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Sussex County supervisors said they cut the funding for the county’s fire chief and deputy fire chief because they lacked the money to pay for increased fire and emergency medical service in the rural county.

That, Supervisor Thomas Baicy told Checks & Balances Project (C&BP), included contracting with the Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad (SCVRS) run by Sussex Board Chairman Steve White despite concerns raised by the lack of information about SCVRS’ finances.

But Sussex supervisors are currently reviewing proposals that could drastically increase their annual EMS revenues and pay for the services they lack like a professionalized EMS service, which could reduce response times, county records show.

A proposed data center in Sussex County could be one of largest sources of local government revenue in the county’s history. According to an economic impact study prepared by Mangum Economics for the project:

The proposed data center would generate approximately $81.5 million annually in new Sussex County tax revenue once fully built in 2036, including $80.5 million in direct property taxes.

Total private investment is estimated at $17 billion ($5 billion in buildings and infrastructure plus about $12 billion in servers and other equipment installed by the eventual operator). 

The proposed Blackwater solar project would contribute $170 million in local taxes over the 35-year life on the project, developers say. It would provide enough electricity to power 85,000 homes or the proposed data center.

Broken down annually, the solar project alone would contribute approximately $4.9 million to the county budget each year, which would be more than twice the annual amount Sussex County spends on emergency medical services, according to the county’s 2025-26 budget.

County supervisors will meet at 6 p.m., Thursday, July 16 to discuss economic development opportunities and other business. 

Ray Locker is the executive director for Checks & Balances Project, an investigative watchdog blog holding government officials, lobbyists, and corporate management accountable to the public. Funding for C&BP is provided by Renew American Prosperity and individual donors.

You may also want to read:

Sussex supervisor says White drove surprise firing of county administrator

Sussex County Sheriff Ernest Giles Sr. refers C&BP complaint to local prosecutor and state police

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Our climate change casualties Channel News brendan 13th July 2026 Teaser Media

A listing of 28 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 5, 2026 thru Sat, July 11, 2026. Stories we promoted this week, by category:

Climate Change Impacts (11 articles)

• Ocean surface temperatures hit record high as world enters ‘uncharted territory,’ scientists warn Temperatures on the ocean surface hit a record high in June, European scientists warned Wednesday, fueling fears of more dangerous heat waves this summer and fanning concerns over the escalating global climate crisis.y NBC News, Chantal Da Silva, Jul 1, 2026.
• Heat, Drought, & Fires Disrupt USA`s 250th Anniversary - But We Ain`t Seen Nothing Yet A country that is by and large ignoring global heating is having celebrations of its 250-year anniversary/birthday canceled because of global heating. CleanTechnica, Zachary Shahan, Jul 04, 2026.
• Rising seas make once-rare coastal floods 12 times more likely Phys.org, Alexa St. John, Jul 04, 2026.
• Where do heat waves come from? Just like the adage “a rising tide lifts all boats,” a warming climate raises the baseline temperature from which heatwaves start. '' The Climate Brink, Andrew Dessler, Jul 04, 2026.
• Deadly heat wave in France shows the future of climate risk Professor Andrew Dessler points out that celebration over the recently retired RCP 8.5 emissions scenario is premature and irrelevant, given how Europe's scorching summer illustrates how ''low end'' warming we already live with is profoundly destructive. The Climate Brink, Andrew Dessler, Jul 07, 2026.
• June heatwave in UK led to `mass sleep deprivation`, poll suggests Record temperatures fuelled by climate crisis left 86% of homes ‘too hot’ and many people feeling unwell The Guardian, Damian Carrington, Jul 07, 2026.
• The Arctic Ocean may have passed a crucial tipping point that could harm food webs and worsen climate change Sea ice loss seems to have triggered a decline in the nutrient nitrate, affecting the tiny organisms that form the foundations of marine food chains and absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide, according to a new study. Smithsonian Magazine, Sara Hashemi, Jul 09, 2026.
• The oceans are full of heat, and it`s coming ashore The ocean absorbs 90 percent of the excess heat from global warming. It doesn't all stay there. Grist, Sachi Kitajima Mulkey, Jul 10, 2026.
• The Irreversible Global Impacts of Earth`s Lost Frozen Regions In a U.N. side event organized by the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative, researchers and experts discussed how exceeding 1.5°C will bring irreversible damage from the loss of global snow and ice regions. State of the Planet, Amy Indieke, Jul 10, 2026.
• What happened to Australia`s snow season? A climate expert explains The Conversation, Andrew B. Watkins, Jul 10, 2026.
• Pacific gray whales facing `catastrophic` die-off as climate crisis hits food supply Trump administration urged to relist a species in ‘very, very serious trouble’ under Endangered Species Act The Guardian, Tom Perkins, Jul 10, 2026.

Climate Policy and Politics (5 articles)

• UK `only` contributes 1% global emissions - but alongside many other countries, that all adds up Percentages no matter how large or small always total as 100%. English - The Conversation, Chloe Brimicombe, Ella Gilbert, Jul 06, 2026.
• `Can you help us?`: US oil execs turn to Trump to topple Europe's climate rules The U.S. oil and gas industry has succeeded in exporting massive amounts of natural gas to Europe. Now, with the help of White House officials, it looks like it might also succeed in exporting the Trump administration’s deregulatory agenda. Politico, Zack Colman, Ben Munster and Sara Schonhardt, Jul 08, 2026.
• Plans for more pipelines to export Canadian oil - and emissions - as planet keeps getting hotter PM Carney says choices being made now for 'Canada's energy future' will certainly increase emissions CBC Canada News, Nick Logan, Jul 09, 2026.
• Trump Administration Taps Climate Science Critic to Oversee Flagship Report Matthew M. Wielicki has criticized the scientific consensus on global warming as alarmist. Now he’ll oversee a major federal report on the topic. New York Times, Maxine Joselow and Brad Plumer, July 10, 2026.
• The Business Case for Climate Action Is Stronger Than It Looks TIME, Justin Worland, Jul 11, 2026.

