A coalition of environmentalists and outdoor enthusiasts filed suit in federal court on Wednesday to block the artist Christo from draping "silvery translucent" fabric over a 42-mile stretch of the Arkansas river. The non-profit Rags Over the Arkansas River (ROAR) filed suit against the Bureau of Land Management, arguing that the agency environmental impact report did not consider increased traffic along Highway 50 or disturbances to the local bighorn sheep population. The construction period,... Read More
A coalition of governments, drug companies, and charities on Monday pledged to invest a record $785 million to developing treatments for 10 tropical diseases. The Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases initiative aims to cure the illnesses, which include sleeping sickness, Chagas disease, and leprosy, within the next decade. The United Sates, United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, have contributed. James Kazura, president of the A... Read More
Canadian explorer Don Starkell, who gained fame in the 1980s for paddling more than 12,000 miles from Manitoba to the mouth of the Amazon River, died Monday in Winnipeg. Starkell's adventures also included a 3,000-mile journey by canoe across the Arctic. He later recounted both trips in print, and his Amazon journey was the subject of the 2009 documentary Paddle to the Amazon. Starkell, 79, had battled cancer.
Read more at The Winnipeg Free Press
On Tuesday, the U.S. Forest Service annouced that it will renew the permit for a 60-year-old Jesus statue atop Whitefish Mountain Resort. The Forest Service agreed with the Montana State Historic Preservation Office that the lifesize statue, nicknamed "Big Mountain Jesus," is eligible for a place in the National Register of Historic Places. The Kalispell Knights of Columbus erected the statue in 1955 as a monument to soldiers in the 10th Mountain Division who fought in World War II. Members of... Read More
Chilean police on Monday arrested a man driving a cargo truck carrying more than 11,000 pounds of ice stolen from a national park. Rangers in Bernardo O'Higgins National Park in southern Chile reported seeing the man stealing ice from the Jorge Montt glacier on Friday. Police stopped the truck at a roadblock and discovered large plastic sacks of ice inside. The driver is expected to face theft charges and could even be prosecuted for crimes against cultural heritage. The man reportedly intende... Read More
