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Washington legal pot farms get back to work after pesticide concerns halted operations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:22:26 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — A big mound of fresh dirt sits at Terry Taylor’s marijuana farm in the high desert of north-central Washington state. Each hole for a new plant gets filled with the clean soil.Large swaths of recently installed landscape fabric cover the ground, and soon the dirt roads on his property will be covered in crushed rock to keep contaminated dust from covering the crops.Taylor’s pot farm is one of several getting back to business after state regulators halted their operations in April, citing product testing that turned up unacceptable levels of chemicals related to DDT, a synthetic pesticide banned half a century ago. The affected growers haven’t used the pesticide themselves, but they are located on a 5-mile (8-kilometer) stretch of former fruit orchards along the Okanogan River where it was applied heavily and remains in the soil.The Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board announced last week it had lifted the holds on the businesses, which are now taking...

Alabama woman who disappeared after reporting child on highway returns home following two-day search

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:22:26 GMT

HOOVER, Ala. (AP) — A 25-year-old Alabama woman returned home late Saturday after being the focus of a two-day search by police and family members who reported her missing after she stopped to check on a child who was walking along a highway.Police said Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell had returned to the home she shares with her parents in Hoover, AL.com reported late Saturday night.Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said Russell arrived home alone and was brought to a hospital for evaluation, AL.com reported.Russell’s whereabouts were not immediately clear since around 10:45 p.m. Thursday when she called 911 and a family member to say she saw a young child walking on the side of Interstate 459.Police found Russell’s car and her cellphone but were unable to find her or a child in the area.Hoover Police Lt. Daniel Lowe said the family member on the phone with Russell lost contact with her even though the line remained open. A single witness reported possibly seeing a gray...

Weekend Gardening with Tim Joyce: Hydrangeas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:22:26 GMT

Check out Weekend gardening with Tim Joyce where we tackle how to deal with soggy hydrangeas.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

City program to provide opportunity for people with disabilities

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:22:26 GMT

Founder and CEO of Strategy for Access and Fund for the Disabled, Vanessa Harris joins WGN Weekend Morning News to share more on the new program dedicated to recognize those impacting the fields of art, justice, media and storytelling.For more information: 2023 Leaders for a New Chicago — Field Foundation of IllinoisLove the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

What is the flight hack 'skip lagging,' and why you should avoid it

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:22:26 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - Airfare prices have decreased over the last year, but flying can still carry a hefty price, prompting anyone to look for a deal. There is one popular hack, however, that you may want to avoid. According to the latest U.S. Consumer Price Index, airfare decreased roughly 8% in June, continuing a downward trend seen since April. While promising, prices are still about 5% higher than they were before the pandemic.If you’re a bargain hunter and are hoping for a deal on your next flight, you may have come across advice to skip lag.While the name might be a bit confusing, the practice isn’t. Essentially, instead of booking a direct flight, you find a cheaper flight that has a layover at your destination. Will TSA stop you for marijuana in your luggage? The “hack” has other names, including hidden city ticketing and point beyond ticketing. You’ll most likely find those in any airline’s conditions of carriage. That includes American Airlines, Delta, United, and Fronti...

How and why do lightning bugs glow?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:22:26 GMT

(WHTM) - It is a sure sign of summer when you begin to see those lightning bugs (or fireflies) glow across the land. But have you ever wondered how they glow and why? North Carolina State University says these insects are not flies or bugs; they are actually soft-winged beetles that really produce light, an ability called bioluminescence. The university says this is relatively rare in living organisms.To produce this light, fireflies use special organs in their abdomens. There they combine a chemical called luciferin, oxygen and enzymes called luciferases. Scientists believe these insects control the flashing by regulating how much oxygen goes into the organ that produces the light. Every species of lightning bug has its own signaling system, the university says. Males fly around at a certain height during a certain time at night and flash a unique signal. Females sit on the ground waiting for the males. When a female sees a male sending out a signal specific to her species, she wil...

What's Texas' hottest day on record?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:22:26 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — We're just shy of a month into summer but you may already be longing for a break from the heat. Here in Texas, August is typically the hottest month. But you can guarantee there will be some scorchers before then.But have you ever wondered: What was the hottest day ever recorded in Texas? What’s the hottest it’s ever been in Texas? The hottest maximum temperature ever recorded in Texas happened twice: First on August 12, 1936, in Seymour, northwest of Dallas, and again on June 28, 1994, in Monahans, a city near Odessa, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The recorded high that day was 120° — that’s hotter than the 113° August average for Furnace Creek in Death Valley. Does turning the air conditioning off when you’re not home save energy? Even though 120° is hot as heck, it’s still nowhere near as hot as the highest recorded in the U.S. — that record belongs to Greenland Ranch, California, where the temperature hit 134° back on July 10,...

Jerome Johnson: Rethink Summit Avenue (and I-94) to save Summit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:22:26 GMT

St. Paul city council’s recent approval of the one-size-fits-all Summit Avenue bike trail was disappointing, as much for its flawed justification logic as for its puzzling failure to consider safer, more pervasive and more egalitarian trail network alternatives.It defies logic that the approved off-street “on-boulevard” trail could be faster or materially safer for cyclists than existing on-street bike lanes when it will have just as many street and driveway crossings, where collisions occur, and just as many signalized intersections.   And how is replacing a Summit Avenue trail, functionally in-kind, deemed equitable while less affluent Rondo area locales remain conspicuously underserved by sustainable mobility alternatives?Met Council can stop this charade by withholding regional trail network funding.  MNDOT can contribute by accommodating a true regional trail within its “Rethinking I-94” initiative.  And St. Paul can follow suit by “Rethinking Summit” into a less intrusive, mor...

Letters: Sad to see litter and broken glass in downtown St. Paul

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:22:26 GMT

Basic needs firstI was not surprised by the “This once-great city” Letter to the Editor in Thursday’s paper.My husband and I visited the St. Paul Farmer’s Market last weekend. We were saddened to see streets and sidewalks filled with litter and even broken glass.I was born in the city and my family has a long history there. It is disturbing to see the downtown looking so uncared for and unloved. Why would anyone want to live there or even visit?The letter writer mentions the proposed bike pathway on Summit Avenue, which would cost millions of dollars.As a child I was taught that before splurging on “extras” like vacations, you first had to make sure your basic needs were provided for.You can spend millions to create a fancy “extra” bike path.  But if it’s in the middle of a dirty city, I suspect your priorities are misplaced.Lael Belisle, White Bear LakeJust a plea for basic empathyPolitical correctness in American politics mainly refers to the conscious act of uph...

Denver weather: National Weather Service issues heat advisory for Front Range

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:22:26 GMT

Denver will see sunny skies and temperatures in the low 90s Sunday before the thermometer creeps closer to 100 degrees on Monday, according to the National Weather Service at Boulder.The agency issued a heat advisory for Denver and the entire I-25 corridor that will be in place from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday. Temperatures on Monday are expected to reach about 99 degrees across the region, which the weather service warned could be dangerous for people who spend time outside.Sunday’s weather will be hot but not quite that hot — city temperatures should top out at about 92 degrees, the weather service predicted. Denver residents can expect clear, sunny skies.Related ArticlesWeather | Denver weather: Chance for p.m. showers and storms, scorching heat on the way Weather | Denver weather: Sunny and warm, possible afternoon/evening storms, ahead of intense heat Sunday Weather | Denver weather: Hot and sunny, possible brief afternoon rai...