Tropical forest landscapes are home to millions of Indigenous peoples and small-scale farmers. Just about every square meter of land is spoken for, even if claims are not formally recognized by governments.

These local landholders hold the key to a valuable solution as the world tries to slow climate change – restoring deforested ...Read more

DETROIT — Not all of the quintessential characteristics of a Michigan summer are as pleasant as campfires, cookouts and baseball games. There are the mosquitoes, too.

Those insects' itchy bites are making increasingly early appearances. This year, the first round hit in February, a date so early that Michigan State University entomology ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Heavy rains this winter and spring sent torrential flows down local creeks and rivers, and L.A. County managed to capture and store a significant amount of that stormwater, officials say.

To be exact, they snared an estimated 295,000 acre-feet of water since last October, or 96.3 billion gallons.

That’s enough water to supply...Read more

LOS ANGELES — For the first time in seven years, the city of Long Beach saw local homelessness decline year over year — but officials in next-door Orange County were disappointed to learn their unhoused population had continued to grow.

The divergent trends were documented in point-in-time counts conducted in January. Those surveys are ...Read more

When dermatologist Adewole “Ade” Adamson sees people spritzing sunscreen as if it’s cologne at the pool where he lives in Austin, Texas, he wants to intervene. “My wife says I shouldn’t,” he said, “even though most people rarely use enough sunscreen.”

At issue is not just whether people are using enough sunscreen, but what ...Read more

More than 500,000 Democrats in Pennsylvania’s bluest city didn’t vote in last month’s primary.

Turnout in Philadelphia, a perennial problem for Democrats, is sure to be higher in November. But the number of city voters who head to the polls could make or break President Joe Biden’s reelection chances.

With six months to go until a high...Read more

President Joe Biden counts among his accomplishments the record-high number of people, more than 21 million, who enrolled in Obamacare plans this year. Behind the scenes, however, federal regulators are contending with a problem that affects people’s coverage: rogue brokers who have signed people up for Affordable Care Act plans, or switched ...Read more

Russia’s fortress economy has proved remarkably resilient to an onslaught of Western sanctions. Two years after the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, it continues to fund a costly war and to prop up President Vladimir Putin.

But there’s at least one spot where the pain is very real.

The Novatek PJSC-led Arctic LNG 2 facility, on the icy ...Read more

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked Colombian President Gustavo Petro after the South American leader called for his arrest over the war in Gaza.

“Israel will not be lectured by an antisemitic supporter of Hamas,” Netanyahu wrote in a post on X on Saturday.

Earlier this month, Petro said Colombia would cut diplomatic ties ...Read more

NEW YORK — Police took numerous pro-Palestinian protesters into custody on the Manhattan Bridge Saturday afternoon as they trekked from Brooklyn to Manhattan, blocking traffic, police said.

The protesters met in front of the Barclays Center about 2 p.m. before splitting up into groups, with one group marching northwest to the bridge, ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Lake Tahoe is expected to fill for the first time since 2019, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The last time the lake was full was June 2019.

The dam at Lake Tahoe provides up to 6 feet of storage, totaling 744,500 acre-feet, according to the USDA.

“Once full the stored water in Lake ...Read more

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho State Police arrested an adult woman in Boise on Friday night on suspicion of resisting or obstructing officers as pro-Palestine demonstrations continued near the Idaho Capitol.

State police ordered protesters to vacate the grass adjacent to the Capitol “for maintenance” by 6:30 p.m. Friday, according to Aaron Snell, ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Three people were killed and three others seriously injured in a single-car crash that temporarily knocked out power for hundreds of Pasadena residents early Saturday, authorities said.

A Tesla Model 3 sedan was traveling westbound on Foothill Boulevard at more than twice the 35 mph speed limit when it barreled through a red ...Read more

DETROIT — Two northern Michigan men have been arraigned in Kalkaska County District Court on charges of illegally torturing and killing animals, according to a news release from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Nicholas Patnode, 19, faces 11 charges while Zander Garrett, 20, faces three for several alleged wildlife violations in ...Read more

CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration said Friday that more groups would be allowed to participate in next month’s Chicago Pride Parade but the declared compromise still left some in the city’s LGBTQ+ community frustrated and calling for the progressive mayor to ensure they are more involved in future decisions about the event...Read more

BALTIMORE — For weeks, Maria del Carmen Castellon had prayed for this very miracle, she told the crowd assembled Friday night in Baltimore.

She had prayed that her whole family, and all of their friends, could gather to say goodbye to her husband, Miguel Luna, who lost his life alongside five other construction workers from Brawner Builders ...Read more

TAMPA. Fla. — With little of the attention he’s given to other legislation this year, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday quietly signed two bills touted for removing “onerous” bureaucracy and red tape from public education.

The measures (SB 7002 and 7004) ended some reporting requirements for school districts but didn’t go as far as some ...Read more

Patients could wean themselves off blockbuster obesity drugs such as Ozempic or Wegovy without piling the pounds back on, according to a scientific study.

Data presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Venice, Italy on Sunday provides some of the first evidence that it could be possible to stop taking Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic or Wegovy ...Read more

Tesla Inc. faced further protests at its factory in Germany, where activists are trying to stop an expansion of the electric-car maker’s facilities that would require razing part of the surrounding forest.

Demonstrations are expected to continue through the weekend, after at least 16 people were arrested Friday following actions including ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The traffic stop started off calmly.

Two Fontana police officers pulled over a black sport utility vehicle in Yucaipa, and a male officer asked the driver about what appeared to be a missing front license plate. They chatted about camping in the snow — the vehicle had overland camping gear affixed to it — and the officer ...Read more