Sonia Monet Saxon often experiences the smell of burning asphalt from her home in McKinley Park, Chicago. The scent originates from a nearby asphalt plant. This problem existed long before wildfire smoke brought record PM2.5 levels to the region. Saxon, dedicated to monitoring pollution, installed an air quality sensor at a house in McKinley Park....
BORDEAUX/MADRID — Wildfires are closing in on the historic city of Bordeaux, located in France’s renowned wine region. The fires in France and Spain have necessitated the evacuation of hundreds of thousands. In France, the fires have prompted the evacuation of about 220,000 people. In Spain, over 75,000 have left their homes, with around 30,000...
The Western United States faces a severe water crisis. Disagreement among states is stalling solutions. Lake Mead and Lake Powell—the largest reservoirs—are at their lowest levels yet. The Colorado River serves as a vital water source. It divides the upper basin states—Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico—from the lower basin states—California, Arizona, Nevada. Kelly Shannon McNeill,...
Air quality alerts have affected significant areas of the western United States. On Sunday, wildfire smoke and elevated ozone levels contributed to poor air conditions in Oregon, Idaho, Washington, Montana, Colorado, and California. According to AirNow, a monitoring platform operated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), smoke from ongoing fires in Canada and the Pacific...
Hurricane Genevieve’s Impact Hurricane Genevieve has emerged as the first significant hurricane in the 2026 Eastern Pacific season. It is also the first major hurricane of the year in either the Eastern Pacific or Atlantic basins. Weather experts forecast that the storm could intensify into a Category 4 hurricane by Monday. The National Hurricane Center...
Black bears are frequently breaking into homes around Lake Tahoe, leading residents to shell out substantial amounts for protection against wildlife. This year, South Lake Tahoe police received 174 bear-related calls, significantly up from 97 calls during the same period last year, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. Incidents with bears entering homes are...
The western states are currently experiencing severe drought conditions. Some areas have ‘exceptional’ drought levels. This includes regions in Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and the Texas Panhandle. The dry season continues in many of these states. According to experts, El Niño might worsen these conditions. Paul Pastelok, a long-range...
In a recent analysis by Shawn Regan, the state of U.S. national parks was brought to light. Regan’s piece, titled ‘National parks are deteriorating. There’s a fix Congress isn’t making,’ was published online on July 20. This op-ed highlighted the urgent need for maintenance and upkeep at these cherished locations. America’s national parks have often...
Firefighters in France and Spain continue to combat fierce wildfires, which have prompted the evacuation of over 300,000 individuals in both nations. The Gironde region in France, known for its wine production and the city of Bordeaux, saw authorities issue overnight evacuation orders for five additional localities. The challenging wind patterns and dry conditions have...
An Oregon resident, Connor Seifert, 27, faces charges for allegedly catching and mishandling protected shark species, specifically the bluntnose sixgill and broadnose sevengill, in Puget Sound. The Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife released body camera footage of an officer stopping Seifert in June in Pierce County, Washington. The officer informed Seifert of the...