Climate Education and Communication (4 articles)

• Trump victorious in legal battle to erase climate change and slavery signs from national parks Donald Trump has been given the green light to continue erasing the truth about climate change from national parks across the US, following a drawn-out legal battle. Euro News, EHN Curators, Jul 04, 2026.
• Fixing Climate Communications Messages that employed direct consequence framing, such as linking climate change to personal financial harm or health impacts, outperformed indirect frames, such as those focused on jobs and innovation, by nearly 2 to 1. CleanTechnica, Keith Zakheim, Jul 07, 2026.
• The plan to make climate science harder to erase As climate information disappears from federal websites, scientists are rebuilding it elsewhere. Grist, Kate Yoder, Jul 07, 2026.
• MPs call on UK government to host televised emergency briefing on climate crisis As UK swelters in another heatwave, 50-minute Chris Packham film outlines threats to security, economy and health The Guardian, Pippa Neill, Jul 10, 2026.

Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation (3 articles)

• Why California’s carbon manure math doesn’t add up A growing body of research suggests that California's manure-to-methane program is a case study in the shortcomings of our preferred approaches to climate action. MIT Technology Review, James Temple, Jul 2, 2026.
• Moving forests to save them: Here are the risks and rewards of assisted tree migration The Conversation, Anne Ola, Alison Munson, Mariétou Diouf, Jul 05, 2026.
• Confronting Salty Problems in the Coastal Plain An interdisciplinary network of scientists and stakeholders is working to understand how saltwater intrusion and sea level rise are affecting rural communities and to help address the consequences. Eos, Kiera O’Donnell, Emily S. Bernhardt, Aeran Coughlin, Ken W. Krauss and Xi Yang, Jul 06, 2026.

Climate Science and Research (2 articles)

• Historical records reveal how Canada`s weather has changed over the centuries The Conversation, Victoria Slonosky, Jul 05, 2026.
• Skeptical Science New Research for Week #28 2028 Skeptical Science's weekly climate research survey, covering hundreds of journals and myriad government and NGO reports, with a focus on easy readability access for ordinary members of the public. Skeptical Science, Doug Bostrom & Marc Kodack, Jul 09, 2026.

Public Misunderstandings about Climate Science (2 articles)

• Longtime Exxon CEO Lee Raymond’s legacy of climate denial and misinformation lives on – a psychologist offers ways to counter it The Conversation, Joe Árvai, June 22, 2026.
• 2026’s El Niño may bring storms, heatwaves – and misinformation Science Feedback, Edited by Rahul Rao, July 8, 2026.

Miscellaneous (1 article)

• 2026 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #27 A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, June 28, 2026 thru Sat, July 4, 2026. Skeptical Science, Bärbel Winkler & Doug Bostrom, Jul 05, 2026.

If you happen upon high quality climate-science and/or climate-myth busting articles from reliable sources while surfing the web, please feel free to submit them via this Google form so that we may share them widely. Thanks!

Each week, Food Tank is rounding up a few news stories that inspire excitement, infuriation, or curiosity.

USDA Reinstates $127 Million in Land Access Grants

Following a federal court order, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reinstated 24 grants totaling US$127 million under the agency’s Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program.

The program was designed to support underserved producers across the U.S. Amanda Koehler, who manages an informal network of the grantees, calls it “the largest public investment in land access in our nation’s history.”

The Trump-Vance Administration undermined the program for months before officially terminating funds for 49 of the 50 projects this past spring. But organizations fought back. Over two dozen joined a lawsuit last year to argue that the awards were canceled illegally.

This past week, Judge Beryl Howell granted a preliminary injunction and wrote that the plaintiffs, represented by Earthjustice, Farmers Justice Center, and FarmSTAND, demonstrated that they will suffer “irreparable harm in the absence of relief.”

Litigation will continue, but in the meantime, the 24 organizations can expect to hear from Farm Service Agency staff about their restored awards, which will support land access, farmer training, and infrastructure and market development projects.

Indian State Passes Bill to Empower Women Farmers

In India, the Maharashtra state Assembly voted unanimously last week to pass the Women Farmers’ Empowerment Bill.

The first of its kind in the country, the legislation aims to broaden the formal recognition of all women farmers, not just those who own land. This will make it easier for women in agriculture to access bank loans, crop insurance, government subsidies, training programs, farming technology, and more.

As a next step, the Bill will be taken up in the Maharashtra Legislative Council. Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane is confident that they will adopt it.

Plant-Forward Procurement Can Unlock €11.6 billion in the EU

Plant-forward public procurement practices in the European Union could generate over €11 billion annually, according to a new study commissioned by ProVeg International.

The study looked at the potential impact for three procurement strategies across all 27 EU Member States. Under the most ambitious plan, the total combined returns includes €3 billion in food budget savings, €4.7 billion in avoided environmental costs, and €4 billion in avoided societal health costs.

To unlock the full benefits, the researchers recommend reforming public procurement rules, updating the EU School Scheme to include more legumes and plant-based drinks, investing in skills and training for public catering teams, supporting farmer diversification, and using behavioral insights to make healthier and sustainable choices easier.

ProVeg calls public procurement “a strategic policy lever hiding in plain sight,” which can shape outcomes across public spending, health systems, food security, and climate.

