Northeast
Mystery drones could be identified faster using new detection tool, but FAA lacks resources
As drone sightings over New Jersey continue to raise questions, a new tool could bring answers about the source of these flying vehicles — if the government could get it off the ground.
Earlier this year, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began requiring all unmanned aircraft systems to be equipped with Remote ID technology, which makes every equipped drone uniquely identifiable to authorities, like a license plate on a car.
The FAA announced that it would provide a database that could be accessed by local law enforcement, but nearly one year later, local authorities still can’t get into it themselves.
“The FAA is working on developing Remote ID data sharing capabilities for law enforcement so they can have access to FAA registration information,” the agency said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
DRONES SPOTTED ACROSS NORTHEAST LIKELY COMING FROM ‘INSIDE THE US,’ MILITARY EXPERT SAYS
A sign marks the entrance to the FAA headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 7. (J. David Ake/Getty Images)
According to a report published in June by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the FAA has not yet provided a way for law enforcement agencies to use Remote ID technology to respond to a potential threat or investigate suspicious drone activity.
A representative from New Jersey’s Belleville Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital that its officers do not have access to the FAA’s Remote ID database as the state is dealing with dozens of reported drone sightings and growing public concern about the government’s inability to provide answers.
The East Brunswick Police Department also confirmed to Fox News Digital that it was “unaware of any of the FAA databases available for Remote ID.”
The FAA did not respond to questions about whether the Remote ID database is being shared with local authorities for the ongoing investigations in New Jersey.
DRONE MYSTERY: NEW JERSEY HOMEOWNERS THREATEN TO TAKE MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS IF GOVERNMENT DOESN’T ACT
The GAO’s report reveals that both the FAA and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) do not have a concrete timeline for the rollout of Remote ID access for law enforcement, resulting in potential delays when authorities are trying to access real-time data regarding drone activity.
Remote ID acts as a “digital license plate” by using a broadcast signal — similar to those used by manned aircraft — to relay a drone’s registration details, coordinates and altitude. Remote ID is typically built into the software of mainstream consumer drones or physically attached to the craft.
“As long as it has a GPS and Remote ID built into the software and into the system, it can be tracked just like any other aircraft,” James McDanolds, program chair at Sonoran Desert Institute’s School of Uncrewed Technology, told Fox News Digital.
Broadcasting the signal over radio waves, instead of the internet, would allow the signal to be accessed in areas with low internet connectivity.
MANY NEW JERSEY ‘DRONE’ SIGHTINGS ARE LAWFULLY OPERATED MANNED AIRCRAFT, WHITE HOUSE SAYS
Photos taken in the Bay Shore section of Toms River, New Jersey, show what appear to be large drones hovering in the area on Dec. 8. (Doug Hood/Asbury Park Press)
Currently, local authorities must go through an FAA Law Enforcement Assistance Program (LEAP) agent to request information regarding an incident, which would then be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. But the FAA has acknowledged an inability to effectively handle local law enforcement’s requests to the program for Remote ID data and is requesting funding from the federal government to cover the cost of expanding.
The FAA requested $21.8 billion in funding from the federal government for the upcoming year, according to the administration’s 2025 President’s Budget Submission. Additionally, the FAA has allotted $15.6 million of the budget for drone-related research and growth.
The FAA wants more money to hire more LEAP special agents whose jobs will focus on investigating drone activity.
The GAO’s report expressed concerns regarding the timeliness of these requests, citing the need for real-time data in potential emergency situations.
FAA TEMPORARILY RESTRICT DRONE FLIGHTS IN NEW YORK AMID CONCERNS OVER RECENTLY REPORTED SIGHTINGS
The DHS, FBI, FAA and Department of Defense on Monday issued a joint statement addressing the origins of the drones, citing the use of technology to identify the owners.
“Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones,” the statement explains. “We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the Northeast.”
The FAA began receiving reports of drone activity in mid-November as unidentified aircraft were spotted throughout the Garden State, including Picatinny Arsenal Military Base and Trump National Golf Course Bedminster, resulting in temporary flight restrictions, known as TFRs, being placed over sensitive areas.
