IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) The impact of a wind storm that tore through the Midwest continued to grow Wednesday, as widespread power outages kept businesses closed, limited communication, spoiled food and caused long lines at gas stations.

The rare storm known as a derecho hit Monday, devastating parts of the power grid, flattening valuable corn fields and killing at least two people. It produced winds of up to 112 mph near Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and toppled trees, snapped poles, downed power lines and tore off roofs from eastern Nebraska to Indiana.

It feels like we got kicked in the teeth pretty good, said Dale Todd, a member of Cedar Rapids' city council. Recovery will be methodical, and slow. But right now, everybody is working to ensure the critical services are restored.

Todd said the city's response has been complicated by the challenge of communicating with people who have no power, which means they have limited access to internet, TV and phone service.

Across the city of 133,000 people, residents emptied their refrigerators and freezers as their food spoiled, waited at gas stations for an hour or longer to fill up their cars and gas cans, and worked to clear up fallen trees.

Cedar Rapids spokesman Greg Buelow said several patients reported to hospitals with chainsaw injuries acquired while removing tree debris. Scores of others who are on oxygen tanks and need nebulizer treatments have gone to hospitals for help, he said.

In addition, firefighters responded to two fires Wednesday morning that were started by power generators that were too close to homes, he said.

Crews throughout the region have been working around the clock to restore electricity, but theyve been hindered by downed trees blocking roads or on top of power lines. Those trees must be removed before power can be restored.

The derecho produced seven tornadoes in the Chicago metropolitan area, including an EF-1 tornado with 110 mph winds that hit the Rogers Park neighborhood on the citys north side before moving onto Lake Michigan as a waterspout, the National Weather Service said.

That storm left damage along a 3-mile-long (4.8-kilometer-long) path and was the first tornado of at least EF-1 strength to strike Chicago since May 1983, the weather service said.

Another EF-1 tornado knocked over the iconic white steeple atop College Church in the Chicago suburb of Wheaton. A crew used a crane to remove the steeple Tuesday and on Wednesday workers started repairs to the 1935 church buildings roof.

The weather service also confirmed two tornadoes in southern Wisconsin and two in northern Indiana, including an EF-1 that swept the rural community of Wakarusa, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of South Bend.

Alliant Energy said about 176,000 of its customers are without power, and half of those are in the Cedar Rapids area. MidAmerican Energy said about 139,000 of its Iowa and Illinois customers remain without power, half them in the Des Moines area.

As of late Wednesday morning, ComEd reported that about 200,000 of its Chicago-area customers remained without power. Northern Indiana Public Service Co. reported about 18,500 of its Indiana customers were still in the dark.

Mediacom said Wednesday that it has restored internet service to about half of the 340,000 customers that were offline a day earlier in Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. But many others may be without service until their power is restored, a process that could still take days.

Some fuel terminals were also knocked offline and many gas stations have been closed due to power outages. Meanwhile, demand for gas to fuel generators, chainsaws and vehicles has spiked, leading to long lines at stores that sell gas.

The storm caused extensive crop damage in the nation's No. 1 corn-producing state as it tore across Iowa's center from west to east.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said Tuesday that about 10 million acres of Iowas nearly 31 million acres of agricultural land sustained damage. About 24 million acres of that is typically planted primarily with corn and soybeans.

In addition, tens of millions of bushels of grain that were stored at co-ops and on farms were damaged or destroyed when bins blew away.

The only known death in Iowa was a 63-year-old bicyclist who was hit by one of several large trees that fell on a bike path outside Cedar Rapids. In Fort Wayne, Indiana, the storm killed a 73-year-old woman who was found clutching a young boy in her storm-battered mobile home.

Many businesses, including banks, restaurants and a major corn processing plant in Cedar Rapids, remained closed Wednesday due to power outages.

The Cedar Rapids school district said it was considering pushing back this month's start date after over 20 of its buildings suffered roof and other structural damage.

State Sen. Liz Mathis said she took cover in the basement of her suburban Cedar Rapids home Monday as the storm battered her neighborhood for 45 minutes. She said pictures fell off the wall, water seeped in through windows and she worried the glass would blow in and injure her.

Mathis said the devastation is widespread across her district, and the tree damage is unreal. A local utility official told Mathis on Wednesday that it could be a week before everyone has power restored.

The cities are going to look much different without the trees and its going to take a while to recover from this, she said.

___

Associated Press reporters Dave Pitt in Des Moines and Rick Callahan in Indianapolis contributed to this report.

See original here:
Hundreds of thousands without power days after Midwest storm - Albany Times Union

Tropical rainforests have an outsized role in the world. Of the Earths ecosystems, rainforests support the largest variety of plants and animal species, house the majority of indigenous groups still living in isolation from the rest of humanity, and power the mightiest rivers. Rainforests lock up vast amounts of carbon, moderate local temperature, and influence rainfall and weather patterns at regional and planetary scales.

