All posts tagged: towns

One town’s scheme to get rid of its geese

One town’s scheme to get rid of its geese

Published by skeptic

The need for such conflict resolution is on the rise as land development collides with changes in animal behavior. Though overpopulation of Canada geese is a national nuisance in the US, such tensions also surface with other species in this country and elsewhere, including grizzlies on the Montana prairies, coyotes on San Francisco streets, and savanna elephants in Tanzania parks.  So the people whose job it is to deal with recalcitrant critters are bringing on the gadgets. Back in Foster City, I spot a black camera mounted to a tree trunk at Gull Park by the lagoon. They’re in seven parks around town, programmed to snap photos every 15 minutes and transmit them back to Wildlife Innovations HQ. If they detect geese, a biologist immediately drives over to disperse the birds. One team member uses devices like lasers or drones; another brings along a goose-hating border collie named Rocky.  Belligerent birds must grapple with the Goosinator.ANNIKA HOM As a special measure, staff deploy the “Goosinator,” a small, remote-controlled neon-orange pontoon boat with a fearsome dog-like …

Brunson and Towns Lead the Knicks Past the Hawks 113-102 in Game 1 of Their Series

Brunson and Towns Lead the Knicks Past the Hawks 113-102 in Game 1 of Their Series

Published by Sam Flores

NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 28 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 19 of his 25 in the second half and the New York Knicks beat the Atlanta Hawks 113-102 on Saturday night in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference playoff series. OG Anunoby added 18 points and Josh Hart had 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Knicks in their first postseason game under Mike Brown after making four trips in five years under Tom Thibodeau, capped by their first trip to the Eastern Conference finals since 2000 last year. The No. 3 seed in the East again this season hosts Game 2 on Monday night. CJ McCollum had 26 points and Jalen Johnson added 23 for the Hawks, who went 20-6 after the All-Star break to earn the No. 6 seed. “We know that they’re going to be ready for Game 2,” Brunson said. “So quick turnaround and extreme focus.” Brunson, who already owns the Knicks’ record with eight 40-point games in the postseason, was almost halfway to another in the first quarter. …

‘Bath, Harrogate … Woodhall?’ A short break in one of the UK’s most forgotten spa towns | Lincolnshire holidays

‘Bath, Harrogate … Woodhall?’ A short break in one of the UK’s most forgotten spa towns | Lincolnshire holidays

Published by Sam Flores

It was 6.30am, the cockcrow slot at Jubilee Park lido, and still not quite light. I hadn’t wanted to come this early – it was the only time I’d been able to book. But as I slid into the pool – heated to a delicious 29C – I realised it was a gift. Vapours rose dreamily into cool air laced with owl hoots and the whiff of dewy blooms, and I swam into a sunrise that became more vivid with every stroke. A man in the next lane paused to admire the reddening dawn too; he was hungover, he said, but had come to do his morning lengths nonetheless. A cure of sorts. The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. Bath, Harrogate, Buxton – Woodhall? This Lincolnshire village isn’t one of Britain’s headline spa towns. Most probably don’t know where it is – 18 miles (29km east of Lincoln, for the record. But at the turn of the 20th century, Woodhall Spa was …

Massive solar plant the size of 500 football pitches sparks fury – ‘it’s a carbuncle’ | UK | News

Massive solar plant the size of 500 football pitches sparks fury – ‘it’s a carbuncle’ | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

Cleve Hill Solar Park is the biggest solar power station in the UK (Image: Getty) Rattled residents living near the UK’s biggest solar power station have dubbed the enormous site a “carbuncle” on the British countryside. Aerial images of the massive Cleve Hill Solar Park near the village of Graveney, in Kent, show the gigantic complex stretching to the horizon by the banks of the River Swale. According to the Cleve Hill solar website the now operational site can provide “affordable and clean electricity” to power 102,000 homes with 550,000 solar panels. However, the power generated has been purchased in corporate agreements, with supermarket firm Tesco buying 65% and the remaining 35% going to the oil giant Shell. With a 373 megawatt (MW) capacity Cleve Hill produces less energy than the average coal power station, which see output of around 500MW. As a nationally significant infrastructure project, permission to build the solar farm was granted by the Government, not Swale Borough Council (SBC). The local authority later refused permission for the massive lithium Battery Energy …

FEMA funds delayed by Trump admin leave rural towns in peril : NPR

FEMA funds delayed by Trump admin leave rural towns in peril : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

A neighborhood near Wilkes-Barre, Pa., is flooded in September 2011, after heavy rain caused the Susquehanna River to rise dramatically. Mel Evans/AP hide caption toggle caption Mel Evans/AP The town of Duryea, Pa., is on the banks of the Lackawanna River. Residents can see the low, placid water from their churches, schools and houses. But when there’s a lot of rain, the river rises and can cause catastrophic flooding. Since the 1970s, a tall earthen levee has protected Duryea from floodwaters. But the river gets higher than it used to. Changes in the river due to development, combined with the effects of climate change, which makes heavy rain more common, mean that Duryea faces more water now than in the past. “We are seeing increased storms and increased water volumes,” says Laura Holbrook, the director of the flood protection authority for Luzerne County, Pa., where the town is located. The levee in Duryea needs to be raised by about 3 feet to adequately protect the town, she explains. The clock is ticking to get the …

