Dolphin Deaths In Gulf Of Mexico Relate To Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Large numbers of bottlenose dolphins have been washing up on the shores of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama since the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, according to theverge.com.  It was the largest spill to take place in US waters.  The dolphins actually started washing up in elevated levels two months before the spill, potentially because of a cold winter.

“The evidence to date indicates that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill caused the adrenal and lung lesions that contributed to the deaths of this unusual mortality event,” said Stephanie Venn-Watson, a researcher with the National Marine Mammal Foundation who was the lead author of the report, writes the New York Times.

“We reached that conclusion based on the accumulation of our studies including this paper,” she added.

The deaths have continued into 2015.

In the latest study, researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration point to serious health issues in washed-up dolphins that are linked to petroleum product exposure, strengthening the link between dolphins’ deaths and the BP-owned well’s spill, writes theverge.com.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/dolphin-deaths-linked-to-2010-gulf-of-mexico-oil-spill/

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0126538

Mutilated Animals Found Around Sacramento, CA

Police and animal control officials in Sacramento, California, are trying to figure out who is responsible for a recent spree of animal mutilation cases throughout the city, according to ABC affiliate news10.net.

There have been at least nine cases since the beginning of the year, and authorities are trying to determine if the instances are connected.

It started in south Sacramento in January, where a dead goat and a bag of headless chickens were found.  After that, several other instances followed.

Monday, more dead chickens were found in an area called South Land Park.  Tuesday, mutilated chickens and a rabbit were found in Midtown.  Early Wednesday morning, more headless chickens were discovered along the railroad tracks near 19th and W streets.  The latest discovery happened right across from the YMCA building and YMCA child development center.

Gina Knepp, head of Sacramento’s Front Street Animal Shelter, said authorities are investigating whether at least some of the killings may have to do with religious rites that sacrifice animals, according to The Huffington Post.

“I’m hoping it’s not a dangerous situation,” said Beverly Churchill, who works out regularly at the YMCA. “Because there are children who come here frequently.”

The Humane Society of the United States announced Thursday it is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person or people responsible for the mutilations, according to local NBC affiliate KCRA.

More here

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Remembering A Week In The Media

CNN reports on a week that news personalities Bob Simon, Brian Williams, Jon Stewart, and David Carr became the story in U.S. media.

CNN

At Least 2 Deaths In West Coast Storm

A ferocious storm system pounded a huge swath of the West Coast with heavy rain, hurricane-force winds and power outages Thursday, causing at least two deaths.

In some parts of northern California, the storm produced hurricane-force winds of 78 mph and one gust of 147 mph in the Sierra.

The storm is one of the strongest to hit the West Coast in years.

Authorities in Southern Oregon say high winds toppled a tree atop a 40-year-old homeless man sleeping in a tent along the Pacific Coast Trail.

The Jackson County sheriff’s office said the man, Phillip Crosby, complained of difficulty breathing and died shortly afterward.

A teen died of storm-related injuries Thursday evening in the Portland, Ore. area after a very large tree fell onto a vehicle, apparently causing the woman who was in the car with him to swerve into another tree.

The teenage boy was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman was was seriously injured and taken to a nearby hospital.

San Francisco’s Cable Cars Halted

Power in San Francisco’s Financial District, in the heart of the city, went out shortly after 7 a.m. PT, forcing the evacuation of thousands of workers from skyscrapers over several blocks. The iconic Bank of America was darkened.

Municipal buses were abandoned on city streets because they had no power.

Traffic was gridlocked on Highway 280, the stretch of road that connects San Francisco to San Jose.

Every 15 minutes or so a National Weather Service interrupted radio reports to warn residents not to drive through flooded areas.

In San Francisco, electricity was knocked out from the Marina to the financial district and beyond. The power outages stretched over thousands of square miles, from near the Oregon border to Big Sur on California’s Central Coast.

San Francisco’s cable car system was shut down before the storm hit because of concern over the effectiveness of brakes on the aging cars in wet conditions.