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EartherEarth ScienceFlorida’s Toxic Red Tide Algae Makes ‘Extremely Rare’ Jump to the Atlantic Coast
The red tide algae bloom that’s plagued Florida’s Gulf Coast for months has now jumped east to the Atlantic. Florida officials are dubbing it an “extremely rare” occurrence, underscoring just how far from over the state’s algae crisis is. On Monday, officials confirmed the presence of Karenia Brevis, the saltwater algae that smells like a … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
Tech NewsFacebook Vigilantes, Ugly Laptops, and Red Tide: Best Gizmodo Stories of the Week
Read anything interesting in the news lately? No, really. I’m still catching up, because for much of the past week, I was vacationing in lovely Cook Forest, Pennsylvania, during which my access to the internet was limited to whatever stretches of 4G could be obtained amid supply runs to town. This was indeed lovely—an excuse … Continued
By Tom McKay -
EartherEarth Science
Why Is Florida’s Red Tide Outbreak So Bad Right Now?
It’s been a summer of algae for the Sunshine State. Last month, Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in counties whose waterways were befouled by blue-green algae blooms. On Monday, Scott found himself declaring another emergency for a separate red tide algae outbreak taking place across the state. The current red tide bloom … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
Tech NewsPrivacy & Security
Florida Man Jailed for Failing to Unlock His Phone
What started as a routine traffic stop has quickly escalated into a civil rights case in a Florida courtroom after a man was put behind bars this week for failing to unlock his phone. William Montanez was given 180 days in jail by a judge after he was asked to unlock two separate phones seized … Continued
By AJ Dellinger -
EartherConservation
Why Florida’s Largest Lake Is Filled With Toxic Algae, Again
In what has become a deeply unwelcome summertime tradition, Floridians are once again finding their waterways befouled with blue-green algae. Since June, an algae bloom of epic proportions has gripped Lake Okeechobee, the largest freshwater lake in the state. By last week, the bloom had engulfed 90 percent of the lake’s open water (436 square … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
ScienceBiologyHow a Legal Brawl Between Two Rich Guys Could Change How We Think About DNA
It was the kind of lawsuit that would only happen in Florida. Toronto businessman Harold Peerenboom and Marvel Entertainment chairman Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter were locked in an absurd suburban skirmish, bickering over who should run the tennis center at Sloan’s Curve, the exclusive Palm Beach waterfront community where both men resided. Peerenboom wanted to open … Continued
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Tech News
Florida Didn’t Run FBI Background Checks on Gun Buyers for a Year Because of a Forgotten Login
The state of Florida failed to conduct national background checks on tens of thousands of applicants looking to procure a concealed weapon permit for more than a year, and the reason is about as dumb as it gets: the person in charge of performing the checks forgot their login information. An Office of Inspector General … Continued
By AJ Dellinger -
Tech News
Florida City Has Been Accidentally Sending Out Zombie Alert Messages Since Hurricane Irma
No one should ever screw around on a public alert system. But considering it’s been a bad year for warning systems—from the Hawaii false emergency alert accidentally informing the public of an incoming missile that didn’t exist to the National Weather Service’s false tsunami warning to the Department of Justice’s Amber Alert site issues that … Continued
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Tech NewsVideo Shows Florida Teacher Allegedly Drowning Two Raccoons in Science Class
On Monday, a science teacher in Florida took his students outside and drowned two raccoons. According to one student, the reason given by the teacher was that the raccoons had killed some chickens housed behind the school. The raccoons were placed in wire cages and submerged underwater for several minutes until they were dead as … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech News
Florida Cops: Missing Hard Drives With Taxpayer Info Were Taken by Custodian to Download Xbox Games
Last month, several external hard drives with confidential state taxpayer information went missing from the Florida Department of Revenue. And this week, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested the suspected culprit: 21-year-old Andru Reed, who allegedly took the hard drives home to download video games for his Xbox. In late March, the Florida Department … Continued
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EartherEnvironmental Justice
Kids Are Trying to Force Rick Scott to Face Climate Change in Court
Those meddling kids are at it again—this time, in Florida. A group of eight young people—ages 10 to 20—announced a lawsuit Monday against their sunshine state of Florida, so that Gov. Rick Scott takes action on climate change, according to The Miami Herald. Mind you, Scott is the same dude who pulled the “I’m not … Continued
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EartherConservationInside the Wild World of Shell Collecting
Picking up shells on the beach may seem like child’s play, but to elite shell collectors, it’s a hobby and a lifestyle. Unbeknownst to most non-shellers, there’s an entire culture of avid collectors who come together regularly to celebrate shells for their beauty and unlock secrets from the sea. Last month, Earther traveled to Sanibel Island, … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
Tech News
Report: Engineer Told Officials Not to Worry About Crack in Miami Bridge Just Hours Before Collapse
The death toll from the collapse of a pedestrian bridge over a road at Miami’s Florida International University on March 15th has risen to at least six, with the university admitting on Saturday that one of the project engineers had waved off concerns over a crack just hours before. Per the Wall Street Journal, the … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech News
Amazon Delivery Driver Reportedly Fired for Squashing Puppy With Package
An Amazon driver accused of dropping a package on a customer’s puppy has reportedly been fired. The Miami Herald reports that a driver delivering a seven-pound package of children’s swimwear was captured on surveillance video carelessly tossing the package of over a chain-link fence. The unidentified Amazon delivery driver is seen in a video uploaded to … Continued
By Rhett Jones -
EartherConservationFlorida’s Wildlife Hates This Cold Weather as Much as You Do
Things have been even weirder than usual in Florida this week, with freezing temperatures sweeping across the Sunshine State as part of the same winter storm system that recently “exploded” over the Northeast. Like Florida’s human population, the animals are not happy about it. In Tampa Bay, manatees have congregated near a power station discharge … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
Earther
After Irma, Pummeled Everglades Shows Signs of Resilience
When Hurricane Irma plowed into Florida’s southwestern coast as a powerful Category 4 storm last month, it tore up seagrass beds, stripped mangrove forests of their leaves, and overall, left what looked like a trail of ecological apocalypse in its wake. But it’s now been a few weeks since the storm, and as scientists go … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
Tech News
Irma Leaves Florida Streets Flooded With Raw Sewage
Before us humans drained it, South Florida was first and foremost a swamp. Infrastructure improvements went in to make it look the way it is today, with its sewers and drainage systems built to take water back to the ocean. But when Hurricane Irma made itself known last week, it brought back old memories of … Continued
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Tech News
Irma Weakens to a Tropical Storm, But Danger Persists
Irma, which made landfall in the Florida Keys yesterday afternoon as a Category 4 hurricane, has now been downgraded to a tropical storm. The system, which is now 400 miles wide, may have lost some strength, but it’s continuing to produce heavy winds and rain as it marches northwards towards Georgia. As of 8:00 am local … Continued
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EartherClimate Change
Why the Everglades Might Never Look the Same After Hurricane Irma
As Hurricane Irma rakes the west coast of Florida, all eyes are on the cities and human lives in the storm’s path. But Irma is also hammering the Florida Everglades, and the scientists familiar with this fragile ecosystem are concerned the storm could deliver a devastating blow. “They’re losing out,” said Hal Wanless, a geologist … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
EartherClimate Change
Hurricane Irma Has Made Landfall in Florida [Updating]
Hurricane Irma regained power and its Category 4 status on Sunday morning before making landfall in the Florida Keys, with storm surges in the islands potentially reaching up to 10 feet. “Maximum sustained winds are near 130 mph (215 km/h) with higher gusts,” the National Hurricane Center wrote in an update. “Irma is a category … Continued
By Tom McKay