SEATTLE On the afternoon of Nov. 2, the case of Duke the Cat, described by his alleged victim "as the smartest cat that I've ever seen," ended up in Seattle Municipal Court.
The following editorial appeared in the Chicago Tribune on Monday, Feb. 6:
BALTIMORE The combined fury of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee may have drowned much of the region's stink bug population, but scientists are still hesitant to say that homeowners will see fewer of them when the weather warms.
Hanford has a plan to clean up what may be the most highly radioactive spill at the nuclear reservation near the Columbia River in Washington state. The spill of radioactive material occurred in the 1980s.
I consider myself a pretty good gardener, a common sense "greenie", and a person who does her best to reduce, reuse, and recycle. But, there's something I must admit. For years now, I've resisted composting. It just seemed a bit too difficult and bit too time-consuming. That's all changed. And, if I can make it work, you can too. Let me help you Do Your Part to keep food scraps out of the garbage and turn them into something quite valuable.
The average American goes to the supermarket twice a week and is exposed to bacteria from a variety of sources - from the grocery cart handle to the melons in the produce aisle. Even when your groceries are safely at home, you still have to contend with food-borne illnesses. More than 70 million people get sick from food-borne illnesses in the U.S. each year, and roughly 5,000 of them die as a result of it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And if you're pregnant, diabetic, HIV-positive or over the age of 65, then it's even more risky for you to sample the grocery store's cheese display or skip the produce bags.
The makers of the popular Brazilian Blowout line of hair-straightening products - which can cost up to $500 per salon treatment - have agreed to change their labeling to warn consumers that the treatments can release formaldehyde gas, which is considered a carcinogen and can cause irritation of the eyes and skin, according to a report from USA Today.
If you're planting a spring garden in the U.S. this year, you may want to set aside some extra seed money. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has updated its plant hardiness zone map for the first time since 1990, reflecting how some crops are moving north as winter grows warmer.
Dear EarthTalk: I was horrified to read recently that our oceans are actually becoming acidic, that the continued burning of fossil fuels is changing the chemistry of our seas. What's going on?
Meet McKay Jenkins, University of Delaware professor, who's feeling just fine but one day goes to the doctor and learns he has a tumor the size of a navel orange growing in his abdomen.
Imagine a space borne instrument that measures the nation's air quality in five-square-mile grids every hour.
It's true that hotels, motels and inns have made efforts to lessen their impact.
California now gets about 5 percent of its electricity from wind power, according to data released Tuesday by the California Wind Energy Association.
How easy is it to recreate nature? When it comes to wetlands, the answer seems to be "not very."
Note to reader: This column addresses the "100 Days of Real Food" mini-pledge series, which details 14 weekly steps for cutting out highly processed food.
WASHINGTON Back in the 1980s, when conservation advocates were trying to stop logging in old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest, they relied on a 1982 regulation that required the National Forest Service to protect wildlife such as the spotted owl throughout its range. They won, and a new Northwest forest plan in 1990 greatly reduced logging in the region's old-growth forests on federal land.
LOS ANGELES Take warning, beachgoers: That carefully built sand castle could turn out to be a real pain in the gut.
The oil and gas industry's chief lobby group told government officials in North Carolina that industry's self-policing standards should be the model for state government regulation.
You've read the energy-saving tips. You've armed yourself with caulk. You're ready to do some serious damage to your gas and electric bills.
So what does save energy in a home?
CHICAGO Dozens of snakes slumbering the winter away underneath abandoned railroad tracks faced a wake-up call that could have proved fatal.
BALTIMORE Lighting Maryland homes with power from giant turbines off Ocean City moved closer to reality Thursday, as federal officials announced they are ready to lease vast areas along the Mid-Atlantic coast for wind farms.
MONTEREY, Calif. Marine biologist Nancy Black was released without bail Thursday after pleading not guilty to a host of charges related to her research with killer whales on Monterey Bay.
Where, oh where are all the birds this mild winter?
FRESNO, Calif. The prickly pear cactus may not sound like a trendy cash crop, but it could become a phenomenon among farmers on the arid west side of California's San Joaquin Valley.
The Kansas City Royals baseball team is getting greener with the largest in-stadium solar array generating electricity in Major League Baseball.
KANSAS CITY, Mo KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Chances are the Internet has changed something about your life. How you shop. How you stay in touch with school buddies or look for a job.
NORTH OF ORR, Minn. Julian Brzoznowski isn't easily buffaloed when the subject is wolves. He's watched them kill his cattle, argued about them in court, and seen them trapped by the dozens on his property.
LOS ANGELES Call it the case of the stowaway seabird.
FORT WORTH, Texas A new Texas Railroad Commission rule requiring oil and natural gas operators to publicly disclose the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing of natural gas and oil wells takes effect Wednesday.
