Hawaiian Electric Company's shaky credit prompts proposal for help from state

Still reeling financially from the devastating wildfires that killed at least 102 people and destroyed much of Lahaina in 2023, Hawaiian Electric Co. wants the state to back the utility’s contracts with wind and solar farms. The idea is to make sure new projects can come online...

Giant sloths and mastodons lived with humans for millennia in the Americas, new discoveries suggest

SAO PAULO (AP) — Sloths weren’t always slow-moving, furry tree-dwellers. Their prehistoric ancestors were huge — up to 4 tons (3.6 metric tons) — and when startled, they brandished immense claws. For a long time, scientists believed the first humans to arrive in the Americas...

AP PHOTOS: 2024 brought natural disasters and turbulent politics to Latin America

Snow blanketed Santiago, the Chilean capital, in May 2024 — a rare and stunning sight that marked the coldest month in the city in over 70 years. The unusual weather event stood in stark contrast to the severe drought that gripped the Amazon rainforest just a few months later,...

Farmers, business owners, fire survivors face uncertainty after $100B in disaster relief flounders

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — American farmers, small business owners and wildfire survivors are among those who will suffer if Congress cannot agree on a new spending bill after President-elect Donald Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan that included more than $100 billion in disaster aid. ...

From destruction to deadly heat, Associated Press photographers capture climate change in 2024

After heat records were smashed and a torrent of extreme weather events rocked countless countries in 2023, some climate scientists believed that the waning of the El Nino weather pattern could mean 2024 would be slightly cooler. It didn’t happen that way. This year...

California got millions to train workers in disaster relief, but it’s leaving money on table

In January 2023, and continuing throughout the spring, rain swelled many of California’s reservoirs and creeks, engulfing homes and businesses and killing 21 people. One federal estimate says it cost the state nearly $5 billion. Now, nearly two years later, it’s Alexis...

3,700 people return to Malibu homes as weather conditions improve and help firefighters battle blaze

MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — More than 3,700 residents were allowed to return to their Malibu homes on Thursday after calmer winds and rising humidity in Southern California helped firefighters battle a blaze that had forced thousands, including college students and celebrities, to evacuate earlier this...

Oregon lawmakers approve $218M in emergency wildfire funding in special session

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon lawmakers approved $218 million in emergency wildfire funds during a Thursday special session that was convened to address unpaid bills stemming from the state’s 2024 record wildfire season. As wildfires still rage in California, Oregon is among several...

Fire danger diminishes in Southern California even as crews continue to battle Malibu blaze

MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — As weather improved in Southern California, firefighters found some success Wednesday battling a wind-driven blaze burning in steep, nearly inaccessible areas that forced thousands, including celebrities, from their homes in Malibu, fire officials said. With...

PHOTO COLLECTION: California-Wildfire