drought

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GDP Growth Revised Down to Anemic 1.3%

On the bright side, jobless claims fell

(Newser) - US economic growth was even worse than we thought in the April-June quarter, growing at a pace of just 1.3%, the Commerce Department announced today, down from its previous estimate of 1.7%. About half of that big revision reflected the punishing effect the summer's drought has had...

Frackers Battle Farmers for Water Amid Drought

Gas companies scrambling to buy up supplies for drilling

(Newser) - The drought ravaging the heartland has thrown into stark relief an ongoing battle between farmers and energy companies for that most fundamental of resources: water. As the name implies, hydrofracking requires water, and lots of it—one well can use up to 5 million gallons—so gas companies are storming...

West Hit With &#39;Bear Epidemic&#39;
 West Hit With 'Bear Epidemic' 
Sep 4, 2012 2:41 PM CDT

West Hit With 'Bear Epidemic'

Drought fuels wave of bear burglaries

(Newser) - The drought ripping through the country is having a strange side-effect: Black bears are coming out of the woodwork to raid human homes and trash bins, in what ABC News dubs a "bear epidemic." Police in Aspen, Colorado, for instance, got 292 calls about bear intrusions in August...

New Drought Problem: US Homes Are Cracking

Companies that fix foundations struggle to meet demand

(Newser) - Carol DeVaughan assumed her suburban St. Louis home was simply settling when cracks appeared in the walls. When she noticed huge gaps between her fireplace and ceiling, and that her family room was starting to tilt, she knew she had bigger problems. Like thousands of other Americans getting stuck with...

Drought Drying Up Home Wells
 Drought Drying Up Home Wells 
Aug 24, 2012 1:53 PM CDT

Drought Drying Up Home Wells

Families forced to adapt in a hurry

(Newser) - If you rely on well water and live in the Midwest, hopefully you're not too attached to the idea of showering. The drought pummeling the nation has been drying up a lot of private wells, the New York Times reports, forcing rural homeowners to either take the not-exactly-cheap step...

As Corn Prices Jump, Cattle Fed Candy

...at least that's what one Kentucky rancher is doing

(Newser) - If you're wary of the antibiotics and hormones fed to America's cattle, brace yourself: Some of them are also being fed candy. WPSD reports on one Kentucky rancher's "solution" to the exploding price of corn. The owner of Mayfield's United Livestock Commodities explains that "...

Upside of Drought: Fewer Tornadoes

Tornadoes at nearly 60-year low

(Newser) - Cheer up, drought-ravaged America : At least you're not being ravaged by twisters. There have been only about 300 tornadoes reported since mid-April, the lowest number reported in almost 60 years, the Wall Street Journal reports. In an average year, three times that many tornadoes would hit. "The simple...

97 Boats Stranded on Sluggish Mississippi

Drought causing ships to run aground in vital artery

(Newser) - The drought is drying up the mighty Mississippi as well as farmers' fields. An 11-mile stretch of the river has been closed due to low water levels, stranding 97 boats while dredging is carried out, and navigation markers are replaced, CBS reports. Officials say it's not clear when the...

Taxpayers on Hook for $10B as Drought Ravages Crops

Subsidized insurance program draws criticism

(Newser) - Crop farmers are on track to record about $18 billion in losses thanks to this year's historically nasty drought—and by one expert's estimate, the federal government is on the hook for about $10 billion of that, thanks to the heavily subsidized federal crop insurance program, the Washington ...

Feds to Buy $170M in Food From Farmers

Purchases for food banks to get quick cash to farmers

(Newser) - With American farms suffering from an ongoing and brutal drought , President Obama will today announce a plan to buy $170 million in pork, lamb, chicken, and catfish to help beleaguered farmers by providing immediate cash, reports Reuters . The announcement will be made at a campaign stop in Iowa, a state...

How the Drought Could Actually Help Farms

Devastated corn could prompt change: William G. Moseley

(Newser) - The drought is devastating America's corn crops—but that could actually be a good thing, argues William G. Moseley in the New York Times . Right now, the Midwest is "dangerously focused" on corn and soybeans, and the lack of diversity "restricts our diets, degrades our soils, and...

July Was Hottest Month in US History

It trumps all federal records going back to 1895

(Newser) - One more milestone to help remember the scorching weather of July: It is now in the books as the hottest month in US history, reports CNN . The average temperature for the contiguous US came in at 77.6 degrees, which is the highest mark since the National Oceanic and Atmospheric...

In Steamy Midwest Streams, Scads of Fish Die Off

Hot, dry summer killing off thousands

(Newser) - Thousands of fish are dying in the Midwest as one of the hottest, driest summers in history dries up rivers and pushes water temps in some spots to nearly 100 degrees. About 40,000 shovelnose sturgeon died in Iowa last week as the water temp hit 97, while Nebraska fishery...

House Ditches Huge Farm Aid Bill, Leaves for Recess

House passes stopgap measure, but Senate wouldn't take it up

(Newser) - It's August and many Americans are taking well-earned summer vacations. And then there's Congress. House lawmakers took off for their August recess yesterday after refusing to consider a five-year measure to aid America's stricken farmers, reports the New York Times . Instead, they passed a stopgap $383 million...

Half of US Counties Now Disaster Areas

Drought has ravaged much of the nation

(Newser) - The worst drought in decades has officially ravaged more than half the counties in America. The USDA declared 218 counties across a dozen states natural disaster areas yesterday, bringing the total number of counties bearing that distinction to 1,584, the AP reports. The disaster designation makes farmers and ranchers...

Mississippi River Drying Up
 Mississippi River Drying Up  
Jul 30, 2012 6:16 PM CDT

Mississippi River Drying Up

Shipping industry shivers at the thought

(Newser) - The worst US drought in 50 years is making the mighty Mississippi River dry up and could curb shipping there altogether, reports Time . Dry conditions mean narrower, shallower passageways, so shippers are lightening their loads to avoid running aground. That could be huge, because 60% of the country's grain...

Amid Drought, Homeowners 'Fix' Lawns With ... Paint

Using green dye on brown grass is catching on, says AP

(Newser) - Is your lawn wilting into a brown wasteland because of the drought? Consider a paint job. That's the solution many are relying on to give their dead yards the look of blooming green life as the worst drought in decades parches a huge expanse of the US. One New...

Drought Reveals City Submerged Under Reservoir

Monument City so popular, area is closed off

(Newser) - Indiana's Monument City was submerged half a century ago, when the Salamonie Lake reservoir was built. But severe drought has brought water levels down by so much—more than 12 feet—that the hidden city has been revealed. Though there’s not much to see (dirt roads, building foundations,...

Heat, Drought Savaging US Infrastructure

Roads crack, nuclear plants shut down as weather grows extreme

(Newser) - Farming isn't the only thing being devastated by the country's ongoing drought—much of the US' infrastructure is getting pounded, too, as the record-setting heat takes its toll on concrete, steel, and pavement, reports the New York Times . In Washington, DC, 100-degree temperatures caused a subway to...

Drought Forcing Ranchers to Sell Cattle

Which means you can expect beef prices to go up

(Newser) - The lingering drought spanning much of the nation is leaving farmers with wizened pastures and crops, forcing them to sell off cattle—and fast. The AP spoke to several ranchers, including Ken Grecian of Kansas, who has already sold 40 pairs of cows and calves since the dry spell began....

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