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The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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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.

CA Farmers Feel The Sting Of Mysterious Bee Disorder

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Wednesday, April 30, 2008   

Davis, CA - California's almond farmers are feeling the sting of a mysterious disease that is wiping out some of their busiest workers -- the honeybee populations. The bees are needed to pollinate the almonds, which are among the state's biggest and most profitable crops.

Gabriela Chavarria, a conservation biologist with the Natural Resources Defense Council, says Colony Collapse Disorder is also putting beekeepers out of business, making the shortage even worse.

"A lot of the beekeepers are going into their hives and are discovering they don't have honeybees because they've all died. We're not going to have the right pollinators to help us to pollinate the crops for our plants and our gardens."

Chavarria says the bee shortage could also mean higher prices at the supermarket for almonds and many other foods that rely on bees for pollination.

"The fact that in the United States we're not going to have enough bees, that alone will increase the price. It will also increase the price because we're going to have to bring food from outside of the country."

Chavarria says the government should subsidize beekeepers and fund research into the cause of the disorder. Congress considered such legislation last fall, but didn't act on it. Researchers at the University of California in Davis are studying the problem and say it's likely to prove to be a combination of viruses, pesticides and global warming.


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The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

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Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

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Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

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Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

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Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

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New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Social Issues

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Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

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Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

 

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