Nigeria’s Hunger Crisis Deepens

The World Food Programme warns that Nigeria’s food security crisis is worsening faster than previously thought.

In the northern region, hunger levels driven by conflict are rising to levels not seen in nearly a decade. Kinday Samba, WFP’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa is particularly concerned by how the crisis is expanding, stating that “insurgent attacks and violence…are spreading across a much wider area and forcing people from farmland.”

Displacement and restrict, WFP can only reach around 740,000 of the 6.2 million people facing food insecurity in the northeastern states. Samba says “resources are at their lowest at the time they are needed most.”

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Unsplash

The post Food Tank’s Weekly News Roundup: India Acts to Empower Women Farmers, $127 Million in USDA Grants Restored, Nigeria’s Hunger Crisis Worsens appeared first on Food Tank.

Checks & Balances Project’s (C&BP) offers to brief state Sen. Lashrecse Aird, Sussex County Commonwealth Attorney Regina Sykes and Sussex County Attorney Danielle Powell on the apparent corruption in Sussex County government have gone unanswered.

In the last three weeks, C&BP has revealed that the county has no policy governing when elected officials should recuse themselves, the Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad (SCVRS) run by Board Chairman Steve White lost its nonprofit status and that White routinely votes to send taxpayer money to SCVRS.

C&BP has also shown that White forced the departures of Fire Chief Nick Sheffield and Deputy Fire Chief Chris Bailey after both raised questions about SCVRS and its relationship to the county. White led the supervisors to remove the funding for Sheffield and Bailey’s positions in a September 2025 special retreat.

Despite these issues, Aird, Sykes and Powell have not responded to offers to learn more about the corruption wracking Sussex County.

Ray Locker is the executive director for Checks & Balances Project, an investigative watchdog blog holding government officials, lobbyists, and corporate management accountable to the public. Funding for C&BP is provided by Renew American Prosperity and individual donors.

You may also want to read:

Sussex supervisor says White drove surprise firing of county administrator

Sussex County Sheriff Ernest Giles Sr. refers C&BP complaint to local prosecutor and state police

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The post C&BP offers to brief legislator, attorneys go unanswered appeared first on Checks and Balances Project.

These toys of the ultrarich are environmentally destructive and multiplying fast. They should not exist.

Source

Tejido Global de Alternativas: Declaración Popular de Bandung [ English ] [ Español ] [ Français ] [ Português] Emitida en la segunda Asamblea presencial celebrada en Bandung, Indonesia, del 11 al 17 de abril de 2026. A los pueblos del mundo y a quienes luchan contra todas y cada una de las formas de opresión e injusticia. A toda la vida, incluidas todas las especies no humanas. A los gobiernos de los Estados-nación del mundo y a las instituciones internacionales.

Global Tapestry of Alternatives: People’s Bandung Declaration [ English ] [ Español ] [ Français ] [ Português] Issued after the second in-person Assembly of the Global of held in Bandung, Indonesia, 11-17 April 2026 To the peoples of the world and to those struggling against any and all forms of oppression and injustices. To all of life, including all non-human species. To the nation-state governments of the world, and to international institutions.TapestryAlternativesalternativesalternati…

Climate change and chronic disease are often treated as separate challenges.

One belongs to environmental policy. The other belongs to healthcare. Different experts study them. Different institutions address them. Different budgets support solutions. But increasingly, both are being shaped by the same system: Food.

Food production contributes substantially to greenhouse-gas emissions (GHGs), land-use change, freshwater use, and biodiversity loss. At the same time, unhealthy dietary patterns are helping drive rising rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic illnesses around the world.

These trends are usually discussed separately. They shouldn’t be.

As a physician and clinical researcher, I spend most of my time studying nutrition and metabolic health rather than climate policy. Recently, my colleagues and I conducted a randomized clinical trial involving people with type 1 diabetes. Participants who adopted a low-fat plant-based diet improved insulin sensitivity, reduced insulin requirements, lost weight, and improved several cardiometabolic measures.

The health benefits were encouraging. But what interested us afterward was a different question. What happened to the environmental footprint of participants’ diets? When we analyzed their dietary records, food-related greenhouse-gas emissions had fallen by more than 50 percent within just 12 weeks.

These findings were not theoretical projections or computer simulations. They reflected the choices of real people living their everyday lives.

One study does not solve the climate crisis. And dietary change alone cannot replace the need for clean energy, transportation reform, or industrial innovation.

But it highlights something important. Food occupies a unique position among climate solutions because it influences both human health and environmental sustainability simultaneously.

The same dietary patterns associated with lower greenhouse-gas emissions are also associated with lower risks of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and premature mortality.

Unlike many climate interventions, food can generate benefits that people experience personally and relatively quickly. Weight may decrease. Blood pressure may improve. Insulin sensitivity can increase. And environmental impacts decline at the same time. That alignment matters.

Many sustainability policies ask people to accept short-term sacrifices for long-term societal gains. Food often works differently. Personal and collective benefits can occur together.

This creates a rare opportunity. But food remains surprisingly underrepresented in many climate conversations. Climate discussions understandably focus on energy, transportation, and industry. Food systems deserve a larger place at the table.

Not because food can solve climate change by itself. It cannot. But because meaningful progress on both climate and public health will require addressing some of the same upstream drivers.

Agricultural policy, food marketing, pricing structures, supply chains, and food access influence what people eat. And what people eat affects not only human health, but the health of ecosystems as well.

Food systems are health systems. For decades, policymakers have treated climate change and chronic disease as separate crises. Increasingly, they appear to be two expressions of the same underlying problem.