Despite their importance however, deforestation in the worlds tropical forests has remained persistently high since the 1980s due to rising human demand for food, fiber, and fuel and the failure to recognize the value of forests as healthy and productive ecosystems. Since 2002, an average of 3.2 million hectares of primary tropical foreststhe most biodiverse and carbon-dense type of foresthave been destroyed per year. An even larger area of secondary forest is cleared or degraded.

In recognition of World Rainforest Day 2020, which was launched in 2017 by Rainforest Partnership, below is a brief look at the state of the worlds largest remaining tropical rainforests.

Note: All figures below are based on 2020 data from the University of Maryland (UMD) and World Resources Institute (WRI) using a 30% canopy cover threshold. Tree cover loss does not account for regrowth, reforestation, or afforestation.

The Amazon is the worlds largest and best known tropical rainforest. As measured by primary forest extent, the Amazon rainforest is more than three times larger than that of the Congo Basin, the worlds second largest rainforest. The Amazon rainforest accounts for just over a third of tree cover across the tropics.

The Amazon River, which drains an area nearly the size of the forty-eight contiguous United States, is the worlds biggest river. It carries more than five times the volume of the Congo or twelve times that of the Mississippi. By one estimate, 70% of South Americas GDP is produced in areas that receive rainfall generated by the Amazon rainforest. This includes South Americas agricultural breadbasket and some of its largest cities.

Due to its size, the Amazon leads all tropical forest areas in terms of its annual area of forest loss. Between 2002 and 2019, more than 30 million hectares of primary forest was cleared in the region, or about half the worlds total tropical primary forest loss during that period.

The Amazon is thought to house more than half the worlds uncontacted tribes living in voluntary isolation from the rest of humanity. However the vast majority of indigenous peoples in the Amazon live in cities, towns, and villages.

Extent: 628 million hectares of tree cover, including 526 million hectares of primary forest, in 2020.

Major countries: About 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest lies within the borders of Brazil; the balance is found in parts of Peru (13%), Colombia (8%), Venezuela (6%), Bolivia (6%), Guyana (3%), Ecuador (2%), and Suriname (2%), as well as French Guiana (1%), a department of France.

Most famous species: Jaguar; tapir; capybara; river dolphins; various monkeys and parrots. Bulk numbers: more than 40,000 plant species, including 16,000 tree species; 3,000 fish; 1,300 birds, 1,000 amphibians; 430 mammals, and 400 reptiles.

Deforestation trend: Rising in most countries, led by Brazil. The Amazon lost over 30 million hectares of primary forest (5.5% of the 2001 extent) and 44.5 million hectares of tree cover (6.6%) between 2002 and 2019.

The second largest block of tropical rainforest is found in the Congo Basin, which drains an area of 3.7 million square kilometers. The majority of the Congo rainforest lies within the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which accounts for 60 percent of Central Africas lowland primary forest. Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Equatorial Guinea account for nearly all the rest of the Congo Basin rainforest.

Until the early 2010s, deforestation in the Congo Basin was relatively low. War and chronic political instability, poor infrastructure, and lack of large-scale industrial agriculture help limit forest loss in the region. Most deforestation was driven by subsistence activities, though degradation due to logging was substantial. The situation is changing however: deforestation has been trending sharply upward in recent years.

Extent: 288 million hectares of tree cover, including 168 million hectares of primary forest, in 2020.

Major countries: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) (60% of the Congos primary forest), Gabon (13%), Republic of the Congo (12%), Cameroon (10%), Central African Republic (3%), and Equatorial Guinea (1%).

Most famous species: Forest elephants; okapi; great apes including gorillas, bonobos, and chimps.

Deforestation trend: Deforestation is rising rapidly though it remains lower on a percentage basis than other major forest regions. The Congo lost over 6 million hectares of primary forest (3.5% of the 2001 extent) and 13.5 million hectares of tree cover (4.5%) between 2002 and 2019.

The Australiasian rainforest includes tropical forests on the island of New Guinea and northeastern Australia as well as scattered islands that were connected when sea levels dropped during that last ice age. As a consequence of this linkage, both land masses have common assemblages of plants and animals, while conspicuously lacking groups found on islands further west. For example, cats, monkeys, and civets are absent from New Guinea and Australia, but both have an unusually high diversity of marsupials like kangaroos, wallabies, cuscuses, and opossums.

Virtually all this regions primary tropical rainforest is on the island of New Guinea, which is roughly split between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

New Guinea is the most linguistically diverse island on the planet with some 800 languages. There are believed to be a few uncontacted groups in remote parts of New Guinea.

Among major forest areas, Australiasia had the second lowest rate of primary forest loss since 2001, but deforestation is trending upward due to logging and conversion for plantations.

Extent: 89 million hectares of tree cover, including 64 million hectares of primary forest, in 2020.

Major countries: Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua (51% of the regions primary forest), Papua New Guinea (49%), and Australia (under 1%).

Most famous species: Tree kangaroos; cassowaries; giant ground pigeons; saltwater crocodiles.

