Bits n pieces, from east, west and beyond

East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact. 

A recent sampling:

At least 54 cities across the U.S. voted to cancel, non-renew or reject Flock’s automatic license plate readers this year. Flock opponents cite privacy and civil rights issues: Washington Examiner.

The U.S. Mint is now selling $1 Trump coins for $61 for a 25-coin roll. According to federal law they can be used as “legal tender,” but may not be accepted at every store. Legality of the coin is questioned, Axios wrote, since a 2005 act says only deceased presidents can appear on a $1 coin.

President Donald Trump’s plan to run roads through 45 million acres of untouched national forests -- for logging, mining and drilling -- is expected to impact more than 400 threatened and endangered species and 7.5 million acres with “critical habitat” designations, according to a published paper from the Center for Biological Diversity. Public comments are being accepted until Sept. 21.

Five-year-old Liam, who gained fame as the little boy with the bunny ears hat who was released from immigration detention earlier this year, and his father, were recently held again by ICE and then deported to Mexico, CBS reported. The pair’s attorney said Liam’s father was given a choice of being deported and leaving Liam in detention, or taking his son with him. She also said authorities refused to release Liam to his mother here in the states. Opinion: another case of deporting the worst of the worst.

A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found 57% of Americans oppose Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on Canadian imports (20% approve), and 63% oppose Trump’s renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America.”

Severe Covid reactivates other dormant viruses within us, according to a Boston Children’s Hospital study recently published in Nature. Those viruses can include Epstein-Barr, cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex. The study said over 10 million Americans have been stricken with long Covid, and in the 2025-2026 respiratory season up to 50,000 Americans died of Covid. 

Solar power stepped to the fore in Europe during the year’s heat waves, Climate Action Now reported. Coal, gas and nuclear plants had to shut down due to shortages of water for cooling. It was solar that powered fans, lights and refrigeration.

Headlines, for brevity: Untested in court, Trump’s new tariffs on Canada raise legal questions; What we know about Trump’s deal giving US access to vast oil reserves in Venezuela [experts say the country’s neglected oil infrastructure will take years, and billions of dollars, to repair -- so no boost in production or declines in US oil prices are expected anytime soon]; Josh Shapiro [PA Governor] To RFK Jr.: Your Conspiracy Theories Caused [Two] Measles Deaths [to unvaccinated children -- the first in 35 years]; By lowering pay rates in a visa program, the Trump administration has tried to “transfer” billions of dollars from farm workers to growers [farm workers’ pay had been slashed up to $7 an hour]; Two community solar projects just opened on a former coal mine in Illinois [the 40 acre project is capable of providing enough energy for 1,650 households]; [Florida’s] DeSantis Administration Misspent $10 Million, Grand Jury Says (it was diverted to a charity tied to the governor’s wife).

From the “in jest” file: Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced that the United States of America will be renamed South Canada, and will become Canada’s 14th province.

Blast from the (good old days) past: Prior to the 1904 invention of the ice cream cone, where it debuted at the St. Louis World’s Fair, the cold delight was sold in a glass, which was to be licked clean and returned. The container might or might not be rinsed before using it to serve the next customer.