Environment

TOKYO -- Japan's Meteorological Agency says a magnitude 7 earthquake has hit northern Japan, and a tsunami warning has been issued.

Utah's state fish will not be given protection under the Endangered Species Act. Though the decision didn't sit well with a conservation group, local fish officials on Tuesday called it a recognition of a decade of work and hundreds of thousands of dollars spent in Utah Valley and around the state to boost populations of the Bonneville cutthroat trout.

To celebrate this year's success in the Orem Japanese beetle eradication effort, Clair Allen, plant industry division director in the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, attended the Orem City Council meeting Tuesday and presented awards from the department to four individuals, to recognize them for their efforts in the program. There has been a 95-percent reduction in beetle numbers in 2008, compared to 2007.

As Hurricane Gustav approached the Gulf Coast my mind retuned to Hurrican Katrina and the aftermath of that disaster. It made me wonder why anyone would want to live in a region of the world where hruricanes are commonplace. Then my mind returned to three weeks ago when both my yard and dog kennel were quickly flooded by a sudden downpour of rain that had me hustling about in knee deep water relocating my dogs to higher ground. Iwas reminded that emergencies and disasters can strike anywhere, at any time. The time to prepare for such events is before they occur.

American Fork residents could have an opportunity to help clean up the environment -- just by eating a hamburger and fries.

One of the last working mines in American Fork Canyon, the so-named Live Yankee Mine, has been called "a testament to grim determination."

One of the last working mines in American Fork Canyon, the so-named Live Yankee Mine, has been called "a testament to grim determination."

The holiday weekend's thunderstorms pounded Utah County, driving down temperatures and dusting the mountains with snow but failing to create flash floods.

If you break a compact fluorescent light bulb in your home, government guidelines for cleaning it up read something like a disaster training manual: evacuate all people and pets, air out the room for 15 minutes, and when you are allowed back, seal all cleaned up materials, even the vacuum bag.

Well into the second year of a multi-year attack plan, the state's Japanese beetle eradication program in Orem appears to have the bugs in full retreat.

Planning to save a few bucks in gas this weekend and go hiking locally? Don't blow the savings on towing fines.

The Mapleton City Council discussed options Wednesday night for lowering water bills that have doubled and tripled in the last month for many residents.