Deforestation trend: Deforestation is rising rapidly due to plantation agriculture, especially oil palm. The Indonesian part of New Guinea lost 605,000 hectares of primary forest since 2002 (1.8% of its 2001 cover), while PNG lost 732,000 hectares (2.2%). New Guinea is seen as the last frontier for large-scale agroindustrial expansion in Indonesia.

Sundaland includes the islands of Borneo, Sumatra, and Java, among others as well as Peninsular Malaysia. Most of the regions remaining forest is on the island of Borneo, which is divided politically between Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Sundaland lost the worlds largest share of primary forest cover between 2002 and 2019. Borneo lost 15% of such forests, while Sumatra lost 25%. Deforestation for oil palm and timber plantations, as well as fires set for land-clearing, are the biggest drivers of deforestation. However deforestation has been slowing since the mid-2010s.

Extent: 103 million hectares of tree cover, including 51 million hectares of primary forest, in 2020.

Major countries: Indonesia (73% of the regions primary forest cover) and Malaysia (26%). Brunei and Singapore have less than 1% of the regions forests.

Most famous species: Elephants; orangutans; two species of rhino; tigers; various hornbill and monkey species.

Deforestation trend: Deforestation is the highest of any major forest region, but trending downward. Between 2002 and 2019, Borneo lost 5.8 million hectares of primary forest (15% of 2001 cover), Sumatra 3.8 million hectares (25%), and Peninsular Malaysia 726,000 hectares (14%). Indonesia accounted for 75% of primary forest loss in the region, compared with 25% for Malaysia.

The Indo-Burma region includes a mix of tropical forest types, from mangroves to lowland rainforests to seasonal forests. Historical large-scale forest loss due to human population pressure means that surviving forests in this region are more fragmented than other regions mentioned so far. Most of the regions tree cover consists of plantations, crops, and secondary forests.

The largest extent of primary forests in this region are in Myanmar, which has about one-third of the total area.

Indo-Burma lost about 8% of its primary forests and 12% of its tree cover since 2001. Cambodia accounted for more than a third of the regions primary forest loss during this period.

Extent: 139 million hectares of tree cover, including 40 million hectares of primary forest, in 2020.

Major countries: Myanmar (34% of the regions primary forest cover), Laos (19%), Vietnam (15%), Thailand (14%), Cambodia (8%), far eastern India (6%), and parts of southern China (4%).

Most famous species: Elephants; two species of rhino; tigers; gibbons; leopards.

Deforestation trend: The rate of primary forest loss was roughly flat over the past 20 years, while tree cover loss is accelerating. Cambodia accounted for 34% of primary forest loss, followed by Laos (21%), Vietnam (18%), and Myanmar (16%). Cambodia lost over 28% of its 2001 primary forest cover over the period as natural forests were increasingly converted to plantations and industrial projects.

Mesoamerican rainforests extend from southern Mexico to southern Panama. Costa Ricas rainforests are arguably the best known in the region thanks to its world-famous ecotourism industry, but the country ranks fifth in terms of primary forest cover.

Extent: 51 million hectares of tree cover, including 16 million hectares of primary forest, in 2020.

Major countries: Mexico (39% of Mesoamericas primary forest cover), Guatemala (13%), Honduras (11%), Panama (11%), Nicaragua (10%), and Costa Rica (9%).

Most famous species: Jaguar; puma; tapir; peccary.

Deforestation trend: The rate of primary forest loss and tree cover loss accelerated toward the end of the 2010s driven by increasing incidence of fire, coupled with conversion of forests for cattle pasture, plantations, and smallholder agriculture. Mexico (534,000 hectares of primary forest loss), Guatemala (480,000), and Nicaragua (460,000) lost the greatest area of primary forest between 2002 and 2019. Costa Rica lost less than 2% of its primary forest during the period. In contrast, Nicaragua lost nearly 30%.

Wallacea represents a biogeographic oddity. When sea levels fell during the last ice age, islands to the west of this area joined continental Asia, while islands to the east got connected to land mass formed from Australia and New Guinea. As a result, Wallacea today has an unusual mix of species, drawing plant and animal groups from both regions, but also having high levels of endemism.

Extent: 24.4 million hectares of tree cover, including 14.6 million hectares of primary forest, in 2020.

Major countries: Indonesia. More than 60% of Wallaceas primary forest cover is on the island of Sulawesi. The Maluku islands account for 34%.

Most famous species: Babirusa; tarsiers and various monkeys; hornbills; cuscuses.

Deforestation trend: The rate of primary forest loss and tree cover loss jumped in 2015 and 2016 following a particularly bad fire season. Deforestation for industrial plantations, including oil palm and coconut, increased in the 2010s.

The Guinean Forests of West Africa consists of the lowland tropical forests that extend from Liberia and Sierra Leone to the Nigeria-Cameroon border. These forests have been greatly diminished by agriculture, including subsistence farming by small-holders and commercial cacao, timber, and oil palm plantations.

Extent: 42 million hectares of tree cover, including 10.2 million hectares of primary forest, in 2020.

