Elaine Ruth Ingham, groundbreaking microbiologist and a leader in the regenerative agriculture movement, died on Monday in Fort Mill, South Carolina, with her husband by her side. She was 73 years old.

Ingham was known for her soil science research that developed the concept of the soil food web. She championed the critical role of microorganisms in building healthy, sustainable ecosystems. As a researcher, educator, and mentor, her pioneering studies and advocacy empowered farmers, scientists, and environmentalists worldwide to restore and sustain soil health.

Ingham’s work, including dozens of research papers published in scientific journals in the 1980s and 1990s, brought her to an early understanding of the importance of soil microbiology for plant health. Her influential popular publications include the Soil Biology Primer, published by the Natural Resources Conservation Services Soil Quality Institute, with the well-known image of the soil food web used by educators around the world to discuss the role of microorganisms in soil.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/28371517

A high-ranking White House official was indiscreetly texting about the Portland, Ore., planning last weekend, according to messages shared with the Minnesota Star Tribune.

By Andy Mannix The Minnesota Star Tribune October 3, 2025 at 11:59PM

Non-archived, original link: https://www.startribune.com/trump-officials-discussed-sending-elite-army-division-to-portland-text-messages-show/601485729

A high-ranking White House official was indiscreetly texting about the Portland, Ore., planning last weekend, according to messages shared with the Minnesota Star Tribune.

By Andy Mannix The Minnesota Star Tribune October 3, 2025 at 11:59PM

Non-archived, original link: https://www.startribune.com/trump-officials-discussed-sending-elite-army-division-to-portland-text-messages-show/601485729

During the first Trump administration there was often the feeling of being unable to escape the news. Every day, a new presidential proclamation via Twitter. Every day, a comment made in a press gaggle with potentially staggering implications. For many, the impact was immediate; but more often than not, the threat remained conceptual. This time around is different; things are actually getting materially worse each day, and the human brain is unequipped to notice, let alone process, all of it.

From the continued genocide in Gaza and the disappearing of immigrants off our streets by federal agents, to the dismantling of our health care infrastructure and the ever-growing scourge of gun violence, the pace of news is relentless. Even so, it’s crucial to take stock of events that each on their own would have once been considered a catastrophe, especially when much of major American media would give you the impression that the only thing that happened over the weekend was Charlie Kirk’s hagiographic memorial.

Let’s walk through a few important stories you may have missed—

Hundreds of people detained at the Alligator Alcatraz immigration processing center west of Miami, Florida, appear to have vanished. They have disappeared from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) online database, and their lawyers and families have been unable to locate them, according to immigrant advocacy groups.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/27651019

A protester was acquitted Wednesday of charges that he assaulted a federal agent during widespread protests against immigration crackdowns in Los Angeles, just hours after one of the faces of President Trump’s enforcement policies took the stand to testify against him.

U.S. Border Patrol Sector Chief Gregory Bovino — the brash agent who led a phalanx of military personnel into MacArthur Park this summer — was called as a witness Wednesday in a federal misdemeanor assault case against Brayan Ramos-Brito, who was accused of striking a federal agent.

Bovino, who flew in to testify from Chicago, the latest city targeted for an immigration enforcement surge, said he witnessed the alleged assault committed by Ramos-Brito in Paramount on June 7.

Bovino was questioned by the defense about previous comments he made referring to undocumented immigrants as “scum.”

The jury came back with the acquittal after a little over an hour of deliberations.

A protester was acquitted Wednesday of charges that he assaulted a federal agent during widespread protests against immigration crackdowns in Los Angeles, just hours after one of the faces of President Trump’s enforcement policies took the stand to testify against him.

U.S. Border Patrol Sector Chief Gregory Bovino — the brash agent who led a phalanx of military personnel into MacArthur Park this summer — was called as a witness Wednesday in a federal misdemeanor assault case against Brayan Ramos-Brito, who was accused of striking a federal agent.

Bovino, who flew in to testify from Chicago, the latest city targeted for an immigration enforcement surge, said he witnessed the alleged assault committed by Ramos-Brito in Paramount on June 7.

Bovino was questioned by the defense about previous comments he made referring to undocumented immigrants as “scum.”

The jury came back with the acquittal after a little over an hour of deliberations.