ST. LOUIS — The nation’s rivers and streams remain stubbornly polluted with nutrients that contaminate drinking water and fuel a gigantic dead zone for aquatic life in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a recently released Environmental Protection Agency assessment. It’s a difficult problem that’s concentrated in agricultural regions that drain into the Mississippi River. … Read more
The U.S. Department of Defense plans to install two more groundwater treatment systems at a former Michigan military base to control contamination from so-called forever chemicals, U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s office announced Friday. Environmentalists say the systems will help prevent PFAS from spreading into the Clarks Marsh area and the Au Sable River near the … Read more
JACKSON, Miss. — Law enforcement agencies are investigating whether social media rumors about a potential water outage prompted people to quickly fill bathtubs with tap water in Mississippi’s capital during a cold snap and cause a drop in pressure that temporarily made faucets run dry for thousands of customers of the city’s long-troubled system. Taps … Read more
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — With no date in sight for when it will be safe to drink tap water again on the island of St. Croix, officials in the U.S. Virgin Islands announced Wednesday night that they would distribute water filters and provide free lead and copper testing as they work on long-term solutions. … Read more
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Hundreds of residents and personnel stationed at a U.S. Air Force base in eastern New Mexico will be able to have their blood tested as state officials expand their investigation into contamination from a group of compounds known as “forever chemicals.” The New Mexico Environment Department announced Tuesday that it is searching … Read more
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom released details Wednesday of a new $291 billion state spending plan for the 2024-25 budget year that accounts for an estimated $37.9 billion deficit. Newsom, a Democrat, proposed covering the shortfall by tapping $13 billion from reserves, trimming $8.5 billion from programs, deferring some spending to the future … Read more
VISEGRAD, Bosnia-Herzegovina — With predictable seasonality, tons of garbage floats down a river at least twice a year and ends up near the eastern Bosnian town of Visegrad behind a barrier installed by a local hydroelectric plant. An environmental activist watched as workers removed trash from the river. “New year, new problems or rather old … Read more
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Coach Andy Reid was asked what impact a frigid forecast might have for Saturday night’s wild-card playoff game between the Chiefs and Dolphins, and whether Kansas City would try to acclimatize by practicing outside this week. Reid looked out a nearby window Tuesday and saw the 6 inches of snow that … Read more
Planning a trip this winter? Yes, it’s tempting to look for sunny spots where you can lie on a beach or play golf. But some of my favorite winter vacations have been to northerly destinations at their coldest, darkest times of year. I don’t ski, so I’m not looking for powder. But I have seen … Read more
RENO, Nev. — The blank canvass of desert wilderness in northern Nevada seemed the perfect place in 1992 for artistic anarchists to relocate their annual burning of a towering, anonymous effigy. It was goodbye to San Francisco’s Baker Beach, hello to the Nevada playa, the long-ago floor of an inland sea. The tiny gathering became … Read more