Major countries: Liberia (41% of the regions primary forest cover), Cameroon (17%), Nigeria (17%), Cte dIvoire (10%), and Ghana (10%).

Most famous species: Gorillas and chimps; pygmy hippo; various monkey species.

Deforestation trend: The rate of primary forest loss has been rising since the mid 2000s. Tree cover loss sharply accelerated in the 2010s. While Cte dIvoire accounted for only an eighth of the regions primary forest cover in 2001, it had nearly 40% of total primary forest loss between 2002 and 2019. The country lost about a third of its total primary forests in less than 20 years.

The Atlantic Forest once extended from northeastern Brazil into the hinterlands of Argentina and Paraguay. Today it has been greatly reduced by agriculture and urbanization. Most of the tree cover in this region is crops, plantations, or secondary forests.

Extent: 89 million hectares of tree cover, including 9.3 million hectares of primary forest, in 2020.

Major countries: Brazil (86% of the regions primary forest cover), Argentina (9.5%), and Paraguay (4%).

Most famous species: Jaguar; Puma; Golden Lion Tamarin; Howler monkeys.

Deforestation trend: The rate of primary forest loss in the Atlantic Forestknown as the Mata Atlntica in Brazilhas slowed since the 20th century, with annual deforestation remaining relatively flat.

The Choc rainforest extends from southern Panama and along the Pacific Coast of South America through Colombia and Ecuador. It is the worlds wettest rainforest and has the lowest deforestation rate of any of the regions covered in this post. The Choc is home to both Amerindian tribes and Afroindigenous or maroon communities.

Extent: 15.6 million hectares of tree cover, including 8.4 million hectares of primary forest, in 2020.

Major countries: Colombia (79% of the regions primary forest cover), Panama (13%), and Ecuador (8%).

Most famous species: Jaguar; Puma; various monkeys.

Deforestation trend: Primary forest loss in the Choc amounted to 1.4% of its 2001 extent between 2002 and 2019. Ecuador and Panama accounted for a disproportionately large share of this loss.

This list is limited to the ten largest rainforests. Missing the cut are the forests of the Eastern Himalayas; East Melanesian Islands; the Philippines; Indian Ocean islands, including Madagascar; Eastern Afromontane; the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka; the Caribbean; and Polynesia-Micronesia.

The learn more about rainforests, please see the rainforests section of Mongabay, Mongabay-Kids, our rainforests news feed, or our Rainforests decade in review.

Read more:
The world's great rainforests - Mongabay.com

Australian Greens

The NSW Environment Minister must act upon alarming new evidence by WWF that estimates that 90 percent of some native species were wiped out by bushfires by immediately protecting more threatened species habitat, says Cate Faehrmann, Greens MP and spokesperson for the environment.

The report by Eco-Logical consultants, prepared for WWF Australia, comprises the results of extensive fauna surveys of Gibraltar Range and Torrington State Conservation Area in North-East NSW.

Even before the bushfires, NSW was in the grips of an extinction crisis, but the massive loss of native animals over the summer has pushed our wildlife to the brink, says Ms Faehrmann.

Despite this the Government continues to allow logging of native forests and clearing of threatened species habitat for development, while land clearing on farmland continues virtually unchecked.

The numbers in this report are clear: unless destruction of unburnt threatened species habitat stops, the Premier and Environment Minister are signing death warrants for our precious native animals like the koala.

The Government needs to introduce watertight protections for threatened species habitat now including expanding the national park estate and increasing protection for native vegetation on private land.

We also need to see a massive government stimulus package to restore habitat and create thousands of jobs by employing people to plant trees, restore forests and rehabilitate the land.

The only way to stop some of our most precious native animals becoming extinct is by taking strong action now. Sitting on your hands doing nothing to save our wildlife and their remaining habitat after the bushfires is as good as giving a green light to their extinction, said Ms Faehrmann.

Excerpt from:
Protect More Land After Fires or Face Mass Extinction in NSW - Mirage News

Our system, most specifically members of Congress, have been handed an opportunity to finally get this right. All of us should insist that they do just that, and with all deliberate speed.

Dreamers, by the policy definition of President Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, are people who were brought illegally to the United States from another nation, mostly in Central and South America, when they were children.

They are, by definition, innocent bystanders in our nations bitter and often cruel immigration policy disputes. In general, they are as American as any of us, in many cases speaking only English, fully steeped in American culture. They are students at, or graduates of, our schools and universities, members or veterans of our armed forces, and have no memory of or connections with the land of their birth.

The sitting president has, at times, exhibited sympathy for the plight of the Dreamers and, at other times, shown brutal disdain for their hopes and humanity. His Department of Homeland Security issued a policy order aimed overturning DACA and clearing the way for deporting hundreds of thousands of them to nations where they would be lost and alone.

In its 5-4 ruling Thursday, the court made a point of saying that it was offering no opinion on whether DACA or its reversal was the better policy. The opinion from Chief Justice John Roberts, joined by the four members of the courts liberal wing, was based on the letter of a law requiring such decisions to hew to a set of procedural requirements which, the chief found, the administration failed to do.

