A repurposed article from over a year ago which I thought may be applicable for those craving a summer adventure. FREE… I am hoping I grabbed your attention. I will be the first to tell you nothing is completely free if you count the effort required to obtain these complimentary benefits. For those interested in exploring our national parks, I think the small investment is well worth the return.

FREE NATIONAL PARK PASSES

The New Republic

Former President Donald Trump shared a slew of videos online attacking Vice President Kamala Harris, after a favorability poll aired on Fox News found she was leading him in a few key swing states. The new poll, conducted July 22–24 and released Sunday, found that Harris’s approval rating had surpassed Trump’s in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota.* Many online predicted that Trump would be incensed over the results. “The ketchup is going to hit the wall in Mar-a-Lago after this new Fox News poll,” remarked former Clinton White House aide Keith Boykin on X (formerly Twitter).Within hours, Trump posted five separate videos on Truth Social of...

Trump Loses It Over Devastating Fox News Poll on Kamala Harris

Moab, UT

Utah has many natural attractions, and this one that has been gaining in popularity looks fake but is not. Moab, Utah has quite a few attractions that draw tourists and locals alike such as Dead Horse Point State Park, Canyonlands State Park, and Arches National Park. However, the attraction that seems out of place in this desert is the Potash Ponds.

What Are Those Vivid Blue Ponds In The Moab, Utah Desert?

North Carolina State

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Town Talks

As much as we want our pets to live forever, there will come a day when we have to say goodbye. Holding a memorial service for your pet and laying them to rest can be a great way to begin the healing process.

Can you bury a pet at home in your backyard in North Carolina? Here’s what state law says

Lane County, OR

It seems half the continent is on fire. Wildfires are blazing across the U.S. and Canada, breaking records in both size and number of the conflagrations. Somebody with average intelligence would probably put it together that land protectors are on the lookout. One dumb crook doesn’t get it. The BLM nabs an arsonist, who didn’t start out that way. He’s just so clueless that he had to add injury to insult.

BLM nabs arsonist—One more for the dumb crook files

Kentucky State

Mammoth Cave National Park is famous for what’s below the ground, featuring the world’s longest explored cave system with hundreds of miles of passages and a unique ecosystem of fish, insects, worms and crustaceans. But it’s what’s happening in the air above the cave system that has Kentucky environmentalists concerned.

Kentucky urged to curb air pollution that makes Mammoth Cave one of the haziest national parks

Colorado State

Denver, CO

Colfax Avenue: Colorado's Longest and Most Continuous Street. Named after Schuyler Colfax, the 17th Vice President of the United States, Colfax Avenue was established in 1868 as a vital transportation route. Over the years, it has evolved into a bustling commercial corridor, lined with businesses, restaurants, entertainment venues, and cultural landmarks. The avenue's diverse landscape reflects the rich tapestry of Colorado's history and culture.

What is Colorado's Longest and Most Continuous Street?

Sam Westreich, PhD

It’s not humans. How a survivor of a super-extinction repopulated our planet. There are more than 8 billion humans alive at this moment on Earth (unless something has gone horribly wrong). But humans aren’t the only dominant mammals.

For Millions of Years, Earth Was Dominated by a Single Vertebrate Genus

The Lens

This year’s area of low oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico is larger than average, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on Thursday. The “dead zone” is approximately 6,705 square miles , as measured last week. Within NOAA’s 38 years of measuring the dead zone, this year’s assessment marks the 12th-largest area of low to no oxygen, which can kill fish and marine life.

Gulf ‘dead zone’ larger than average, larger than expected for 2024, scientists announce

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David Heitz

A dangerous drug that is being mixed into fentanyl is causing those who inject it to develop a rash of sores that resembles a case of flesh-eating bacteria. People experiencing homelessness around Denver can sometimes be seen with these bloody, weeping wounds. I recently mentioned this phenomenon to a fentanyl user who told me about the xylazine connection.