That should give us hope. Because solutions that improve both human and planetary health are rare. And in an era of growing urgency, we cannot afford to overlook them.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Ella Olsson, Unsplash

The post Op-Ed | The Food System Is Driving Two Crises at Once—and Could Help Solve Both appeared first on Food Tank.

From the San Francisco Estuary Institute,
via Maven’s Notebook July 10, 2026

[Excerpt:]

San Francisco’s rain gardens—the unassuming patches of greenery and mulch designed to soak up rainwater alongside urban roadways—may improve the environment in more ways than realized. A new SFEI-led study shows that rain gardens substantially reduce levels of 21 contaminants in stormwater before that water ends up in San Francisco Bay.

Sampling water entering a Mission Bay rain garden. Photo: Shira Bezalel.

. . .

In the Visitacion Valley neighborhood, where stormwater from an area larger than a football field drained to a rain garden with the footprint of a small house, the soil and plants filtered out at least three-quarters of every contaminant tested in the study. Most were reduced by 90% or more. Overall, the rain gardens were even better at removing most of the emerging contaminants than they were at removing better-studied water quality pollutants like toxic metals.

. . .

The rain gardens could also remove up to 99% of tire wear particles, which vehicles shed on the road as tires wear down. Modern tires are a concoction of hundreds of ingredients, and their fragments are considered a type of microplastic. In fact, tire particles are estimated to be the most common microplastics in San Francisco Bay, with trillions entering it each year. The study also tested for several chemicals that leach into the environment from tires and vehicles, and found that the rain gardens absorbed large portions of these chemicals.

. . .

To read the complete article, visit Maven’s Notebook: San Francisco rain gardens filter microplastic tire particles and dozens of chemicals from stormwater

July 10, 2026 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SUWA Statement on Anticipated Illegal Reductions of Grand Staircase-Escalante & Bears Ears National Monuments – 7.10.26  Actions are reckless and unlawful, taken at the behest of Utah politicians 

Contacts:
Grant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (319) 427-0260; grant@suwa.org

 Salt Lake City, UT – Media reporting indicates that on Monday, July 13 President Trump will sign two presidential proclamations/executive orders attacking Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments, both of which lie in the heart of redrock country in southern Utah. Below is a statement from SUWA Executive Director Scott Braden and additional information.  

“Monday’s anticipated action by President Trump is unlawful, unwise, and unacceptable. These spectacular landscapes deserve to be protected for current and future generations, not opened to exploitation at the behest of Utah politicians. This action will only bring uncertainty and chaos to places that should instead be protected for their rich biodiversity, unique geology, and remarkable cultural values. Grand Staircase-Escalante is a crown jewel of America’s public lands and Bears Ears is an incomparable cultural landscape; the protection of both is overwhelmingly popular with Utahns and Americans,” said Scott Braden, Executive Director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. “The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance is committed to defending the monuments—whether that’s in a court of law or the halls of Congress. We are confident that President Trump’s reckless and unlawful acts will be rejected and the Monuments restored.”  

Additional Information 

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was designated as a national monument in 1996 to protect the incredible scientific, ecological, and paleontological resources within its 1.9 million acres. This crown jewel of our nation’s public lands was the first monument managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and was the first unit in the agency’s now robust and expansive “National Conservation Lands” program. 

Since its establishment, heightened protections for the Monument’s geology, paleontology, wildlife, plant communities, and ancestral sites have succeeded in preserving these unique values for generations to come, and local communities on the Monument’s doorstep have benefited as well. More than 25 years later, the numerous benefits of protecting Grand Staircase-Escalante are clear: the monument preserves a remarkable ecosystem at the landscape-level and sets the stage for future discovery about human, paleontological, and geologic history on the Colorado Plateau. 

Bears Ears National Monument is a region of extraordinary natural diversity and cultural significance. On December 28, 2016, President Obama used his authority under the Antiquities Act to establish Bears Ears National Monument, granting a new layer of protection to some of the most spectacular places in southern Utah. Equally important, the proclamation elevated the voices of Tribal Nations that have ancestral ties to the region. Nearly 100,000 irreplaceable archaeological and cultural sites were covered by the proclamation. 

The Bears Ears proposal was led by the five Tribal Nations that together comprise the “Bears Ears Commission:” the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, the Pueblo of Zuni, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Ute Indian Tribe. As part of the collaborative planning process, the Bears Ears Commission developed A Collaborative Land Management Plan for the Bears Ears National Monument, which “synthesizes Tribal perspectives for the management of the Bears Ears living landscape.” 

Previous Actions 

On December 4, 2017, President Trump ignored millions of public comments and eliminated large swaths of both National Monuments. Grand Staircase was slashed by 47 percent – roughly 900,000 acres; Bears Ear was slashed into two much smaller, non-contiguous units totaling less than 230,000 acres (an 83% reduction). This unprecedented and unlawful action left rare archaeological sites, unique flora and fauna, and stunning wildlands without protection from the location of new hardrock mining claims, off-road vehicle damage, and sweeping vegetation removal projects. 

Thankfully, on October 8, 2021, President Biden signed a proclamation restoring Grand Staircase-Escalante to its full, original boundaries. President Biden also signed a proclamation restoring Bears Ears to its full, original boundaries, plus an additional 12,000 acres. 

In 2022, BLM began the process of developing new management plans for each Monument. SUWA members and supporters from across the country submitted comments to the BLM calling for holistic, conservation-based management plans worthy of these remarkable places. The final plans for both Monuments (Grand Staircase-Escalante, Bear Ears) were signed in January 2025.  Efforts by Utah Senator Mike Lee and Representative Celeste Maloy to undo the management plan through the Congressional Review Act failed in June 2026. 