The administration did not even consider the fact that many thousands of people living in the United States had made serious life plans -- going to college, launching businesses, starting families -- based on the promise of DACA. Many of them are the essential workers who have powered us through the COVID-19 pandemic, and suffered a disproportionate share of its damage.

Taking away that lifeboat without at least going through the required steps made the removal of DACA, in lawyer-speak, arbitrary and capricious, and therefore void.

The bad news is that the court has provided the administration with a road map to cancel DACA again, and this time make it stick, by laying out the whys and wherefores of its move in a way that will be no less cruel but much better able to stand up to judicial review.

Unless Congress moves quickly to pass a bill making DACA, or policy very much like it, not just an executive pronouncement but the law of the land. Such a bill passed the House of Representatives on a vote of 237-187, but has yet to be taken up by the Senate.

Rep. Ben McAdams, the lone Democrat in the Utah delegation, rightly voted for that measure. Rep. John Curtis joined the two other Republican House members from Utah in opposing it, yet he spoke Thursday of an opportunity to finally resolve the issue.

Utahs senators, Mitt Romney and Mike Lee, have offered little that is hopeful on the matter. Romney has yet to walk back any of his remarks about being more of an immigration hard-liner even than the president. And Lee, as is his wont, is droning on about Obamas executive overreach.

But offering DACA protection, and adding a legal path to citizenship, is an idea supported by the public, by long-time champions of immigration reform such as Utahs former Sen. Orrin Hatch, as well as politicians at all levels and of all ideological stripes and business interests that include the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and top management at Apple and Microsoft.

It could be said that the Supreme Court punted on this issue, kicking it back to the democratic process where it belongs. Good.

Now, let us show the wisdom and humanity that democracy is capable of, and welcome the Dreamers, once and for all time.

View post:
Tribune Editorial: Make DACA the law of the land - Salt Lake Tribune

In 11-plus years covering the Yankees, Ive been lucky to chronicle my share of incredible performances, memorable games for reasons good and bad and, yes, the bizarre involving baseballs winningest franchise.

But one entry immediately comes to mind when it comes to craziest of all, and the Yankees were not a part of it.

Instead, we go north of the border for the Jose Bautista bat-flip game, a wild free-for-all of a playoff series-deciding game between the Blue Jays and Rangers at Torontos cacophonous Rogers Centre.

It included a near-riot by the hometown fans, a game protest by the home-team manager, three consecutive errors by the visiting team and a pair of bench-clearing incidents and all of the above occurred in a 53-minute seventh inning that remains difficult to fully or adequately describe.

In October 2015, with the Yankees having been eliminated in the AL wild-card game by Dallas Keuchel and the Astros, I was assigned the ALDS between the AL East-winning Blue Jays and the AL West-winning Rangers.

It was a series for the most part contested in anonymity at least as far as New York was concerned. Appropriately so, as the Mets were about to embark on an impressive postseason run that would land them in the World Series for the first time since 2000.

Rangers-Blue Jays already had a bit of everything before Game 5, including the road team winning each of the first four games.

Torontos reputation as a friendly city is well-earned, but its no secret among visiting teams that all that pleasantness does not extend inside Rogers Centre.

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Certainly not on this Wednesday afternoon, with most of the sellout crowd of 49,742 already in their seats well before the 4:07 p.m. first pitch and creating a din.

The Rangers were not intimidated, and the score was tied at 2 entering the top of the seventh.

Blue Jays righty Aaron Sanchez relieved former Patchogue-Medford High School star Marcus Stroman, who allowed two runs and six hits in six innings, and the Rangers Rougned Odor led off with a single before reaching third with two outs.

With Shin-Soo Choo at bat, Sanchezs 1-and-2 pitch was a ball.

Then, chaos.

Catcher Russell Martins return throw to the mound clipped Choos bat and skipped away. Odor sprinted home and initially was sent back by plate umpire and crew chief Dale Scott.

Rangers manager Jeff Banister, a former minor-league catcher, calmly argued that the ball was live, and, according to little-known Rule 6.03 (a) (3), indeed it was. Scott correctly changed the call and the Rangers led 3-2, prompting an 18-minute on-field argument, accompanied by a torrent of garbage, including water bottles and beer cans, raining down.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons protested the game. More debris from above.

Perhaps impacted by the palpable hostility of the crowd in real time, one couldnt help but wonder just how ugly it might end up being if the Blue Jays lost by that 3-2 score the Rangers shockingly committed three straight errors to load the bases to start the bottom of the seventh.

Toronto pushed the tying run across and righty Sam Dyson came on to face Bautista, who obliterated a 97-mph fastball to leftfield to give the Blue Jays a 6-3 lead. Bautista accentuated the blow with what still is considered the gold standard of bat flips. Rogers Centre resembled the inside of a jet engine, and another hailstorm of refuse, this time in celebration, came from the upper levels.

