Mule Deer in California Already Using Unfinished $20M Wildlife Bridge

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Mule Deer in California Already Using Unfinished $20M Wildlife Bridge (Maria)

The author writes, “A trio of mule deer have already scuttled across a not-quite-finished $20M wildlife bridge in Siskiyou county, marking a triumph for the state’s department of transportation. The bridge, with its accompanying fencing over Route 97, is the first wildlife crossing constructed over a major highway in California. The project’s goal is to improve driver safety and reduce mortality for migrating mule deer, elk and other animals. …  Within the last few days, a camera caught images of three mule deer crossing the bridge.”

Pentagon Likely To Cancel Missile Deal With Germany Over Fears of Russia (Reader Jim)

From Politico: “The Pentagon is expected to cancel a plan to send Tomahawk missiles to Germany partly because officials are concerned Russia will view it as an escalation, a startling reversal of a long-planned agreement with one of America’s biggest allies. U.S. officials fear Moscow will retaliate if the Trump administration follows through on the effort to deploy precision missiles in the middle of the continent, according to two European officials and one American official. But any decision not to deliver them would yank back a deal made during the Biden administration and leave Berlin without defenses German leaders say they desperately need.”

What Trump Delivered for Amazon (Dana)

From Bloomberg: “The feds were pushing a landmark case about Amazon’s control of its contract drivers. Then the president put Amazon’s former lawyer in charge.” 

The Problem With Martin Luther King Jr.’s Origin Story (Al)

The authors write, “For years, we’ve been trying, with some frustration, to identify the white boy who introduced Martin Luther King Jr. to racism. Dr. King told the story himself, first in a college essay, and then again in interviews, until it formed the core of his origin story. It went like this: He was 3 years old … when he made friends with a white boy whose family owned a store across the street from the King family’s home in Atlanta. They played together almost every day. In 1935, when they turned 6 and entered school — ‘separate schools of course,’ Dr. King later wrote — the parents of the white boy told their son he was no longer permitted to play with Mike. Shocked, Mike asked his parents to explain. They sat at the family’s dinner table where ‘for the first time I was made aware of the existence of a race problem,’ he would later write. ‘I had never been conscious of it before.’”

Data Centers Used To Be a Prize. States Are Having Second Thoughts. (Laura)

From E&E News: “Politicians used to compete to lure data centers to their states. They’re starting to reconsider. Tempted by promises of more jobs, tax revenue and the chance to be on the cutting edge of technology, more than three dozen states rolled out the red carpet for data centers in the form of tax breaks and other financial incentives. But now a growing number of states are tempering their enthusiasm. Of the 38 states that currently offer incentives to the data center industry, at least 28 of them have weighed legislation this year to end or shrink those benefits, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, a nonpartisan research group.”

Surprising Research Reveals Why You Shouldn’t Add Bananas to Your Smoothies (Mili)

The author writes, “Researchers found that adding bananas to berry smoothies can dramatically reduce the body’s ability to absorb healthy flavanols. The surprising discovery shows that even simple food combinations can change how much nutrition your body actually gets.” 

Radio Scans Find No Alien Tech From the Latest Interstellar Comet (Reader Steve)

The author writes, “The group leading the charge in the search for extraterrestrial life has given the all clear: An interstellar comet looks to be completely natural and free of any alien tech. The SETI Institute said Wednesday that extensive radio scans by its telescope in Northern California found no signs of otherworldly technology from our solar system’s latest interstellar visitor. The object labeled 3I/Atlas was discovered last summer sweeping through our neck of the cosmic woods. Scientists quickly identified it as a comet that migrated from another star, although a few insisted without evidence it might be associated with intelligent life.”