Feb. 18, 2026 - Nine skiers were still missing early on Wednesday after an avalanche in California's Sierra Nevada mountains, authorities said, but six others from the stranded group have been rescued.

The avalanche swept the Castle Peak area of Truckee, California, about 10 miles north of Lake Tahoe, around 11:30 a.m. Pacific time on Tuesday, engulfing a group of backcountry skiers, according to a Facebook statement posted by the Nevada County Sheriff's Office.

The rescued skiers had various injuries, and two were sent to a hospital for treatment.

Feb. 18, 2026 -The EPA called it an ecological crisis of "historic proportion" after a massive sewer pipe collapsed north of Washington, D.C.

An ecological crisis of "historic proportion" is underway in the Potomac River after a massive sewer pipe collapse north of Washington, D.C., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday.

The millions of gallons of diseased waste polluting the major waterway that winds through the nation’s capital is one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history, according to the University of Maryland.

1. 2025 on Track to Be
Second Warmest Year Ever

2. No Mention of Planet-Warming Fossil Fuels in COP30 Agreement

3. Global Plastic Treaty Negotiations End Without Deal Again

4. World’s Top Court Lays Out
Historic Protections For Climate

5. Scientists Confirm Largest Coral Bleaching Event on Record Affecting Nearly 84% of World’s Reefs

6. Climate Change ‘Supercharged’ Deadly Asian Storms That Killed More Than 1,800

7. Trump Signs Executive Orders to Blow to US Emissions Reduction Efforts

8. ‘Historic’ UN-Led High Seas Treaty to Take Effect in 2026

9. Green Sea Turtles No Longer Endangered Species in Major Conservation Win

10. Fossil Fuel Companies Intensified Hundreds of Heatwaves Worldwide This Century

Feb. 18, 2025 - The solar panels that hang from balconies across Europe may soon be coming to New England, helping lower energy costs and ease grid demand.

This could be a breakout year for plug-in solar in the United States, with more than two dozen states considering legislation this session, including Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The small-scale systems are seen as a way to expand access to renewable energy, particularly for renters and apartment dwellers, but first require legislative approval.