Washing clothes may seem harmless, but each load can release hundreds of thousands of tiny plastic fibers from synthetic fabrics into the water. Some of these microplastics are captured in sewage sludge that is often used as fertilizer, allowing the particles to spread onto agricultural fields. Others pass through wastewater systems and eventually into the ocean, where they accumulate in marine life. Laundry is an overlooked but major source of plastic pollution.

As 34 people become U.S. citizens in a Syracuse courtroom, immigration attorneys and advocates say expanded enforcement continues to fuel fear across Central New York.

Experts say federal immigration agents' skills are a dangerous mismatch for urban settings such as the Twin Cities