Litigation 

In December 2017, SUWA along with a coalition of conservation organizations sued President Trump in Federal Court in Washington, D.C. over his unlawful dismantling of Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments. The five Tribal Nations comprising the Bears Ears Commission also sued over Trump’s attack on Bears Ears and other conservation and business organizations likewise challenged both Trump orders. President Biden restored the monuments before the Court could issue a final decision on the illegality of Trump’s orders.  

In August 2023, a Federal District Court Judge in Utah dismissed lawsuits brought by the State of Utah, Blue Ribbon Coalition, and others challenging President Biden’s use of the Antiquities Act to restore the boundaries of Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments. The state and other plaintiffs quickly appealed that decision to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, which held oral argument on September 26, 2024, and issued a decision on June 23, 2026. SUWA and nine other conservation organizations have intervened on behalf of the United States to defend President Biden’s restoration of the Monuments, as have four Tribal nations. 

### 

The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a nonprofit organization with members and supporters from around the country dedicated to protecting America’s redrock wilderness. From offices in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, our team of professionals defends the redrock, organizes support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, and stewards a world-renowned landscape. Learn more at www.suwa.org.  

The post SUWA Statement on Anticipated Illegal Reductions of Grand Staircase-Escalante & Bears Ears National Monuments – 7.10.26  appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

What better way to mark the 250th anniversary of a nation founded on lofty ideals now plunged into ugly discrepancies than to double down on hate-and-fear-mongering? Cue a Racist-In-Chief who stays silent when 400 masked Nazis march in D.C. but goes online to assail graduating kindergarteners in Minnesota for wearing hijabs - goading his followers in vicious lockstep to dutifully screech, "Deport them, big and small!" Stay classy, MAGA.

Somehow, we still manage to be shocked at how ludicrously low the bar's sunk. Never mind the unhinged May hearing where House Repubs attacked the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), following up on equally unhinged fraud charges, by directly quoting a letter from the same hate groups unhappy they'd been named hate groups. In a blistering response, a Dem rep called out their "embrace of white nationalist rhetoric" with the melted clock from the KKK’s 1983 firebombing of the SPLC, charging, "They’re trying to turn back the clock (on) some of the darkest days of our past.”

Then there's the Kentucky pastor of a Baptist church "befuddled" by this year's backlash against a 30-year-old ritual of their vacation Bible school wherein men in military garb march down their church aisle, pull "sinners" outside to a mock firing squad and pretend to open fire. Pastor Dewayne Walker blamed "misinformation" - "part of what this generation has become" - for outrage at “nothing more than a small part" of their school helpfully aimed at identifying good and evil. Others called the ritual "depraved" and "appalling abuse," noting, "There’s not enough context in the world to make this okay."

Same, alas, for much of what passes these dark days for political discourse. On America's 250th birthday, it was reported, about 400 neo-Nazis from the white nationalist Patriot Front joined the day's tawdry mayhem in D.C. by marching in masks and uniforms - seeking "the menace of a mob with none of the accountability" - chanting "Reclaim America." They looked unsettling enough that many on the right uneasily dismissed them as bad actors or imaginary Antifa; Laura Ingraham sneered, "I call fake," then righteously, nonsensically added, "No one should be allowed to cover their faces."

One image of the day went viral: A lone, young, tense Black woman, sitting on the Metro, surrounded by Nazis. "I have taught this photograph before," wrote a longtime teacher on I Fucking Love Australia, describing the September day in 1957 in Little Rock, AR. when 15-year-old Elizabeth Eckford, trying to integrate Central High School, was stopped by the National Guard. In the image, she walks alone in the white dress her mother had sewn for her first day through a screaming, snarling white mob. Asked for their response, one of today's students inevitably offers, "Look at their faces. They wanted to be seen."

"They believed history would agree with them," notes the teacher. "The men on that Metro" - in their masks and khakis - "did not." In the 1940s and '50s, states in the Jim Crow South passed laws banning masks in public, their nod to the brutal presence of the KKK; even they understood that a man who covers his face is not expressing an opinion - he is issuing a threat. "In 1957, the mob showed their faces because they thought history was on their side. In 2026 they hide their faces because they know it is not," the teacher wrote. "That is not nothing. That is 69 years of progress, measured in cowardice."

There was another, less widely viewed photo from that day on the train. Roswell Encina, a gay Filipino American, came to the US as an infant; his father served in the U.S. Navy. Roswell is head of the non-partisan U.S.Capitol Historical Society; as part of his job, he places replicas of the Declaration of Independence in embassies, stadiums, public places so ordinary people can read it and see it as their own story. The train on the 4th had been full of red, white and blue families heading to the fireworks; when they got off and the Nazis got on, he said the mood felt "unnerving" and he had to "summon my better angels" to stay put.

The group was civil and chatting; he tried not to make eye contact, looked up their patches on his phone, texted friends in a familiar safety ritual to say where he was. Later, neither wearing nor needing a mask, he spoke to reporters, in part to protect the young Black woman whose name was unknown. As a historian, he said he felt reassured unnerving" reassured a photographer was documenting the moment. "Democracy is very fragile," he said. "We need to stay engaged with history, civics, education. History is a conversation, and this is part of it." Then he cited another name and image from that earlier era: Ruby Bridges.

Ruby Bridges was six years old in November 1960 when she walked between federal marshals into her New Orleans school as its first Black student after a federal court ordered schools to integrate; white parents were so outraged they kept their kids home, and Ruby spent the year alone in her classroom. To memorialize the historic day, Norman Rockwell painted her, small and again set between marshals, walking along a stone wall where a member of another mob had scrawled "NIGGER" and thrown a tomato, which oozed down. Rockwell titled the 1964 painting, "The Problem We All Live With."

