By DAVID DANELSKI, The Press-Enterprise
Mojave Desert tortoises dwindling despite years of protection
Desert tortoise populations in the Mojave Desert continue to decline, despite years of study and protection since the reptile was designated a threatened species in 1990, experts say.
Researchers say observations support a gloomy view of the animals' status.
Army turns to solar for mission power and more
The U.S. Army, joining the push to turn Mojave Desert sunshine into electricity, plans to blanket as much as 21 square miles at Fort Irwin with solar mirrors and panels.
Plan to round up burros draws controversy
Federal officials plan next month to round up and trap 130 or more wild burros that roam in and around Death Valley National Park and the Army's Fort Irwin, part of a longtime effort to clear the animals from most government land in Southern California deserts.
Wild horse and burro advocates say the animals should be left alone.
Fraud suspected in plastic-bottle recycling in Calif.
Operators of an Arizona company are suspected of collecting $32.6 million in California beverage container redemptions by fraudulently cashing in truckloads of out-of-state plastic bottles.
California city rights a wrong with new street name
Riverside officials have righted what many believe is a decades-old wrong.
For 48 years, "Wong Way" was the name on a short connector street near downtown Riverside.
Now, it is "Wong Street."
Clean-air advocates finally 'breathing fresh air'
Less than six weeks after George W. Bush left office, clean-air advocates are wasting no time under the new administration to push for new and tougher regulations.
Army suspends desert tortoise relocation after 90 die
The U.S. Army has suspended plans to relocate more than 1,000 desert tortoises from areas around Fort Irwin this fall and next spring because at least 15 percent of the tortoises moved earlier this year have died.About 90 of the 556 tortoises moved in the spring are dead, mostly as a result of coyote attacks.
Marines covet additional land to train in California
The federal government is evaluating more than 400,000 acres of public and private land -- including a major off-road vehicle recreation area -- for an expansion of the Marine Corps training center at Twentynine Palms in California. Marine Corps officials said they need more territory for weapons testing and live-ammunition exercises for 3,000 or more troops.
Calif. wood suppliers face new rules
A new state law limiting a cancer-causing chemical from plywood and particle board -- products found in almost every home or business -- has lumber wholesalers worried that they will get stuck with millions of dollars' worth of products that can't be sold in California.
Possible link between dirty air and brain disease
Dr. Julia Ljubimova found something disturbing when she probed the brains of rats exposed to air pollution: The dirty air appeared to trigger changes indicating the earliest stage of brain tumors.Ljubimova, an oncologist and researcher at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, stressed that she is not ready to say air pollution is a cause of brain cancer.
