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"Belgium’s federal government is facing mounting criticism after health authorities linked last month’s record-breaking heat wave to over 1,200 excess deaths, prompting opposition parties to accuse ministers of failing to protect the country’s most vulnerable citizens."
"Aaron Szabo, the head of EPA’s air office who has overseen a dramatic scaling back of climate regulations, is leaving the agency."
"As the city recovers from the largest municipal bankruptcy in history, major construction has reshaped it. New concrete businesses have opened in response. A concrete mixing plant has opened in the Cadillac Heights neighborhood, a process aided by the decisions of city officials."
"Alabama officials are seeking federal permission to fill a stretch of wetlands and streams to move forward on the Birmingham Northern Beltline, a decades-long highway project that critics say is unnecessary and will destroy huge swaths of sensitive forests, wetlands and streams."
"At Ashawaug Farm in southwest Rhode Island, Dawn and Cassius Spears preserve their Indigenous knowledge of agriculture through the cultivation and keeping of three Narragansett heritage crops: white corn, succotash beans and crookneck squash."
"Washington DC residents breathed in “unhealthy” air for hours after a 40-minute Independence Day fireworks show over the National Mall on Saturday night, with the country’s capital briefly recording the worst air quality of any major city in the world."
"For the first time in history, Deep Tunnel, Chicago’s massive system of underground tunnels and reservoirs designed to hold floodwater, is almost completely full after a weekend of heavy rain."
"A homegrown catnip lotion has proven “just as effective as Deet” as a mosquito repellant in trials carried out in Uganda."
"Tour de France riders are set to face scorching conditions as a new heatwave sweeps through the country, with temperatures around Carcassonne, where Tuesday's fourth stage begins, forecast to reach 41 degrees Celsius (106 Fahrenheit)."
"State regulators have approved exploratory drilling near the headwaters of the rugged flow that inspired “A River Runs Through It,” which is still recovering from a mining disaster more than 50 years ago."
"Along most of the Atlantic coast, alewives are struggling after decades of damming and overfishing. But in Maine, the fish is rebounding—and towns’ historic harvests are growing."
"A federal judge overseeing nationwide litigation involving allegations that exposure to paraquat weed killing products causes Parkinson’s disease is applying pressure to plaintiffs who are not accepting settlement agreements proposed by paraquat maker Syngenta."
"Fears over farmland loss have fueled arguments against renewables in Ohio — but golf courses and suburban sprawl take up far more acreage than solar does."
"Federal officials will begin rounding up wild horses in the Eastern Sierra on July 8, citing trampled wetlands and highway hazards, with the animals to be offered for adoption. The helicopter-assisted operation is praised by some environmentalists but condemned by others, including local tribes and animal advocates."
"The nation is already nearing last year’s record case total, and experts say the virus is forcing doctors to relearn a disease many thought had been consigned to history."
