Morning news brief
Pandemic border rules known as Title 42 will end Thursday night. Rep. George Santos pleads not guilty to federal fraud charges. EPA proposes rules on pollution from gas and coal-fired power plants.
Environment
Conservation deal protects 1,125 acres in the Brushy Mountains
A unique collaboration between two conservation organizations has led to the permanent protection of over 1,100 acres in North Carolina’s Brushy Mountains.
Swastika Mountain is renamed Mount Halo in honor of a historical tribal leader
The mountain in Oregon and a nearby town, no longer in existence, were named Swastika more than 100 years ago after a local ranch that bore the same name.
In Australia, scientists begin vaccinating koalas against chlamydia
The safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, designed specifically for koalas, has previously been tested by vaccinating a few hundred koalas brought to wildlife rescue centers for other afflictions.
Officials break ground on new Belews Lake Park
Amid the faint sounds of construction and birdsongs, county and state officials donned hard hats and dug golden shovels into a pile of red clay to officially break ground on Belews Lake Park in For
Meet the scientist restoring Finland's peatlands
NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks with Finnish scientist Tero Mustonen about the state of his country's peatlands. Mustonen has received the Goldman Environmental Prize for his work.
'It's not for the faint-hearted' — the story of India's intrepid women seaweed divers
In goggles and flipflops, they dive to harvest seaweed. It's risky work. They'll earn $3 to $6 a day. Now climate change and environmental rules make it harder to pursue the traditional profession.
Texas petrochemical plant fire sends 5 workers to hospital
Emergency responders were called to help around 3 p.m. on Friday at the Shell facility in Deer Park, a Houston suburb. A Deer Park official said that there was no shelter-in-place order.
Giant blobs of seaweed are hitting Florida. That's when the real problem begins
From Montego Bay to Miami, sargassum is leaving stinky brown carpets over what was once prime tourist sand. But whether it gets ignored or removed, it comes with high health and environmental risks.
California's epic snowpack is melting. Here's what to expect
Warmer temperatures are melting the state's historic snowpack. Already flooded communities downstream are scrambling to prepare for the surge.