"Wildfire warnings were posted across parts of three Western U.S. states on Sunday as a heat wave baked the region in record, triple-digit temperatures, stoking flames in California from the coastal foothills outside Santa Barbara to desert brush near the Mexican border."
"YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK -- President Barack Obama mixed business with pleasure here Saturday, touting the importance of national parks and then seeing one up close for himself as he took in the sights at what is arguably the crown jewel of the national park system."
"When beavers build dams, they create reservoirs that store water and replenish groundwater supplies."
"Two federal agencies announced this week that they will investigate whether Maryland regulators discriminated against a majority-black community by issuing a permit last fall to build a natural-gas power plant in southern Prince George’s County."
"After years of intense — and often controversial — restoration efforts, biologists are finally reporting some good news for the beleaguered California condor: More chicks are surviving in the wild, and the birds are becoming increasingly independent and expanding their range."
"The company asks a federal court in Texas to block the investigation by Massachusetts prosecutors, citing its constitutional rights."
"The Senate Appropriations Committee [Thursday] approved 16-14 a spending bill for the Interior Department, U.S. EPA and the Forest Service after adding money for wildfire fighting and rejecting a Democratic attempt to strike a dozen policy riders."
"Oregon has asked the Federal Railroad Administration to place an open-ended moratorium on oil trains traveling through the state, because preliminary findings of an investigation into the June 3 derailment in Mosier suggest inspectors might not be able to detect the problem that likely caused the crash."
"Looking to raise millions for a bold expansion of early childhood education, Philadelphia City Council on Thursday approved a 1.5-cent-per-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened and diet beverages, the first such tax imposed in a major U.S. city."
"Fueled by hot and dry weather, wildfires threatened homes in California and other Western states as crews struggled to corral flames that have scorched miles of brush and timber."
