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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Iowans Preparing Now for 45th Annual Earth Day

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Wednesday, March 11, 2015   

DES MOINES, Iowa - With the springlike weather that's now being enjoyed across Iowa, residents are busy making plans and getting ready for next month's 45th annual Earth Day celebration.

For those looking to get involved, said Leslie Irlbeck, program and outreach manager at Metro Waste Authority, a good place to start is to check with local public-works departments or community organizations.

"A lot of times, there are supplies that are available," she said, "because they're more than willing to incorporate anybody that wants to clean up the streets and the streams and anything else that's out there that could use a little extra attention this time of year."

Earth Day is the largest civic observance in the world, with more than 1 billion people participating in related activities each year.

Iowa's largest Earth Day event is the Trash Bash in Des Moines, set for April 24 and expected to have more than 1,000 volunteers taking part. But Irlbeck noted that anyone in any corner of the state can get involved, just by getting educated and making an impact on their own.

"It's a great time to refresh about what's recyclable, what's not recyclable, make sure you're putting everything where it belongs," she said, "and kind of just hitting 'reset' and seeing what other kinds of sustainable practices that you can incorporate in your day-to-day life."

She said Iowans generate more than 3 million tons of waste annually, and the amount that ends up in landfills is enough to fill 100,000 semitrailers stretching end-to-end from Cedar Rapids to New York City.

More information is online at mwatoday.com. Details on Iowa waste are at iastate.edu.


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