Air pollution — like the prevailing winds that carry it — tends not to notice the borders between states. But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency does. That discrepancy sits at the heart of two stories playing out this week. 

Think of the U.S. Congress as a procrastinating undergrad, prone to sleeping in. Lawmakers don’t hesitate to hit the “snooze button.”

Three years ago, guess where the highest density of black bears in the entire country was? The Northwest Corner of New Jersey. In 2010 the state started an annual week long bear hunt. New Jersey’s fourth consecutive black bear hunt began today, about a half hour before sunrise.