Los Angeles, CA

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Herbie J Pilato

It's been more than four decades since former child star William “Billie” Thomas Jr. died in Los Angeles of a heart attack at only 49 on October 10, 1980. Best known as "Buckwheat," the character he portrayed in the original Hal Roach-ignited Our Gang/Little Rascals classic film shorts from 1934 to 1944, Thomas faced similar challenges and misfortunes of several of his co-stars and other former child actors. This is his story.

Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas - 'Little Rascals'/'Our Gang' Child Star: 44 Years After His Tragic Death

Grist

To advance his climate agenda, President Biden has prioritized one scheme above all others: infrastructure subsidies. The massive spending packages his administration pushed through Congress over the past four years — the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act — provided an infusion of dollars for green energy developers to erect solar farms, geothermal plants, and new transmission lines to carry clean electricity into American homes.

Permitting reform is back. Is the latest deal worth it?

After unleashing widespread flooding and knocking out electricity for half of Puerto Rico, this season’s third hurricane, Ernesto, has turned north, and is approaching Bermuda. In an average Atlantic season, the third hurricane doesn’t spin up until September 7, so Ernesto has arrived way, way early. As of August 9, this summer had already produced a third of the activity in a typical season — with nearly 90 percent of it remaining.

Hurricane Ernesto arrived way early. It’s an ominous sign.

South Carolina State

For the last two years, Cecilia Ortiz has worked as a passenger service agent at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. She typically has to walk 10 to 15 miles a day, up and down ramps, pushing heavy wheelchairs and carrying passengers’ luggage. This summer, temperatures have reached over 110 degrees Fahrenheit on the airport’s jet bridges, and yet she says she’s been denied breaks and water by her supervisors.

Workers across the US rally after string of heat-related deaths

North Carolina State

Town Talks

Maine lobster, Alaska salmon, and catfish from the Louisiana bayou—across the United States, you can find some of the best fish and seafood around. Whether you enjoy classic dishes like lobster rolls, gumbo, and clam chowder or prefer international options such as sushi and fish tacos, there's a seafood restaurant in the country that will impress you.

North Carolina Eatery Crowned 'The Best Seafood Restaurant' in The State

Maui County, HI

The one-story home 100 yards from Lāhainā Harbor where Tiare Lawrence grew up was a typical Hawaiʻi plantation home, a historic architectural style with a wide-hipped roof, a wooden light blue exterior, and a purple bougainvillea bush in the front yard. It’s where her grandmother grew up,...

A year after the worst wildfire in modern US history, the people of Maui try to heal

Writers represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program and self-verified their accounts. Writers are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

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Alamogordo Conservative Daily

Command Sgt. Maj. Harold “Ed” Jarrell has been relieved as the senior enlisted for the Army’s 1st Information Operations Command, an Army spokesperson confirmed, marking the third time within a month and the second within a week, that the Army has fired a command sergeant major of a brigade or larger unit as per Task and Purpose.

The Army Fires 3rd Command Sergeant Major in a Month: Command Sgt. Maj. Harold "Ed" Jarrel

Alaska State

Alaska’s permafrost is melting and revealing high levels of mercury that could threaten Alaska Native peoples. That’s according to a new study released earlier this month by the University of Southern California, analyzing sediment from melted permafrost along Alaska’s Yukon River. Researchers already knew that the Arctic...

Thawing Alaskan permafrost is unleashing more mercury, confirming scientists’ worst fears

Emily Standley Allard

In the mystical realm where astrology intersects with spiritual beliefs, certain zodiac signs are thought to possess inherent qualities that offer protection against malevolent entities and negative energies. This intriguing concept has roots in ancient astrology and cultural traditions worldwide, where the alignment of the stars at one's birth is believed to influence not only personality traits but also spiritual protection. This post delves into the 5 celestial shields of the zodiac, highlighting signs that are particularly noted for their protective aura against evil spirits.

5 Zodiac Signs That Possess a Protective Aura Against Evil Spirits

This story was originally published by Vox and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The Park Fire, a wildfire in Northern California spanning just over 400,000 acres, has rapidly become the fourth largest in the state’s history, prompting evacuations in four counties. The fire, which...

