Environment
As winters warm, falling through the ice is becoming more common — and deadly
Elmer Brown was following two friends on his four-wheeler last November, hunting caribou across a frozen channel in northern Alaska when the ice gave way. All three plunged into the frigid water. One friend drowned, and Brown, 45, later died of hypothermia, leaving behind five children.
Trump administration completes land exchange for copper mine, over Apache tribe’s objections
The Trump administration officially completed a land exchange with a copper mining firm, brushing aside objections from the Western Apache that the mining would destroy a sacred site in Arizona.
EPA to handle Potomac River water testing after sewer pipe burst
The Environmental Protection Agency said Monday it is taking over water quality testing in the Potomac River after a major sewer pipeline ruptured and sent roughly 250 million gallons of human waste into the waterway.
Apache tribe members urge Supreme Court to protect sacred land from U.S. mine deal
Members of the Western Apache tribe rushed to the Supreme Court on Monday seeking an emergency order to block a proposed land transfer to a mining company, saying it would destroy a sacred tribal place in Arizona.
Is spring really — finally — here?
It's far from clear if the weather is planning to cooperate, but spring arrives - technically, at least - Friday.
Scientists made a breakthrough in the study of whale sounds. Here’s a look at the numbers
Researchers on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, recently discovered the oldest known recordings of whale sounds and believe the discovery could help understand how the animals communicate.
Oldest known whale recording could unlock mysteries of the ocean
A haunting whale song discovered on decades-old audio equipment could open up a new understanding of how the huge animals communicate, according to researchers who say it's the oldest such recording known.
Mezcal’s popularity is booming in the U.S. That comes with a growing environmental cost in Mexico
Thirty years ago, a single light bulb would illuminate the mezcal distillery owned by Gladys Sanchez Garnica's family in rural Oaxaca, where the agave-based spirit was made through the night. As drops dripped from a clay oven, Garnica and her siblings listened to stories told by their parents while neighbors arrived by horse to get a taste of a drink known for its smoky flavor.
Severe storms pummel parts of U.S. with snow and high winds and raise tornado threat
Successive punches of snow and wind were impacting the eastern half of the United States on Monday as severe weather swept across much of the nation, making roads impassable in the Upper Midwest and canceling more than 2,000 flights nationwide.
Gulf investors seen likely to keep funding Africa renewable energy despite the Iran war
Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds and state-backed companies are unlikely to scale back renewable energy investments in Africa despite disruptions from the Iran war, analysts say, given the strong long-term economic and strategic reasons driving such funding.
Snow and wind batter parts of U.S., with threat of thunderstorms and tornadoes starting later Sunday
A broad and erratic patchwork of severe weather rumbled across much of the U.S. on Sunday, dumping heavy snow and making roads impassable in the Upper Midwest while damaging high winds swept across the Plains. Even Hawaii was affected, with parts hit by severe flooding.
High winds cause power outages and property destruction as wild March weather blows in
Hundreds of thousands of people were left without power Saturday after high winds raked eastward from the Great Lakes region, leaving trees down and substantial property damage in their wake. Further west, at least one person died in a massive wind-driven wildfire in Nebraska.
Ruptured pipe fixed after spilling wastewater into Potomac
The sewage pipe rupture that caused millions of gallons of untreated sewage to flow into the Potomac River has been repaired.
![After 10 days of public voting and $58,892.70 raised for conservation, the Asian elephant calf at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is named Linh Mai [LIN-my], which means spirit blossom in Vietnamese. (Photo credit: Roshan Patel, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute)](https://twt-thumbs.washtimes.com/media/image/2026/02/14/Elephant_c0-310-7378-4610_s652x380.jpg?8f2e70af0ca1b9b27cdd83d5c469592c03089603)
National Zoo’s baby elephant Linh Mai to make public debut on Earth Day
Linh Mai, the female elephant calf born at Smithsonian's National Zoo on Feb. 2, will make her first public appearance on Earth Day, April 22.
Construction finishes on a major offshore wind farm, the first during Trump’s tenure
Construction is finished on a major Massachusetts offshore wind farm, the first project to reach this stage during President Donald Trump's time in office.
Raucous bird tornado touches down as snow geese make annual flight to Arctic
A few dozen birdwatchers gathered in the predawn darkness to wait for the moment when thousands of migrating snow geese stopped honking and preening to suddenly take flight from a Pennsylvania reservoir.
U.S. forecasts blizzard, polar vortex, heat dome and atmospheric river all at once
Nearly every part of the United States is getting walloped by wild weather or just about to be.
Winter heat wave sends temperatures into the 90s in Southern California
With spring still a week away, it was already starting to feel like summer Thursday in Southern California as temperatures topped 90 degrees (32 Celsius) - an unusual March heat wave that forecasters warned could put people at higher risk for illness.
Justice Dept. sues California over zero-emission vehicle targets
The Trump administration is ramping up pressure against California's electric vehicle policies by filing a lawsuit to stop the state from imposing an electric vehicle mandate through state-specific zero-emission vehicle targets for car manufacturers.
Rivian R2 specs, pricing leak ahead of SXSW unveil
Rivian's debut of its long-awaited R2 electric SUV at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, on Thursday was upstaged before it even began, after key specs and pricing details leaked online a day early.
