Colorado Wildlife Overpass Cut Vehicle-Animal Collisions By 91%

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Colorado Wildlife Overpass Cut Vehicle-Animal Collisions By 91% (Maria)

The author writes, “Colorado officials have tracked herds of elk, bears, pronghorn, and northern leopard frogs ambling across its new wildlife overpass. According to a newly released report, the overpass, which acts as a bridge over a busy stretch of interstate, has helped cut wildlife-vehicle collisions by 91% since it was completed 10 months ago. The overpass is the centerpiece of a larger system the state built to help wildlife crossing the highway, which also includes miles of 8-foot fencing and five wildlife underpasses.”

US Officials Privately Advise States Fearing Trump Election Meddling (Reader Jim)

The author writes, “A small group of US national security officials has been discreetly advising state governments and congressional lawmakers on how to prepare for the possibility that the Trump administration will attempt to interfere in November’s midterm elections, according to people involved in the effort. The group includes about 10 current and former officials with experience in the Defense Department, some of whom have previously focused on countering authoritarianism abroad. Their efforts are motivated not by political bias, they say, but a growing sense of alarm that President Donald Trump will harm American democracy by undermining the integrity of the vote to keep the Republican Party in power.”

Brad Lander Says He’s Released After Israeli Forces Detained Him During Olive Harvest (Sean)

From The Gothamist: “Brad Lander, the former New York City comptroller and current Democratic nominee for the state’s 10th Congressional District, said Wednesday he’d been detained by the Israel Defense Forces while he was helping Palestinian farmers pick olives in the occupied West Bank. He announced he’d been released just before 10 am Wednesday. In a post on X, Lander said Israeli forces had detained him along with a group of rabbis and volunteers who had been harvesting olives near the village of Nahalin, outside Bethlehem. ‘The occupation is a crime under international law. Harvesting olives isn’t a crime under any law I know,’ he wrote.”

In Rural Pennsylvania, Doctors Confront the Hidden Health Impacts of Environmental Disasters (Laura)

From Inside Climate News: “As the climate warms, fueling more extreme weather, the previously hidden toll of these events is becoming more widespread. Pennsylvania is expected to continue to experience more extreme heat and flooding events, according to the state’s most recent climate assessment. Researchers are beginning to gather more data about how the uptick in extreme weather will affect people’s long-term health — sometimes in unexpected ways.”

Canada Has a New Apple. Its Story Is Bananas (Dana)

From The Walrus: “Apples can last up to ten months in cold storage and are the overachiever of the fruit basket. And we enable it, endlessly pursuing the next best thing, funnelling millions of dollars into better apples. In 2024, the Canadian and Ontario governments jointly invested $4.4 million in fruit-sector innovation, part of which went to helping apple growers replant more than ninety-four acres to meet changing consumer demands and transition to heartier, more pest-resistant, and higher-yield varieties. It’s the most valuable fruit crop in Canada, generating $310 million for Canadian farmers in 2024 and accounting for around 40 percent of total fruit production. Still, we’re a niche player on the world stage. … We need a hit, some great contribution to the apple canon. Some in the Canadian apple industry are betting on the latest innovation — the Sunpunch.”

How a Dancer Lives on $13,500 in East Harlem (Russ)

The author writes, “How can people possibly afford to live in one of the most expensive cities on the planet? It’s a question New Yorkers hear a lot, often delivered with a mix of awe, pity and confusion. We surveyed hundreds of New Yorkers about how they spend, splurge and save. We found that many people — rich, poor or somewhere in between — live life as a series of small calculations that add up to one big question: What makes living in New York worth it?”