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Andreistanescu/Dreamstime/TNS

OpenAI lifts another AI laggard with big plans for AMD

OpenAI bestowed its blessings and backing on another tech company Monday, inking a deal with chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices, instantly making it one of the hot companies investors hope will be at the forefront of the artificial intelligence boom.

The shares of AMD soared more than 30% after the company behind ChatGPT said it plans to take up ...Read more

Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/ZUMA Press/TNS

Bipartisan congressional coalition supports EPA biofuels plan

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan, bicameral contingent of 47 members of Congress has petitioned the EPA to finalize its proposal for the Renewable Fuel Standard program, which includes measures to discourage the use of foreign imports in the U.S. biofuel market.

The group, led by Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, wrote to EPA Administrator Lee ...Read more

Nanoparticles could be key to making better bioplastics

Strengthening materials made from soy proteins could offer better alternatives to petroleum-based plastics, according to researchers developing practical solutions to reduce plastic pollution.

Marcus Foston, professor of energy, environmental, and chemical engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, led a team that developed a new ...Read more

Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

ks // Full Harvest Moon to be supermoon rising ahead of SpaceX launch

The first of the year’s only three supermoons will rise Monday night with the full moon coming just before midnight Eastern time and just minutes before a planned launch of a SpaceX rocket.

The near side of the moon will have 100% illumination at 11:47 p.m. when it’s about 224,000 miles from Earth, according to timeanddate.com. The ...Read more

Space Force favors SpaceX over ULA, leaves Blue Origin out in new round of national security missions

United Launch Alliance may have finally got its Vulcan rocket cleared for national security missions, but the Space Force decided to favor SpaceX for the majority of a batch of newly assigned missions.

The annual task order from Space Systems Command to approved providers was released Friday for fiscal 2026 calling for seven missions total, ...Read more

Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

As flight delays loom, SpaceX puts up defense in rocket vs. airplane debate

ORLANDO, Fla. — The competition for airspace is just beginning as the space age kicks into high gear on the Space Coast.

At the center of it all is SpaceX, which seeks to bring its game-changing Starship to Florida but with a sobering cost, delaying as many as 12,000 commercial flights each year.

The company’s target of as many as 120 ...Read more

John Moore/Getty Images North America/TNS

Judge denies motion to pause Ocean City wind farm litigation

BALTIMORE — A federal judge denied the Trump administration’s bid to pause Ocean City’s lawsuit over offshore wind power due to the federal government shutdown.

Before the government shutdown, Judge Stephanie Gallagher was expected to issue a ruling that would either allow U.S. Wind to move forward or give the U.S. Department of the ...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Marine mammals are dying in record numbers along the California coast

DAVENPORT, Calif. — On a spit of sand 12 miles north of Santa Cruz, a small, emaciated sea lion lay on its side. The only sign of life was the deep press of its flippers against its belly, relaxing for a few seconds, then squeezing again.

“That’s a classic sign of lepto,” said Giancarlo Rulli, a volunteer and spokesperson with the ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

Apple removes ICE tracking app after outrage from Trump administration

Apple will no longer offer an Immigration and Customs Enforcement tracking app after coming under fire from the Trump administration.

The free ICEBlock app that allowed users to anonymously report and monitor the movements of immigration agents was removed from the App Store Thursday night.

Earlier this year, the app’s developers urged U.S. ...Read more

Millions rely on dwindling Colorado River -- but are kept 'in the dark' about fixes, critics say

LOS ANGELES — The Colorado River, which provides water across the Southwest, has lost about 20% of its flow in the last quarter-century, and its depleted reservoirs continue to decline. But negotiations aimed at addressing the water shortage are at an impasse, and leaders of environmental groups say the secrecy surrounding the talks is ...Read more

Tracy Kimball/Rock Hill Herald/TNS

They tried to restore nature to growing city -- and got citations for it

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Lou Lesesne has spent years cultivating a naturalistic garden in his front yard.

He uses only native species of plants and allows them to grow tall, flower and seed without regular mowing. It’s an approach that has gained in popularity as cities adopt friendlier laws recognizing potential environmental benefits of creating ...Read more

Natrice Miller/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Coyotes are all over Georgia. Controlling them might not be worth it

ATLANTA — A large, nocturnal predator has become an increasingly common sight in Georgia in recent years, including around metro Atlanta: the coyote.

Now, a new University of Georgia-led study finds coyotes are likely here to stay in the Southeast, and efforts to control populations of the crafty animals are probably a waste of time and money...Read more

Surya Vaidy/The Baltimore Sun/TNS

Trump administration to cancel billions in climate funding in several states

The Trump administration is set to cancel some $8 billion in clean energy projects ushered in by the Biden administration across several states, including Maryland, according to the director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

In a post on X Wednesday afternoon, OMB director Russell Vought wrote that “nearly $8 billion in Green New ...Read more

L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

'Leadership failure' is putting Lake Mead in peril, coalition says

The crisis along the Colorado River is coming to a head as seven state negotiators fail to deliver an agreement on how to manage it over the next 20 years.

But the river system can’t wait, and common-sense solutions that states can implement in the interim are being ignored, a coalition of nongovernmental organizations argues in a report ...Read more

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Supervisors request Tijuana River study aimed at convincing EPA to declare Superfund site

SAN DIEGO — If at first you don’t succeed, try again.

That’s the philosophy of two Democrats on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors when it comes to securing Superfund status for the Tijuana River Valley.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declined to investigate pollution in the area. The decision came in ...Read more

MARK CROSSE/The Fresno Bee/TNS

As California glaciers disappear, people will see ice-free peaks exposed for the first time in millennia

For as long as there have been people in what is now California, the granite peaks of the Sierra Nevada have held masses of ice, according to new research that shows the glaciers have probably existed since the last Ice Age more than 11,000 years ago.

The remnants of these glaciers, which have already shrunk dramatically since the late 1800s, ...Read more

Don Lindich/Don Lindich/TNS

Sound Advice: Perk up for versatile handheld vacuum and coffee machine deals

Q. I purchased the mini blower you recommended and cannot believe the blowing power in that tiny device. Even after several months I continue to be amazed every time I turn it on, and it has so many applications. I have a challenge for you. Can you find a powerful mini vacuum, but in a small device?

—J.O., Minneapolis

A. Thanks for the ...Read more

Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

Port Canaveral preps for more rocket recoveries with 3rd crane

ORLANDO, Fla. – Port Canaveral has had such a busy year supporting SpaceX’s rocket recovery efforts, it brought in a new crane to assist in the launch parade on the Space Coast.

Port CEO Capt. John Murray said the third mobile harbor crane operated by the port arrived on Aug. 3.

“We had this crane modified somewhat to accommodate ...Read more

Handout/OpenRock/TNS

Gadgets: Open-ear buds

Open-ear true wireless earbuds have made quite an impression since their recent arrival—and I'm officially a fan. For the latest pair I received for testing, the OpenRock S2 open-ear air conduction sport earbuds, I brought in a friend who had never tried open-ear buds before. Here are some of his thoughts.

These earbuds could be a welcome ...Read more

Jim Rossman/Jim Rossman/TNS

Streaming TV: Signing up for your first subscription service

Last week I wrote about helping a friend set up streaming TV for the first time.

If you’ve never experienced streaming TV, there can be a lot of nuances that might not be the easiest to understand until you see them for yourself.

Some streaming sources are free with ad-supported content, but many are going to require an ongoing subscription....Read more