"The first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season got a little stronger early Thursday as it headed toward Florida's western coast and a new tropical storm warning was issued for a swath of the U.S. East Coast."

"PORTLAND -- A genetically modified test strain of wheat that emerged to the surprise of an Oregon farmer last month was likely the result of an accident or deliberate mixing of seeds, the company that developed it said Wednesday."

"In what at least one expert is calling a 'very unusual' move, TransCanada Corp. is reportedly digging up and rebuilding dozens of sections of the already-completed part of the Keystone XL pipeline."

"Minneapolis, where 94% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, has the U.S.' best park system, according to new rankings by a national non-profit conservation group."

"The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant said it had found another leak of contaminated water on Wednesday, piling pressure on the utility to curb the problem as it seeks permission to release water to the sea."

"On June 3, the Connecticut legislature passed a bipartisan GMO labeling bill, making it the first state to require food manufacturers to reveal whether their products include genetically engineered ingredients."

"The Senate confirmed Sylvia Matthews Burwell as the new director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) at the end of April. Now Democrats in the House and Senate are calling on her to fix whatever's been delaying all the environmental, health, and safety rules at OMB for months (and in some cases, years)."

"LIMÓN, Costa Rica -- Costa Rican environmentalist Jairo Mora Sandoval was murdered on May 30, while attempting to protect leatherback turtle nests on Moín Beach, on Costa Rica’s northern Caribbean coast. He was 26."

"The Environmental Protection Agency plans to announce targets for U.S. ethanol use in 2013 and 2014 this summer, an EPA official told lawmakers on Wednesday, even as critics of the program warned of a brewing fuel crisis."

"Migration used to be a good strategy for animals to find the best food, but a recent study appears to show that climate change and human interference favor animals that stay put."

"Declaring a strong desire to deliver New Jersey voters an elected senator in short order, Gov. Chris Christie (R) announced Tuesday that he is setting a special election to fill the late-Sen. Frank Lautenberg's seat for October, with a primary slated for August."

"WICHITA, Kan. -- A Kansas farmer has sued seed giant Monsanto over last week's discovery of genetically engineered experimental wheat in an 80-acre field in Oregon, claiming the company's gross negligence hurt U.S. growers by driving down wheat prices and causing some international markets to suspend certain imports."

"No bases visited, no vets interviewed for Pentagon probe into dioxin in Okinawa."

"A tornado that swept through Oklahoma on Friday was the widest tornado in American history, the National Weather Service said Tuesday."

"America's first offshore wind lease sale will take place in July, the Interior Department announced Tuesday. It's good news for the US wind industry, which is hoping to expand beyond land-based production."

"On Tuesday the Interior Department unveiled plans for the nation's first auction of offshore wind leases. It's more good news for the US wind industry, which installed a record amount of capacity in 2012, and received a one-year extension on the federal tax credits driving much of the industry's growth.