Environment

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Afghan officials watch in June 2007 as opium products are burned on Kabul's outskirts. Afghanistan is the world's top heroin producer, and poppies are a $1.4 billion cash crop, but a program to encourage other crops has had significant success. (Associated Press)

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An Afghan National Army solider destroys poppies in Nangarhar province in 2007. Since then, opium production has decreased significantly as farmers are encouraged to grow alternative cash crops. (Associated Press)

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A giant goldfish is released back into the Anacostia River. The goldfish is one of the non-native species of fish found in the river. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

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Umbrellas were everywhere in New York's Times Square on Sunday as a spring nor'easter brought consistent rain to a rain-starved East Coast. (Associated Press)

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Vehicles transporting North Korean missiles on display over the weekend were made or designed by China, analysts say. Meanwhile, a propaganda billboard in Pyongyang translates as "Let's raise the spirits of winners and build a strong and prosperous nation!" North Korea has yet to launch a multistage missile successfully. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** New homes are seen March 23, 2012, under construction in a development in Atlanta. (Associated Press)

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The NASA Space Shuttle Discovery sits on a road prior to a welcoming ceremony at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum annex in Chantilly, Va., on April 19, 2012. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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The NASA Space Shuttle Discovery sits on a road prior to a welcoming ceremony at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum annex in Chantilly, Va., on April 19, 2012. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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D.R. Horton is building 29 single-family homes on 7,000-square-foot sites at Sherwood Forest in Haymarket. The Yorktown model, with 2,212 square feet, is priced from $359,990.

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Jonathan Blum, deputy administrator for Medicare, said a yearlong competitive-bidding program targeting waste and fraud has been a "clear success." (Department of Health and Human Services via Associated Press)

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**FILE** A University of Phoenix billboard is shown Nov 24, 2009, in Chandler, Ariz. (Associated Press)

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Rep. Don Young, Alaska Republican, stood up for wounded veterans who killed polar bears in Canada but have been unable to bring carcasses into the U.S. (Associated Press)