In California: $300 million to curb border pollution, but will it work? Some have doubts
It's Gabrielle Canon, here again, filling in for Arlene Martinez who will be back tomorrow.
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Wednesday's news includes environmental concerns over the USMCA trade deal, a bounty for information on who is shooting wolves in Northern California, and a new fate for 30,000 trash cans nearly doomed to the landfill.
But first, today we learned there's a secret abandoned basketball court at the top of Disneyland's famous Matterhorn Bobsleds ride. Back in the day (aka the '70s and '80s) the park hired guys and gals to climb around outside of Disney's favorite mountain; the small court was a spot where they could chill between shifts or when the weather was bad. The climbers still make appearances from time to time, but according to WDW News Today (a Disneyland and Disneyworld specific online news org — yep, that's a thing), now the court is used by costumed cast members before their nightly "flight to the castle" fireworks celebration.
While you probably won't be able to catch a glimpse of the basketball court (or your favorite characters engaging in a pre-fireworks game of one-on-one), if you are a lucky SoCal resident, The Desert Sun reports you can at least get into the Happiest Place on Earth with a big discount. Three-day tickets are going for $199 — under $67 a day — and you can use them anytime between now and May 21.
For more fun facts about what is arguably one of the best rides in the West, read this story from the WDW.
Now, onto today's news.
Environmentalists are condemning the USMCA
The giant trade pact between the United States, Mexico, and Canada — ultimately a renegotiated NAFTA — is expected to come up for a vote in the Senate soon (unless there are any impeachment-related setbacks). But environmental advocacy organizations who have condemned the deal's failure to consider climate change are raising alarm about moving forward without binding standards on Mexico to regulate pollution.
“The deal does not even mention climate change, fails to adequately address toxic pollution, includes weak environmental standards and an even weaker enforcement mechanism,” the organizations said in a letter sent to Congress ahead of the House of Representatives' approval.
Lawmakers in the House who approved the Trump Administration's negotiated deal last month did authorize $300 million for clean-up efforts along the U.S.-Mexican border, where failing sewer systems pump toxic discharge into rivers threatening both ecosystems and lives. But critics of the deal are concerned that it doesn't do enough to curb the cause of the problem.
The Desert Sun published an investigation into the issue in 2018, that found local residents are dying of respiratory illnesses at higher rates due to the pollution and the numbers are rising. For more on the key changes between the new USMCA and NAFTA, here's an explainer from USA Today.
Newsom's new plans to combat homelessness
As the housing crisis continues to push Californians into poverty and onto the streets, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced today that he is seeking $750 million to help people pay their rent.
The fund, which will be created by executive order, comes two days ahead of his second annual budget proposal, which will be presented to the Legislature at the end of this week.
Newsom also called for 100 travel trailers and other temporary housing units that will be provided by the state to cities and counties for health and social services' use, and announced a new team that will help local governments.
Meanwhile, after vociferous opposition from locals, plans for a new homeless shelter in Oxnard were scrapped today. Across the state, cities have faced pushback from residents who don't want the shelters in their communities. The unhoused are also seeing an uptick in aggression and backlash.
"What we call the 'criminalization of homelessness' is a big problem," Maria Foscarinis, executive director of the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty told USA Today. "I think the problem is getting worse because the housing crisis is getting worse."
What else we are reading today
A California venture capitalist was charged with obstructing a federal investigation into hundreds of thousands of dollars donated to President Trump's inaugural committee.
Moms 4 Housing, a collective of homeless women in Oakland, is gaining support from California lawmakers as they demand more affordable housing.
Close to half a million immigrants living in California take low-wage work — even when they have advanced degrees.
California lawmakers introduced new legislation today that would require telecommunication companies to fund at least 72 hours of backup power for cellphone towers in fire-prone areas.
Feds want info on gray wolf shooting
It's been over a year since a wolf — an endangered gray wolf to be exact — was shot in Modoc County, a rural area on the northern border of California. And now, officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are running low on leads. They are turning to the public for help with the investigation and offering a $2,500 cash reward for information.
The wolf, which crossed into California from Oregon in December 2018, was wearing a satellite tracker collar when he was shot. The 1½-year-old died from his wounds and was left along Country Road 91.
30,000 trash bins were on their way to the landfill — until a local company stepped up
A trash can graveyard stretches across a five-acre lot in Visalia, the result of the Central Valley city's decision to switch to a three-can system last year. But the city hasn't known what to do with the 30,000 plastic bins rendered useless by the switchover. It was contemplating grinding them up and sending them to the dump — at a cost of more than $300,000.
The Visalia Times Delta originally highlighted the issue in October, and noted the "cruel twist of irony: What had originally started as an innovative measure to promote recycling, was likely headed to clog the county landfill." As a result, community members started coming forward with solutions. Now, a local company, AZS Dependable Inc., has offered to charge the city only $51,085 to recycle the bins.
I'll leave you with a bit more good news, provided by Cronkite News.
In a planting project organized by Arizona's Game & Fish Department, volunteers stepped up to help the dwindling population of monarch butterflies, a species that migrates over 3,000 miles each year and relies on milkweed to lay their eggs.
The Western Monarch Butterfly Conservation Plan is a 50-year plan aiming to reverse the 74% decline in the beautiful flying insects across Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington — and it's working.
In 2018 there was a 97% decline in the numbers of butterflies reaching their wintering spots, compared to numbers just two decades ago. Last year, there was evidence that they could be bouncing back.
Thanks for tuning in the last few days! Arlene will be back in action tomorrow. 'Till next time!
In California is a roundup of news compiled from across USA TODAY Network newsrooms. Also contributing: WDW, New York Times, Reddit, Associated Press, KQED, Cronkite News.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: $300 million to curb border pollution, but will it work?
