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Authorities say Death Valley bones may be those of 4 German tourists who vanished in 1996

Death Valley bones may be missing German tourists

APNewsBreak: Report finds deadly LA County wildfire spread due to steep terrain, dense brush

Report: Terrain, brush to blame in huge wildfire

Environmentalists sue to stop huge resort project on sprawling California ranch

Environmentalists sue over huge Calif. development

NYC mayor: New Coney Island amusements to open this summer after land purchased from developer

New Coney Island to open after land deal

NEW YORK — The historic and mostly dormant Coney Island amusement park district in New York City will be revived by next summer with some new attractions, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and developer Joseph Sitt said Thursday.

International Speedway agrees to sell 676-acre parcel of Staten Island land for $80 million

International Speedway sells Staten Island land

Brazil reports largest Amazon deforestation drop in the two decades since monitoring began

Brazil: Deforestation sees biggest drop in 20 yrs

Audit of Okla. Land Office finds accounting weaknesses in division where embezzlement occurred

Audit: Accounting weaknesses in Okla. Land Office

Gold dips as dollar recovers some lost ground; Energy prices tumble on signs of weak demand

Gold prices dip as dollar strengthens

NEW YORK — Gold prices broke an eight-day streak of gains Thursday, retreating from record levels as the dollar recovered some lost ground against other currencies.

National team to help Forest Service manage bark beetle epidemic in Colo., Wyo.

National team to help manage bark beetle problem

Choice Hotels International’s properties to be listed on Expedia sites worldwide

Choice Hotels to list properties on Expedia sites

Dow Chemical unit, DuPont sign deal to make herbicide-resistant soybeans

Dow, DuPont sign soybean development deal

NEW YORK — Dow Chemical Co.’s Dow AgroSciences unit is teaming with DuPont to develop herbicide-tolerant soybeans.

Chockfull of ancient rock art, Utah’s Nine Mile Canyon nominated for historic register status

Utah rock art canyon up for historic designation

Off New England, warming ocean drives fish away from shore _ and market bins

Warming drives off Cape Cod’s namesake, other fish

Developer sells Coney Island acres to NYC, opening doors to revival of Brooklyn waterfront

Developer sells Coney Island acres to NYC

NEW YORK — New York City has cut a deal to buy almost 7 acres of Coney Island.

Citing full recovery, government says it will take brown pelicans off endangered species list

Gov’t says brown pelicans are endangered no longer

House members ask Interior secretary to protect Utah red rocks lands until Congress can act

Lawmakers urge Salazar to protect Utah wild lands

9th Circuit rules against plan to build large landfill near Joshua Tree National Park

Appeals panel: No landfill near SoCal nat’l park

Philippines’ Mayon volcano spews ash, could erupt in weeks

Philippines’ Mayon volcano spews ash, could erupt

Judge orders Va. man convicted of neglecting rental properties to live in one of his homes

Judge orders Va. man to live in his neglected home

Oklahoma’s Langston University receives $800,000 fed grant for economic development, outreach

Okla.’s Langston Univ. receives $800,000 fed grant

Pa. offers 32,000 additional acres of forest land for leasing to gas-drilling companies

Pa. to lease 32,000 acres for gas drilling

Dutch town opposes carbon storage project; technology could help reduce greenhouse gases

Carbon storage? Not under my house!

BARENDRECHT, Netherlands — The people of this small Dutch town are not against pumping tons of carbon dioxide into the ground to fight global warming.

Fed officials warn of long road ahead to turn around jobs market, commercial real estate

Fed officials warn weak recovery won’t spur jobs

Calif. governor signs $11B water bond measure championing new dams, kicks off voter campaign

Calif. governor pushes $11B water bond plan, dams