After a judge issued a tentative ruling on a legal challenge Tuesday, the Catalina Island Conservancy said that it would begin the first phase of its plan to kill nearly all of the 2,000 deer on the California island.

© Sinna Nasseri for The New York Times

After a drop in demand driven by a nationwide outbreak of cyclosporiasis, California growers are plowing lettuce back into the soil and laying off workers.

One hundred years ago, dahlias became the city’s official flower. They have gained new popularity as an antidote to the modern world.