Houston, PA

After Hurricane Katrina, Houston’s initial warm embrace of 200,000 evacuees turned cold as racial tensions and media-driven fears about crime escalated. Jake Bittle reports for Grist. In short:. Houston’s mayor initially led a praised effort to resettle thousands of Katrina evacuees, but soon faced backlash due to racial prejudices...

Houston’s struggle to help Katrina evacuees reveals the limits of generosity

Insects are disappearing globally, and while data is difficult to parse, the loss threatens ecosystems and food production. Manuela Saragosa reports for the Financial Times. Insect populations are declining due to climate change, habitat loss, and pesticide use, raising concerns about pollination and food security. Despite the alarming trends, data...

The world may be losing its tiny pollinators

A French study found that the amount of microplastics in Coca-Cola and Schweppes bottles increases significantly with each time the bottle is opened. Oceane Duboust reports for Euronews. In short:. A French NGO found six types of plastic in Coca-Cola and Schweppes sodas, with microplastics rising as bottles are opened...

Repeatedly opening soda bottles releases more microplastics into the drink

Pennsylvania State

East Palestine, OH

A year and a half after a catastrophic Norfolk Southern train derailment and chemical fire in East Palestine, Ohio, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has announced plans to monitor private drinking water wells for Pennsylvania residents living within one mile of the accident site for the next decade. East...

Pennsylvania will monitor private drinking water wells near the East Palestine train derailment site for 10 years

Climate change is making U.S. homes riskier investments, as rising insurance costs signal a looming housing bubble that could devastate the economy. Zoë Schlanger reports for The Atlantic. In short:. Home insurance premiums are climbing nationwide due to increasing climate risks like wildfires and floods. Experts warn that home...

Climate risks may trigger the next housing crisis

A new technology developed with funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences successfully removes PFAS from water, helping reduce peoples’ exposure to the toxic chemicals. In short:. This technology binds to PFAS compounds using molecules derived from corn starch, allowing for a faster and more efficient way...

NIH funding produces promising new solution for PFAS cleanup

In three states, consumers can now legally fix their own gadgets, but tech giants have been slow to comply with these new right-to-repair laws. Maddie Stone reports for Grist. Right-to-repair laws in New York, Minnesota, and California require tech companies to provide access to repair manuals and parts, but many are lagging in compliance.

New right-to-repair laws put Big Tech under scrutiny

Florida State

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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

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Total Apex Sports & Entertainment

Mercury Direct will provide three zodiac signs with abundance and fortune on August 28. It will help them get back on track and remove their obstacles. The astrological transit will put things for the signs. What’s holding you back from exploiting your potential?

3 Zodiac Signs Whose Fortune Era Will Start | August 28, 2024

Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands are being ravaged by record wildfires, endangering countless animals, including vulnerable species like jaguars and giant anteaters. Ana Ionova reports for The New York Times. In short:. The Pantanal, the world's largest tropical wetland, is burning due to severe droughts and climate change. The fires have...

Wildfires devastate Brazil’s Pantanal, threatening rare species

California State

California regulators propose major insurance reforms to address soaring costs and dwindling options for homeowners in wildfire-prone areas. Sharon Udasin reports for The Hill. In short:. California is considering updates to Proposition 103, which currently limits insurance rate changes, to require firms to cover high-risk areas based on market share.

California plans significant changes to insurance rules as wildfires increase risk

Alaska State

Thawing permafrost in Alaska's Yukon River is releasing alarming amounts of mercury, posing a significant threat to local Indigenous communities. Anita Hofschneider reports for Grist. In short:. A new study reveals that melted permafrost is releasing more mercury than previously estimated, with serious implications for human health. The mercury release...

Melting Alaskan permafrost releases dangerous mercury levels

Colorado State

David Heitz

A bill quietly introduced this spring in the Colorado legislature to decriminalize the possession of drug paraphernalia obtained by harm reductionists has become law. As low-key as the legislation was introduced, the bill was signed into law without fanfare June 6. It garnered little to no media attention.

Colorado legalizes needles, pipes for meth and crack if obtained by harm reduction group

Georgia State

Daily Coffee Press

According to officials with the Southern District of Georgia, two recently unsealed federal indictments have charged 23 defendants in a series of broad conspiracies involving the use of drones to smuggle methamphetamine, marijuana, and cell phones into state prisons in Georgia.

23 Defendants Charged in Federal Indictments for Drone-Smuggling Drug Operation in Georgia

Puerto Rico's tax incentives continue to support medical sterilization companies that emit dangerous chemicals, exposing nearby communities to elevated cancer risks. Joaquín A. Rosado Lebrón, Lylla Younes, & Naveena Sadasivam report for Grist. In short:. Puerto Rico hosts many medical sterilization plants that use ethylene oxide, a carcinogenic...

Puerto Rico keeps giving tax breaks to chemical polluters despite cancer risks

Massachusetts State

Massachusetts and Connecticut have become the first states to prohibit PFAS chemicals in firefighters’ protective gear, with the new laws requiring PFAS-free gear by 2027 and 2028. Tom Perkins reports for The Guardian. In short:. The new laws will eliminate PFAS, chemicals linked to cancer and other diseases, from...

Massachusetts and Connecticut ban PFAS from firefighting gear

Louisiana State

New Orleans, LA

A developing tropical disturbance in the Caribbean is showing increasing potential to enter the eastern Gulf of Mexico, intensify, and impact areas along the Gulf Coast, likely between Florida and Louisiana. If the system gains a name, it will be designated Tropical Storm Debby. This system has the potential to bring significant rainfall to the eastern Gulf Coast, and depending on its strength, could also generate hazardous winds and a dangerous storm surge.

Potential Tropical Storm Debby Could Bring Heavy Rain and Strong Winds to Gulf Coast and SE GA

The Lens

During my childhood, when my family visited relatives “across the river,” in Bayou Plaquemine, Bayou Goula, Caddo, the Pointe, and White Castle, my siblings and I would sometimes race up and down the levees, some distance away from the cows grazing there. At the summit of the hill, you could see the Mississippi River waters through stands of trees and brush. It never occurred to me that our “playground” was the living testimony of Black men, prisoners of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola whom the state of Louisiana had re-enslaved in the convict leasing system.

No longer ‘half slave, half free’

As semiconductor production skyrockets due to the Chips and Science Act, industry groups are pushing back against environmental regulations for toxic PFAS waste. Tom Perkins reports for The Guardian. In short:. The PFAS Consortium, formed by semiconductor producers, is resisting regulations on toxic PFAS chemicals, which are crucial in chip...

Chipmakers form consortium to block PFAS regulations amid semiconductor boom

New Mexico State

Survivors of the first atomic test in New Mexico are demanding recognition and justice as a new documentary sheds light on their long-ignored suffering. Susan Montoya Bryan reports for the Associated Press. In short:. The documentary, "First We Bombed New Mexico," spotlights the overlooked suffering of communities near the 1945...

A forgotten chapter: downwinders fight for recognition and justice

NewsBreak

Oil and gas executives engage with Democrats despite tensions at convention

Despite sharp criticism from Democratic leaders, oil and gas industry representatives were active at the Democratic National Convention, aiming to influence discussions on energy policy. Emma...

Oil and gas executives engage with Democrats despite tensions at convention

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