Deepwater Horizon

The 2010 RFT News Challenge

Europe's Largest Fruit Seed Bank Endangered by Real Estate Development

Yesterday we mentioned that a heat wave has threatened Russia's wheat crop. Now the country's in danger of losing its fruit seed bank. Marion Nestle writes in The Atlantic that the Global Crop Diversity Trust has issued a warning that real estate developers are threatening the home of the Pavlovsk E ... More >>

Capped!

Last month ... and today.​After 85 days -- and 184 million gallons of oil spewed into the gulf -- BP says it's finally capped the Deepwater Horizon oil well. Hallelujah.

Is Anybody Really "Tarballing" BP Gas Stations?

Image viaGone tarballin'!!!!​When Unreal heard a rumor that St. Louis BP gas stations had seen an uptick of people pooping on their restroom floors -- apparently in protest for the worst environmental disaster in American history -- we called up quite a few of 'em. Most said there was no increase ... More >>

AP Tries to Put Gulf Oil Spill in Perspective, Fails Miserably

Image sourceThe Count. Now an AP scribe?​Is constant bad news about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill getting you down? Then take heart in the fact that all the gooey black stuff washing up on white sand beaches, ravaging Louisiana marshlands, and choking pelicans to death wouldn't even fill the Sup ... More >>

Buck Naked Takes the Lead

The Morning Brew: 6.11

After 134 years, New Orleans' P&J Oyster Company has ceased operations because of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig catastrophe. According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the company will not close entirely. They'll shuck as oysters are available, even if they have to ship them from the west coast. " ... More >>

Anti-BP Protest Planned for 10 a.m. Today at Delmar BP

Where it goes down today.​Activists who favor stricter clean-energy legislation, and oppose the controversial Murkowski resolution, are holding a rally at 10 a.m. today at BP gas station on Delmar.The rally is being organized by Repower America and its Missouri chapter, plus like-minded groups suc ... More >>

The Morning Brew: 6.2

Arizona's loose gun laws let restaurant owners decide they'll allow guns - registered and legal, of course - in their establishments. The Arizona Daily Star reports on the growing divide between gun advocates and those who'd rather not dine with a posse in the same dining room. What happens to an ... More >>

Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster Leads Group to Seek Endangered Status for Bluefin Tuna

Last week swordfish fans rejoiced at news that the species had bounced back from overfishing. Now it's time for bluefin tuna fans to panic. The Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit conservation group, has filed a formal petition to have the North Atlantic fish added to the endangered-specie ... More >>

The Morning Brew: 5.24

Got alfalfa sprouts? Pitch 'em. The Associate Press reports that because 22 people in 10 states - including Missouri and Illinois - have developed salmonella, there's a nationwide recall. "The company [Caldwell Fresh Foods] said the recalled alfalfa sprouts were sold in plastic cups and plastic bags ... More >>

Controversial Wash U Prof Jonathan Katz Cut Loose From Gulf Oil Spill Relief

Jonathan Katz ​Well that didn't take long.Yesterday Daily RFT covered the White House's controversial appointment of Jonathan Katz, a physics professor at Washington University in St. Louis, to a team of five scientists asked to help the Department of Energy and BP stem the flow of oil gushing int ... More >>

Before Filling Up at BP/Amoco, Check This Out

​60 Minutes last night ran a two-part story on the disaster of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. In interviews with a survivor of the explosion and with engineering experts, the early evidence suggests that that blame lies squarely with BP for ignoring warnings about the well an ... More >>

Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster Spills Over to St. Louis Seafood Scene

Image viaThe Gulf of Mexico oil spill as seen from the International Space Station​Nearly a month after the explosion that sunk the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, killing several workers, oil continues to gush into the Gulf of Mexico. While the federal government and BP struggle to contain the en ... More >>

How Big is the Gulf Oil Spill in Comparison to St. Louis?

Pretty damn big, as this Google Earth mock-up reveals:That's an oil spill, not a Rorschach test.​Thee map reflects the size -- about 2,500 square miles -- of the Deepwater Horizon spill as of May 6. The leak is still gushing out at least 200,000 gallons of crude oil per day with no end in sight as ... More >>