September 21, 2026

World

An 82-year-old California tea importer spent 53 years on a 2-acre compound with 36+ structures; after decades of permit disputes and a 2024 National Register listing, a court ordered him to leave

An 82-year-old California tea importer spent 53 years on a 2-acre compound with 36+ structures; after decades of permit disputes and a 2024 National Register listing, a court ordered him to leave

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Hoffman has acknowledged that the buildings lacked proper permits but has maintained that they were not unsafe. Enforcement actions and fines did little to prevent continued activity at the property. For more than half a century, two acres in the hills of Lagunitas became the home, workplace and personal vision of California tea importer David…

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In 2017, Dubuque turned recycled plastic equal to about 67,000 water bottles into 14 floating islands; the 2,674-sq-ft system now adds plant, fish and bird habitat to Bee Branch Creek

In 2017, Dubuque turned recycled plastic equal to about 67,000 water bottles into 14 floating islands; the 2,674-sq-ft system now adds plant, fish and bird habitat to Bee Branch Creek

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There are 14 islands totaling 2,674 square feet. Each island is a miniature replica of the natural archipelagos of the Mississippi River. Before the islands were placed in the creek, four prototype designs in a variety of shapes and sizes were developed. Sometimes the answer for a city that has fought floodwaters for years isn’t…

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An Ohio farmer watched gullies repeatedly cut through his family's 700-acre farm and decided to change how he worked the land; decades later, the family operation has grown to 8,000 acres while becoming a conservation showcase

An Ohio farmer watched gullies repeatedly cut through his family’s 700-acre farm and decided to change how he worked the land; decades later, the family operation has grown to 8,000 acres while becoming a conservation showcase

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The Kellogg story is also one of persistence. He began farming at 14 after his father left agriculture to care for his ill wife. By his senior year of high school, Bill was managing 700 acres, much of it through relationships with older farmers in the community. For Bill Kellogg, conservation did not begin with…

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In 2017, a 64-acre golf course built for workers at England’s Rugeley Power Station closed; nine years later, work is turning it into wetlands, meadows and ponds with a 1.5km public trail

In 2017, a 64-acre golf course built for workers at England’s Rugeley Power Station closed; nine years later, work is turning it into wetlands, meadows and ponds with a 1.5km public trail

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For years, the land beside the River Trent in Rugeley had a very different purpose. It formed part of the former Rugeley Power Station site and included a golf course used by the station’s staff. According to Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, the course closed in 2017, and the 64-acre site is now being transformed into a…

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At 18, Pat Lightizer joined a Massachusetts company where letters were still drawn by hand; 53 years later, she retired and her colleagues surprised her with a font bearing her name

At 18, Pat Lightizer joined a Massachusetts company where letters were still drawn by hand; 53 years later, she retired and her colleagues surprised her with a font bearing her name

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Lightizer joined the company’s type division straight out of high school at age 18. At the time, the business was known as Compugraphic Corp. For most people, retirement comes with a card, a cake or perhaps a watch to mark the occasion. For Pat Lightizer, it came with something far more fitting: a typeface with…

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Should Indian students abandon the 'American Dream' amid F-1 visa volatility? 4 things immigration experts suggest

Should Indian students abandon the ‘American Dream’ amid F-1 visa volatility? 4 things immigration experts suggest

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Students planning to study in the US in the next 1-2 years should prepare differently, immigration experts suggest. International students in the US faced immense volatility this year because of several new rules — some are being proposed, some are coming into effect. Amid fears that this would significantly reduce the number of foreign students…

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In 2017, a California farming family began fighting a rule tying a second home on 267 acres to future commercial farming; nine years later, the US Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal

In 2017, a California farming family began fighting a rule tying a second home on 267 acres to future commercial farming; nine years later, the US Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal

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Representative Image (AI-generated) A California family’s attempt to build a second home on its 267-acre coastal property has ended at the nation’s highest court, after the US Supreme Court declined to hear the family’s appeal in June 2026. The dispute began in 2017, when Willie Benedetti filed a lawsuit challenging Marin County’s land-use restrictions; the…

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Congress set aside Washington’s East Potomac land for public recreation in 1897; 129 years later, a plan costing up to $49 million could transform its public golf course into a championship venue

Congress set aside Washington’s East Potomac land for public recreation in 1897; 129 years later, a plan costing up to $49 million could transform its public golf course into a championship venue

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The East Potomac Golf Links opened in 1919 Congress set aside Washington’s East Potomac Park for ‘recreation and the pleasure of the people’ in 1897. The park includes the East Potomac Golf Links, a historic public golf course that opened in 1919. Now, 129 years after the park was created, the Trump administration has started…

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