Senior who vanished in South Gate possibly in Riverside, Orange counties
Remains of World War II serviceman from Riverside to return home this week
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Thursday, July 18-July 24, 2024
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VOL. 10, 8,
NO. 180
Over 3-dozen canines San Bernardino ranks 1st in report on nation's abandoned at Thermal Property top 5 dirtiest cities; Ontario ranks 5th amid extreme heat; 19 dogs die By Sav Maive, LawnStarter via Stacker
By City News Service
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ity living comes with more entertainment, more job opportunities and also more pollution, trash and pests. Which U.S. cities are the filthiest? To find out, LawnStarter ranked 2024's Dirtiest Cities in America. This year, we expanded the scope of our study to encompass over 300 of the biggest U.S. cities based on 4 categories. More specifically, we considered air pollution, water quality, waste management, and resident dissatisfaction levels in each city, among 21 total metrics. Top 5 close up — 1st = Dirtiest No. 1: San Bernardino, California | Overall Score: 54.9 Median Air Quality Index: 80 | Rank: 1 (tie) Share of Overcrowded Homes: 8.8% | Rank: 24 Number of Junk Yards: 12 | Rank: 37 Share of Residents Who Find City Dirty and Untidy: 93.8% | Rank: 3 Share of Residents Dissatisfied with Pollution: 75% | Rank: 1 No. 2: Detroit | Overall Score: 52.89 Median Air Quality Index: 58 | Rank: 25 Percentage of Smokers: 29.1% | Rank: 2 Share of Homes Without Complete Kitchen Facilities: 15.6% | Rank: 1 Share of Homes Without Complete Plumbing Facilities: 12.7% | Rank: 2 Share of Residents Who Find City Dirty and Untidy: 79.3% | Rank: 5
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Smoggy air hovers over San Bernardino. | Photo courtesy of Gerry Matthews/Shutterstock/Stacker
No. 3: Reading, Pennsylvania | Overall Score: 51.85 Greenhouse Gas Emissions per Capita: 18.5 metric tons | Rank: 22 RSEI Score: 128.48 | Rank: 1 Percentage of Smokers: 26.5% | Rank: 5 Share of Residents Who Find City Dirty and Untidy: 100% | Rank: 1 Share of Residents Dissatisfied with Pollution: 33% | Rank: 58 No. 4: Newark, New Jersey | Overall Score: 50.66 Median Air Quality Index: 51 | Rank: 69 Greenhouse Gas Emissions per Capita: 8.4 metric tons | Rank: 44 Annual Excess Fuel Consumption per Auto Commuter: 23 gallons | Rank: 1 Share of Residents Who Find City Dirty and Untidy:
88.9% | Rank: 4 Share of Residents Dissatisfied with Pollution: 50% | Rank: 12 No. 5: Ontario, California | Overall Score: 49.02 Median Air Quality Index: 80 | Rank: 1 (tie) Share of Residents Exposed to Near-Roadway Pollution: 21.6% | Rank: 23 Quantity of Waste in Landfills per 100,000 Residents: 7.9 million tons | Rank: 41 Refuse and Recycling Collectors per 100,000 Residents: 26 | Rank: 60 Share of Residents Dissatisfied with Pollution: 60.7% | Rank: 6 America's Dirtiest Cities aren't necessarily full of litterbugs — cities like San Bernardino, No. 1, and Detroit No. 2, primarily deal with polluted air, high See Dirtiest cities Page 02
levels of greenhouse gas emissions and records of drinking water violations. 10 California cities in the Inland Empire, like San Bernardino, tie with the worst median air quality. The shipping industry is exploding in this region, with a freight corridor boasting over 4,000 warehouses and nearly 600,000 diesel-fueled trucks driving through the Inland Empire on a daily basis. The Golden State is a major proponent of electric vehicles and passed a mandate implementing a gradual conversion from diesel to zero-emission big rigs and commercial trucks. California is a frontrunner in implementing green policies, like the Green Lawn Care law, which bans sales of newly manufac-
wenty dogs were recovering at the Coachella Valley Animal campus in Thousand Palms Friday after they were rescued from a Thermal property by Riverside County animal control officers. More than three-dozen dogs were left at a Thermal property where triple-digit heat and a lack of essentials caused about half of them to die before animal control officers could rescue them July 11. "Awful, just awful," Department of Animal Services Deputy Director Jackie Schart said. "These dogs are so weak, so emaciated, so starved. There were dogs in crates with dead dogs. Just terrible." Officers received reports Thursday that canines had been abandoned at the house, located in the 88-000 block of Avenue 61, adjacent to a farm. When they arrived, they discovered 19 of the dogs dead from heat exposure in confined conditions, malnutrition, lack of water and related impacts, according to Department of Animal Services spokesman John Welsh. Temperatures approached 120 degrees in the eastern Coachella Valley Thursday. Twenty canines were seized from the property and placed in air-conditioned cages for transport to the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms, Welsh said. "Veterinary services staffers examined the dogs
and provided treatment," he said. "Most are in very poor condition. Many are emaciated and weak." While some of the animals had been locked in rooms or crates, others were found roaming freely on the property, replete with rubbish and debris, according to Welsh. Officers learned that the owner suffered a grave health complication and was hospitalized, leaving no one to care for the dogs. "It's understood that the man is in critical condition and may not survive," Welsh said, adding that such circumstances cancel the likelihood of cruelty charges being sought against the owner, whose identity was not disclosed. A relative of the man agreed to sign a release in his stead, relinquishing the remaining dogs to county custody. The Department of Animal Services is seeking assistance from partner rescue organizations to help care for the creatures. Those that survive and stage recoveries may be available for adoption. But Welsh noted the animal campus is already under pressure and needs the canines currently housed at the facility to be adopted to make space. "There are more than 200 dogs at the shelter currently — and only 84 kennel runs," the agency spokesman said. Anyone interested in adopting can visit the shelter or view homeless pets at rcdas.org.