"A federal circuit court has upheld a recent prohibition on helicopter tours over Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Badlands National Park in South Dakota, rejecting motions from aircraft companies to repeal the ban."
With more than 100 tornadoes hitting the United States so far this year, the latest TipSheet takes a closer look at how journalists can help their communities better prepare for these damaging and often deadly windstorms. Plus, more than a dozen story ideas and reporting resources, from questions about warning systems and shelters to sources at weather agencies and for tornado-preparedness advice.
"The Santee Sioux Nation reservation in northeast Nebraska has been under a no-drink order since 2019. Leaders hope a new state law could jumpstart funding needed to fix the problem."
Mid-pandemic, freelancer Erika Bolstad struck out from Oregon for the boom-bust Bakken oil fields of North Dakota, with cash from a grant, two story assignments and years of book research. She shares her experience on the road, dealing with COVID risks, tricky timing and a stubborn bureaucracy, as well as a generous well-plugger and supportive editors. Read the new FEJ StoryLog.
Laws that make undercover journalistic investigations of animal agriculture operations illegal violate the First Amendment, right? Not so clear, laments WatchDog Opinion, which points out that while the Supreme Court appeared to have struck down such laws just last year, it may now revisit the issue. Why it should matter not just to environmental reporters but to all journalists.
"Koch Industries is making a multi-billion-dollar play to purchase a massive fertilizer production facility in the state; some farmers and lawmakers are raising concerns about monopolization and high prices in an effort to halt the sale."
"State conservation officials have found no living fish in the East Nishnabotna River south of Red Oak — the result of a massive fertilizer spill at a farmers cooperative."
"The blazes come after a record dry winter in the region. “Year to date, we've had close to 300 wildfires statewide,” a Wisconsin official said. “The normal year-to-date 10-year average is about 40 fires.”"
"Up to 10 informants managed by the FBI were embedded in anti-pipeline resistance camps near the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation at the height of mass protests against the Dakota Access pipeline in 2016."
What does dragging an old car onto an ice-covered lake have to do with informing your community about the perils of climate heating? Potentially a good deal. The latest TipSheet explains how waning winters and the potential impact on the entertaining tradition of ice fishing can serve as an entry into more serious matters. A dozen story ideas and resources to get you started.
Advertisement 
