Regional / Nature
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Winds ease but deadly wildfires endure in Southwest US
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Frazzled residents in a part of rural northwestern Oklahoma paralyzed by days of wind-whipped wildfires expressed fear a blaze could overrun their home Wednesday, as firefighters battling the deadly fires there and in...
Forecasters warn of rare, life-threatening wildfire weather
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Forecasters warned of dangerous, life-threatening wildfire conditions in parts of the Southwest and Southern Plains on Tuesday, as a forestry official warned firefighters battling a terrifying deadly blaze in Oklahoma that it...
Oklahoma wildfires kill 2; threat nears historic level
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Wildfires that have killed two people in western Oklahoma are nearing conditions not seen in at least a decade because of the mixture of high temperatures, low humidity and heavy winds, the National Weather Service said Monday....
Officials: Despite moisture, fire danger high in Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — State officials are reminding Kansans that recent rain and snow did not significantly reduce fire danger in the state. The National Weather Service issued red flag fire warnings through 9 p.m. Tuesday and said the fire danger...
Bat key to tequila trade gets off US endangered species list
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Wildlife managers in the American Southwest say a once-rare bat important to the pollination of plants used to produce tequila has made a comeback and is being removed from the U.S. endangered species list. The U.S. Fish...
Wildfire evacuation order lifted for small Oklahoma town
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Officials say residents of a small southwestern Oklahoma town have returned to their homes after being ordered to evacuate due to a wildfire threat. Keli Cain of the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said Sunday that...
Oklahoma wildfires kill 2; threat nears historic level
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Wildfires that have killed two people in western Oklahoma are nearing conditions not seen in at least a decade because of the mixture of high temperatures, low humidity and heavy winds, the National Weather Service said Monday....
Report: Drought expands; Oklahoma sees worst conditions
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Drought is tightening its grip across the American Southwest as extreme conditions spread from Oklahoma to Utah, according to new federal data released Thursday. On the southern high plains, Oklahoma remains ground zero for...
Oklahoma teacher walkout means improvising to care for kids
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Massive teacher protests at the Oklahoma state Capitol have done more than put political pressure on lawmakers: The situation has forced school districts, churches, community organizations and parents to improvise to take care...
System brings blizzards, threat of tornadoes to Midwest
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A potent, slow-moving spring storm system that's expected to persist through the weekend began raking the Plains and Midwest on Friday, bringing blizzard conditions to South Dakota and the threat of tornadoes from Texas and...
Wildfire danger heightens in western Oklahoma
WOODWARD, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma Forestry Services officials are warning of an extreme fire danger in western Oklahoma. Fire staff officer Drew Daily says warm temperatures and low humidity are expected to create very strong burning conditions on...
Kansas dowsers use folk tradition to find bodies, water
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A cold north Kansas wind blew as strong as they come on the day Vince Marshall and Marvin Richards dowsed for graves in Wichita's Highland Cemetery. Braided copper wires in their hands, the two men walked slowly across the...
Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas facing tornado and wildfire threats
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Emergency officials in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas are bracing for two types of disasters as spring gets into full swing: The start of what's historically the most active time of year for tornadoes plus wildfire threats brought...
Earthquakes in northwest Oklahoma include magnitude 4.6
COVINNGTON, Okla. (AP) — A magnitude 4.6 earthquake shook Oklahoma on Saturday and was also felt in neighboring Kansas and Missouri, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was one of four earthquakes recorded in northwest Oklahoma on Saturday...
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman tours Harvey-hit area
HOUSTON (AP) — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has toured a Houston neighborhood that was devastated by Hurricane Harvey. The subdivision Prince Mohammed toured Saturday is made up of Habitat for Humanity homes that were flooded last year....
No one hurt when strong winds blow roof off Kansas school
HAVILAND, Kan. (AP) — Strong winds have torn the roof off a Kansas grade school cafeteria and deposited its remains in an adjacent parking lot. Haviland Grade School principal Mark Clodfelter says about 70 students, from kindergarten through...
Watchdog group sues EPA over suppressed Superfund site audit
A watchdog group is suing the Environmental Protection Agency seeking the release of records involving an investigative audit into the cleanup of the Tar Creek Superfund site in northeastern Oklahoma that the state's attorney general wants to keep...
Threatened listing for snake found only in Louisiana, Texas
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A burrowing snake found only in Louisiana and Texas is now listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The Louisiana pine snake is a 5-foot-long (1.5-meter-long) constrictor found in a few longleaf pine forests in Loui...
Female lion with a mane has died at Oklahoma City Zoo
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma City Zoo says an 18-year-old African lioness that mysteriously sprouted a mane last year has died. The zoo says the lioness, named Bridget, was euthanized Wednesday after a veterinary team determined she was...
USGS records 2 small earthquakes in northwest Oklahoma
COVINGTON, Okla. (AP) — The U.S. Geological Survey has recorded three earthquakes in northwest Oklahoma, the largest with a preliminary magnitude of 3.7. The USGS reports the larger quake struck at 10:07 a.m. Friday near Covington. A magnitude 3.1...
Wind gusts cause hangar collapse at Hobby Airport in Houston
HOUSTON (AP) — Strong winds that swept through the Houston area have caused a hangar to collapse at one of the city's airports, damaging planes and scattering debris. The National Weather Service says gusts of about 80 mph (129 kph) were recorded...
Arkansas counties struggle with gnat infestation
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Counties in eastern Arkansas are struggling to contain buffalo gnats, which are causing the deaths of livestock and deer. The black flies began laying eggs following heavy winter rains, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporte...
New Mexico counties designated as drought disaster areas
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A dozen New Mexico counties have been designated by federal agriculture officials as primary natural disaster areas due to drought. The U.S. Department of Agriculture made the announcement Tuesday. The designation allows...
Bat-killing fungus found in Central Texas
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The fungus that causes white-nose syndrome, a disease deadly to hibernating bats, has been found for the first time in Central Texas. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department revealed Wednesday that the fungus has been detected...
Arkansas Game and Fish biologist discovers 2 new crawfish
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Two new species of crawfish have been discovered by an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission biologist, including one that's named for him. Brian Wagner was researching rare salamander in the Eleven-Point River in northern...