West Coast

Container ships sit idle in San Francisco Bay just outside of the Port of Oakland in San Francisco in March.

How 'Chaos' In The Shipping Industry Is Choking The Economy

8:55am June 15, 2021

by Greg Rosalsky

The U.S. trade deficit is hitting record highs — and it's fueled by a surge in demand for imports, mostly from East Asia. On both land and at sea, the shipping industry is struggling to keep up.

Most of the buildings and homes in Malden, Wash., were destroyed in the Labor Day wildfire.

National

'Everything's Gone': Rural Washington Struggles After 'Blowtorch' Of A Wildfire

1:46pm October 09, 2020

by Kirk Siegler

The 2020 wildfire season is a grim reminder that disasters unfairly hit the poor and the elderly. Thousands of people on the West Coast still lack even temporary housing.

Neil McLeod, owner of Neil's Bigleaf Maple Syrup farm, keeps a close eye on his reducing sap for out of control foaming.

National

Bigleaf Maple Syrup Flows As Profits Drip From Once-Maligned Northwest Tree

7:02am January 26, 2020

by Anna King

The Northwest is getting into the lucrative maple syrup industry. Farmers and researchers in Washington state are beginning to tap the sweet potential of the much-maligned bigleaf maple tree.

A dead whale at the mouth of the Placer River, at the eastern end of the Turnagain Arm, near Anchorage, Alaska. The deaths of at least 60 whales along the Pacific Coast this year have scientists concerned and looking for answers.

National

Why Are Gray Whales Dying? Researchers Cut Through The Blubber For Answers

5:10pm June 01, 2019

by Nat Herz

More than 60 dead gray whales have washed up on Pacific coasts this year, the most in two decades. Researchers are trying to determine whether their food source is a problem, or climate change.

Dungeness crab like these, caught off the coast of Alaska, have been affected by the neurotoxin domoic acid because of algae blooms in recent years, which makes them unsafe to eat.

Fishermen Sue Big Oil For Its Role In Climate Change

8:39am December 04, 2018

by Alastair Bland

The food industry is already feeling the effects of climate change, which will likely force expensive adaptations in the future. At least one sector is looking to make energy companies pay.

Officials inspect the scene at the Seattle homeless camp known as "the Jungle," where a car ran off the road and resulted in the death of a young man who was in his tent.

National

Seattle Swings Between Hounding The Homeless And Leaving Them Alone

5:18am September 29, 2016

by Martin Kaste

As West Coast cities have seen a boom in homelessness, some have declared emergencies. But debates have broken out over how much tolerance should be shown to illegal camps in public spaces.

A Virgin America plane lands at San Francisco International Airport.

Alaska Air To Buy Virgin America For $2.6 Billion

3:29pm April 04, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

If approved by regulators and Virgin America's shareholders, the combined airline will become the fifth-largest U.S. carrier.

More than $1 billion worth of cargo passes through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach every day. Labor disputes have stalled operations for weeks now, and ships have been anchored for days.

National

After Tentative Port Deal, Container Ships Still Line The Horizon

8:13pm February 21, 2015

by Daniel Hajek

Shipping companies and dock workers reached a tentative deal after labor disputes jammed cargo along the West Coast. But at the nation's largest port, you can still see the backlog of container ships.

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