Dyson and the next batter, Edwin Encarnacion, began jawing, causing a bench-clearing incident. Another followed when, after fouling out to end the inning, Troy Tulowitzki and catcher Chris Gimenez startedyelling at each other.

Somehow, the final two innings were without incident and Toronto was in the ALCS.

Insane was just one of the words used in the victorsclubhouse afterward.

Absolutely crazy, Tulowitzki said.

The craziest.

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.

Read more:
From the Press Box: The Bautista bat-flip game - Newsday

Between Busselton and Bunbury stands Ludlow Tuart Forest, the largest remaining forest of its kind in the world with trees soaring more than 33m into the sky.

But while tall and mighty, the tuarts are facing a conservation crisis, last year listed as critically endangered following decades of land clearing, the timber industry, farming and urban sprawl restricting the population to ever smaller pockets.

Despite the pouring rain last week, volunteers from across the region came out in droves to plant some 50,000 seedlings to restore stands of the iconic South West species.

Organised by the passionate volunteers behind the Ludlow Tuart Forest Restoration Group who last year planted 17,000 seedlings with the help of 400 school children and 100 community members they hope one day the forest will return to its former glory.

Its very significant that this section is protected, president Evelyn Taylor said.

Its the only tuart forest in the world and were down to 3,000ha it was 110,000ha originally so weve used 97 per cent of this forest.

But due to the coronavirus pandemic and associated restrictions, Mrs said they were unable to use school groups and were calling on the community to donate their time over the next couple of weeks to help out.

Vice president Des Donnelly who first came to Ludlow in 1972 as the district forester has been a driving force behind the project and hoped within 10-15 years, tuarts would dominate once more and the weeds that had invaded over the years would take a back seat.

Its going to take 100 years but if we dont start we wont get there.

If we can get the tuarts established all of the other plants that go along with the tuart forest will start to come back. Theres a lot of native plants still here, they just need space to grow and some cover.

Anyone wanting to get involved can contact the Ludlow Tuart Forest Restoration Group on Facebook.

Read more from the original source:
Volunteers called to help plant 50,000 seedlings in fight to conserve Ludlow Tuart Forest - The West Australian

THE discussion whether to remove certain statues and/or change certain street names that celebrate those people who were involved in the slave trade is taking place throughout the UK. It has taken the loss of life and reassessing historical fact to get to this stage.

Money and power for the wealthy came from those who bought and sold black human beings to work on their plantations. In return they ploughed some of their profits into bricks and mortar in their home cities. All this at the expense of indigenous people they slaughtered. Yet we glorify the British Empire and those who brought it about by raising statues and street names to people who have shamed Scotland and indeed humanity.

The indigenous population of the Highlands were not immune to suffering at the hands of such people looking to acquire even more wealth. Here in the Highlands we have a massive statue of the Duke of Sutherland on the top of Beinn aBhragaidh in memory to such a man.

READ MORE:Operation Legacy: How Britain is dealing with its dark past

In early 1996 the local Council Planning Committee refused an application to dismantle the Duke of Sutherlands statue. During discussion of the issue, it became apparent that a number of the local residents of Golspie were of the view that the statue should remain in place. If the people who were cleared from the Sutherland estate had been black and that planning application was being considered today it would have been approved and that statue would rightly be removed.

The first Duke of Sutherland held more titles than Alex Ferguson has won football silverware. He was the second Marquis of Stafford, an MP and one of the richest men in England. His family originated from Yorkshire and married into a wealthy Stafford family of French descent. In due course, the second Marquis married the Ban mhorair Chataibh, the great lady of Sutherland, who was five feet tall and 27 years of age. Her heart was as cold as the sandstone on top of Beinn aBhragaidh.

It is interesting to note that after Culloden the Duke of Cumberland and the Duke of Newcastle gave serious consideration to clearing and removing the inhabitants of the Highland glens to the colonies, but this was thought to be unmanageable and unrealistic and the easier option burning their homes, destroying their crops and driving away or killing their cattle was taken. The genocide of the Highlanders was government policy.

READ MORE:Education Secretary John Swinney spells out the Government's schools strategy

In other words what the Duke of Cumberland could not achieve, the first Duke of Sutherland achieved in the areas he controlled. He was not the first or last Highland laird to clear his people but he was certainly the most successful.

When he died, his wife decided to erect two statues in England and one on top of Beinn aBhragaidh to honour the achievements of this man who had made a desert of the land which he had acquired through marriage and by betraying the people whose families had lived on that land for centuries.

The statue was raised in honour of a fiend who betrayed and cleared the people from the land simply for profit and that is why it should come down. At the time of the Clearances Golspie was inhabited mainly by incomers from the south who witnessed at first hand the desperate state of some of the Highlanders who were called to Golspie to hear their fate. While many people in Golspie wished to help, they too were at the mercy of the Duke, unlike the churchmen who chose to betray their flocks again for profit.

The statue is an affront to the memory of not only the Sutherland Highlanders who were cleared but to all Highlanders who suffered the same fate. Winifred Ewing MEP attended a debate in Golspie in 1995. At that debate the majority of local people did not want the statue removed. Winnie is on record stating that in her view it was like having a statue of Hitler outside Auschwitz.