FAA ANNOUNCES TEMPORARY RESTRICTIONS ON DRONE FLIGHTS IN NEW JERSEY FOLLOWING INFLUX OF SIGHTINGS
A map depicts the various locations mystery drones have been spotted in the Northeast in December. (Fox News)
Civilians have reported drones of unusual size or build. Some with diameters of 6 feet have been spotted, according to New Jersey state Rep. Dawn Fantasia, who was briefed on the matter last week. However, the federal government has maintained that the drones are accounted for and continue to be used lawfully.
The FAA’s Part 107 rule states that drones are permitted to fly at night and must remain within 400 feet of ground level. Operating a drone without Remote ID can carry criminal penalties of up to $250,000 and a maximum of three years in jail, with civil penalties of up to $27,500.
Within the last few weeks, the FBI has received tips of more than 5,000 drone sightings, with fewer than 100 warranting additional investigation, according to an FBI official.
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES SAY JOINT INVESTIGATION INTO DRONE SIGHTINGS REVEALS NO THREAT: ‘WE RECOGNIZE THE CONCERN’
“To be clear, [authorities] have uncovered no such malicious activity or intent at this stage,” the DHS and FBI said in a joint statement on Thursday. “While there is no known malicious activity occurring in New Jersey, the reported sightings there do, however, highlight the insufficiency of current authorities.”
Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
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Video highlights the sounds of summer with peepers and green frogs
Aaron Capouellez, founder of PA Woods and Forests and creator of Frog Week conservation project, talks about spring peepers and greens frogs.
Fireflies are starting to emerge across the state in advance of an upcoming state festival and a citizen science data project revolving around lightning bugs.
“So far it’s tracking right on the average, I think, just maybe a little bit above average,” firefly expert Peggy Butler said about her expectations for the glowing insect’s population this summer.
“We had what I would say was an early spring but then the temperatures cooled and it’s more in the average range at this time. We’re expecting peak season to be around the 21st of June.”
Butler and her husband Ken are cofounders of the Pennsylvania Firefly Festival, which will be held June 26 and 27 at the Market Village in Tionesta.
“It should be really good viewing for that week, the 21st through July 1 as long as the temperatures stay in the normal range and it doesn’t go one way or the other too rapidly,” said Butler, who is also the festival’s treasurer.
The area does need some rain to attract the bugs.
“They like it hot and humid. As soon as it gets hot and humid, I think we’ll start seeing fireflies,” she said.
Some people call fireflies lightning bugs.
“It doesn’t matter which term you use,” she said. “Lightning bugs are fireflies. Not all fireflies are lightning bugs, but all lightning bugs are fireflies. You can use either term. It all depends on where you grew up and what your knowledge level is about them.”
There are numerous species of fireflies, and she’s already been seeing some spring tree-top flashers since Mother’s Day. “I think May 19th was my first firefly sighting for the season, but the synchronous fireflies typically don’t start until June 10th or 12th and with a peak being around the summer solstice,” she said.
She recently spotted a Chinese lantern firefly and said that species overlaps with the synchronous species.
“He was a little early, but he’ll have friends popping up here any day now, especially with the temperatures warming up,” Butler said.
The evening displays can be impressive to watch as each species has its own flash pattern.
“We have over 30 species in Pennsylvania. And at any given time, you may have 12 to 15 different species in a habitat, if it’s a great habitat,” she said.
The common eastern firefly comes out at dusk. The species stays active for about 45 minutes before returning to the grass. Then other species emerge about an hour after dusk when it’s truly dark.
“Those are synchronous fireflies that we see in the forest,” she said.
If the weather is warm and humid, some species will glow throughout the night until dawn.
In mid-summer, the heebie-jeebie fireflies emerge.
“We call them Christmas in July. We get them in mid-to late July and they just cover the trees, and they look like a Christmas light show going on. They are not synchronous, but they seem to have this pulsating show going on,” she said.
