Articles by Scott Smith and Olga R. Rodriguez

Associated Press
Associated Press

50 Homes Destroyed in California Wildfire

The town of Mariposa, with its century-old saloons and covered sidewalks, normally bustles with summer visitors on their way to Yosemite National Park but the Gold Rush-era hamlet was mostly empty as ash rained down and heavy smoke from a …

Yosemite Park Wildfire Burns Dozens of Structures And Heads Toward California Towns

A wildfire in foothills west of Yosemite National Park destroyed dozens of structures and forced thousands to flee towns but fire crews have been able to stop it from reaching a threatened community on the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. …

California Wildfire Threatens 1,500 Homes

A California blaze in the rugged mountains outside of Yosemite National Park has destroyed eight structures and forced thousands of nearby residents to flee their homes. As of Tuesday evening, the fire had scorched 39 square miles, according to the …

Drought-Weakened Trees Are Falling Hazards in Rainy California

Drenching winter rains combined with the punishing effects of six years of drought are causing trees to topple across California, in some cases with deadly results. At least two people have been killed in the past month. Seemingly sturdy oaks, …

Group Suing Chemical Giant Dow over Pesticide Used in California

Chemical manufacturing giant Dow fails to warn people in farming communities throughout California when a potentially dangerous pesticide is applied to nearby fields, health advocates claimed in a lawsuit filed Tuesday. Telone is among the most commonly used pesticides in …

Traffic Safety Investigators Probing California Bus Crash That Killed 4

Federal safety investigators converged this week in central California to investigate a highway wreck that nearly sliced a bus in half, killed four people and injured 23. “At this point we don’t know what occurred immediately before the crash,” said …

American Lung Association Says California Has Nation’s Dirtiest Air

Millions of Californians live in places with dirty air, according to an annual report card issued this week that ranks two major urban areas in the state as the nation’s most polluted. Bakersfield tops the list for having the most …

El Niño Could Signal Easing of California Drought, Says Official

In the strongest indication yet that the California drought could be easing, officials said strict water conservation orders could be dramatically scaled back or even ended if El Niño storms keep pummeling the state into the spring. The assessment came …

Some Yosemite Blaze Evacuees Allowed to Go Home

Firefighters gained ground Tuesday on a blaze in the foothills near Yosemite National Park, allowing some of the 1,000 people who fled the flames to return to their homes. Nearly 1 square mile in Madera County had been scorched, revising …

Drought Threatens To Dry Up California Farm Wells

Farmers in pockets of California hardest hit by the drought could begin to see their wells run dry a year from now if rain and snow remain scarce in the agriculturally rich state, according to a study released Tuesday. Richard …