Around the Nation

Tornadoes Again Threaten Oklahoma City

6:51pm June 04, 2013

Several tornadoes were bearing down on the Oklahoma City area Friday night. The violent weather was occurring near the city of Moore, which lost 24 people after a massive tornado almost two weeks ago. Robert Siegel talks with Kurt Gwartney of member station KGOU in Oklahoma City.

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The Summit Fire burned hot and fast up the Banning Pass area, near Beaumont, Calif., on May 1, leaving a moonscape in its wake. Houses that had cleared brush and wood from around their property were left unscathed.

National

Calif. Firefighters Rush To Get Ahead Of Early Fire Season

4:39pm June 04, 2013

by Nate Rott

The state has already sustained fire damage not normally seen until deep into the hot summer months. Fire departments and homeowners are now trying to prepare land and property for what's expected to be a long and destructive summer.

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Apple: Price-Fixing Charges 'Not True'

4:29pm June 04, 2013

by Laura Sydell

Lawyers for Apple will be back in court again Tuesday defending the company against government charges that it conspired with publishers to fix e-book prices. All the major publishing houses settled months ago with the Justice Department. In opening statements, Apple's lawyer said the company won't settle because it did nothing wrong.

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Environment

When It Snows Ash: Life In Wildfire Country

4:04pm June 04, 2013

In Southern California, a massive wildfire, called the Powerhouse fire, has consumed 50 miles of land northwest of Los Angeles. California residents face wildfire season every year. Grist staff writer Susie Cagle talks about what it's like to live in wildfire country.

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Surfers surround a celebrant who pours libations and says prayers to honor the spirit of surfers past and present and to give thanks to the sea for providing sustenance and recreation.

Barrier-Breaking Surfer's Legacy A Reminder Of Work To Do

3:31pm June 04, 2013

by Karen Grigsby Bates

African-American and Mexican, Nick Gabaldon carved a path for surfers of color. He died in 1951, but access to surfing can still be limited.

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Who Gets Asylum, Who Doesn't And How That May Change

2:36pm June 04, 2013

Every year, thousands of immigrants come to the U.S. seeking protection from persecution or violence in their countries. Many groups have a hard time qualifying, based on the legal limits of asylum. New immigration legislation could change the process.

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Whenever a steer or cow leaves a farm in Michigan or goes to a slaughterhouse, it passes by a tag reader, and its ID number goes to a central computer that keeps track of every animal's location.

Michigan Tracks Cattle From Birth To Plate

10:54am June 04, 2013

by Dan Charles

Would you like to know the life history of that steak before you eat it? Technology exists to give you that information, at least in Michigan, where the state government requires all cattle to carry an electronic tag for tracking purposes.

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Michelle Williams (center) and two daughters visit the grave of her mother, Judy Williams, at Fairview Cemetery in Hyde Park, Mass., on May 11. Judy died in 2011.

A Boston Family's Struggle With TB Reveals A Stubborn Foe

9:10am June 04, 2013

by Richard Knox

Tuberculosis is much less of a health threat in the United States than it is in other countries. But a family in Boston discovered that even here, no one is immune from this ancient foe. More than a dozen family members were infected with TB, and matriarch Judy Williams died at age 59.

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Friday's storm, which produced a mile-wide tornado, as it neared El Reno, Okla.

National

Why Chase Tornadoes? To Save Lives, Not To 'Die Ourselves'

8:10am June 04, 2013

by Mark Memmott

A scientist who studies tornadoes says there's still much to be learned about how they form and how to better forecast them. Still, the storm chasing and research communities will be reevaluating their procedures in the wake of three colleagues' deaths.

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Once High-Flying Game Company Zynga To Lay Off 520 Workers

8:10am June 04, 2013

by Wendy Kaufman

Zynga, the social game maker behind the popular FarmVille franchise, is struggling. It was late getting into the mobile phone market as gamers moved away from computers. It plans to layoff 18 percent of its workforce by the end of summer.

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