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Environmental Health

National Weather Service Stops Translating Info For Non-English Speakers

"The National Weather Service is no longer providing language translations of its products, a change that experts say could put non-English speakers at risk of missing potentially life-saving warnings about extreme weather."

Source: AP, 04/09/2025

RFK Jr. Directs CDC To Stop Promoting Fluoridation; EPA Will Re-Assess

"Citing health concerns, newly appointed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said this week that he will direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stop recommending that states add fluoride to their water, and will convene a federal taskforce of independent health experts to study the health risks presented by the practice while establishing a new “optimal” level."

Source: The New Lede, 04/09/2025

"Neurodivergent People Find Solace in Wild Places"

"On a recent trip to Mexico City, I marveled at some small, speckled Inca doves, which are almost as common as pigeons in the United States. Nearby, grackles bathed their long, gorgeous blue-black tails in a fountain. Ever since I got the Merlin Bird ID app, my partner has become accustomed to my stopping midwalk, pausing the conversation, and holding up my phone to catch a bit of birdsong or do a step-by-step visual search. Ideally I add a new species to my “life list” in the process."

Source: Sierra, 04/08/2025

US Ends Food Aid For Millions. World Food Program Calls It A ‘Death Sentence’

"The Trump administration has ended funding to U.N. World Food Program emergency programs helping keep millions alive in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and 11 other impoverished countries, many of them struggling with conflict, according to the organization and officials who spoke to The Associated Press."

Source: AP, 04/08/2025

Trump Said Cuts Wouldn’t Affect Public Safety. Then He Fired Firefighters

"President Donald Trump’s executive orders shrinking the federal workforce make a notable exception for public safety staff, including those who fight wildland fires. But ongoing cuts, funding freezes and hiring pauses have weakened the nation’s already strained firefighting force by hitting support staff who play crucial roles in preventing and battling blazes."

Source: ProPublica, 04/08/2025

"Worries Grow Over Risks To Americans As Trump Cuts Health, Safety Agencies"

"The chorus of experts issuing warnings include Republican lawmakers, former Trump officials and civil servants who worked under GOP and Democratic presidents."

Source: Washington Post, 04/08/2025

Coal Country Voices Say Closures Of MSHA Offices Will Endanger Mine Safety

"Retired coal miner Stanley “Goose” Stewart questions whether it’s safe for anyone to work in the industry right now. The Department of Government Efficiency, created by President Donald Trump and run by Elon Musk, has been targeting federal agencies for spending cuts. That includes terminating leases for three dozen offices in the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the agency responsible for enforcing mine safety laws."

Source: AP, 04/07/2025

"Milwaukee Faces Lead Crisis Without CDC Experts RFK Jr. Fired"

"When Milwaukee officials discovered in January that lead paint in school buildings had poisoned kids, they called the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention." "“The people who were answering our questions are just gone,” City Health Commissioner Michael Totoraitis said in an interview after the firings Tuesday at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

Source: E&E News, 04/07/2025

Nearly Half of NWS Offices Have 20% Vacancy Rates. Experts Say It’s A Risk

"After Trump administration job cuts, nearly half of National Weather Service forecast offices have 20% vacancy rates — twice that of just a decade ago — as severe weather chugs across the nation’s heartland, according to data obtained by The Associated Press."

Source: AP, 04/07/2025

Rising Rivers Threaten US South and Midwest After Dayslong Torrent Of Rain

"Rivers rose and flooding worsened Sunday across the U.S. South and Midwest, threatening communities already waterlogged and badly damaged by days of heavy rain and wind that killed at least 18 people."

Source: AP, 04/07/2025

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