British Columbia drought puts region on high fire alert

A helicopter drops water on the Bald Range wildfire near Summerland, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo: Reuters) British Columbia’s prolonged drought is increasing the risk of new wildfires as Okanagan Lake falls to its lowest level since provincial monitoring began, officials said Tuesday.The province had 102 active wildfires, while the Bald Range fire near Okanagan Lake…

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Florida homeowner Abigail Mwaungulu let a Wendy’s worker named Dara eat lunch on her porch; their chance meeting became a friendship and raised over $13,000

Sometimes the smallest acts of kindness create the biggest ripples. For Abigail Mwaungulu, a Florida homeowner, it began with a simple “yes” to a stranger’s unusual lunch request. For Dara, a Wendy’s employee having a difficult day, it began with a doorbell ring and a hopeful question. What followed was a friendship neither expected, a…

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In 1988, USDA scientists released flea beetles in North Dakota to fight a stubborn weed; their descendants spread across America and restored rangelands

​Representative Image of flea beetles feeding on leafy spurge roots as a form of biological pest control (AI-generated image) In 1988, researchers working with the United States Department of Agriculture released a small population of European flea beetles onto infested rangeland near Valley City, North Dakota, hoping the insects might help control a plant that…

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Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood, Lyon reunite as Australia begin 20-Test marathon season with Bangladesh series

Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, and Pat Cummins Test cricket returns to Australia’s tropical Top End for the first time since 2003 when the hosts take on Bangladesh in a two-match series beginning Thursday.The first Test at Marrara Stadium in Darwin will be Bangladesh’s first Test tour of Australia in more than 20 years….

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A hidden wonder in Yosemite was disappearing for more than 100 years, in 2023, a massive restoration began filling a 3.5-mile erosion gully with 162,000 cubic yards of soil and woodchips, restoring 94 acres of lost wetlands

In the heart of Yosemite National Park, where granite cliffs rise above ancient forests and waterfalls cascade into deep valleys, lies a quieter kind of wonder: Ackerson Meadow. One of the largest mid-elevation meadows in the Sierra Nevada, and the largest in Yosemite, it is a place of stillness, wildlife and ecological importance. But for…

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77-year-old woman pays $69 to cuddle with strangers in New York, but nobody asks to touch her and she leaves disappointed

At 77, writer Catherine Hiller decided to step outside her comfort zone by paying $69 to attend a cuddle party in New York City. She expected an evening of affectionate physical contact with strangers, imagining people embracing, stroking one another and forming cosy groups. Instead, the experience was far more subdued. The event was strictly…

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