Ruby was 6. The 20 or so kids who proudly stood and joyfully sang on a stage in St. Paul, Minnesota last month were all five and six. A brief video clip from Somali TV of Minnesota shows them celebrating their kindergarten graduation at Gateway STEM Academy, a public charter school serving about 180 students, many Somali, most with legal immigration status, not that it should matter. They wore small sweet blue robes and caps, with hijabs under their mortarboards and white stoles around their shoulders whose rainbow letters, under a teddy bear, read, "Kindergarten Graduate."

Theirs was one of several school graduations celebrated around the state, and the country. It was the only one spotlighted online by a right-wing account named “End Wokeness,” which in 2024 went viral with the claim Haitian immigrants in Ohio were stealing and eating people’s pets.This time, it posted a photo of the small celebrants with an enraged, "Public school in St. Paul, Minnesota. Every girl is in a hijab…in kindergarten.” When 400 masked Nazis marched through the nation's capitol on the nation's birthday, the President of the United States said nothing. But hijabs: "He found his voice."

This week, months after he called Minnesota's Somali community "garbage," after vandalism at mosques, women harassed for wearing hijabs, a fire on a school bus at another largely Somali charter school, the ongoing terror of ICE's Metro Surge, he shared the "End Wokeness" post - twice - in hopes of siccing maybe just a modest mob of his 13 million followers, though not the sharpest tools in the shed, on the tiny perps in gowns and terrorist caps. And, oops, when he "pointed at babies," he did not blur their faces, which only takes seconds, and which normal people unthinkingly do to protect babies.

The “anti-human” rhetoric found its mark. From Truth Social, "There are just some cultures that don't belong and for good reason," "I think they have stolen enough money from the US that they can buy their own ticket. I could help them out with a size 13 boot," and "This is the case for literally every single immigrant we unfortunately let in our country. They’re here to take advantage of our system and tell us how great their country is because they can rape their way through the population without consequence," which for damn sure wouldn't happen here in Epstein land, right?

Parents and advocates expressed "shock and horror" at the reckless cruelty of targeting kids in kindergarten. CAIR: Trump "is putting lives at risk (in a) dangerous escalation of religious hatred. Children deserve to feel safe in their schools and communities...to recognize this is their country.” Tim Walz: "The President (is) attacking a group of kindergarteners because of the clothes they wore to school.” A local Imam: "Our children (are) fully part of this state and country. That is the Minnesota we believe in. That is the America we hope for." Educator Ms. Rachel: “Hijabs are beautiful...No matter what we wear, we all belong.”

Online commentators offered, "At least he is attacking his intellectual peers." Outraged parents of kindergarteners protested the insult by noting their kids can "run intellectual circles around that fool," read at higher grade levels, learn new things daily, nicely share without being asked, and are potty-trained. Despite his vast resources, added the teacher at I Fucking Love Australia, he did not find the 60 seconds to at least blur their faces, "Because he was never trying to show you a graduation. He was showing his people where to aim. That is the whole story. Everything else is commentary."

Checks & Balances Project (C&BP) has filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking all records, texts, and other communications related to Sussex County Board of Supervisors Chairman Steve White assuming the role of acting county administrator after he apparently engineered the firing of then-County Administrator Richard Douglas.

According to another supervisor, Douglas’ firing was engineered by White after a surprise closed session during the April 16 board of supervisors meeting, Supervisor Thomas Baicy told C&BP.

By serving as acting county administrator, White is in apparent violation of Virginia law that prohibits elected officials from serving in administrative jobs. And, county administrator positions are typically full-time. White has been employed full-time with the state of Virginia’s Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Services.

This apparent violation of state law is in C&BP complaints filed with Sussex County Commonwealth Attorney Regina Sykes, Sheriff Ernest Giles Sr., the Virginia State Police and Attorney General Jay Jones.

C&BP has filed four Freedom of Information Act requests for the county’s recusal policy, whether any supervisors have recused themselves in the last 25 years, and any records related to Douglas’ firing.

The county has not provided any records sought in those requests as of July 10. An AI-assisted online search suggests that County has no such policy, undercutting the rationale for a delay in providing the policy.

Ray Locker is the executive director for Checks & Balances Project, an investigative watchdog blog holding government officials, lobbyists, and corporate management accountable to the public. Funding for C&BP is provided by Renew American Prosperity and individual donors.

You may also want to read:

Sussex supervisor says White drove surprise firing of county administrator

Sussex County Sheriff Ernest Giles Sr. refers C&BP complaint to local prosecutor and state police

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Registered nurses at Hemet Global Medical Center in Hemet, California, voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratifying a new three-year contract on July 7, winning protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention.

Pennsylvania produced more than 7.8 trillion cubic feet of gas in 2025, with unconventional wells accounting for over 99% of the total. This analysis examines statewide production trends, declining well output, regional differences, and the large number of conventional wells reporting little or no production.

The post Pennsylvania 2025 Oil & Gas Production Report: Record Gas, Low-Producing Wells, and Long-Term Liabilities appeared first on FracTracker Alliance.

Pennsylvania produced more than 7.8 trillion cubic feet of gas in 2025, with unconventional wells accounting for over 99% of the total. This analysis examines statewide production trends, declining well output, regional differences, and the large number of conventional wells reporting little or no production.

The post Pennsylvania 2025 Oil & Gas Production Report: Record Gas, Low-Producing Wells, and Long-Term Liabilities appeared first on FracTracker Alliance.

