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Virginia lawmakers pass ban on tethering dogs in extreme weather

By The Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia lawmakers have passed legislation that would prohibit the tethering of dogs outside during extreme weather.

The legislation would also increase the minimum length of a tether from 10 feet to 15 feet.

Virginia’s House and Senate passed the bills on Sunday.

Gov. Ralph Northam’s office said Monday that he had supported the bills and looks forward to reviewing them when they reach his desk.

Animal advocacy groups say the legislation would save dogs’ lives in a state that often experiences extreme temperatures and severe storms. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, also known as PETA, pushed for the legislation for years.

The Mediterranean’s warming waters are drawing hundreds of invasive species

By The Associated Press
ROME (AP) — The Mediterranean of our ancestors is no more. Scientists say climate change, caused mainly by burning oil, coal and gas, is making the Mediterranean Sea hotter, bringing hundreds of new and invasive fish species that decimate indigenous populations. As biodiversity diminishes, coastal communities will struggle to make ends meet in the ways they’ve known for generations. “The Mediterranean of our grandfathers, of our elders, and of the Greeks, of ancient Greece is lost forever. So many of those changes are irreversible,” said Ernesto Azzuro, a marine biologist with the Italian National Research Council's Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology.
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