Kirk Siegler

Rain, Cooler Weather Slow Colorado Fire

Kirk Siegler — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. In Colorado, cooler weather and some rain has helped crews begin to get a handle on the Black Forest fire that's burning just north of Colorado Springs. Yesterday, several thousand people were allowed back into their homes, but an estimated 30,000 people remain evacuated from the area.

The blaze has claimed two lives and it has destroyed at least 470 homes.

Rail Project At L.A. Port Draws Environmental Group Ire

Kirk Siegler — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 06:57:00 +0000

In California, a high-profile lawsuit is seeking to halt construction of a new $500 million rail yard next to the Port of Los Angeles.

LA Mayor Candidates Try To Persuade Voters To Pay Attention

Kirk Siegler — Fri, 17 May 2013 07:02:00 +0000

The candidates have spent a record amount of money.

On Southern California Cruise, A Splash Of 'Urban Ocean'

Kirk Siegler — Sun, 05 May 2013 09:24:00 +0000

A cruise run by the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Calif., sounds like a picturesque summer outing. But the Urban Ocean boat cruise highlights the juxtaposition of a powerful port with a fragile ecosystem: You're just as likely to see trash as you are to see marine life.

In front of the aquarium, school kids are running around, eager to go inside and pet the sharks and see the penguins.

Why An Immigration Deal Won't Solve The Farmworker Shortage

Kirk Siegler — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:11:00 +0000

The Salinas Valley in Northern California grows about 80 percent of the country's lettuce, and it takes a lot of people to pick and pack it. In a field owned by Duda Farm Fresh Foods, a dozen lechugueros, or lettuce pickers, are bent at the waist, cutting heads of iceberg lettuce. They work frantically to stay in front of a line of 12 more packers, who seal them with tape and toss them onto a conveyor belt.

"There's a lot more going on here than meets the eye," says Sammy Duda, the company's vice president.