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.

Nevertheless, the fire that started on Tuesday is being called the most destructive fire in Colorado's history.

The Black Forest Fire burning near Colorado Springs is the most destructive wildfire in the state's history.

The Black Forest Fire burning near Colorado Springs is now the state's most destructive fire ever. At least two people have been confirmed killed. That fire also has forced nearly 40,000 people to evacuate. It's consumed more than 300 homes since lightening first ignited it on Monday.

In California, activists and environmentalists are seeking to halt construction of a new $500 million rail yard next to the Port of Los Angeles. Activists say the massive project would mean even more pollution for nearby neighborhoods that already have some of the worst air in the country.

Audie Cornish talks with NPR's Kirk Siegler about Friday's shootings in Santa Monica, Calif. A gunman killed six people before he was shot and killed.

There's significance behind the choice of California as the venue for the U.S.-China summit between presidents Barack Obama and Xi Jinping. The state is home to more than a third of the China-born population in the U.S., and Chinese-backed investment groups have been pouring billions of dollars into real estate property and private companies based in California. At the same time, exports of California goods to China are surging, and state leaders are bullish about capitalizing on new markets there.

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.

The damage in Moore, Oklahoma, is overwhelming. But some people can't even focus on that yet, because they're still trying to find out what happened to loved ones they haven't seen since the tornado.

California is about to become the first state to require shore power at its ports. A new law mandates at least half of a shipping line's fleet to shut down their diesel engines and plug into shore-side electric power when they unload their cargo. It's part of a larger effort to cut pollution at the state's busiest ports, but costs have been a sticking point.

Yahoo is expected to announce Monday that it's acquiring the social media site Tumblr, in a deal The Wall Street Journal and other news outlets are reporting to be worth about $1.1 billion. Some analysts are calling the acquisition an effort by Yahoo to be "cool and relevant" again.

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.

A cold front that's bringing cool temperatures and rain showers to Southern California is welcome news to firefighters who are working to contain the Springs Fire in Ventura County west of Los Angeles. The blaze is one of a half dozen large fires burning in parched California, where the wildfire season is off to an unusually early start.

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.

Many farmers are cheering government proposals to give thousands of seasonal farmworkers a path to legal status. But even if the bill passes, it won't solve the long-term trend of fewer migrants coming north to work on U.S. farms. Farmers will instead have to learn how to do more with less immigrant labor.

The California city has the worst traffic congestion in the nation, according to INRIX which makes systems that handle traffic data. L.A. has been trying to address its gridlock by syncing traffic lights and expanding its subway and light rail

Republicans are meeting in a Democratic stronghold this week to talk about retooling their message. So far, there are sharp divisions among RNC delegates about the future direction of the GOP.

Amid deep budget cuts and layoffs, the nation's second-largest school district is spending $4.5 million to hire 1,000 new aides this year. The superintendent says he'd rather use the money to hire back teachers, but the shootings in Newtown, Conn., led to a change in priorities.

When Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was elected in 2005, not only was he seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, he also was L.A.'s first Latino mayor in more than a century. As Villaraigosa prepares to leave office, many Latino politicians and leaders are assessing the two candidates vying to succeed him. And while one has Mexican ancestry, neither candidate is seen as a product of L.A.'s Latino community or political establishment.