September 2026
For the first time, scientists link heavy snow to groundwater in California
Scientists are finding that snowfall is more connected to water underground than we knew. Using satellite data, they found groundwater levels actually rise during big snow years, in contrast to most years, when it continues to fall.
AI crisis heightens the stakes of Xi’s visit to Washington
Ahead of the meeting, rhetoric from Washington and Beijing has underscored only deepening acrimony and distrust over their rush to dominate the technological frontier.
The fight over congressional maps put nearly 35 million people into new House districts, report says
A new report reveals that mid-decade redistricting for the U.S. House has changed congressional districts for one-tenth of Americans.
Clearing out the mountain basins in case El Niño brings flooding rain
L.A. County is preparing for storms and possible floods during El Niño. Crews are digging massive amounts of accumulated sediment out of the county’s dams.
California GOP official apologizes for saying dead people voted. But he hasn’t stopped sleuthing
Marin County Republicans’ chairman took to a county meeting to retract his earlier accusations of election fraud
Nevada’s first wastewater-to-drinking-water plant breaks ground in Reno
Officials in Nevada broke ground on a facility that will treat wastewater to make it compliant with drinking-water standards.
Satellites show Earth lost more than 12 trillion tons of ice from Greenland, Antarctica in 47 years
A major report has found that 12.5 trillion tons of ice from Greenland and Antarctica have melted since 1979
British Columbia is logging its last old growth. Protesters are sleeping in the road to stop it
Activists on Canada’s Vancouver Island are once again trying to stop the logging of old-growth forests, some of the rarest and most carbon rich ecosystems on Earth
Prompted by new California and U.S. laws, two new lawsuits demand return of Nazi-looted art
Two lawsuits were filed this week in California demanding prominent museums relinquish artwork seized by Nazi officials.
As Newsom winds down in California, things heat up in Nevada
Nevada Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo is running for reelection against Atty. Gen. Aaron Ford. Part of Lombardo’s strategy comes from a well-thumbed playbook, tying the Democrat to Newsom and California.