Businesses that cater to outdoor recreation were left "reeling from economic shock" by the coronavirus pandemic, and while there are a few bright spots late this summer, fewer than 25 percent of the industry is reporting year-over-year improvement in sales, officials in the industry reported Thursday.

While there's been a great hunger during the coronavirus pandemic to get outdoors, closures and access restrictions have no doubt played a role in a nearly 20 percent decline in visits to the National Park System through July.

It’s been one mountain lion kitten den after another this summer for National Park Service biologists in the Santa Monica Mountains and Simi Hills. In total, 13 kittens were born to five mountain lion mothers between May and August 2020.

The Andrew Johnson National Cemetery, which holds the gravesite of the former president among its more than 2,000 graves, suffers from cracked walls and grave markers, poor drainage, and settled sidewalks. Many of those problems are about to be addressed during a major construction project.