Why fireflies glow
The glow of a firefly is used to attract other fireflies to mate.
Fireflies use their enzymes to create a cold light on the lower part of their body.
“Which is unique. Most of the time, when you think of light being produced by things like fire or other kinds of heat sources,” Michael Skvarla, assistant research professor of arthropod identification at Penn State University, said in a July 7, 2025, interview for this publication.
“Fireflies are unique because they can do it without producing heat,” Skvarla said.
That process is now associated with products we use, like glow sticks.
“The light that they produce is often species specific, the flash patterns. And so, the kind of classic one is the J-shaped pattern that people will see in their yards, that species likes to fly in open fields above short grass. So people will be familiar with that pattern, but most species have a unique flash pattern where they’re flashing,” he said, including areas with fields, trees and swamps.
The flashing patterns help the fireflies tell each other apart when searching for a mate.
Butler enjoys the unique qualities of these glowing insects and what they mean to the environment and changing seasons.
“It’s just another part of the season that shows that everything is in balance, everything is as it should be. So, if you have fireflies, they are an indicator species, it means everything is in balance and the habitat is free of pesticides and light pollution and that it’s natural,” she explained.
“If you don’t have fireflies, and you should in Pennsylvania, there’s reason to be concerned. Something is out of balance, whether it’s a manmade thing or some other reason. It can be a natural thing, too, like a fire, a forest fire can disrupt them. A flood can definitely disrupt them. But generally, if you don’t have fireflies, it’s something manmade or caused by human impacts.”
Lights off in June
June is the month for the conservation initiative Lights Out for Lightning Bugs, as the insects prefer dark areas.
“The easiest, quickest and most impactful thing people can do is turning off their outdoor lighting at night, specifically during June. For most fireflies, that’s their typical peak season of mating,” she said.
The flying insects prefer darker areas where they can be seen by other glowing bugs.
Making a home for fireflies
Lightning bugs prefer taller grassy areas that have leaf litter from the previous fall. The females lay their eggs in the ground and the larva can live there up to two years feeding off slugs and snails in the ground. “If you have a garden, it’s a good thing to have firefly larva in your garden. They need moist, shaded areas to keep their larva alive,” Butler said.
“Leave your leaves, turn off your light and let your lawns be natural. If you can, grow a little natural area in your backyard. Let it grow to full length and you’ll see more fireflies. Otherwise, reduce your mowing as much as possible and mow at a really high level, no shorter than four inches if possible, and try to reduce mowing as much as possible,” she said.
If you are concerned about ticks, she suggests having the taller grass natural area away from your home in an area where you don’t normally walk.
Firefly festival
The 14th annual festival in Forest County is operated by a group of board members across Pennsylvania who are involved in music and science.
The June 26-27 event has been moved from the Kellettville Campground to the Market Village in Tionesta.
“They invited us to come and host the festival there and we decided it would be great for our exhibitors to have more exposure to the public than they were getting down here in Kellettville when we were just limiting it to the evening and just ticketed tourists,” she said.
From 12 to 6 p.m. those two days, the public is welcome to visit a variety of exhibits and entertainment. “It is all free and open to the public,” she said.
However, there will be information available in the Market Village at the festival’s tent for self-guided night-time opportunities.
“We will show them some areas in Forest County where they can go and look for fireflies on their own, either that night or at another time. They are public areas that have ample parking, are safe and not lit up,” she said. “But they will be able to see fireflies at those locations.”
The nighttime programs and guided firefly events at the Army Corps of Engineers’ Tionesta Lake Recreation Area are already sold out.
Community science project with fireflies
The festival organizers are expanding their educational outreach to Clarion County.
“We love that people come to Forest County, but we aren’t the only county in Pennsylvania with fireflies. But we need more data and we need more public places that can handle the tourism and won’t impact the habitats of fireflies by too many humans going there,” Butler said.
Right now, they are looking for locations and populations of fireflies in the neighboring county.
