Around the Nation

Energy companies are adding workers, but fatal accidents are on the rise, too.

On-The-Job Deaths Spiking As Oil Drilling Quickly Expands

7:15pm December 27, 2013

As baby boomers retire and drilling increases, energy companies are hiring, adding 23 percent more workers between 2009 and 2012. But the hiring spree has come with a terrible price: Last year, 138 workers were killed on the job, twice as many as in 2009.

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Oil Company Looks To Great Lakes As Shipping Demand Booms

7:15pm December 27, 2013

by David Schaper

North Dakota and western Canada are producing crude oil faster than rail cars and pipelines can take it to refineries. Now, one company wants to ship it by barge across the Great Lakes. That worries environmentalists, who say a 2010 tar sands oil spill near Lake Michigan has yet to be fully cleaned up.

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Ripening fruit in a grove in Plant City, Fla., this month. Florida citrus growers are worried about citrus greening, which causes bacteria to grow on the leaf and fruit, eventually killing the tree.

Time Is Running Out To Save Florida's Oranges

7:15pm December 27, 2013

by Greg Allen

Scientists and growers are in a bitter fight against citrus greening, a disease that has devastated Florida's orange and grapefruit crops. They fear that unless scientists find a cure for greening soon, it's just a matter of time before economic realities and the disease force growers out of business.

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National

After Okla. Tornado's Devastation, A Search For Safety And Shelter

10:29am December 27, 2013

by Wade Goodwyn

It's been seven months since an F5 tornado plowed through Moore, Okla., killing 24 people — including 7 children — and destroying more than 1,100 homes. These super tornadoes leave many kinds of destruction in their wake, but the worst damage may not be visible.

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Kevin Petrovic, 19, and his business partner, who's also 19, raised about $6 million from venture capitalists in Silicon Valley to launch FlightCar. The company is trying to make its mark with car-sharing for travelers.

Economy

Cars Are Next Frontier For Sharing Services

9:57am December 27, 2013

by Chris Arnold

Two 19-year-olds from New Jersey noticed all of the cars in long-term parking at the airport. They had an idea: Why not rent them out? They raised $6 million in venture capital funding for their company FlightCar.

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Sports

NBA Trailblazers Continue Their Surprising Season

8:06am December 27, 2013

by Tom Goldman

With the NBA season a third of the way through, the Portland Trailblazers are having a very good year. But they'll be tested when they meet defending champions the Miami Heat on Saturday.

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Deer Wanders Into Pa. Sporting Goods Store

8:06am December 27, 2013

After making its way into Dick's Sporting Goods in Spring Township, Pa., the hapless creature promptly slipped on the floor.

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Cops Hand Out Lottery Tickets Along with Citations

8:06am December 27, 2013

Along with the usual traffic citations, police in Melbourne, Fla., gave out scratch-off lottery tickets. The cops themselves paid for them — in the spirit of the season, they said. No word of any big winners, just yet.

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How 2013 Became The 'Gayest Year Ever'

4:36pm December 26, 2013

by Ari Shapiro

Utah's surprise decision to legalize same-sex marriage caps a landmark year for gay rights. The last 12 months saw a huge string of victories, from state legislatures, to Congress, to the Supreme Court.

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The Secret Protectionism Buried Inside NAFTA

7:49am December 26, 2013

by Zoe Chace

In order to get the North American Free Trade Agreement signed 20 years ago, a specific trade-off was made. The trade-off would not protect U.S. jobs from moving overseas.

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