Tiny tick bites can cause big health problems – these tips can help Anthony Lacey July 10, 2026

Tick bites are on the rise, and so are the health issues they can cause.

In April all but one region in the U.S. saw the highest level of tick-related emergency room visits since 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Blacklegged ticks can cause Lyme disease, leaving some individuals with lingering brain fog, long-term fatigue, anxiety and depression. Lone star tick bites can lead to alpha-gal syndrome, a lifelong allergy to meat and sometimes dairy products or medicines. 

Avoiding getting bitten while you’re outdoors this summer is critical – EWG is here to help you find bug sprays that can maximize safety and effectiveness, while also providing you with important details about ingredients in these products and any health concerns.

Study labels for active ingredients 

EWG’s guide to bug repellents suggests three active ingredients as the most effective for keeping ticks (and other insects) at bay.

The guide also gives the safest and most effective concentration levels for different tick and bug repellents, measured as the percentage of active ingredient for different repellents.

DEET (under 30% concentration)

DEET acts as a sensory disruptor for mosquitoes and ticks, repelling both smell and taste receptors. When applied correctly, it has very little health risk. In a 2014 review, the Environmental Protection Agency found that DEET was associated with only low health risks, including to children. 

In rare cases, DEET may irritate the skin, usually with highly concentrated formulas – above 75% – and repeated application.

IR3535 (20% concentration)

IR3535 acts much like DEET, repelling insects through its odor. A 2008 study found that 20% IR3535 can offer effective protection against ticks for up to 12.2 hours and mosquitoes for up to 10.3 hours. When used according to label directions, IR3535 has a low risk of causing harmful health effects.

Picaridin (20% concentration) 

Picaridin also mimics the effects of DEET, and most evidence suggests it lasts for a similar amount of time – although a Consumer Reports study found it had a slightly shorter window of effectiveness. Like the other ingredients, it’s also relatively safe when used as instructed. 

The best of these three ingredients is the one in a product that you’re most likely to use. One study found concentrations exceeding 20% of DEET, IR3535 or picaridin repelled more than 90% of ticks from crossing treated bands on volunteers over a 12-hour period.

If you’re looking for alternatives, oil of lemon eucalyptus at 30% to 40% concentration and 2-undecanone at about 7% concentration have also been shown to be effective – but for less time than the other options. 

Apply according to directions

While the risks of any of these chemicals are low in comparison to the risk of tick-borne or mosquito-borne illness, as with any chemical, how you are exposed matters. 

With DEET especially, there is some risk of irritation from incorrect use – for example, applying it under clothing, on the face or broken skin, in enclosed areas, or near or on food. Swallowing or overapplying might lead to excessive absorption, which can occur in rare cases and cause harm to the nervous system. 

Avoid using any of these repellent chemicals on children under 6 months old.

Apply to clothing

Applying the insecticide permethrin (at 0.5 concentration) to clothing, along with the use of bug spray on your skin, can effectively reduce the number of tick bites. Some outdoor retailers even sell clothing pre-treated with permethrin. 

Permethrin can easily incapacitate ticks that land on the clothing and even kill young ticks within a minute of exposure. But there is some human health risk: While exposure is unlikely to cause any significant acute or chronic symptoms, it is highly toxic to the environment. The EPA classifies it as a likely carcinogen when ingested.

When wearing synthetic clothing, including spandex, or other plastic accessories, like sunglasses, avoid applying DEET or IR3535 to areas near the clothing. Because of their solvent properties, both chemicals can dissolve, stain or permanently cloud certain plastics. Picaridin does not damage plastic. 

Wear light-colored clothing

If you plan to spend time outdoors, keep in mind that wearing light-colored clothing makes ticks much easier to spot and remove.

Check daily 

Bug spray is never 100% effective at repelling ticks. If you’re in a tick-friendly area, checking daily for ticks is one of the best ways to avoid tick bites. 

Ticks usually need to stay attached for a day or two to transmit Lyme disease, and despite their small size, they are usually both visible and detectable by touch.

Areas of Focus Personal Care Products Bug Repellent Family Health Women's Health Children’s Health Guest Authors Adam Levin (EWG communications intern) July 10, 2026

Sussex County Board of Supervisors Chairman Steve White proposed firing then-County Administrator Richard Douglas in a surprise closed session during the April 16 board meeting, Supervisor Thomas Baicy told Checks & Balances Project (C&BP).

The move surprised Baicy and others, because the issue wasn’t included on the agenda for the meeting.

Baicy’s comments came in response to a C&BP Freedom of Information Act request for all communications and documents related to Douglas’ dismissal.

In an email to C&BP, Baicy stated:

“To my knowledge, I do not have anything to share per Douglas firing and Conmy leaving since the topic was not disclosed to me until we went into closed session and the removal of Douglas was brought up by Chair White. [Deputy County Administrator David] Conmy said if Richard is gone, he was leaving within a couple weeks of same.”

After the supervisors left their closed session, Baicy said, “that is when the removal of Douglas occurred and Conmy advised he was leaving as well. Closed session we went closed to discuss personnel…..”

Supervisors C. Eric Fly, Alfred Futrell, Phyllis Tolliver, Rufus Tyler and White voted to fire Douglas, while Baicy and Supervisor Wayne Jones voted no.

White then assumed the full-time role of acting county administrator, despite having a full-time job with the state of Virginia.

Douglas’ firing came seven months after the board eliminated the funding for the jobs of Fire Chief Nick Sheffield and his deputy, Chris Bailey, in a September 2025 meeting. According to sources familiar with the matter, Douglas had resisted calls to fire Sheffield after Sheffield raised questions about the finances of the Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad (SCVRS), which White runs.

