People & Population

"Officials in the northern Caribbean warned Thursday of heavy rains and dangerous swells as Tropical Storm Erin approached the region."

"Debbie Blankenship’s wheelchair carved perfect lines in the grass as she rolled into her backyard garden, passing a wooden arch filled with small grapes, a bush with plump blueberries and yellow crates filled with sprouting potatoes. She stopped at a dirt patch with a burial marker for her beagle — the latest of her dogs to die of cancer."

"Syngenta is another step closer to potentially putting an end to thousands of lawsuits brought by people blaming the company’s paraquat weed killer for causing Parkinson’s disease."

"Around the state, several communities with "forever chemical" contamination have been counting on the Legislature passing a bill to help them, but as the summer stretches on, many advocates are worried that lawmakers will fail to pass yet another proposal."

"On Aug. 6, 2012, a fire broke out at the Chevron refinery in Richmond. Liquid hydrocarbon spewed from a leaky pipe in the crude unit and ignited, sending smoke plumes into the air that could be seen across the Bay. Nearby residents struggled to breathe and reported headaches, chest pains and itchy eyes. More than 15,000 people sought medical help."

"Industry will have to wait longer for the report, which is expected to give the government’s response to childhood chronic diseases."

"The sun was barely up when the three-person medical team pulled into the parking lot of a Phoenix soup kitchen, but the temperature was already around 90 degrees, on its way to 111."

"Summer heat in New York City beats down on asphalt and tall buildings, which get hotter, scorching the locals, who can’t stop sweating. Exhaust from trucks and cars hangs in the air and the subway stations trap extreme amounts of heat."

"Ben Jealous is officially out as the Sierra Club’s boss after two turbulent years marked by infighting and drama inside the green group."