Federal cuts disrupt repairs on two of America's most iconic trails
Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail that runs through three western states is already challenging. Now the grueling journey may become even tougher this year due to federal cuts. Over a year’s worth of trail work to clear downed trees and rebuild stretches of the Pacific Crest Trail has been canceled, while similar repairs have been disrupted for the Appalachian Trail. Wildfires and hurricanes already were taking a toll on America's two legendary trails that are used by millions each year. Now the associations overseeing the paths say cuts in grant money and the Trump administration's downsizing of the federal workforce threaten their very existence.
How schools think they can win the battle against cell phones
Students are struggling to stay engaged in class at a time of poor mental health, shortened attention spans, reduced attendance and worsening grades. At the crux of these challenges? Addiction to cell phones. Cell phone bans are gaining traction around the country, but many say they’re not enough. They argue for alternative forms of stimulation: steering students into the outdoors or toward extracurricular activities to fill up time they might otherwise spend alone on their phones. And students need outlets, they say, to speak freely about taboo topics they’d otherwise discuss only behind the anonymity of their cell phone screens.
To save spotted owls, US officials plan to kill hundreds of thousands of another owl species
U.S. wildlife officials are embracing a contentious plan to deploy trained shooters into dense West Coast forests to kill almost a half-million barred owls in coming decades. Their goal is to help spotted owls, which are being crowded out by barred owls from the eastern U.S. Past efforts to save spotted owls focused on protecting the forests where they live. But officials say the proliferation of barred owls in recent years is undermining that earlier work and putting spotted owls on the path to potential extinction. The notion of killing one bird species to save another has divided wildlife advocates and conservationists.
Amazon is reviewing whether Perplexity AI improperly scraped online content
Amazon is reviewing claims that the artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI is scraping content — including from prominent news sites — without approval. A spokesperson for Amazon confirmed Friday that the tech giant was assessing information it received from the news outlet WIRED. Earlier this month, WIRED had published an investigation that said Perplexity appeared to scrape content from websites that had prohibited access from such practices. The San Francisco-based AI search startup has been a darling of prominent tech investors, including heavy hitters such as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. But in the past few weeks, the company has found itself in hot water amid accusations of plagiarism.
US sanctions Boeing for sharing information about 737 Max 9 investigation
Boeing is being sanctioned by U.S. investigators for sharing information about the 737 Max 9 door plug investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday that Boeing “blatantly violated” the agency’s investigative regulations as well as a signed agreement by providing non-public investigative information to the media and speculating about possible causes of the Jan. 5 door plug blowout on a Boeing passenger jet in Portland, Oregon. During the incident, a panel that plugged a space left for an extra emergency door blew off an Alaska Airlines Max 9. Pilots were able to land safely, and there were no injuries.
Stuck at sea for years, a sailor's plight highlights a surge in shipowner abandonment
The United Nations over the last decade has logged an increasing number of crew members abandoned by shipowners around the world. That’s left sailors aboard months and sometimes years without pay. More than 2,000 seafarers on some 150 ships were abandoned last year. The number of cases is at its highest since the U.N.’s labor and maritime organizations began tracking abandonments 20 years ago. The numbers spiked during the global pandemic and continued to rise as inflation and logistical bottlenecks increased costs for shipowners. And the problem shows no signs of abating.
Amazon's self-driving robotaxi unit Zoox under investigation by US after 2 rear-end crashes
Amazon’s self-driving robotaxi unit is being investigated by the U.S. government’s highway safety agency after two of its vehicles braked suddenly and were rear-ended by motorcyclists. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in documents posted on its website Monday that it will evaluate the automated driving system developed by Zoox. Both crashes happened during the daytime hours. The agency confirmed that each vehicle was operating in autonomous mode before the crashes. In one crash a motorcyclist suffered minor injuries, and a Zoox driver reported minor injuries in the other. Zoox says it's cooperating in the investigation.
Hacker News