Bat death toll rises in harsh winter

ALBANY, N.Y. — A fungal disease that has wiped out more than a million hibernating bats since appearing more than four years ago near Albany continues to spread, last month turning up for the first time in North Carolina and Indiana.
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White nose syndrome, so-called because of a cold-loving white fungus found around the mouth and nose of infected bats, first appeared in Schoharie County, N.Y., during the winter of 2006 and has been spreading ever since.

Harsh winter hits growth - Germany

Germany’s booming economy slowed in the fourth quarter of last year amid exceptionally harsh winter weather, expanding just 0.4 percent according to figures published by the national statistics office on Tuesday.

Fish kills deemed likely after tough winter of deep snow cover

A silent killer could be lurking deep under the snow and ice on local ponds.

Lee D. Lyman, president of Lyman Environmental of Southbridge, warns that large fish kills are possible, perhaps even likely, because of the severe winter.