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Environment and Science

Panama launch of futuristic oceanfront home goes sideways

COLON, Panama (AP) — The unveiling of a futuristic luxury model home on Panama's Caribbean coast tanked Thursday when the SeaPod Eco prototype perched above the water on a column slumped onto an adjacent dock. Developer Ocean Builders said in a statement that the sleek white home began to "destabilize" at the end of the launch event. It said no one was injured and the cause was being investigated. The home that is reminiscent of a space ship sits well above the water and features expansive views from a row of windows. The developers had planned to begin offering the homes for sale ...

Tiny Oregon town hosts 1st wind-solar-battery ‘hybrid’ plant

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A renewable energy plant in Oregon that combines solar power, wind power and massive batteries to store the energy generated there officially opened Wednesday as the first utility-scale plant of its kind in North America. The project, which can generate enough electricity to power a small city at maximum output, addresses a key challenge facing the utility industry as the U.S. transitions away from fossil fuels and increasingly turns to solar and wind farms for power. Wind and solar are clean sources of power, but utilities have been forced to fill in gaps when ...

Ian swamps southwest Florida, trapping people in homes

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Ian, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the U.S., swamped southwest Florida on Wednesday, turning streets into rivers, knocking out power to 1.8 million people and threatening catastrophic damage further inland. A coastal sheriff's office reported that it was getting many calls from people trapped in flooded homes. Desperate people posted to Facebook and other social sites, pleading for rescue for themselves or loved ones. Some video showed debris-covered water sloshing toward homes' eaves. The hurricane's center made landfall near ...

Trucking regs waived to fight avian flu outbreak

ST. PAUL — In an attempt to protect the state’s poultry industry and prevent the spread of avian influenza, Gov. Tim Walz waived trucking regulations in an executive order on Wednesday. The order is part of the continued efforts to control and contain the current outbreak of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Minnesota. The outbreak poses a high risk to poultry but a low risk to the public, and there is no food safety concern for consumers. “We are taking swift action to contain the spread of avian influenza and support Minnesota’s poultry farmers and ...

DNR naturalist talks Wild about Wildlife

New Ulm Public Library will host a presentation called “Wild about Wildlife with DNR naturalist Scott Kudelka” on Tuesday, Oct. 4. at 6 p.m. in the library meeting room. Learn about the mammals that have adapted to survive in their natural environments and some of the more interesting facts about the animals who share the place we call home. This program is free and open to the public, no registration is required. Please call the library for more information at 507-359-8331

Vaccine appears to protect against monkeypox, CDC says

WASHINGTON (AP) — At-risk people who received a single dose of the monkeypox vaccine in U.S. efforts against the virus appeared to be significantly less likely to get sick, public health officials announced Wednesday, even as they urged a second dose for full protection. It was the first look public health officials have offered into how the Jynneos vaccine is affecting monkeypox, a virus that is primarily spread among men who have sex with infected men. "These new data provide us with a level of cautious optimism that the vaccine is working as intended," Rochelle Walensky, ...