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Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Pollen season is lasting longer, worsening allergies and altering pollinators

CHICAGO -- Fall is in the air. Chicago evenings have a crisp breeze. But something has been bugging Annie Andrews.

Specifically, bees and wasps and a whole lot of sneezing.

“It’s gotten to a point, like, I couldn’t stop sneezing during a shift,” said the 28-year-old restaurant server. Earlier this week, she thought, “I need to take ...Read more

Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Commentary: One year after dams were torn down, an Indigenous writer sees a healing Klamath River

Over the last two years, I have traveled repeatedly to the Klamath River near the California-Oregon border to report on the dismantling of four dams. I saw crews in excavators as they clawed at the remnants of the Copco No. 1 and Iron Gate dams. And as the giant reservoirs were drained, I saw newly planted seeds taking root in soil that had been...Read more

John Spink/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Return to pre-COVID routines has brought Atlanta unhealthier air

ATLANTA — For many, the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic were a time of fear, sickness and disruption. But as offices and schools went remote, there were a few silver linings.

As people stayed home and the roads cleared, so did the skies — especially in car-centric cities like Atlanta.

In 2022, the federal Environmental Protection ...Read more

'Enormous' mountain on Pacific seafloor rivals Rocky Mountain peaks, NOAA says

An “enormous” submerged mountain that rivals peaks in the Rockies has been mapped for the first time in a previously unexplored area of the western Pacific, according to NOAA Ocean Exploration.

The seamount is 250 miles north of Palau — an island country east of the Philippines — and multibeam sonar revealed its peak is hidden about 800...Read more

Beloved SoCal octopus will spend her final days caring for eggs that will never hatch

LOS ANGELES — A beloved octopus is entering the last stage of her life in Long Beach,and will spend the remainder of her days caring for eggs that will never hatch.

News of the approaching demise of Ghost — a giant Pacific octopus who has called the Aquarium of the Pacific home for more than a year — prompted an outpouring of sadness on ...Read more

Paul Kitagaki Jr./The Sacramento Bee/TNS

Environmental groups mixed on outcome of secret California climate negotiations

The California Legislature’s big, last-minute climate deal is drawing mixed reactions from the environmental community.

Talks over California’s cap-and-trade program, which effectively forces polluters to pay the state for excess carbon emissions, ended as the shot clock was running out Tuesday night. Negotiations between representatives ...Read more

Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

Boeing's new defense-minded engineering center in Florida promises 400 jobs

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — Boeing celebrated its new Florida investment Wednesday with the opening of a defense industry hub on the campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Company and school officials were joined by elected officials Wednesday to cut the ribbon on Boeing’s takeover of a new 65,000-square-foot building within ERAU’s ...Read more

TNS

Gadgets: A rugged Bluetooth speaker

The latest and greatest in the world of portable Bluetooth speakers today might not make the cut tomorrow. Sound is the key feature, but what about size, waterproof rating and other factors?

Soundcore's Boom 3i is designed for extreme outdoor conditions. Its IP68 waterproof/dust-proof rating allows it to withstand being fully submerged in ...Read more

Niantic PRESS RELEASE/TNS

‘Monster Hunter Now’ announces Expedition Bases and more features

“Monster Hunter Now” will celebrate its second anniversary and it’s going to be a big one, with a new season called “Advent of the Exploration Base.” It introduces several major updates while adding to the changes from Season 6: “Scarlet Gaze in the Gloom.”

Kicking off Sept. 18, “Advent of the Exploration Base” introduces ...Read more

Electronic Arts/TNS

EA announces new 'skate' game coming out in Early Access on Sept. 16

It’s been a long five years, but the fourth game in the “skate” series is on the verge of being released to a wider audience. Electronic Arts announced that Early Access for the game is coming Sept. 16, and players will get to explore the four areas of San Vansterdam in a game that has been rebuilt for this era of gaming.

That means the...Read more

Jim Rossman/Jim Rossman/TNS

Browser password managers are convenient, but risky

I’ve been having some conversations with people online and in person about using and storing passwords.

I’m like most of you, in that I don’t have one solution.

I utilize several options that include a password manager, having a browser to remember some passwords and writing them down in a secured file saved in the cloud.

I also have a ...Read more

CAPCOM/TNS

Preview: How 'Onimusha: Way of the Sword' reinterprets PS2-era games for modern times

When Capcom announced “Onimusha: Way of the Sword,” it generated excitement. The samurai series blended action with the supernatural for an intriguing mix that was groundbreaking for its time. That was back in 2001 when games still used prerendered backgrounds and players dealt with tank controls.

Video games have advanced considerably ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Apple's iPhone 17 line could be the refresh upgraders were waiting for

After years of incremental refreshes, Apple Inc.’s iPhone lineup feels exciting again.

The company introduced four new phone models on Tuesday: the basic iPhone 17, the superthin Air, the high-end 17 Pro and the supersized 17 Pro Max. All of them include Apple’s latest in-house silicon, more advanced cameras and tougher outer glass. For ...Read more

Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/TNS

California leaders race toward deadline for cap-and-trade deal

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers are running down the clock to craft a deal to renew the state’s influential cap-and-trade climate policy.

Representatives from the state Assembly, governor’s office and state Senate have been meeting near-daily over the past few weeks to hammer out a deal. Since bills need to be in print for 72 ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Dying octopus tends to thousands of eggs that will never hatch at California aquarium

A dying octopus will devote the rest of her life to caring for her eggs at a California aquarium.

But the eggs will never hatch, according to a Sept. 8 Facebook post by the Aquarium of the Pacific.

Ghost, a giant Pacific octopus, has entered the final stage of her life – senescence, the Long Beach aquarium said.

During senescence, a female ...Read more

HYOSUB SHIN / AJC/The Atlanta Journal-
Constitution/TNS

The Okefenokee Swamp is safe for now, but talk of mining near it hasn't stopped

FOLKSTON, Ga. — On a blast furnace of an August day in Georgia’s southernmost county, Joe Hopkins gripped the steering wheel to steady his truck on the sandy road.

Outside, seemingly endless rows of neatly spaced trees whizzed by — mostly slash pine, the species of choice for foresters in this part of the state.

Hopkins’ family has ...Read more

Bid to halt Colorado's wolf reintroduction through ballot is the latest strategy to fail. What's next?

When an opposition group fell far short of the signatures needed to bring Colorado’s wolf reintroduction to another statewide vote, it was just the latest failed attempt to stop or pause the voter-mandated initiative.

Colorado Advocates for Smart Wolf Policy collected just over 25,000 signatures between the end of March and the Aug. 27 ...Read more

Orlando Sentinel Staff/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

Sunset SpaceX launch tonight could make for unique show if weather allows

A SpaceX launch on the Space Coast just after sunset Monday could mean the return of the unique jellyfish effect over Florida’s skies.

A Falcon 9 rocket on the Nusantara Lima mission carrying an Indonesian communications satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit is set to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch ...Read more

Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel/TNS

Price to protect Fort Lauderdale from intensifying storms: $1.6 billion

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, will need to spend at least $1.6 billion over the next decade to protect its neighborhoods from devastating floods caused by extreme storms, city-hired experts say.

That $1.6 billion is in 2025 dollars, not accounting for inflation.

The longer it takes to do the work, the more the cost will go up.

An outside ...Read more

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images North America/TNS

Editorial: America's wilderness is priceless

One of the traits that makes America great is its wilderness. The Trump administration is moving to open to extraction and development tens of millions of acres of forests now protected by a federal regulation known as the Roadless Rule.

In officially designated roadless areas, no new human infrastructure is permitted, except for conservation ...Read more