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Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Best Friends to fly 125 pets out of flood-impacted areas in Texas, 75 coming to Utah
KANAB, Utah () — Following the devastating floods in Texas that have claimed over 100 lives, Best Friends Animal Society, Austin Pets Alive! and Wings of Rescue are working to fly 125 pets out of the area to support the community. Best Friends Animal Society, Austin Pets Alive! and Wings of Rescue are planning an emergency flight tomorrow morning, departing from San Marcos, Texas, dropping off 50 pets in Ft Worth, Texas, and then bringing the remaining 75 pets to Kanab, Utah. According to a press release from , removing dogs and cats from shelters will help create space for pets that are newly displaced by flooding and reduce overcrowding. While crews on the ground work to rescue pets and reunite them with owners, those already in shelters can be moved to other cities and states. LEARN MORE: What to know about the flash floods in Texas that killed over 100 people 'In the rush to evacuate a disaster like this weekend's flash floods, pets often become separated from their owners. It then becomes the work of first responders and shelter workers to find and house these lost pets until they can be reunited with their owners,' the press release explains. has 'been the lead animal rescue organization with boots on the ground,' according to the press release. They have been working with Kerrville Pets Alive! and other shelters being impacted by the floods to perform search and rescue missions, provide veterinary care, transport pets, and distribute food and supplies. 'The floods have been so devastating for all living beings,' Dr. Ellen Jefferson, President and CEO of Austin Pets Alive!, is quoted in the release. 'So many people are searching for their pets that are the last connection they may have to a family member.' Over 200 dogs and cats affected by the storms have already been rehomed with assistance from the community in Austin, the press release says. PETS: Keep your pets safe around fireworks and parades this summer, advice from experts 'We are heartbroken by the devastation and loss of life caused by the Kerr County floods,' Julie Castle, CEO of Best Friends Animal Society, is quoted in the release. 'We are immensely grateful to our partners, Austin Pets Alive and Wings of Rescue, for collaborating with us to help bring these pets to safety. When disaster strikes, we're fortunate to be in a position to help and will continue doing everything we can to support those affected by the floods.' According to the press release, planes are pressurized and temperature-controlled aircraft, and all animals are medically cleared for travel before takeoff. Safeguards are also in place to ensure that no animals are lost. Wings of Rescue will be responsible for safely transporting the 125 pets leaving the area. 'Pets are so intertwined with this traumatic event, and we are grateful to our partners at Best Friends Animal Society and Wings of Rescue for providing this flight that will allow Texas to make room for more lost pets to be reunited,' Dr. Jefferson stated in the release. For more information or to support one of the nonprofits working to rescue animals, visit and . President Trump sets August 1st date for more tariffs LDS Church joins interfaith initiative to protect forests in Peru Two men charged after fight in Holladay, one 'headbutted' an officer, charges say Rand Paul pans Trump's 'haphazard' tariff against Brazil over Bolsonaro trial The Perfect Summer Potluck Side Dish -Lumberjack Baked Beans Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Washington Post
42 minutes ago
- Washington Post
What this 100-hour undertaking shows about public spaces
Warning: This graphic requires JavaScript. for the best experience. In May and June, I spent 100 hours painting my largest mural yet — a 2,000-square-foot wall in NoMa, in what sociologists call a 'third place': a space for socializing that is neither work nor home. A map showing where the mural resides. 'Endless Summer' mural, 200 Florida Ave. NE FLA. AVENUE NE Metropolitan Branch Trail N.Y. AVENUE NW Gallaudet University NoMa Union Market Union Station D.C. National Mall U.S. Capitol Source: Google Earth 'Endless Summer' mural, FLORIDA AVENUE NE 200 Florida Ave. NE Metropolitan Branch Trail NEW YORK AVENUE NW Gallaudet University NoMa Union Market Union Station D.C. National Mall U.S. Capitol Source: Google Earth Nicknamed 'the bike lobby,' this large, roofed, open space is a public amenity that District planners required the developers to provide. The planners wanted an easy connection between Florida Avenue and the Metropolitan Branch Trail, a popular regional trail that connects the Maryland suburbs to NoMa and runs right by the site. The developers delivered by punching a corridor through their apartment building. Today, the constant foot and bike traffic through the space validates that idea. Andrea Limauro paints the 'Endless Summer' mural in NoMa. (Photos by Albert Ting) As with the spring season artwork for this series, I chose this wall for its location in relation to D.C.'s main climate risk in the summer: urban heat. The D.C. Department of Energy and Environment (where I work) projects that days in the summer with a heat index of 95 degrees Fahrenheit or above — often referred to as 'heat emergencies' — will increase up to three times by 2080. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Because temperatures are not the same across the city — varying according to factors such as tree cover, proximity to water, topography and land use — some communities, often lower-income, experience even hotter summers. That's why I focused on Northeast Washington, where neighborhoods along the rail lines can feel up to 17 degrees hotter than the greener areas northwest of Rock Creek Park. The rail infrastructure itself contributes: Aboveground metal tracks routinely hit more than 135°F in summer (which forces trains to run slower for safety reasons) and radiate heat well into the night. The rail yards, and the industrial businesses that usually line them in cities everywhere, tend to have fewer trees and more heat-retaining surfaces such as asphalt and flat black roofs, exacerbating the urban heat island effect. Fewer trees, higher temperatures The wall's location, directly across from the busy national, regional, cargo and Metro rails in NoMa, felt perfect for this season's mural. Like the Georgetown artwork, this project also points to one of the few solutions we have to rising temperatures in dense urban areas: building more shaded third places for people to cool off. While tree cover is essential, it's not always feasible in tight urban spaces with mazes of underground infrastructure. Thus, creating shade through architectural and design solutions — from shade umbrellas and sails in parks to awnings along retail streets, to balconies in buildings — can also play a major role in cooling our cities. Explore the mural The mural depicts a large rising sun to evoke the summer heat that will replace the cool night. The landscape is an expanded view of D.C. north of Florida Avenue. The flora throughout is purposely wild as a reminder that nature will find a way to thrive. Drag to see the full on the dots to reveal details. Marvin Gaye Park This municipal park — which stretches 1.6 miles through several Northeast neighborhoods — is the city's longest. In 2006, it was renamed for the soul musician, who grew up in the area and started his career in Washington. Third places — especially when free, accessible, and welcoming — are crucial ingredients in creating real community. In a time of ever-expanding cities and deepening social disconnection, they are more important than ever. Yet they're disappearing. Urban design tactics intended to dissuade loitering and encampments end up creating unwelcoming and uncomfortable spaces for everyone. If you've struggled to find a free and comfortable place to sit in a U.S. city, this is probably why. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement This is not to say such concerns aren't legitimate. There is a housing and mental health crisis in the U.S., but poor design won't solve it. Design is not a substitute for a social programs. When we make spaces uncomfortable for some, we make them uncomfortable for all. The result is often that people with means and choices avoid these uncomfortable public spaces, which, ironically, end up being used only by the very people who were meant to be kept away. With the bike lobby, I wanted to show that the opposite approach, more equitable and democratic, should be the guiding principle for urban design: Universal comfort for all is more likely to lead to higher use and diffused ownership of the space. The mural depicts a large rising sun, along with landmarks from NoMa and communities northeast and northwest of Washington's old Boundary Street, which formed the northern boundary of the Federal City under the 1791 L'Enfant Plan. Today it's Florida Avenue. My goal was to make a space so beautiful that people would collectively care enough to maintain it. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement This is the second of four artworks Andrea Limauro is creating for his year-long 'Climate of Future Past' project about seasonal risks in four vulnerable communities around D.C. Limauro created the project in response to The Post's commission of four artworks in its 'Four Seasons' collaboration with the artist.