Bill ClarkBanavie

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Why is no-one talking about the Duke of Sutherland's statue? - The National

The Gardens, at one point a 3,966-home and apartment development planned for the two sides of John Anderson Highway in Flagler County, is again seeking regulatory approval from county planners Wednesday, but as a development a fraction of its former size: 453 homes, or within the limit the county had approved for that land, when it was owned by a different developer, in 2005.

The latest plan also calls for 231,000 square feet of commercial and retail space, and multi-family, or apartment, use, and 1,200 acres for public services and preservation, with the very first phase of the development consisting of 350 single family homes.

The remaining areas in the Residential/Golf area is noted as future development which could include the golf course and other amenities, the 100,000 square feet of private commercial, the remaining residential homes, or some combination of all, Michael Chiumento, the developers attorney, wrote the county attorney on June 5. His memo also noted that a traffic study concludes that there are no traffic issues associated with this first phase of development.

The Gardens representatives and county officials have been working for months and through various delays, the latest caused by the coronavirus emergency, to arrive at a so-called Planned Unit Development proposal that could win the countys approval at the first official regulatory stepthe Technical Review Committeeand move on to the planning board, then to the county commission.

The TRC meets at 9 Wednesday. After previous rejections of The Gardens plans, the TRC this time is expected to approve the PUD (if not the developments preliminary plat for 350 units), clearing the way for the application to go before the planning board in August and the county commission in early SEptember, and leaving room for another appearance before the TRC in July, if necessary. Thats a possibility, if The Gardens representatives decide on Wednesday to split their application over two meetings, with the PUD part getting heard Wednesday and the preliminary plat application getting heard next month.

Either way, the prospects for the development this time appear brighter than they have in the past, but with one key question unresolved: will Flagler Breach provide utilities to the development? They are attempting to clarify their role, Adam Mengle, the countys planning director, said of Flagler Beach. Under contingency rules, the city must provide utilities to the development if the county is ultimately to approve it. Otherwise, approval will be withheld.

A letter to The Gardens from the Flagler Beach administrator had previously suggested, in language just short of explicit, that the city would provide utilities on an as-available basis. The city has since been prevaricating over that letter, while the city commission has faced repeated opposition to The Gardens from residents, who fear that extending utilities to John Anderson Highway would be tantamount to inheriting a new neighborhood, changing the complexion of the city and affecting utility costs for years to come.

Gardens officials, for their part, have been arguing that in exchange for utilities, the development would pay for some of the citys critically needed upgrades and would help the city meet a 2030 deadline, by which time it will be barred from dumping millions of gallons of treated effluent into the Intracoastal, as it now dows. The Gardens, in other words, is positioning itself as a bridge to a more environmentally responsible city. (Ken Belshe, the lead applicant for The Gardens, is a director with SunBelt Land Management, which developed Palm Coast Plantation along Colbert Lane.)

We know a new plan will require great attention to detail and planning and we intend to develop it slowly, over 25 to 30 years, Belshe had written in these pages exactly a year ago, when the proposal was still for nearly 4,000 units, in other words, over a generation or more with input from our local governments and others and in accordance with multiple regulatory agencies at the state and federal levels whose jobs are to regulate land development and protect endangered species and wetlands. No developer in todays regulatory environment can develop any property without strict oversight by these agencies, with severe penalties for violations.

Scaling back the project has not necessarily satisfied the opposition, which centers around a group called Preserve Flagler Beach and Bulow Creek. Its members include former County Commissioner Barbara Revels and current Flagler Beach City Commission member Ken Bryan. (who faces a defamation lawsuit from SunBelt over statements B ryan made at a community meeting on the development.)

The developer insists the new plans for the 825 acres are consistent with what was approved in 2005 for the previous owner and all the entitlements belong with the land, the opposition group said in a June 3 statement. The activists support the county attorneys opinion that the spirit of the 2005 plan has not been kept and a new approval process needs to be filed. It added: Another Master Plan issue is the placement of 353 residential homes on the east side of John Anderson Highway and 118 homes on the west side for a total of 453 homes on 211.7 acres rather than the approved lower density of 453 homes placed on 1,305 acres of the original plan. See the groups complete comments on the proposal here.

Nevertheless, the tone and substance of the groups opposition is not as adamant as it was when the project was flirting with 4,000 units.

The Technical Review Committee Meeting will be streamed via ZOOM: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89798424272

Or iPhone one-tap : US: +13126266799, 89798424272# or +19292056099, 89798424272#

Or Telephone: Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 312 626 6799 or +1 929 205 6099 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782

Comments may be submitted prior to the meeting by email to: [emailprotected]

While the Technical Review Committee is open to the public, it is not a public hearing: public comment will not be heard.

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Scaled Back Gardens Development, at 453 Homes, Expected to Clear Regulatory Hurdle - FlaglerLive.com

People are being urged to report fly-tipping after two shocking incidents enraged Auchterhouse residents at the weekend.

