Around the Nation

Berkeley's efforts to pass a penny-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks faced opposition with deep pockets — but it also got sizable cash infusions from some big-name donors.

How Did Berkeley Pass A Soda Tax? Bloomberg's Cash Didn't Hurt

10:47am November 06, 2014

by Allison Aubrey

The American Beverage Association poured tons of cash into the effort to defeat the penny-per-ounce sugary-drink tax. But the effort to pass the tax also got cash infusions from some big-name donors.

Reince Priebus: Republican Wins The Result Of Americans Making A Statement

10:23am November 06, 2014

Robert Siegel talks with Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus about the GOP's big election night win and what it means for the Republican agenda.

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Sen. Joe Manchin: In Midterms, 'We Lost The Middle ... The Moderates'

10:23am November 06, 2014

Robert Siegel speaks with Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia about the election results in his state.

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Jose Franco and his colleagues at the Corcoran prison dairy milk about 300 cows a day.

National

Prison Dairy Gives Inmates Job Skills — And A Sense Of Purpose

5:45pm November 05, 2014

by Lisa Morehouse

California's high-security Corcoran prison is home to a dairy that provides milk to almost every prison in the state system. For inmates who staff it, it's more than a job: It's a refuge and a future.

Politics & Government

Voters Decide Minimum Wage, Marijuana Ballot Measures

5:10pm November 05, 2014

by Ina Jaffe

Across the country, many voter initiatives were on the ballots. Minimum wage questions were on ballots in five states. In addition, three states and the District of Columbia voted on marijuana issues.

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Massachusetts composting companies like City Soil, which turn food waste into compost that can be used on gardens and farms, say they expect to get quite a bit of new business from the food waste ban.

National

Massachusetts Food Waste Ban Gains Broad Acceptance

4:03pm November 05, 2014

by Susan Kaplan

Massachusetts law now says that if you throw out more than a ton of food waste a month, it can't go to a landfill. But many institutions had already begun composting waste or turning it into energy.

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Fast-food workers and activists demonstrate outside a Chicago McDonald's in July in favor of a higher minimum wage. Illinois voters on Tuesday called on the state Legislature to approve a $10 minimum wage.

Thumbs Up For Higher Minimum Wages, And For Marijuana Industry

3:44pm November 05, 2014

by Marilyn Geewax

Voters in Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota overwhelmingly approved minimum-wage hikes. Illinois voters approved a nonbinding wage-hike referendum. Recreational pot was approved in Oregon.

Supporters of efforts to label GMOs in foods turn out at a rally in Denverin 2013. A ballot measure that would such labels failed to pass by a wide margin Tuesday.

Colorado, Oregon Reject GMO Labeling

1:40pm November 05, 2014

by Luke Runyon

Voters in Colorado and Oregon rejected measures to require labels on foods produced with genetic engineering. Meanwhile, voters in Maui, Hawaii, approved a moratorium on GMO crops.

Edgar Meadows has been growing Bloody Butcher corn, an heirloom variety, for generations. The name Bloody Butcher refers to the flecks of red mixed onto the white kernels, like a butcher's apron, Meadows says.

On The Trail To Preserve Appalachia's Bounty Of Heirloom Crops

1:00pm November 05, 2014

by Roxy Todd

With some 1,500 heirloom fruits and vegetables under cultivation, Appalachia is the most diverse foodshed in the U.S., Canada and northern Mexico. Among them is a beloved corn called Bloody Butcher.

Voters In Texas City Approve Ban On Fracking

12:55pm November 05, 2014

by Krishnadev Calamur

It's the first time a city in the energy-friendly state has voted to ban hydraulic fracturing. The vote in Denton is likely to face legal challenges.