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New orchid species from Guiana Highlands named by Indigenous group
The cliffs of Acopán-tepuí in Venezuela where the new orchid species, Epidendrum katarun-yariku, grows. Photo courtesy of Mateusz Wrazidlo. On an expedition in the tepuis, or “sprouting rock,” landscape of the Guiana Highlands in South America, Mateusz Wrazidlo snapped a photo of an orchid he had never seen before. Back in the herbarium, a place where dried plant samples are kept for research, he and his colleague, the orchid expert Eric Hágsater, determined it was a species new to science “Our new species is another beautiful looking member of the Epidendrum family, but in my humble opinion i...
Mongabay
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Brazil elections boost environmental violators to high office in Amazon
More than a hundred candidates who ran in municipal elections last November in cities across Brazil’s Amazonian states are on the environmental regulator’s “dirty list” for violations committed over the past decade. That’s the finding from an analysis by Agência Pública, a nonprofit investigative journalism agency in Brazil. It found 118 of the candidates for mayor and deputy mayor in the Nov. 15 polls had previously been fined for deforestation, illegal burning, exploitation of native forest located in reserves, or providing false information to environmental agencies to cover up illegal acti...
Mongabay
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Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder pleads not guilty as 9 face charges in Flint water crisis
DETROIT — Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder appeared in a Flint court Thursday morning and pleaded not guilty to two charges of willful neglect of duty as state prosecutors revealed indictments against nine defendants as a result of the Flint water crisis. Despite the lower-level charges compared with other defendants, the case against Snyder marked a significant moment in the state's political history. Snyder is the first Michigan governor or former governor to be charged with a crime for alleged conduct while in office. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel praised the high-profile prosecutio...
Detroit Free Press
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Toyota to pay $180 mln to settle US emissions violations: govt
New York (AFP) - Toyota will pay $180 million to settle charges it failed to comply with rules mandating that auto companies report problems with vehicle emissions to authorities, the US Department of Justice said on Thursday. "Toyota pays the price for its misconduct with a $180 million civil penalty and agreement to injunctive relief to ensure that its violations will not be repeated," Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Bossert Clark said in a statement. The Justice Department said that between 2005 and 2015, the Japanese automaker failed to file notices of emissions recalls or defects requi...
AFP
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State prosecutors lay out new detail from indictments in Flint water crisis
DETROIT — Proclaiming there are "no velvet ropes" in the criminal justice system, state prosecutors on Thursday laid out a sweeping list of indictments and other documents charging former Gov. Rick Snyder and other officials in connection with the contamination of the city of Flint's drinking water supply. The charges includes nine counts of involuntary manslaughter each against two former state health officials. Other charges in the case include extortion, obstruction of justice and perjury. Snyder, who has pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor charges of willful neglect of duty, and other de...
Detroit Free Press
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Chicago's Magnificent Mile is ‘not invincible.’ Flagship mall faces huge challenges
Almost a half-century after opening, Water Tower Place, the once-bustling retail mall at the north end of Chicago's Magnificent Mile, remains shiny marble on the outside, but inside it’s losing some of its sparkle. Macy’s, which anchors the south end of the building, announced plans last week to close in a few months, leaving behind a more than 300,000-square-foot hole. In June, restaurant group Lettuce Entertain You closed Foodlife, credited by some as Chicago’s first food hall, and Mity Nice Bar & Grill. Both had been there for 27 years. Another Water Tower retailer, Gap, which has been clos...
Chicago Tribune
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Former Michigan governor faces 2 counts of willful neglect of duty in Flint water crisis
Flint, Mich. — Former Gov. Rick Snyder is facing two counts of willful neglect of duty related to the Flint crisis over lead-contaminated drinking water. The charges, found in online court records Wednesday, are misdemeanors punishable by up to $1,000 and a year in jail. The date of the offense is listed in court records as April 25, 2014, the day the city switched from using Detroit regional system water to the Flint River. Snyder's charging document was filed with 7th Circuit Court Judge David Newblatt in Flint. Snyder's attorney, Brian Lennon, previously called the expected charges against ...
The Detroit News
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Our 25 best books to read in so far in 2021
If you’re still searching for a sliver of good news to take away from 2020 — good news that bridges partisan divisions, cultural chasms and pandemic procedures — consider this tidbit: We are all probably reading way more books these days. In fact, according to NPD BookScan, sales of print books climbed nearly 10 percent in the past 12 months. Sure, a majority of those sales went to e-monoliths, not your neighborhood booksellers. But, you know, baby steps. The even better news is 2021 is ready to feed that renewed appetite. Here are 20 or so books to carry us through a new, hopefully saner year...
Chicago Tribune
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Deregulation law ‘raises corruption risk’ in Indonesia’s forestry sector
JAKARTA — A controversial new law that makes sweeping cuts to environmental regulations may also pave the way for greater corruption in Indonesia’s forestry sector, academics have warned. An analysis of the so-called omnibus law on job creation — passed by parliament in October to cut red tape and make it easy for companies to invest and do business in Indonesia — uncovered 21 areas of potential risk for corruption, according to Hariadi Kartodihardjo, a forestry policy lecturer at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB). Hariadi looked at drafts of implementing regulations for the law, which ...
Mongabay
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Falconry, an ancient form of hunting, finds new devotees
GRANTVILLE, Pa. — The red-tailed hawk sat perched on the twisted limb of an old, dead tree, its eyes locked on the woman traipsing through the briars and thickets below. Wherever Jade Chen went, Candy Corn, the hawk, followed. Sometimes Chen, 33, had to blow a small whistle around her neck to nudge him. "Come on, boy," she said. Chen wore a thick, leather glove called a gauntlet that extended up her arm, and when she raised it, Candy Corn swooped down through the forest in silence toward her. Little bells on his talons jingled when he landed on her hand. Then he was off again, looking for a tr...
The Philadelphia Inquirer
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