TV News LIES

On a hot day, there’s nothing quite like a refreshing drink of water. But how would you feel if that water was sourced from the sewer?

As cities across the West brace for a drier future, they’re investing in advanced water purification technology. It flushes out the contaminants in wastewater so that the murky stuff that goes down your toilet can eventually come out ready to drink at your sink.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty here in terms of water resources, so we think that this is that next bucket of water that we need to tap into,” said Nazario Prieto, assistant director of Phoenix Water Services.

The city of 1.6 million people is building its first advanced water purification plant that could eventually process up to 15 million gallons of wastewater a day.

More...

As parts of the central U.S. recover from a deadly outbreak of severe weather, a line of storms is forecast to unleash large hail, heavy rain and tornadoes across the South.

Potent thunderstorms on April 22 will extend from northeastern Kansas to Texas and New Mexico, according to AccuWeather. The most powerful storms could unleash hail the size of baseballs, heavy rain and "a couple of tornadoes."

"Property damage can be significant in the strongest storms," AccuWeather warned.

Through the end of the week, the same southern states will be at risk of severe thunderstorms, large hail and tornadoes as a line of showers barrels across the region. On April 25, the heavy rain could extend into the Mississippi and Ohio valleys, AccuWeather said.

More...

The Environmental Protection Agency sent termination notices on Tuesday to staff who work on environmental justice programs at its headquarters and across regional offices, saying their work no longer aligns with the mission of the agency.

The reduction-in-force letters were sent to nearly 200 employees of the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights who were placed on administrative leave in February. They were then reinstated pending legal challenges.

The RIF notices now served take effect on July 31.

"This action is necessary to align our workforce with the agency’s current and future needs and to ensure the efficient and effective operation of our programs," said the letter, seen by Reuters, that was sent to employees on Monday.

More...

The island of Puerto Rico is suffering another island-wide power outage, just months after a dayslong blackout on New Year's Eve kept residents in the dark.

Luma Energy said the complete interruption to its service began at about 12:40 p.m. local time on Wednesday.

"While the cause of the interruption is being investigated, preliminary findings indicate an unexpected shutdown at allGgenerating plants," the company said.

Genera Power, a private company tasked with managing and operating some power generation units owned by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, said it experienced "a massive power outage across the island."

Puerto Rico's Center of Emergency Management is coordinating with Luma and Genera to address emergency situations, the agency said on social media.

More...

 

Letters went out to hundreds of workers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) on Thursday, informing them their jobs had been terminated – again.

The probationary employees, many who performed important roles at the US’s pre-eminent climate research agency, have spent weeks in limbo after being dismissed in late February, only to be rehired and put on administrative leave in mid-March following a federal court order.

A large sponge, a cluster of anemones, and other life is seen nearly 230 meters deep at an area of the seabed that was very recently covered by the George VI Ice Shelf, a floating glacier in Antarctica. Sponges can grow very slowly, sometimes less than two centimeters a year.

Therefore, the size of this specimen suggests this community has been active for decades, perhaps even hundreds of years. Researchers found flourishing ecosystems supporting an array of animal life, including corals, icefish, giant sea spiders, and octopus. The discovery offers new insights into ecosystem functioning beneath floating sections of the Antarctic ice sheet.any

Many more photos...

 

Chevron has been ordered to pay more than $744m in damages for destroying parts of south-east Louisiana’s coastal wetlands over the years.

The ruling, which came in the form of a civil jury verdict on Friday, marks the conclusion of the first trial among 42 lawsuits filed about 12 years earlier which alleged that the company’s oil and gas projects have led to the degradation of the region’s wetlands. Among other things, the wetlands play a key role in offering the area a measure of protection from hurricanes.

The jury found that the oil brand Texaco, which is owned by Chevron, violated state regulations surrounding coastal resources by contributing to the disappearing coastline through dredging canals, drilling wells and dumping massive amounts of wastewater into the marsh.

More...