Wildfires will put even more pressure on the country’s housing crisis

In a significant reversal, the Biden administration announced during two closed-door meetings this week that U.S. negotiators will support limits on plastic production as part of the United Nations’ global plastics treaty. The news was first reported by Reuters and confirmed to Grist on Thursday by the State Department....

The US says it now supports a more ambitious plastics treaty. Industry groups are furious.

Los Angeles County, CA

It's been over twenty-five years since actor/photographer Roddy McDowall died of lung cancer in 1998. McDowall, despite some career challenges, was one of that breed of rare former child actors who successfully transitioned into Hollywood adulthood. He was also, however, one of the industry's "openly closeted" actors, which came with its own sense of issues. This is his story.

The Not-So-Secret Gay Life of Actor Roddy McDowell: 25 Years After His Tragic Death From Lung Cancer

Pittsburgh, PA

This story was originally published by The 19th. Angela Girol has been teaching fourth grade in Pittsburgh for over two decades. Over the years she’s noticed a change at her school: It’s getting hotter. Some days temperatures reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit in her classroom which, like many on...

Extreme heat is making schools hotter — and learning harder

Minnesota State

This story was originally published by Inside Climate News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Walmart and Reynolds Consumer Products have agreed to stop selling certain plastic bags in Minnesota for two and a half years, after the state’s attorney general, Keith Ellison, argued in court that the companies had falsely marketed them as recyclable.

Minnesota settles ‘deceptive environmental marketing’ lawsuit over ‘recycling’ plastic bags

Aurora, CO

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David Heitz

The Aurora City Council at its study session Monday advanced a proposal by council member Stephanie Hancock to impound vehicles that are not registered and insured and driven by someone with a license.

Update: Aurora advances impound of unregistered, uninsured vehicles driven by unlicensed drivers

Florida State

Jacksonville, FL

Jacksonville Today

Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said he will consider more DUI patrols if voters legalize recreational marijuana use in Florida. Voters will consider Amendment 3 in November. It would allow adults 21 or older to possess, purchase or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical purposes.

More DUI patrols possible if marijuana issue passes

Colorado State

Louisville, CO

This story is part of State of Emergency, a Grist series exploring how climate disasters are impacting voting and politics, and is published with support from the CO2 Foundation. As the one-year anniversary of the 2021 Marshall Fire approached, Kyle Brown was serving as a city councilman in Louisville, Colorado,...

How the Marshall Fire sparked a political transformation in Colorado

In Kingston, Jamaica, by secret ballot, an election was held earlier this month. The lands whose governance was at stake are vaster than any nation, and it’s possible the consequences of the vote will be felt for eons. More than half of the world’s ocean floor is under the jurisdiction of an intergovernmental body called the International Seabed Authority, or ISA. Its members have spent the last three decades in deliberations with a single purpose: crafting an international legal regime for a field of commercial activity that does not yet exist. Their mandate is to determine how — and whether — to allow the nations of the Earth to mine the sea.

Humans know very little about the deep sea. That may not stop us from mining it.

Denver, CO

When Lois Brink’s kids were in elementary school, she remembers being struck by how uninviting their schoolyard was. She described it as “scorched earth” — little more than a dirt field coated in “I don’t know how many decades of weed retardant” and some aging play equipment. But Brink, a landscape architect and professor at the University of Colorado Denver, didn’t just see a problem. She saw fertile ground for a solution. Over the next dozen years, she helped lead a transformation of nearly 100 elementary school grounds across Denver into more vibrant, greener spaces, dubbed “Learning Landscapes.”

How greener schoolyards benefit kids — and the whole community

Salem, OH

Northern Kentucky Tribune

Every day, 8-year-old Emma sits in a small garden outside her grandmother’s home in Salem, Ohio, writing letters to her mom and sometimes singing songs her mother used to sing to her.

Thousands of parents die of overdoses; advocates say their kids need more help

NewsBreak

The country’s first new aluminum smelter in 45 years could cut production emissions by 75%

Aluminum is a crucial raw ingredient in the fight against climate change. But to ensure the transition off fossil fuels is a clean one, the industry...

The country’s first new aluminum smelter in 45 years could cut production emissions by 75%

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