A wild herd of bison has been roaming the rugged Santa Catalina Island since the 1920s, when the animals were brought there by a film crew shooting a movie that was never made. With no natural predators, the bison population quickly exploded.

Thousands of seasonal workers come to California's Salinas Valley each year to pick crops, and many of them seem destined for a life in the fields. Now, a training program run by ALBA Organics is giving these workers the skills they need to be their own bosses.

For decades, the Watts neighborhood has been notorious for gang violence and strained relations between residents and police. But violent crime and homicide have fallen dramatically in recent years, and a community policing effort is helping to ease tensions between cops and the community.

Near the city of Prescott, Ariz., crews are starting to make some progress on the 8,500 acre Yarnell Hill Fire. The blaze claimed the lives of 19 elite firefighters on Sunday. Tuesday night, several thousand people gathered at a football stadium for a vigil to remember the firefighters.

For the second year in a row, Colorado Springs has been beset by wildfire. As NPR's Kirk Siegler reports, the city and its emergency response crews are doing their best to take the threat in stride.

Hundreds of volunteers have come to Moore, Okla., to help the community following Monday's tornado. Some are helping clear debris, others bringing out water and supplies to people whose homes were damaged or destroyed, and whose lives are in disarray. One group of volunteers is cooking more than 10,000 meals a day.

Oklahomans who were hit by a massive tornado on Monday are trying to recover and rebuild.

City Councilman Eric Garcetti and City Controller Wendy Greuel are in an all-out blitz for votes ahead of Tuesday's election to replace the term-limited Antonio Villaraigosa. But observers say the race hasn't garnered much interest — even though Greuel could become the first female mayor.

Four people will share the reward money associated with the capture of former Los Angeles Police Department officer Christopher Dorner. He was the cop who went on a killing spree after being dismissed from the force.

Instead of traveling alongside picturesque beaches, this boat takes passengers on a tour of the nation's busiest shipping terminal. The sightseeing includes sea lions and trash, juxtaposing Long Beach's commercial might with a fragile ecosystem.