"Emergency department visits for tick bites have surged to the highest level for this time of year since 2017, driven by warmer temperatures that are boosting tick activity especially in the Northeast and Midwest."

"Yudelaimys Barrero Muñoz used to spend up to three hours on the side of a highway under the blazing sun waving money at drivers as she attempted to hitch a ride from Cienfuegos, Cuba to Santa Clara, where she buys supplies to resell and support her husband and two children."

"Legislation that would reduce plastic waste in New York is advancing in the state Legislature amid a contentious debate over chemical recycling." "Environmentalists and some state lawmakers say the process does more harm than good. Plastics producers are pushing back."

"Florida plans to shut down the Everglades migrant detention site known as Alligator Alcatraz as soon as early June, according to a news report."

"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday proposed a delay in enforcement of a regulation requiring ‌significant cuts in air pollution from vehicles."

"A recent study caught our eye: salmon on cocaine. Or really, researchers giving salmon cocaine…for science."

"Tourism-oriented messaging in the media is likely a main driver of increased national park visitation, according to one study"

"Earlier this year, a proposal from the New Hampshire House sought to pause the practice of applying PFAS-containing sewage sludge to farmland in New Hampshire. But over the course of multiple packed hearings and after a handful of amendments, the bill’s provisions have changed shape, sparking concern among some early supporters."

"Interest in a gasoline tax holiday is growing on Capitol Hill following President Donald Trump’s endorsement Monday — but the proposal is also facing pushback from some key Republicans balking at cutting a major source of federal funding."

"In early March, in the lobby of the Department of Health and Human Services, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stood alongside medical leaders and other cabinet members to make an announcement. The administration had secured agreements with over 50 medical schools to provide at least 40 hours of nutrition education as part of a medical-school degree, Kennedy said—nearly a third of the roughly 160 accredited medical schools in the United States.