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In 2022, MacKenzie Scott donated two Beverly Hills homes valued at $55 million; their sale supported affordable housing in Los Angeles

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In 2022, MacKenzie Scott donated two Beverly Hills homes valued at $55 million; their sale supported affordable housing in Los Angeles

Beverly Hills is known for some of the most expensive residential property in Los Angeles, where large homes can change hands for tens of millions of dollars. In 2022, two such properties became part of a very different kind of transaction. MacKenzie Scott, the billionaire philanthropist and former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, donated … Read more

The US offered a California family $4 million for its 6,300-acre island ranch; after they refused, the government seized it and a jury awarded them $12.7 million

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The US offered a California family $4 million for its 6,300-acre island ranch; after they refused, the government seized it and a jury awarded them $12.7 million

A federal jury in Los Angeles ordered the United States government to pay $12.7 million (£7.8 million) to a California family after it seized their 6,300-acre ranch on Santa Cruz Island. The verdict, delivered in February 1999 after a three-week trial, ended a decades-long property dispute between federal park officials and attorney Francis Gherini, whose … Read more

In 2016, the Burt’s Bees co-founder gave the US 87,500 acres and backed it with $40 million; 10 years later the Maine wilderness is a national monument

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In 2016, the Burt's Bees co-founder gave the US 87,500 acres and backed it with $40 million; 10 years later the Maine wilderness is a national monument

Roxanne Quimby has had a life for the books. The woman who has held multiple roles including that of an artist, homesteader, mother, storyteller, philanthropist and entrepreneur is the face behind what is possibly the world’s best-known lip balm brand. One that floods every woman’s Pinterest board and definitely her cart. While Quimby may be … Read more

In 2020, a catastrophic Michigan dam disaster left Smallwood Lake drawn down; six years and a $50.2 million rebuild later, water is finally returning to 721 waterfront properties

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In 2020, a catastrophic Michigan dam disaster left Smallwood Lake drawn down; six years and a $50.2 million rebuild later, water is finally returning to 721 waterfront properties

Lake status as of July 21 Six years after a catastrophic dam disaster left Smallwood Lake drawn down in Michigan, water is finally returning to the lake. The refill began on August 4, following the completion of a $50.2 million rebuild of Smallwood Dam, and is expected to take eight to 10 weeks, depending on … Read more

In 2016, an Indiana family bought a former bishop’s residence with its own private chapel; after nine years restoring it, the century-old home is listed for $1.28 million

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In 2016, an Indiana family bought a former bishop's residence with its own private chapel; after nine years restoring it, the century-old home is listed for $1.28 million

The century-old home is listed for nearly $1.28 million (Image Credit: Maggie Patterson via PEOPLE) An Indiana family spent nine years restoring a historic home that once served as a Catholic bishop’s residence and contains an elaborate private chapel. The story was detailed in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, in which Maggie Patterson shared how … Read more

A rotating ‘garbage island’ spreads over 1.6 million sq km in the Pacific: Plastic averages 50 kilograms per square kilometre, and 75 to 86% of the debris comes from fishing gear

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A rotating 'garbage island' spreads over 1.6 million sq km in the Pacific: Plastic averages 50 kilograms per square kilometre, and 75 to 86% of the debris comes from fishing gear

A floating and rotating ‘garbage island’ of an estimated area of 1.6 million square kilometres lies between Hawaii and California, according to a scientific estimate published in 2018. The area of the island is said to be larger than Para and nearly three times the size of metropolitan France. What exists here is a plastic … Read more

Alaska’s live bearcam has become a summer hit: 7.3 million views in six weeks as brown bears gather at Brooks Falls to catch salmon

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Alaska's live bearcam has become a summer hit: 7.3 million views in six weeks as brown bears gather at Brooks Falls to catch salmon

The cameras show brown bears waiting around Brooks Falls as sockeye salmon travel upstream. (Getty images) A livestream showing brown bears catching and eating salmon at a waterfall in Alaska has become an unexpected online hit this summer. The Brooks Falls bearcam at Katmai National Park has drawn millions of views as large numbers of … Read more

In 1912, a Black couple bought California beachfront land and built a resort; the city seized it in the 1920s, and a century later their heirs got it back and sold it for nearly $20 million

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In 1912, a Black couple bought California beachfront land and built a resort; the city seized it in the 1920s, and a century later their heirs got it back and sold it for nearly $20 million

Charles and Willa Bruce on their wedding day (Left) and Margie Johnson and John Pettigrew in Manhattan Beach in 1927 (Right) A prime piece of Southern California oceanfront property taken from a Black couple through eminent domain a century ago was formally returned to their descendants and then sold back to Los Angeles County for … Read more

US Supreme Court again rejects Donald Trump’s bid to overturn $5 million E Jean Carroll verdict

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US Supreme Court again rejects Donald Trump's bid to overturn $5 million E Jean Carroll verdict

File photo: US President Donald Trump and writer E Jean Carroll The US Supreme Court on Monday again rejected President Donald Trump‘s attempt to overturn a $5 million civil verdict in favour of writer E Jean Carroll, leaving in place a jury’s finding that he sexually abused and defamed her.The justices declined Trump’s request to … Read more

In 2020, a $186 million cleanup began at Minnesota’s Spirit Lake; four years later, 1.3 million cubic yards had been remediated and a 14-acre fish-spawning bay created

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In 2020, a $186 million cleanup began at Minnesota's Spirit Lake; four years later, 1.3 million cubic yards had been remediated and a 14-acre fish-spawning bay created

For over a century, the industrial engines of Minnesota’s Iron Range drove the economy of Duluth. Raw iron ore moved down through the St. Louis River basin, feeding massive manufacturing plants along the shore. But that industrial output came with a long-term environmental tax. At Spirit Lake, which is a broad stretch of the river … Read more