Articles by Julie Watson

Associated Press

Indonesian Fishermen Sue Tuna Giant Bumble Bee, Alleging Abuse in Supply Chain

Lawyers representing four Indonesian fishermen who say they were beaten and trapped on vessels that were part of the global supply chain that provided tuna to Bumble Bee Seafoods filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the canned seafood giant. It is …

Wood Pellet Production Boomed in the South to Meet Demand. It’s Come at a Cost

GLOSTER, Miss. (AP) — This southern Mississippi town’s expansive wood pellet plant was so close to Shelia Mae Dobbins’ home that she sometimes heard company loudspeakers. She says industrial residues coated her truck and she no longer enjoys spending time …

Guards to Monitor Businessman’s Sites Under California Freeway Where Arson Occurred

More than a month after an arson fire at a storage yard damaged a key Los Angeles freeway, the state has hired security guards to watch out for smoke and other trouble at three additional sites beneath Interstate 10 that …

Fire That Indefinitely Closed Vital Los Angeles Freeway Called Arson

Arson was the cause of a massive weekend fire that charred and indefinitely closed a vital section of a Los Angeles freeway, causing major traffic headaches for hundreds of thousands of commuters, California authorities said. Gov. Gavin Newsom said investigators …

California Regulators OK More Gas Storage Capacity at The Site of Massive Methane Leak

California regulators last week approved a controversial proposal to greatly increase storage capacity at the site of the nation’s largest known methane leak, which sickened thousands of families and forced them from their Los Angeles homes in 2015. Despite opposition …

California Voting on Increasing Storage At Site of Massive Methane Leak Despite Risks

California officials are expected to vote on a proposal to increase storage capacity at the site of the nation’s largest known methane leak that sickened thousands of families and forced them from their Los Angeles homes in 2015. The proposal …

Tackling Threat of Mudslides in Rain Soaked California

Relentless storms from a series of atmospheric rivers have saturated the steep mountains and bald hillsides scarred from wildfires along much of California’s long coastline, causing hundreds of landslides this month. So far the debris has mostly blocked roads and …

Judge Halting Provision Making California Gun Lawsuits Costlier

A federal judge said he will block a provision in a new California law to take effect next year that gun advocates argued was designed to hinder anyone from challenging the state’s famously restrictive gun laws. U.S. District Judge Roger …

Western U.S. Wildfires Explode in Size Amid Hot, Windy Conditions

Wildfires in California and Montana exploded in size overnight amid windy, hot conditions and were quickly encroaching on neighborhoods, forcing evacuation orders for over 100 homes Saturday, while an Idaho blaze was spreading. In California’s Klamath National Forest, the fast-moving …

Parents Suing Vehicle Maker a Year After 9 Troops Died Off California Coast

The families of eight Marines and one sailor who died when their amphibious assault vehicle sank off the Southern California coast last summer plan to sue the manufacturer of the vehicle that resembles an armored seafaring tank, their lawyers announced …