backyards

8 Stories

On NYC's Labor Day Weekend, a 'Sci-Fi Inspired Scenario'

NYPD says it will deploy surveillance drones to check on too-large holiday gatherings

(Newser) - Americans across the nation are gearing up for their final summer weekend, but for residents of New York City, there may be what the AP calls "an uninvited guest looming over their festivities." The NYPD announced Thursday it will deploy surveillance drones throughout Labor Day weekend to check...

Surprise Find in Backyard Tree: This Mountain Lion

Calif. firefighters, wildlife officials converged on the scene to remove the big cat

(Newser) - When you've got a cat stuck in a tree, call the fire department. When you've got a really big cat stuck in a tree—well, still call the fire department and they'll see what they can do. California firefighters came through with flying colors when that exact...

Man Digs Up Mammoth Skeleton in Back Yard

He keeps the bones in his living room

(Newser) - Have you ever checked—really checked—your back yard for the remains of ancient prehistoric beasts? Because that's what an Iowa man found on his property two years ago, ABC 5 reports. "I got down on my hands and knees on the bank and I could see a...

Inside Jaycee's Tent: a Wii, and Squalor

Pics show hints of domesticity amid trash and dirt

(Newser) - Photos of the backyard and tents where Jaycee Lee Dugard and her children lived reveal a small slice of normalcy amid appalling squalor, CBS News reports. The yard that Dugard’s meticulously dressed girls emerged from is littered with piles of trash and rusting bikes. But inside, where there was...

Cops Searched Kidnapper's House, Found Nothing

Garrido kept his dark secret despite multiple brushes with the law

(Newser) - Phillip Garrido had several brushes with the law during the 18 years that police say he held Jaycee Lee Dugard and their two children captive in his backyard, but managed to keep his ugly secret, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Last July, a multi-agency police task force searched Garrido's home...

Backyard Chickens Ruffle Neighbors' Feathers

Low-cost organic egg dispenser, or messy nuisance?

(Newser) - Backyard chickens have polarized the city council of Salem, Ore., as residents argue over whether to legalize keeping the birds in home coops, the Wall Street Journal reports. It’s one of several such disputes around the US, with some extolling the virtues of a source of free eggs and...

Bamboo Invades Suburbia
 Bamboo Invades Suburbia 
Mar 24, 2008 10:30 AM CDT

Bamboo Invades Suburbia

Plant evades pesticides, machetes, metal sheets in US yards

(Newser) - Suburbanites are fighting to keep bamboo at bay in backyards all over America, but the tropical grass is winning. The Asian import grows fast and has become a popular, environmentally friendly way to screen out the neighbors. But with roots like steel cables, the relentless spreader resists pesticides, pickaxes, and...

Fireplaces Heat Up Backyards
Fireplaces Heat Up Backyards
Mar 21, 2007 2:54 PM CDT

Fireplaces Heat Up Backyards

The wood may be for show, but the status boost is for real

(Newser) - The outdoor fireplace is the latest must-have for obsessive upgraders—at least those with backyards. With built-in stereo systems, refrigerators, and price tags that run to $80,000, these oversized hearths often come with a just-for-show wood pile, though they run on gas.

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