advertisement advertisement advertisement Many U.S. metropolitan areas report that at least 90% of public transit passengers wear masks while on buses to prevent the spread of coronavirus. advertisement advertisement However, some passengers still wear their masks incorrectly. And some refuse to wear them at all, threatening the health and safety of others on board. Staff at many transit systems have already faced the difficult task of enforcing passenger compliance with local and state mask mandates . Now, staff and passengers of public transit systems must also comply with federal orders , issued in January and February. Passengers who violate the federal mask orders may face penalties of $250 for a first offense and up to $1,500 for repeat offenses. In addition to driving, public transit drivers are now responsible for preventing unmasked passengers from boarding, monitoring passengers for compliance, and … [Read more...] about Public transit workers are struggling to enforce mask mandates
Federal reserves
There’s a surprising wrinkle in the quest to plant 68 billion trees
advertisement advertisement advertisement When a truck delivery of pine cones arrives at a reforestation center in Davis, California run by California’s fire agency, it starts a monthslong process—just one step in the complicated work to restore forests obliterated by wildfires . advertisement advertisement Workers lay the cones out on racks, and flip them every day or two as they watch for the cones to start to open. When the cones are fully open, they go in a 90-degree Fahrenheit kiln to keep them open until the next day. Then they’re tossed in a giant tumbler that shakes the seeds out into boxes, and the seeds go in another machine that helps sort them by size. A preliminary x-ray shows which seeds are viable. Some seeds are cleaned by hand. After lab tests to make sure that the seeds can grow, they eventually end up in a giant walk-in freezer where they wait to be planted. The process is complex, and it’s one reason why … [Read more...] about There’s a surprising wrinkle in the quest to plant 68 billion trees