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Bald eagle's new status as the official US bird brings pride and hope to many Native Americans
PRAIRIE ISLAND INDIAN COMMUNITY, Minn. (AP) — Some Native Americans traditionally bestow bald eagle feathers at ceremonies to mark achievements, such as graduations, and as a form of reverence for the bird they hold sacred as a messenger to the Creator. This year, many are doing so with elevated pride and hope. The bald eagle is now the official bird of the United States, nearly 250 years after it was first used as a symbol of the newly founded nation that's deeply polarized politically today. 'The eagle is finally getting the respect it deserves. Maybe when the nation looks at the eagle that way, maybe there will be less division,' said Jim Thunder Hawk. He's the Dakota culture and language manager for the Prairie Island Indian Community, a small Mdewakanton Sioux band on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minnesota. This wide, unruffled stretch of water framed by wooded bluffs is prime bald eagle territory. The size of Minnesota's population of the majestic, white-head-and-tail birds that are exclusive to North America is second only to that of Alaska. The legislation that made the eagle official came from members of Minnesota's Congressional delegation. The federal act recognizes the eagles' centrality in most Indigenous peoples' 'spiritual lives and sacred belief systems,' and a replica of it is on display at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota, 40 miles (65 kilometers) downriver from the Prairie Island community, which partners with the center in eagle care. 'If you grew up in the United States, eagles were a part of your everyday life,' said Tiffany Ploehn, who as the center's avian care director supervises its four resident bald eagles. 'Everyone has some sort of connection.' Fierce symbols of strength and spiritual uplift A bald eagle, its wings and talons spread wide, has graced the Great Seal of the United States since 1782, and appears on passport covers, the $1 bill, military insignia, and myriad different images in pop culture. But a prolific collector of eagle memorabilia based in Wabasha realized recently that, while the United States had an official animal (the bison) and flower (the rose), the eagle was getting no formal credit. Several Minnesota legislators sponsored a bill to remedy that and then-President Joe Biden's signature made it official in December. With their massive wingspan and stern curved beak, bald eagles are widely used as symbols of strength and power. In reality, they spend 95% of their day perched high in trees, though when they hunt they can spot a rabbit 3 miles (5 kilometers) away, Ploehn said. For many Native Americans, the soaring eagle represents far more; it delivers their prayers to the Creator and even intercedes on their behalf. 'My grandma told me that we honor eagles because they saved the Ojibwe people when the Creator wanted to turn on them. The eagle, he can fly high, so he went to speak with the Creator to make things right,' said Sadie Erickson, who is Ojibwe and Mdewakanton Sioux. Marking life milestones with eagle feathers Erickson and a dozen other high school graduates received a bald eagle feather at an early July celebration by the riverbank at Prairie Island. Thunder Hawk said a prayer in the Dakota language urging the high school graduates and graduates receiving higher education degrees to 'always remember who you are and where you come from.' Then they lined up and a relative tied a feather — traditionally on the left side, the heart's side — as tribal members sang and drummed to celebrate them. 'It just feels like I went through a new step of life,' said Jayvionna Buck. Growing up on Prairie Island, she recalled her mother excitedly pointing out every eagle. 'She would genuinely just yell at me, 'Eagle!' But it's just a special occurrence for us to see,' Buck said. 'We love seeing it, and normally when we do, we just offer tobacco to show our respects.' Some Native Americans honor the eagle by taking it as their ceremonial name. Derek Walking Eagle, whose Lakota name is 'Eagle Thunder,' celebrated the graduates wearing a woven medallion representing the bird. To him, eagles are like relatives that connect him to his future and afterlife. 'Being able to carry on to the spirit world … that's who guides you. It's the eagle,' Walking Eagle said. That deep respect attaches to the feathers, too. 'It's the highest respect you can bestow on a person, from your family and from your people, from your tribe,' Thunder Hawk said. 'We teach the person receiving the feather that they have to honor and respect the eagle. And we tell them why.' Persistent troubles, but new hope In many Native cultures, killing an eagle is 'blasphemous,' he said. It is also a federal offense. Historically, Sioux warriors would lure an eagle with rabbit or other food, pluck a few feathers and release it, said Thunder Hawk, who grew up in South Dakota. Today, there's a nationwide program that legally distributes eagle feathers and parts exclusively to tribal members, though it's very backlogged. U.S. wildlife and tribal officials worry that killings and illegal trafficking of eagles for their feathers is on the rise, especially in the West. In Minnesota, eagles are most often harmed by road accidents and eating poison – results of shrinking wildlife habitat that brings them in closer contact with humans, said Lori Arent, interim director of the University of Minnesota's Raptor Center. The center treats about 200 injured bald eagles each year. Of those they can save, most are eventually released back into the wild. Permanently disabled birds that lose an eye or whose wings are too badly fractured to fly are cared for there or at other educational institutions like the Wabasha eagle center. The official designation could help more Americans understand how their behaviors inadvertently harm eagles, Arent said. Littering by a highway, for instance, attracts rodents that lure eagles, which then can be struck by vehicles. Fishing or hunting with tackles and ammunition containing lead exposes the eagles eating those fish or deer remains to fatal metal poisoning. Humans have lost the ability to coexist in harmony with the natural world, Thunder Hawk said, voicing a concern shared by Indigenous people from the Chilean Andes to the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. He hopes more people might now approach the eagle with the same reverence he was taught. It's what leads him to offer sage or dried red willow bark every time he spots one as a 'thank you for allowing me to see you and for you to hear my prayers and my thoughts.' Erickson, the new graduate, shares that optimism. 'I feel like that kind of shows that we're strong and united as a country,' she said by the Mississippi, her new feather nestled in her hair. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
