Deserts
Andrea Cattabriga, President of the Association for Biodiversity and Conservation, walks amongst his homegrown rare cacti at his greenhouse in San Lazzaro di Savena, Italy, Saturday, June 5, 2021. Cattabriga, a top expect on rare cacti, was called by the Carabinieri Military Police in February 2020 as a consultant to examine thousands of cacti stolen from from the Atacama Desert in Chile, confiscated when police conducted a massive cactus bust at a greenhouse along the Adriatic Coast in Italy. (AP Photo/Trisha Thomas)
Rare poached cacti found in Italy sent home to native Chile

By Trisha Thomas Jun. 18, 2021 07:00 AM EDT

Alvaro Enciso, part of the Tucson Samaritans volunteer group, pauses as he and a group of other volunteers place a new cross at the site of the migrant who died in the desert some time ago, on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, in the desert near Three Points, Ariz. Enciso says he plants three or four crosses each week. “Can you imagine what their families go through, not knowing what happened to them?” (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Spirituality underpins migrant activism in US borderlands

By Anita Snow Jun. 08, 2021 11:01 AM EDT

Alvaro Enciso, part of the Tucson Samaritans volunteer group, pauses as he and a group of other volunteers place a new cross at the site of the migrant who died in the desert some time ago, on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, in the desert near Three Points, Ariz. Enciso says he plants three or four crosses each week. “Can you imagine what their families go through, not knowing what happened to them?” (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Spirituality underpins migrant activism in US borderlands

By Anita Snow Jun. 08, 2021 10:02 AM EDT

FILE - In this March 15, 2019, file photo, Roger Federer, of Switzerland, returns a shot to Hubert Hurkacz, of Poland, during the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, Calif. The BNP Paribas Open is returning to the Southern California desert this fall after being knocked out of its usual March dates this year and last because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
ATP Indian Wells, USA Men Singles

May. 20, 2021 02:36 PM EDT

FILE - In this March 17, 2019, file photo, Bianca Andreescu, of Canada, poses with her trophy after defeating Angelique Kerber, of Germany, in the women's final at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, Calif. The BNP Paribas Open is returning to the Southern California desert this fall after being knocked out of its usual March dates this year and last because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
WTA Indian Wells, USA Women Singles

May. 20, 2021 02:36 PM EDT

One of several holes appears at the Cabo Del Sol’s Ocean Course along the Sea of Cortez in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on Feb. 22, 2020. Cabo Del Sol and the other 17 courses at the tip of Baja California are coming back to life as the coronavirus pandemic begins to lessen. (AP Photo/John Marshall)
Cabo's world-class golf scene revving back up after pandemic

By John Marshall May. 19, 2021 08:14 AM EDT

Cars are driven along a street amid a sandstorm during the morning rush hour in Beijing, Monday, March 15, 2021. The sandstorm brought a tinted haze to Beijing's skies and sent air quality indices soaring on Monday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Flights canceled during China's worst sandstorm in a decade

Mar. 15, 2021 06:02 AM EDT

This Oct. 27, 2020 image shows a sign in front of the Ajo Farmers Market & Cafe advertising the Ajo Food Pantry in Ajo, Arizona. The pantry was overwhelmed with demand early in the pandemic. On designated afternoons, people can come by and pick up bags of food for themselves and their family and neighbors. (Katherine Sypher/Cronkite News via AP)
Arizona town teams up to fight COVID-19 food insecurity

By Katherine Sypher Jan. 04, 2021 10:00 AM EST

FILE - This Nov. 18, 2020, file photo provided by the Utah Department of Public Safety shows a metal monolith in the ground in a remote area of red rock in Utah. The mysterious silver monolith that was placed in the Utah desert has disappeared less than 10 days after it was spotted by wildlife biologists performing a helicopter survey of bighorn sheep, federal officials and witnesses said. The Bureau of Land Management said it had received credible reports that the three-sided stainless steel structure was removed on Nov. 27. (Utah Department of Public Safety via AP, File)
Disappearance of Utah monolith won't prompt major probe

By Lindsay Whitehurst Nov. 30, 2020 01:09 PM EST

Cal Fire air tankers help stop the spread of a brush fire in Larkfield Calif, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020. (Kent Porter/The Press Democrat via AP)
California braces for power shutoffs and warm, windy weekend

By Daisy Nguyen Sep. 25, 2020 08:48 PM EDT

Editorial Roundup: Excerpts from South Dakota editorials

By The Associated Press Sep. 17, 2020 10:53 AM EDT
Madison Daily Leader, Madison, Sept. 15 Madison should use research from South Dakota State University Last year’s...

People sit in the shade on the banks of the river Yamuna in New Delhi, India, Thursday, May 28, 2020. India grappled with scorching temperatures and the worst locust invasion in decades as authorities prepared for the end of a months long lockdown despite recording thousands of new infections every day. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Virus, heat wave and locusts form perfect storm in India

By Emily Schmall May. 28, 2020 04:44 AM EDT

Petrified Forest National Park to begin phased reopening

May. 28, 2020 12:02 AM EDT
HOLBROOK, Ariz. (AP) — Petrified Forest National Park in northeastern Arizona is reopening some of its facilities and areas that have been closed to the public...

FILE - In this Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020 file photo, desert locusts feed on plants in Nasuulu Conservancy, northern Kenya. Locusts, COVID-19 and deadly flooding pose a "triple threat" to millions of people across East Africa, officials warned Thursday, May 21, 2020 while the World Bank announced a $500 million program for countries affected by the historic desert locust swarms. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)
Locusts, COVID-19, flooding pose 'triple threat' in Africa

By Rodney Muhumuza May. 21, 2020 11:45 AM EDT