Environment

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Elephant herds were thriving in Kenya's Tsavo East National Park and other parts of eastern and southern Africa since ivory trade was banned in 1989. Now, the animals are not safe from poachers just about anywhere on the continent. (Associated Press)

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Malaysian customs officers last month seized hundreds of elephant tusks worth an estimated $1.3 million. Asian crime syndicates are increasingly involved in poaching and in the illegal ivory trade across Africa, a wildlife trade monitoring group says. (Associated Press)

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Northstar Disposal Services LLC in Youngstown, Ohio, has halted operations at its injection well, which disposes of brine used in gas and oil drilling, after a series of small earthquakes in the area, including a magnitude 4.0 on New Year's Eve. (Associated Press)

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Redskins guard Chris Chester (66) was the most consistent offensive lineman in the season finale against the Eagles. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

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James Durbin, an "American Idol" finalist, married longtime girlfriend Heidi Lowe in a New Year's Eve ceremony at the edge of a California redwood forest. (Associated Press)

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Flames raise from a gas pipeline after an explosion near the town Rastan in the restive Homs province of Syria on Jan. 3, 2012. The Syrian government blamed the explosion on terrorists, according to the Syrian official news agency SANA. (Associated Press/SANA)

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"When the rules are subjective and continue to change, we cannot expect these business owners to comply with moving target regulations. These inconsistent rulings from the bureau are confusing and result in a waste of time and resources," said Rep. Phil Gingrey (right), Georgia Republican. (Associated Press)

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Jeff Halpern won 58.3 of his faceoffs in the 2011-12 season with the Capitals. He signed a one-year deal with the Rangers this offseason. (Associated Press)

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ASSOCIATED PRESS Baltimore running back Ray Rice breaks away from the pack for a 70-yard touchdown against Cincinnati. Rice also had a 51-yard TD run.

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Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters assist a man out of his apartment along with a cage of birds as multiple cars burn in a carport in the Sun Valley neighborhood of Los Angeles on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg)

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Burning cars are shown at the site of an arson fire in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles on Friday Dec.30, 2011. An arsonist torched car after car early Friday, sending firefighters scrambling to put out more than a dozen blazes in Hollywood and neighboring West Hollywood. (AP Photo/Mike Meadows)

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Bahraini anti-government protesters wear and hold national flags Dec. 30, 2011, during a sit-in near Abu Saiba, Bahrain, in the center of a traffic circle on a highway that runs past several Shiite Muslim villages. (Associated Press)

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Megan Felt, 24, is arrested during an Occupy the Caucuses protest outside Rep. Ron Paul's Iowa campaign headquarters outside Des Moines on Thursday. Four others from the group of 15 were arrested. They dislike Mr. Paul's intent to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency if elected president. (Des Moines Register via Associated Press)

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At the "Animal Grossology" exhibit at the National Geographic Museum, your child will learn that the cow — not his friend Jimmy — is the gassiest creature on Earth

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A sign advises drivers on Route 107 in Bethel, Vt., on Dec. 29, 2011, in preparation for its reopening that day. The state highway is the last to reopen after being washed out by flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Irene. (Associated Press)

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The six-bedroom home at 6817 Baron Road in McLean is on the market for $2,499,000. The custom-designed home, which was built in 1960, has nearly 7,000 square feet of living space.

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Craftmark Homes is building 14 single-family homes at Stone Fox Estates in Leesburg. The Kenwood II model, with 5,571 square feet, is priced from $889,900 to $904,900.

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The columnist hoists a young blue catfish with Prince William County's Possum Point Power Plant in the background.

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A harvester works through a field of genetically modified corn near Santa Rosa, Calif. So-called Bt corn (inset), genetically engineered to make its own insecticide, may be losing its ability to kill pests - a possible result of some farming practices.