Topic: Midwestern States
All Content
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Change Agent
Restoring US native prairies, acre by acre, yard by yardAcross the US Midwest, homeowners are restoring their yards and former farmland to the native prairie that existed in pre-settlement days. The benefits can be substantial — the need for less water and no fertilizer, and an ecosystem that supports wildlife.
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Unemployment down: which states are doing better than others
Unemployment rates fell in 45 states in November, but the strength of the job market varies widely by region, according to US data. Local resources and housing markets are among the reasons.
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Should Michigan GOP brace for reprisal over 'right to work' law?
When Republicans in Wisconsin and Ohio took on Big Labor, unions fought back ferociously. But Michigan's GOP lawmakers, calculating the political risks of pushing a 'right to work' law, may have looked to Indiana as a better precedent.
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Energy Voices
Pressure on Obama grows for Keystone XL decisionPresident Barack Obama is facing pressure from all sides concerning the fate of the Keystone XL, a pipeline that would stretch from Canada through the Midwestern US in order to easily transport crude from Alberta’s oil sands to refineries in Texas.
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US colleges, especially in Midwest, see record number of foreign students
Foreign students contribute nearly $23 billion annually to the US economy, according to the annual Open Doors Report on trends in international college education.
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Cause of Indianapolis explosion still unknown
Authorities are investigating an enormous explosion that killed two people, and left an Indianapolis neighborhood uninhabitable Saturday night. Bombs have been ruled out as the cause of the explosion.
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Top Picks: 'Deathly Hallows' Ultimate Edition, Barbra Streisand's unreleased recordings, and more
Ken Burns returns with 'The Dust Bowl,' National Geographic's Andrew Evans documents his travels on Twitter, and more top picks.
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Hurricane Sandy blackouts hit millions. Can power companies cope?
With days of warnings that giant hurricane Sandy would hit the Northeast, power companies positioned supplies and thousands of extra line workers to deal with the onslaught of blackouts.
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Energy Voices
Canada gets cold feet over China oil dealLawmakers in Ottawa have expressed reservations over a possible Chinese takeover of a major Canadian energy company.
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Blocking patterns: How global warming might have worsened US drought
Two teams of researchers find that subtle changes brought about by global warming might be amplifying atmospheric blocking patterns, which keep weather conditions in place for a long time.
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Michigan battleground: Unions push to protect rights at the ballot box
A Michigan appeals court Wednesday considers the proposed 'Protect Our Jobs' measure, which would preserve collective bargaining rights. Unions want to get it onto the Nov. 6 ballot – and into the state constitution.
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Rain breaks Midwest dought: Too late for corn, soybean crops?
Rain arrived in central Illinois and Indiana Thursday. But it's too little, too late for most corn crops, says an agricultural meteorologist.
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Change Agent
12 innovations that could combat droughtClimate change is making it increasingly important to protect US agriculture and address its vulnerability to natural disasters, such as drought.
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What caused the sudden massive ice melt in Greenland? (+video)
The rapid melting of 97 percent of the surface of Greenland's ice sheet in just four days has left scientists puzzled.
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McDonald's profit slip due to slowing global economy, strong dollar
When the US dollar is rising against the other world currencies, companies that do business internationally take a hit when converting local currencies back into the dollar.
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Worst drought in 50 years could last through October
Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center were unable to assure growers that there is an end to the drought in sight. In the meantime, grain prices have skyrocketed.
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Of honeybees and world food supply
A Christian Science perspective.
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Diggin' It
Smooth phlox is a charming in-between bloomerSmooth phlox blooms between the end of creeping woodland phlox of early spring and the start of summer's tall garden phlox.
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Twice as many mega rainstorms in Midwest in past 50 years
Wisconsin saw the biggest rise (203 percent) in extreme rainstorms – 3 inches of rain or more in a day, new study says. Climate change is behind more Midwest flooding, say scientists.
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Why Obama is unleashing Joe Biden on 2012 campaign trail
Vice president Joe Biden spoke to auto industry workers in Ohio Thursday about the auto bailout. Biden speaks to working-class American voters, say analysts, in a race that could be between two Harvard-trained presidential candidates – Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.
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Inside the Keystone pipeline: How much would it really help US consumers?
Politicians paint a rosy picture of lower gas prices and abundant supply, but Canadian firms behind the Keystone pipeline expect it to supply Gulf Coast export markets and raise Midwest oil prices.
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Storms in the Midwest and a time for prayer
A Christian Science perspective.
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A share-the-wealth Super Tuesday means no rest for front-runner Romney
Mitt Romney won six of 10 Super Tuesday contests, enough to retain his front-runner status. But his hair-breadth's win in Ohio was not a convincing one, and the next states to vote don't favor him.
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Nine dead as tornadoes rip from Branson, Missouri, up to Illinois
A storm system produced at least 16 twisters from Kansas to Branson, Missouri, to Illinois overnight Tuesday and into Wednesday, part of an active 2012 tornado season. Kentucky remains under a tornado watch.
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E. coli outbreak: Time for Jimmy John's to nix sprouts?
E. coli outbreak in five states linked – again – to Jimmy John's sprouts. Sandwich chain had switched to raw clover sprouts after an earlier E. coli outbreak from alfalfa sprouts.
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