Hyperlocal newsletters find revenue covering Kent coastal towns

Hyperlocal newsletters find revenue covering Kent coastal towns

Published by Sam Flores

Don’t Miss Media Group home pages, and founder Georgina Wilson-Powell (top right). A local newsletter business covering UK coastal towns is on track to hit £85,000 in annual revenue from its first location in under two years. Don’t Miss Margate was launched in May 2024 by former magazine editor Georgina Wilson-Powell, who expects the business to support a full market-rate salary within the next year. The newsletter launched under the Don’t Miss Media brand, later renamed Don’t Miss Media Group (DMMG) as it expanded to Ramsgate in September 2025. A third edition is set to launch in Broadstairs in April, with plans to scale further across the coast. Wilson-Powell, who has spent 20 years in journalism, previously held editorial roles at Time Out, BBC Good Food and Morrisons magazine. She also founded sustainable living magazine Pebble, which was sold after growth stalled during the pandemic. The idea for the newsletter came after she spotted a gap in the market, with “people missing events, not knowing what’s on” and relying on Instagram. “We’ve lost that kind …

ICE Is Paying the Salaries of This Town’s Entire Police Force

ICE Is Paying the Salaries of This Town’s Entire Police Force

Published by skeptic

On March 2, the town of Carroll, New Hampshire, population 820, received a $122,515 wire transfer from the Department of Homeland Security, making it among the first wave of local governments reaping the financial benefits of the Trump administration’s efforts to build out a network of local officers assisting in federal immigration enforcement. Four months before the payment, the town had signed up as part of DHS’s “Task Force Model,” which is part of the department’s so-called 287(g) program. By signing up, Caroll’s police department essentially pledged that its officers would aid in federal immigration enforcement at the direction of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. All four of the town’s full-time police officers—a chief, his lieutenant, and two patrol officers—signed up as task force officers. In return, DHS pledged to cover the costs incurred by their services, including salaries. Records suggest that this agreement is not unique, and while Carroll may be one of the first local police departments to receive significant payments under such an agreement, it will not be the last. As of March …

The House | Turning The Tide: Can Digital Nomads Breathe New Life Into Seaside Towns?

The House | Turning The Tide: Can Digital Nomads Breathe New Life Into Seaside Towns?

Published by Sam Flores

8 min read28 min Britain’s seaside towns are often emblematic of economic ill-health, but Zoe Crowther finds hope that digital entrepreneurs will breathe new life into coastal economies Angela Hicks knows what people think about Weston-super-Mare – her parents once ran hotels in the seaside town near Bristol. The businesswoman saw its postcard charm curdle into ugly deprivation, until by 2009 the town was home to around 11 per cent of the UK’s drug rehabilitation places. But today, although still struggling to cling on to declining numbers of tourists, Hicks detects a small but growing renaissance as so-called ‘digital nomads’ start new ventures in the town. The House recently visited The Hive, a business support centre on the edge of Weston that has become a focal point for the town’s small-business community. More than 25 entrepreneurs gathered there for a roundtable hosted by the Startup Coalition and the town’s Labour MP, Daniel Aldridge. Arriving at the centre’s car park, young founders stepping out of Range Rovers and Porsches seemed a far …

Israeli settlers rampage through West Bank towns for second night in a row | Israel-Palestine conflict News

Israeli settlers rampage through West Bank towns for second night in a row | Israel-Palestine conflict News

Published by Sam Flores

The violence comes as Israel continues its push to expand control over Palestinian territory in violation of international law. Published On 23 Mar 202623 Mar 2026 At least nine Palestinians have been injured as Israeli settlers rampaged through towns and villages in the occupied West Bank for a second night in a row. A 45-year-old man was shot in the foot late on Sunday during a confrontation with Israeli settlers in Deir al-Hatab, east of Nablus, the Wafa news agency reported. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that a 47-year-old Palestinian man was attacked by settlers in Jabal al-Arma in Beita, while others were beaten. Earlier, Israeli settlers set fire to homes and cars in two areas south of Jenin and vandalised property across the occupied West Bank. Simultaneous attacks took place on Saturday night in at least six communities, including the villages of Silat ad-Dhahr and al-Fandaqumiya, both near Jenin; in Jalud and Salfit, both south of Nablus; and in the agricultural regions of Masafer …

Major update on UK’s 12 new towns as first names revealed | UK | News

Major update on UK’s 12 new towns as first names revealed | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

Labour wants to build 12 new towns across England as part of a project estimated to cost a whopping £48 billion. The Government has vowed to start construction on at least three of the developments before the next general election as it lags behind its 1.5 million new homes in England pledge. At least 120,000 properties are expected to be built through the programme, with ministers reportedly set to announce a list of locations for the new towns next week. Other place names said to be under consideration include Pankhurst, named after the suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst, and Attleeton, after the former Labour prime minister Sir Clement Attlee, who started a giant postwar new towns programme. Seacole, named after the Jamaican-British nurse Mary Seacole who treated wounded soldiers during the Crimean War, is another contender, according to The Times. Another is believed to be Athelstan — regarded as the first King of England. As many as 12 new towns are expected to be unveiled in the coming days, following an independent report identifying several areas …