Denver homeless people suffer sores as xylazine enters fentanyl supply

Virginia State

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Cheryl E Preston

History Facts lists eight names US parents no longer give their newborns, which you may no longer hear in Virginia. The girls' names are Doris, Gertrude, Mildred, and Judith. I know or have known women with all four names, but they are either baby boomers or boomer parents' ages and someone's grandma or great aunt. Consider the ages of females in Virginia you know with these names.

Eight names parents in Virginia may no longer be giving to their newborns

If you are in the market for a hard-side, non-slide truck camper for your 3/4-ton or 1-ton short-bed truck, consider the 2024 Cirrus 820 by nüCamp. The video below from Princess Craft RV gives us a tour of the limited edition model. While only 15 of these were made, the differences are primarily in the color and aesthetics, so the rest will be like any other Cirrus 820.

Limited edition 2024 Cirrus 820 truck camper looks good

South Carolina State

Colleton County, SC

Explore Beaufort SC

Some beachgoers were in for a surprise this week when a bizarre looking prehistoric fish washed ashore in Colleton County along Edisto Beach at Edisto Beach State Park. It turned out to be an atlantic sturgeon.

Rare Atlantic sturgeon washes ashore on South Carolina beach

More dangerous substances are entering the Denver drug supply, Harm Reduction Action Center warned in a newsletter this week. “The Iron Law of Prohibition posits that as law enforcement becomes more intense, the potency of prohibited substances increases,” HRAC Executive Director Lisa Raville wrote in the newsletter. That is exactly what is happening, she said.

Dangerous substances entering Denver drug supply

Saint Louis, MO

CJ Coombs

A fried brain sandwich is made of sliced calves' brains on bread. This type of sandwich was widespread in St. Louis, Missouri in the late 1880s, especially with the city's stockyards. I haven't consumed a lot of beef for the past decade and even if I did, a cow's brain sandwich is not on my list of things to try.

Exploring St. Louis's culinary oddity that used to be common in the late 1800s: the Brain Sandwich

Los Angeles, CA

L.A. TACO

Navigating the potentially awkward encounter posed by a person having a mental health episode while you’re eating out in Los Angeles has become as common as eating your favorite tacos in the street.

Does Being Close to a Homeless Encampment Affect Restaurant Sales? L.A.’s Taqueros Share Their Thoughts

California State

The HD Post

CALIFORNIA – Proposition 33, Justice for Renters Act, will be on the California ballot, November 5, for voters to decide on removing a rent control ban. According to Ballotpedia, a "yes" vote repeals the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act (1995), which will allow cities and counties to limit rent on any housing.

Prop. 33 will allow California voters to decide on removing rent control ban

Florida State

Uncovering Florida

Most people are guilty of doing it at least once in their lives, many people do it by accident, some do it because they find it fun, and others do it for reasons like honoring loved ones. Regardless of the situation, just about everyone has released a balloon. The difference is that intentionally releasing balloons is now illegal by House Bill 321’s standards.

Law Signed By DeSantis Makes It Illegal To Release Balloons In Florida

In addition to collecting more than 8,000 used needles in the past year from Denver drug users, the Harm Reduction Action Center passed out 10,000 meth pipes and “snort kits,” according to a newsletter sent to its supporters Thursday. They also connected about 1,700 people to medical, mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Denver group hands out 10K meth pipes, ‘snort kits,’ connects 1,700 to treatment annually

Montana State

WyoFile

The 2023-’24 winter proved the third deadliest for Yellowstone wolves in the decades since Canis lupus was reintroduced to the landscape in 1995. Overall, 13 wolves were shot by legal hunters, caught by trappers, killed by poachers or died of suspected hunting-related injuries.

Yellowstone superintendent seeks hunting relief for wolves after another deadly winter

NewsBreak

Free entry to all U.S National Parks on Sunday

This Sunday, August 4, 2024, marks a special occasion for RVers, nature enthusiasts, and families across the United States. All National Parks will offer free entry...

Free entry to all U.S National Parks on Sunday

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