Cross-Country Floods, Amazon Grocery Delivery, & Smuggled Turtles

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Adam Rogers
August 14, 2025

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Flood barriers in Juneau, Alaska, successfully held back record glacial flooding on Wednesday as the Mendenhall Glacier released water equivalent to 23,000 Olympic swimming pools. The barrier system protected 460+ properties, and officials reported no major damage compared to last year when flooding damaged nearly 300 homes.
Flooding has threatened Juneau annually since 2011 as climate change has caused Mendenhall to shrink, creating a basin that fills with water until pressure forces it to burst through an ice dam toward the city. The city sits just 12 miles from the glacier with homes directly facing the flood path, where previous floods have swept away entire houses.
Meanwhile, flash flooding killed at least three people in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Tuesday night when a tree fell on a family's car during the storm. The city received 6.42 inches of rain, the second wettest day since records began in 1879. Flooded highways trapped drivers, and rescue teams pulled several people from vehicles nearly swept away by overflowing creeks.

Amazon is expanding same-day fresh food delivery to over 1,000 US locations and plans to cover at least 2,300 locations by year’s end. Prime members get free delivery on orders over $25, while cheaper orders will have a $2.99 fee. Non-members have access to the service for $12.99 per order.
The program, tested in Phoenix last year, led first-time grocery buyers who used same-day delivery to shop twice as often compared to those who didn't use the service. Amazon has been integrating Whole Foods more closely with its operations and expanding its grocery footprint to compete in the sector.
The announcement sent competitors' stocks lower. Instacart dropped over 11% while grocery chains Kroger and Albertsons fell 4% and 3% respectively. Walmart, a major rival in fast grocery delivery, slipped 2%.

A new study in Cell found that modern potatoes descended from interbreeding about 9 million years ago between the ancestors of tomatoes and Etuberosum, creating a plant capable of producing energy-storing tubers that thrived in the cold, dry Andes mountains of South America.
Neither tomato ancestors nor Etuberosum could produce tubers on their own, but genome sequencing revealed their hybrid offspring inherited a balanced mix of genes that enabled tuber formation. The hybrid lineage spread across the high-elevation Andes habitat and diversified into 107 wild species over millions of years. Around 6,000-7,000 years ago, humans near Lake Titicaca domesticated a single species that became the basis for all modern potato varieties.
Researchers say the discovery could help create seed-producing potatoes that resist disease and climate challenges. Currently, farmers plant potato chunks rather than seeds, creating genetically identical crops vulnerable to pests and widespread crop failure.

A 20-year-old prisoner escaped from corrections officers while being transported through Seattle-Tacoma airport, the second such escape there this year. (More)

Texas House Democrats who fled the state to block redistricting say they'll return this weekend after successfully killing the GOP's first special session. (More)

Police warned Maine beachgoers after drone footage captured a 10-12-foot great white shark swimming near popular coastal beaches on Tuesday. (More)

Wildfires driven by extreme heat and winds threaten Greece’s third-largest city, Patras, forcing evacuations of 200,000 people, as blazes and record heat scorch southern Europe from Portugal to the Balkans. (More)

Far-right parties top polls in Germany, France, and Britain simultaneously for the first time, with Trump-allied groups leading Europe's three largest economies. (More)

The US sent two warships to the South China Sea after two Chinese vessels accidentally collided while harassing a Philippine ship at Scarborough Shoal. (More)

US stock markets closed higher on Wednesday (S&P +0.32%, Nasdaq +0.13%, Dow +1.04%). Expectations for lower US Federal Reserve rates continue to push the major indexes higher. (More)

Mortgage applications jumped 10.9% last week as homeowners sought refinancing and riskier adjustable-rate loans to take advantage of slightly lower rates. (More)

Canadian clothing maker Gildan agreed to buy US rival HanesBrands for $2.2 billion, creating what it calls a "global basic apparel leader." (More)

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones publicly revealed his advanced melanoma diagnosis for the first time, crediting an experimental PD-1 drug trial with saving his life. (More)

Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon reached a tentative deal to buy the Portland Trail Blazers from Paul Allen's estate for an undisclosed amount. (More)

Harvey Weinstein will face a third trial in New York for sexually assaulting Jessica Mann after a jury deadlocked in June on the rape charge. (More)

Cambridge researchers discovered why properly used blood pressure cuffs still miss 30% of hypertension cases due to delayed artery reopening from low downstream pressure. (More)

Scientists found a razor-toothed whale fossil in Australia from 26 million years ago that was dolphin-sized but had shark-like teeth. (More)

The "Stop Killing Games" petition hit 1.4 million signatures, potentially forcing EU lawmakers to protect online games from being shut down by publishers. (More)

This summer’s most popular state parks, according to Google Maps.

Man caught smuggling 850 turtles worth over $1M.

Producers are looking for the next golden retriever to play Air Bud.

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