Pesticides near schools, parks, homes: Air sensors in central Illinois detected the presence of pesticides, including atrazine and 2,4-D, that apparently drifted from farm fields to land near schools, parks, and homes where vulnerable populations live. (Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting)
Desert locusts swarm again: The FAO is seeking $40 million in donations for surveillance and control of a new generation of desert locusts threatening food supplies in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. (FAO)
Biden makes historic nominations: President-elect Joe Biden nominated New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland to be interior secretary. She would be the first Native American to serve in a presidential cabinet. Biden also chose North Carolina environmental regulator Michael Regan to be the first Black to head the EPA. (Washington Post)
Hazard pay for California grocery workers: The Long Beach City Council voted unanimously to draft an ordinance mandating paying grocery workers an additional $4 an hour for the next four months because of the pandemic. Separately, the Los Angeles City Council is considering a motion for a $5-an-hour raise for workers at grocery chains with at least 300 employees. (Los Angeles Times)
Hunger increasing: In a recent Census Bureau survey, more than 27 million adult Americans, or 13 percent, said they sometimes or often did not have enough to eat in the previous seven days, an increase of 5 million from August. (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)