If you don’t know what the Watch Duty app is, you are blissfully unaware of the reality many of us face each summer.
Virginia Gewin
@virginiagewin.bsky.social
PDX-based science journalist writing about climate change, food security, land use, biodiversity loss, and diversity in STEM she/her Signal: ginnyg.04 Stories here: www.virginiagewin.com
The FDA cyclospora page hasn't been updated in more than a week www.fda.gov/food/outbrea...
Investigation of 9-State Outbreak of Cyclospora Illnesses
Do not eat recalled iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico. FDA’s investigation is ongoing.
fda.gov
Just enjoying breathing while waiting for the smoke from the east to arrive. I’ll add to this thread as the day goes by. 🧪🧵
#OldTrailsFire in Spokane now appears to be most destructive wildfire in WA State history by wide margin (650+ structures lost), w/additional TBD losses nearby. Other PacNW fires actively burning, though less destructive, are far larger & could burn for weeks amid severe drought.
Harris County has notoriously bad air quality. Environmental groups sued the EPA. This court ruling will force the EPA to do the enforcement they are supposed to do.
A federal judge upheld stricter air quality standards. Here’s what it means for Harris County | Houston Public Media
The court ruled the EPA must enforce stricter limits on PM 2.5, which is fine particulate matter such as dust, smoke and soot that can be harmful to health.
houstonpublicmedia.org
Spokane, Washington is now evacuating due to wildfire🔥 Wildfires are also raging throughout: The western US Canada Spain France Greece Tunisia Algeria
'Never seen it this bad': Thousands evacuated in north Spokane as wildfire crosses river into city
A wildfire driven by high winds jumped the Spokane River Saturday afternoon, burning homes and quickly moving into the Indian Trail Neighborhood.
spokesman.com
📣Journalists--The @ntbgarden.bsky.social journalism fellowship is being held in Miami, Florida for the first time this fall! Get your applications in.
Apply for the National Tropical Botanical Garden's Environmental Journalism Program at The Kampong in Miami - National Tropical Botanical Garden
Offered in Miami, Florida November 8-14, 2026 The Hawai‘i-based National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) is […]
ntbg.org
A drought has been declared in half of England after record-low rainfall and high temperatures. (Sky News)
Half of England in drought, Environment Agency says
The fourth heatwave of the year is set to peak on Wednesday with temperatures of up to 35C, with experts warning wildfires could be "exceptionally severe".
news.sky.com
This is an outrageously false statement that ought to disqualify this wingnut from holding public office. By the way, 40 percent of the covid deaths in US could have been prevented with better management of the pandemic by Trump, according to a Lancet commission. abcnews.com/Health/lance...
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2w agoTuberville: "I'll be the governor of Alabama and I promise you we will find out if there's a possibility that we can bring him to Alabama to put him in front of a court and a jury to see if we can put this guy in prison. He killed millions of people, folks."
hundreds of millions got the COVID vaccine and there were so few problems that the main form of criticism turned into "friend-of-a-friend" hearsay stories, so this guy can't actually cite an actual case but knows his base will think they know people who know people this may have happened to
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2w agoSen. Roger Marshall: "Who didn't have a friend who took this vaccine and had some time of complication? A stroke, a blood clot, a young man getting some type of heart inflammation. That's what destroyed the trust in the American people for our government."
A Minnesota religious studies professor is facing six years in prison, with the DOJ saying he is part of an "antifa" conspiracy against ICE Erik Davis speaks out about his prosecution, largely based on a handful of his comments in Signal chats. He's not accused of any violence “It’s petty revenge"
The professor facing prison in ‘antifa’ case: ‘They want to scare all who oppose ICE’
Erik Davis is accused by the government of a ‘conspiracy’ to obstruct ICE – experts say it’s part of a pattern to criminalize lawful organizing and ruin activists’ lives
theguardian.com
Top U.S. oil & gas executives have sold nearly $400 million worth of stock in their own companies since the Iran war triggered a supply crunch that sent energy prices -- & the share prices of their companies' stocks -- soaring.
Fossil Fuel Executives Cash In (Gift Article)
Insiders at leading oil and gas companies have made millions from stocks since the Iran war began.
nytimes.com
Trump is pushing RFK Jr. to move faster to cut the number of vaccines kids get and to advance the science on autism.
Trump Turns Up the Heat on RFK Jr. to Cut Back Childhood Vaccines
The president is focused on the shots’ alleged tie to autism, even though White House advisers wanted to tone down attention to the issue ahead of the midterms.
on.wsj.com
Three words: locally-sourced shellfish! Come join our rooftop Salish Sea Soirée on Friday night! RSVP: lnkd.in/gVeKAYuq
1/Southern Europe is burning — 20,000+ evacuated in France, fires across Spain, Portugal & Greece, temps near 45°C. Last summer I wrote that we're now, quite literally, "at war" with wildfires. Are our militaries prepared? The question's only gotten sharper 🧵
Thousands flee wildfires in France and Spain as temperatures reach extreme levels in southern Europe
France asks EU for help while Spain declares national emergency around Madrid, as marine heatwave sees parts of Mediterranean Sea 5C hotter than normal
theguardian.com
There's a federal plan for the Colorado River. @ianjames.bsky.social has leaked details. It's two years, and there are no mandatory cuts for the Upper Basin. www.latimes.com/environment/...
