Charges against Marcus Green, 54, of Thermal, and against Kristen Lauer, 25, of Rancho Mirage, have been combined into one trial. Green was the driver of a car that went over the side of Highway 74 in May 2016 and resulted in the death of his 5-month-old infant, and Lauer was the baby’s mother. Green…

A number of states have laws that, to varying degrees, restrict importation and transportation of firewood aimed at stopping spread of invasive species, often insects or other pests. Firewood has been shown to be an agent for transporting invasive species. Many of the states with firewood laws are in the East and Midwest, part of Emerald ash borer federally quarantined areas.

For several years, members of the Mountain Area Safety Taskforce have been working with the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Research to evaluate whether fuels treatments that leave chipped woody material behind are contributing to fire abatement or creating a fire problem. The lead investigator, Dr. Pamela E. Padgett, research plant physiologist at the research…