
Earth Talk: Preventing wildfires
There’s no question that wildfires are on the increase across the American West and other fire-prone regions of the world, and most environmental leaders agree that global warming is largely to blame.

There’s no question that wildfires are on the increase across the American West and other fire-prone regions of the world, and most environmental leaders agree that global warming is largely to blame.

In the aftermath of the explosion of a fertilizer storage facility in West, Texas last year that killed 15 people and destroyed three schools and a nursing home, federal officials realized there are serious gaps in federal oversight authority of facilities that house dangerous chemicals.

U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine today applauded passage by the Senate Appropriations Committee of the $549.3 billion defense spending bill for fiscal year 2015, which includes funding for top defense priorities for Virginia.

Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring today announced that Virginia consumers could be eligible for up to $10.5 million in compensation as part of a proposed settlement with Apple, Inc. for participating in a price-fixing conspiracy in the market for e-books.

Today, Michael Botticelli, Acting Director of National Drug Control Policy, released the 2014 National Drug Control Strategy, the Obama Administration’s primary blueprint for drug policy in the United States.

Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine introduced the Protect Women’s Health from Corporate Interference Act to restore the contraceptive coverage requirement guaranteed by the Affordable Care Act and protect coverage of other health services from employers who want to impose their beliefs on their employees by denying benefits.

Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park, in partnership with the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, will offer a series of special National Park Service “On This Day” anniversary programs this July to commemorate three battles fought in the Shenandoah Valley.

Obesity is a huge problem in the U.S. and other industrialized countries. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity rates have doubled for American adults and tripled for kids and teenagers aged six through 19 since 1980. Today, 31 percent of American adults and 15 percent of youngsters are classified as overweight.

Big money is being invested in saving the declining U.S. honey bee population. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced it is providing $8 million to help increase the important pollinators’ population.

As Congress heads home to celebrate the Fourth of July, it leaves with two critical issues unaddressed. The first is the increasing – and troubling – trend of big corporations essentially giving up their American citizenship and reincorporating overseas to reduce their U.S. taxes.
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