"BAGHDAD — The crisis gripping Iraq escalated rapidly on Thursday with a re-energized Islamic State in Iraq and Syria storming new towns in the north and seizing a strategic dam as Iraq’s most formidable military force, the Kurdish pesh merga, was routed in the face of the onslaught."
"NICE, Calif. — An abandoned recreational vehicle was the first clue. In this hamlet two hours north of San Francisco and barely a mile from the largest natural freshwater lake in the state, the trailer sat on a hill, hidden from the main drag. Behind it rose a flimsy fence, tall enough to shield its bounty: 50 marijuana plants in hastily constructed wooden boxes."
"Former Vice President Gore is warning investors to pull their stock in coal assets or face devastating financial consequences."
"An email shows federal and provincial authorities allowed Canadian Natural Resources Limited, under investigation for a serious oilsands leak, to collect some evidence in the probe."
"President Obama unveiled $12 billion in new pledges from the private sector and government institutions on Tuesday to help strengthen Africa's electric power infrastructure."
"The crisis may have eased in Toledo, but the toxic algae in Lake Erie that contaminated the water supply for 500,000 people in Ohio continues to plague lakes and rivers across the country, including here in Maryland."
"Toxic metal threatens marine life as it accumulates faster in shallow layers than in deep sea due to human activity"
"Carriers with the U.S. Postal Service this week were delivering a last bit of expected bad news from the Army Corps of Engineers to 565,000 individuals and businesses who filed claims for trillions of dollars of damages caused by failures of New Orleans area levee systems during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005."
"Wildfires are ravaging the West Coast, burning homes and prompting evacuations. Responding to wildfires has proven costly and now the Obama administration is reevaluating how it pays to fight them.""
"The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday issued its highest alert for an all-hands on deck response to the Ebola crisis in West Africa."