Dumped commercial waste completely blocked a quiet road between Auchterhouse and Newtyle yesterday just a day after rubbish from a picnic and a gazebo was found dumped in nearby Dronley Woods.

Councillor Beth Whiteside, who represents the Monifieth and Sidlaw area on Angus Council, said some of the sources of the waste can be identified in among the rubbish, and she hopes that means someone can be prosecuted.

She told the Tele: It is shocking. This is clearly not someone getting rid of just a few bits and pieces this is business waste that has been transported and dumped, which is really worrying.

Someone has taken the trouble to come from Dundee out to a quiet road like this and thinks it is acceptable to discard a whole load of waste, even though recycling centres have reopened.

It is obviously someone wanting to avoid the costs associated with dumping it properly and that is unfair on local residents.

Ms Whiteside added: I have contacted the council to have it uplifted. Some of the sources of the rubbish are identifiable, so hopefully whoever has dumped it can be pursued and prosecuted because this is unacceptable.

This happens here quite a lot and on this occasion the council will clear it up because it is on a road but it often happens on farmers private land and they are left to clear it up themselves.

Ms Whiteside urged residents to report all incidents of fly-tipping even on private land so authorities have a clear picture of how big the problem is in the area.

Her call comes after Dronley Woods which is owned by a community group was littered with rubbish and a gazebo at the weekend.

Ms Whiteside said: Why would people do this? It is ridiculous.

Again, the council has been informed and is dealing with it but people need to realise this is not acceptable.

A number of local residents took to social media to express their anger and said the area has been blighted by fly-tipping previously.

Steve Scott said: Rubble was dumped on Lundie Road and there was also another incident of dumping at the old railway car park and an illegal party in Dronley Woods last night.

The amount of rubbish and human faeces left was horrendous.

Helen Gewar said: The fines need to be a lot bigger.

Councils should also weigh up the cost of clearing illegally dumped waste against the income they get from charging to drop waste at recycling centres.

It might help to stop this by lifting charges at centres and might help to save our countryside.

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Residents urged to report fly-tipping after two 'shocking' incidents in Angus in one weekend - Evening Telegraph

Around 600 goats in two separate herds are currently grazing their way through parts of the Palos Verdes Peninsula in an effort to reduce fire risk and remove non-native plants.

About 300 goats are hard at work in Lunada Canyon, part of the 1,600 acres the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy has preserved. And another 300 are in a canyon near Grandview Park, in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Goats, officials with the conservancy said, efficiently get rid of weeds while being friendly to the environment as opposed to using machines.

Goats are a really phenomenal way to get into steep areas that often (are) very dangerous for humans to go with machinery, said Adrienne Mohan, the conservancys executive director.

The goats will eat up multiple types of greenery, including the mustard plant and acacia weeds, both of which are not native to the area and are highly invasive. Once a year, the mustard plant flowers and its seeds go wild, said Cris Sarabia, PVPLCs conservation director. The seeds dry up and become a fire risk. So the conservancy tries to remove the mustard plant, as well as other non-native plants, before its seeds are dropped.

The goats will eat up multiple types of greenery, including the mustard plant and acacia weeds, both of which are not native to the area and are highly invasive. Once a year, the mustard plant flowers and its seeds go wild, said Cris Sarabia, PVPLCs conservation director. The seeds dry up and become a fire risk. So the conservancy tries to remove the mustard plant, as well as other non-native plants, before its seeds are dropped.

The conservancy contracts with Fire Grazers Inc. to be the goatherd.

That company also has a contract with Rancho Palos Verdes to provide another 300 goats, which are grazing at a canyon near Grandview Park.

When you got a dense forest of bush or mustard and you cant even begin to walk through it, you say, All right, lets throw 300 goats at it. said Fire Grazers CEO Michael Choi. So you throw the 300 and they clear it out to a point where you can go in and really assess what your plans are going to be moving forward in the future. Its a great first attack against wild brush.

While the goats work at Lunada Canyon focuses on reducing fire hazards and removing non-native species, the conservancy is also preparing for habitat restoration for various at-risk species, including the El Segundo blue butterfly, the Palos Verdes blue butterfly, and several bird species, such as the coastal California gnatcatcher, Sarabia said.

As opposed to just clearing for fuel modification or fire clearance, Sarabia said, we double up on that and make sure that were actually working towards creating more habitat.

Community contributions and individual donors, Mohan said, have helped keep the goats grazing year after year.

We are so thankful for community support and for donors who can enable us to do this habitat restoration work, Mohan said, for not only post-fire fuel abatement, but for the benefit of some endangered species were working to protect.

Choi, for his part, said the goats work is never done. The goats started on the Peninsula the second week of April, Choi said, adding that he expects the work to continue until September. There is also upcoming work in Torrance and Rolling Hills.

Were working all year around, Choi said, because goats never stop eating.

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Goats play important role in fire prevention on the Palos Verdes Peninsula - Palos Verdes Peninsula News