Southern California Braces for Record-Setting Heat

The NWS issued excessive heat warnings for most of the region from Friday morning until Sunday night.

The affected areas included the San Fernando, San Gabriel, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys, as well as the valleys of the Inland Empire.

The Antelope Valley could see temperatures between 108 and 115 degrees, according to the NWS.

Other valley areas were expected to reach highs of 100 to 108 degrees, forecasters said.

Read more: http://ktla.com/2013/06/27/l-a-county-opens-colling-center-in-advance-of-heatwave/#ixzz2XRE3ml4B

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by KTLA.com  Kellan Connor

 

 

L.A. bike-sharing program hits a snag

Bike-sharing in Los Angeles has hit a roadblock.

In spring 2012, Tustin company Bike Nation predicted the first phase of its L.A. bike-share program would be up and running by summer 2013. Soon after, officials said, as many as 4,000 bikes would be available to rent by the hour, the day or the week — similar to CitiBike, the program that launched in New York City last month to much fanfare. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bike-share-delay-20130627,0,294356.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Laura J. Nelson

 

 

Mount Everest Airport Will Terrify You

LUKLA, Nepal - As soon as the decades-old Twin Otter landed at Lukla airport, passengers burst out in applause. They do that for nearly every safe landing at the often terrifying airport at the gateway to Mount Everest.

At an altitude of 2,843 meters (9,325 feet), the small airstrip here has earned a reputation as one of the most extreme and dangerous airports in the world. The single runway is narrow, short and sloped. Miss the runway by a few meters (or feet) and the plane would hit a mountain. http://www.weather.com/travel/mount-everest-airport-will-terrify-you-photos-20130618

Article courtesy of weather.com by Associated Press

World's largest solar-powered boat sails into Boston

The MS Tûranor PlanetSolar arrived in Boston this weekend for a brief stay to show off the unusual engineering and design that makes it the world's largest solar-powered boat. The ship is on a scientific mission, led by one of the world's leading climate scientists, traveling along the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic to gather data about the ocean and the atmosphere. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/2013/06/23/world-largest-solar-powered-boat-sails-into-boston/uD1gEPTRRPblnQAoh3LAmO/story.html

Article courtesy of Boston.com by Gail Waterhouse

Vt. and Quebec announce electric car corridor

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Starting this fall, people who drive electric vehicles should be able to travel the 138-mile route between Burlington and Montreal without worrying they'll run short of a charge thanks to a planned electric vehicle charging corridor, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin and Quebec Premier Pauline Marois announced in Montreal.  http://www.boston.com/cars/news-and-reviews/2013/06/18/and-quebec-announce-electric-car-corridor/dygs5GtAc0r7TQe0raWo4M/story.html

Article courtesy of Boston.com by Associated Press

California leads U.S. in record first quarter for solar installation

The U.S. had a record quarter in solar installation during the first three months of the year, installing 723 megawatts of photovoltaic capacity for a 33% increase over the same period last year. That represents nearly half of all new generation capacity installed in the U.S. during the first quarter of this year, and puts the solar industry on pace for its best year to date.http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-california-first-quarter-solar-20130612,0,7386012.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Catherine Green

 

 

Cheetah's acceleration power key to their success

WASHINGTON (AP) — Everyone knows cheetahs are blazingly fast. Now new research illustrates how their acceleration and nimble zigzagging leave other animals in the dust and scientists in awe.

Researchers first determined that cheetahs can run twice as fast as Olympian Usain Bolt on a straightaway. Then they measured the energy a cheetah muscle produces compared to body size and calculated the same for Bolt, the sprinter. They found the cheetah had four times the crucial kick power of the Olympian.  http://www.boston.com/news/science/2013/06/12/cheetah-acceleration-power-key-their-success/fZh3Vq1x3QB1HYCcquYcOL/story.html

Article courtesy of Boston.com by Seth Borenstein/AP Science Writer

Transit set to offer Wi-Fi on trains, at stations

NJ Transit rail riders might soon be going wireless.

The agency's board is set to vote Wednesday on an agreement to provide free Wi-Fi on trains and at rail stations.  http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/06/nj_transit_trains_to_offer_wi-.html#incart_river

Article courtesy of NJ.com by The Associated Press

 

 

Gritty wharf at Port of L.A. will become marine research center

Daniel Pondella, director of the Southern California Marine Institute, walks along 100-year-old City Dock 1 at the Port of Los Angeles, which will be transformed into a research center containing laboratories and classrooms, fish hatcheries and berths for research vessels. His institute will be the new center's first tenant. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-marine-research-20130610,0,4884192.story

 

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Louis Sahagun

Turning cow dung into electricity

Dairy farmer Ron Koetsier's 1,200 cows produce roughly 90 tons of manure daily, and for the last three decades, he has tried unsuccessfully to turn the stinky dung into energy to power his 450-acre farm in Visalia.

He installed a nearly $1-million renewable energy system in 1985 that used the methane from manure to create electricity for his farm. In 2002, he replaced that system with newer technology, but he hit a snag when air-quality standards called for expensive retrofits to reduce air pollution; he eventually shut down the system in 2009. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-dairy-digester-20130609,0,878419.story

Article courtesy of the Los Angeles Times by Ricardo Lopez

 

 

 

Flooding in Europe

The Danube River reached its highest level in 500 years. The Elbe, Rhine, and other rivers and tributaries are cresting high as well as swathes of central Europe lie inundated by floodwaters that have killed 12 and displaced tens of thousands. Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic have been severely affected, as Hungary prepares for the swell of water. Gathered here are images of the flooding and people affected in the last several days.

 

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2013/06/flooding_in_europe.html

Article courtesy of Boston.com-The Big Picture posted by Lane Turner 

 

Scientists hope lab program saves Fla. butterfly

MIAMI (AP) — The fate of an endangered butterfly species in the Florida Keys may rest on the fragile wings of a single female Schaus swallowtail and a handful of caterpillars captured in Biscayne National Park, according to University of Florida researchers hoping they have a second chance to save it from extinction.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Scientists-hope-lab-program-saves-Fla-butterfly-4571742.php#ixzz2VAvCE2YB

Article courtesy of The San Francisco Chronicle by Jennifer Kay /Associated Press

Scientists warn Atlantic puffins in peril in US

PORTLAND, Maine — The Atlantic puffin population is at risk in the United States, and there are signs the seabirds are in distress in other parts of the world.

In the Gulf of Maine, the comical-looking seabirds have been dying of starvation and losing body weight, possibly because of shifting fish populations as ocean temperatures rise, according to scientists.  http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/national/northeast/2013/06/scientists_warn_atlantic_puffins_in_peril_in_us

Article courtesy of The Boston Herald by The Associated Press

New Mexico county first in nation to ban fracking to safeguard water

Wells are only source of water for everyone  in Mora County, which is why last month this poor, conservative ranching region of energy-rich New Mexico became the first county in the nation to pass an ordinance banning hydraulic fracturing, the controversial oil and gas extraction technique known as "fracking" that has compromised water quantity and quality in communities around the country.  http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fracking-ban-20130529,0,4631146.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Julie Cart

Pedicabs are finding a place in the Southland transportation mix

Now the next big thing in bikes is slowly riding in on three wheels.

Pedicabs will hit the streets of Santa Monica this summer, and city officials hope the service will offer people on bustling Main Street a way to get around without their cars. Santa Monica will join San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Huntington Beach and Long Beach, where the human-powered taxis already roam the streets.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-pedicabs-20130527,0,5710671.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Matt Stevens and Marisa Gerber