California dodges a bullet on Colorado River cuts
California, Arizona and Nevada offered to cut water use to ease the Colorado River crisis. The Trump administration is set to adopt much of their proposal.
latimes.com
Read the latest story from 2026 CA Health Equity Fellow @melissamdaniels.bsky.social. Thank you to Senior Fellow @virginiagewin.bsky.social for sharing and supporting this reporting project. #USCCalFellows #healthjournalism
Virginia Gewin@virginiagewin.bsky.social · 3w ago“People will die if this place isn’t open.” @melissamdaniels.bsky.social has done an amazing job as a @chjreportinghealth.bsky.social fellow covering the California Inland Empire's healthcare struggles. Check out her @cvindependent.bsky.social piece on the efforts to salvage Blythe's only hospital!
#Wildfires are raging across France and Spain. PIK scientist Christopher Reyer explains how drought, rising temperatures & heatwaves arriving earlier in the year create conditions in which fires can spread rapidly & become extremely difficult to contain. Photos: PIK scientist @rahmstorf.bsky.social
“People will die if this place isn’t open.” @melissamdaniels.bsky.social has done an amazing job as a @chjreportinghealth.bsky.social fellow covering the California Inland Empire's healthcare struggles. Check out her @cvindependent.bsky.social piece on the efforts to salvage Blythe's only hospital!
Can Blythe’s Only Hospital Be Saved? Inside the Fight to Revive Care and Restore Trust in a Community’s ER - Coachella Valley Independent
The Palo Verde Healthcare District filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy in September 2025, a last-ditch effort to stay open after years of financial struggles. If Palo Verde closed its doors, the nearest ho...
cvindependent.com
As wildfires impacts increase across California, UC Davis Health physicians launched a new effort to identify populations most at risk and tailor medical advice to avoid emergency room visits. A similar initiative is being replicated at Kaiser Permanente. My latest story for @jmirpub.bsky.social
jmir.org
The El Niño climate pattern that is strengthening in the Pacific Ocean is on track to be the largest one in at least 150 years, researchers said today at a briefing. go.nature.com/4fkayak
This El Niño is set to be the largest on record by a ‘mind-blowing margin’
Forecasters predict that the monster climate pattern will combine with global warming to push global temperatures in 2027 to new heights.
go.nature.com
For this @nature.com piece, we held MAHA policies up to scientific scrutiny. Many thanks to @angierasmussen.bsky.social, Christopher Gardner, Walter Willett, Josiemer Mattei, and others for their time and input!
How does Make America Healthy Again hold up against scientific scrutiny?
Researchers share their views on the US health policy spanning topics from vaccines to nutrition.
nature.com
Remember when NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya said there were no banned words and NIH Program Officers were making them up? Here’s the proof he lied: apnews.com/article/cali... I know, Jay Bhattacharya lying is not news. But it’s still really validating to have the admission.
White House admits it used keywords to kill billions worth of California research grants
Federal agencies that terminated more than a thousand research grants at the University of California last year admitted that they used keywords related to diversity, gender, vaccine hesitancy and COV...
apnews.com
THIS WEEK, STARTING TONIGHT!!
NSWA - Northwest Science Writers @nswa.bsky.social · last mo.NSWA members: @robertakwok.bsky.social will be launching her new book, Lost in Curiosity, next week! 🚀 Hope to see you at one of these events:) Tuesday 7/21 at 7pm at Ravenna Books Wednesday 7/22 at 6:30 at Brick & Mortar Books Redmond Thursday 7/23 at 6pm at Village Books & Paper Dreams, Fairhaven
"we are not going to take the president’s speech live,” King said. “That’s because of this president’s history of misleading and, in some cases, false statements on the subject of elections and election integrity.”
CNN Host Explains Why Network Won’t Air Trump Speech Live
The network confirmed its decision on-air one hour before the president’s primetime address.
thedailybeast.com
“Officials issued an evacuation order for an area south of Pemberton, B.C., on Wednesday night due to a rapidly growing wildfire.” www.theweathernetwork.com/en/news/weat... - @weathernetwork.bsky.social #BCWildfire #Pemberton #SeaToSky #SignalHillWildfire
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation order for area south of Pemberton, B.C. - The Weather Network
Fire south of Pemberton one of 11 to flare up in last 24 hours
theweathernetwork.com