Wildfires in Los Angeles have already destroyed thousands of structures, but the full extent of the damage will not be known for some time, say local officials.
US Agriculture Dept. expects to announce more awards "in the coming weeks" and has picked six other cooperatives in Colorado, Louisiana, Oregon and Washington-Idaho.
Congress’s last-minute spending appropriations saga had one more unexpected twist, with the Senate approving legislation to transfer administrative control of the Robert F. Kennedy Stadium campus to the District of Columbia.
Federal funding for construction and infrastructure programs will remain at current levels until mid-March 2025, under a stopgap spending measure passed by Congress on Dec. 20.