County has failed to supply documents

C&BP has also filed FOIA requests seeking the county’s recusal policy for elected officials, the number of times officials have recused themselves in the last 25 years and for all records related to the county’s EMS services and SCVRS.

As of July 10, the county has not provided any of the records, despite an AI-assisted online search suggesting that no such policy exists. State law makes it illegal for county commissioners to vote on matters that affect their self-interest.

C&BP reported on June 30 that the IRS suspended SCVRS’ nonprofit status in 2023 because it had failed to file tax returns for three years. The nonprofit status was restored in 2025, but the latest publicly available SCVRS tax return is from 2019.

SCVRS reported a $304,000 surplus in the five years of tax returns from 2015 to 2019 that are on the IRS website.

Ray Locker is the executive director for Checks & Balances Project, an investigative watchdog blog holding government officials, lobbyists, and corporate management accountable to the public. Funding for C&BP is provided by Renew American Prosperity and individual donors.

You may also want to read:

Checks & Balances Project files FOIA request seeking Sussex County EMS records

Checks & Balances Project seeks Sussex County’s recusal policy

Checks & Balances Project seeks more tips from Sussex County residents

 

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A version of this piece was featured in Food Tank’s newsletter, released weekly on Thursdays. To make sure it lands straight in your inbox and to be among the first to receive it, subscribe now by clicking here.

Part of the reason food and agriculture systems are so intriguing—why so many of us devote our lives to the questions of what’s on our plates and how it gets there—is that there’s both breadth and depth.

Food intersects with so many other social and cultural and economic systems; as we like to spotlight here at Food Tank, food and agriculture are the solution to an incredibly wide-ranging set of challenges. At the same time, food systems are full of fascinating pathways to explore, rabbit holes to dive into.

Pick any specific topic you’re interested in, or maybe one you’ve never even considered before: I can assure you that very smart and passionate people around the globe are pouring time and energy into helping us understand more. I don’t know about you—I’m a nerd, after all!—but I think that’s so exciting.

The thrill of a good deep dive, across disciplines and cuisines and continents, is what animates our summer reading list.

In “Consider the Anchovy,” food journalist Sudi Pigott asks us to do just that, arguing that the sometimes-maligned little fish plays a critical role not only in many global food cultures but also in protecting marine ecosystems. In “The Book of Coffee,” philosopher Julian Baggini explores why the beverage is so much more than just a wake-up jolt. In “Bitter Honey,” researcher Jennie Durant zooms in specifically on the bees pollinating California almond orchards to be able to more broadly explore the threats facing pollinators in an age of industrial agriculture, and in “Cheese Trekking,” cheesemaker Trevor Warmedahl takes us on a worldwide journey into the people and microbes keeping small, non-industrial food traditions alive.

And why stop there? We’ve got 23 books on this summer’s list, and each one is a telescope deep into a cultural cuisine, a specific food ingredient, a food justice movement, a challenge we need to address, or a social phenomenon shaping the way we eat.

Here are the books we’re reading this season:

Abiding Hunger: An American Paradox by Roger Thurow (forthcoming September 2026)

Bitter Honey: Big Ag’s Threat to Bees and the Fight to Save Them by Jennie Durant

Black Farmers in America: Fighting for an Equitable Food System by Mya O. Price (forthcoming August 2026)

Building a Sustainable Kitchen: A Practical Guide to Prioritizing the Planet from the Heart of Your Home by Naomi Hansen

Cheese Trekking: How Microbes, Landscapes, Livestock, and Human Cultures Shape Terroir by Trevor Warmedahl

Climate Change and Civic Engagement: The Origins and Future of the Climate Justice Movement by Paul Almeida (Forthcoming July 2026)

Consider the Anchovy: A Journey in Pursuit of the Little Fish with the Big Flavour by Sudi Pigott

Cooking the Borderlands: Spice and Smoke Between Mexico and the States by Claudette Zepeda

Eating on a Mountain at the End of the World: How I Found Love, Humor, and Beauty in My Quest for Ethical Food by Zackary Vernon

Eat to Hustle: 75 High-Protein Plant-Based Recipes by Robin Arzón

Fermenting for the Future: Japanese Pickles and Microbial Foodways by Aya Hirata Kimura

First Helpings: A History of Children and Food by Deborah Albon and Amy Palmer (forthcoming July 2026)

Food Policy Councils: Building Civic Engagement and Community Well-Being by Nessa J. Richman (forthcoming July 2026)

Ice Cream Queen: Flavors from Black America’s Past, Present, & Future by Lokelani Alabanza

It’s on You: How Corporations and Behavioral Scientists Have Convinced Us That We’re to Blame for Society’s Deepest Problems by Nick Chater and George Loewenstein

Our Knives Will Save Us: Dispatches from a White Mountain Apache Chef by Nephi Craig (forthcoming July 2026)

Plots and Deeds: Agrarian Annihilation and the Fight for Land Justice in Palestine by Paul Kohlbry

Soomaaliya: Food, Memory, and Migration: A Cookbook by Ifrah F. Ahmed

Spain My Way: Eat, Drink, and Cook Like a Spaniard by José Andrés and Sam Chapple-Sokol

The Book of Coffee: A Philosophy by Julian Baggini

The Farm Is Here by Jeff Tkach

Tin Can Coast: A History of Industry, Greed, and Fishing in the Golden State by Joseph Ogilvy (forthcoming July 2026)

Tiny Gardens Everywhere: A History of Urban Resilience by Kate Brown

You can learn more about all these books and how to add them to your shelf by CLICKING HERE.

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