s
• WOW – Sweet: Surfing USA Party Shake by Fruit Caboose
• WOW – Savory: Spicy Korean Corn Dog by West Coast Weenies.

And the People’s Choice, selected by our Taster’s Panel was the Candied Bacon-Wrapped Pork Belly Bites by Bacon A Fair. We’ll see you at the fair and next week on HHH.