“We know they have fireflies but there isn’t a lot of good survey data on them,” she said.
They are looking for the public to report sightings of fireflies in the Clarion area through a new project.
“We are encouraging people to participate in the Clarion County Firefly Blitz,” she said. People who want to be community scientists for fireflies can reach out to Butler by email at pafirefirelyfestival@gmail.com or the pafireflyfestival.org webpage.
“We encourage it to be Clarion County residents or people who camp regularly in Clarion County who are not necessarily residents, but weekend and holiday campers,” she said.
It’s a pilot project that she’s open to exploring in other counties in the future.
“Our main goal is education,” Butler said about fireflies. “If I’m learning, I’m sharing it with other people that it will continue to grow, not just here but across the state or across the country.”
Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@usatodayco.com and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on this website’s homepage under your login name. Follow him on Facebook @whipkeyoutdoors.
(WJAR) — An energy assistance program designed to help Rhode Islanders struggling to pay utility bills has extended its application deadline amid rising demand for financial assistance.
The United Way of Rhode Island announced that residents now have until June 30 to apply for aid through the Good Neighbor Energy Fund.
The program provides one-time emergency utility assistance to income-eligible households that need help paying a bill or avoiding a service shutoff but do not qualify for other state or federal assistance programs.
Demand for help has increased sharply.
According to United Way of Rhode Island, requests for assistance with electric bills rose 182% in May compared with the same month a year earlier. A total of 1,202 Rhode Islanders reported utility costs as a need last month.
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Residents interested in applying or determining their eligibility can call 211 before the June 30 deadline or visit the United Way of Rhode Island website.
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Have you been craving for some inspiration for your garden?
HGTV ranked the best garden centers (also known as nurseries) in the United States and listed one historic garden center in Charlotte as the best in Vermont.
“From multi-generational mom-and-pop businesses to bigger enterprises that haven’t lost their human touch, you can’t go wrong adding one of these garden centers to your bucket list whether you are traveling cross-country or just to the next county,” the Home and Garden Network said.
HGTV’s pick for the Green Mountain State was first established 133 years ago.
Horsford Gardens and Nursery — Charlotte, Vermont
HGTV highlighted Horsford Gardens and Nursery’s versatility and its wide selection of plants.
“This 133-year-old sprawling garden center on 40 acres does it all: propagation, planting, seeding and overwintering. With 20 acres of growing fields, Horsford offers thousands of plant varieties including native trees, shrubs and perennials,” HGTV said. You can find unique annuals like indigo and heirloom vegetables too and grounds to stroll where you can find inspiration for our own garden.”
Established in 1893, they’re also one of the oldest garden centers in Vermont.
“In 1883 Frederick Hinsdale Horsford and Cyrus G Pringle went into the nursery business together. As botanists they had traveled throughout North America collecting plants,” the garden center’s website said. “In 1893 Horsford bought out Pringle and created F. H. Horsford Nursery in Charlotte, Vermont. The nursery is still in existence on the same acreage.”
What can you buy at Horsford Nursery?
If you’re interested in starting your own herb garden, they have the following starts available, according to their greenhouse webpage:
- Boxwood Basil
- Basil
- Chives
- Cilantro
- Dill
- Lavender
- Lemongrass
- Marjoram
- Mints
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Tarragon
- Thyme
You can see all of the different annuals and vegetable starts they have on their “Greenhouse Info and Plants” webpage.
The nursery even has offerings for non-gardeners: you can check out their free display gardens, of which they have many. Their botanical gardens include an annual garden, a rose garden, a spring bulb garden and a peony row.
“Visiting the nursery can be a much-needed break from a hectic day,” the Horsford website said. “If it is muddy, bring boots as there are no paved roads. Be sure to bring a notebook and camera!”
How to visit Horsford Gardens and Nursery
You can find Horsford Gardens and Nursery at 2111 Greenbush Road in Charlotte, Vermont or call them at (802) 425-2811. Its current hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day of the week, except certain holidays, from April 15 – October 31.
Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@usatodayco.com.
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