Southwest news stories on Newser

Santa Ana Winds Rip Up West

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 03:00:00 CST

Winds topping 80mph blew down people and power lines and upended enormous trees that crushed cars and houses in a freak storm that raged through Southern California and the Southwest. The craziest Santa Ana winds in more than a decade left hundreds of thousands of people without power. "In some...

US Sizzling in Record Heat

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 02:20:00 CDT

The US is still sizzling in triple-digit temperatures as record heat threatens fireworks displays. Santa Barbara County has set up special cooling centers in libraries, senior centers and other community facilities as California struggles in 100+ degree heat, along with much of the Southwest and the lower Mississippi Valley. Several...

Clues Suggest How Grand Canyon Formed

Matt Cantor — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 15:02:13 CDT

We know the Grand Canyon was formed when the vast Colorado plateau rose from the ground, then eroded. But scientists have long been stumped as to why the 130,000-square-mile region pushed more than a mile upward. Now, a team of researchers may have found the answer, and it lies...

Cracks Found in 3 More Southwest Planes

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 05:00:00 CDT

If you were terrified by the story of the five-foot-long hole that opened up in a Southwest plane Friday, you may not want to read further: The airline found small, subsurface cracks in three more planes that are similar to the cracks that may have played a role in that...

Mexican Wolf Recovery Is Howling Flop

Drew Nelles — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 15:20:00 CDT

A US effort to relocate endangered wolves along the Arizona-New Mexico border is actually rendering them extinct, the Los Angeles Times reports. Officials moved eleven Mexican gray wolves to the Gila National Forest in 1998, where managers are trapping, penning, and shooting the wolves to control their roaming and cattle-killing...

WHO Chief Sees 'Pandemic Potential'

Harry Kimball — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 12:02:12 CDT

The World Health Organization believes the outbreak of swine flu in Mexico and the southwestern United States could grow into a pandemic, the Washington Post reports. “It has pandemic potential,” said WHO’s director-general. “It is infecting people.” Margaret Chan cautioned that the WHO is still collecting information and that it's...

Passengers Air a Record Number of Complaints

Peter Fearon — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:45:00 CDT

Airline passengers on domestic flights are unhappier than they've been in years, with consumer complaints up 60%, according to the annual Airline Quality Rating survey. Long delays, cancellations, overbooking, late arrivals, and lost baggage accounted for most of the complaints, which haven't been this bad since 2000, reports the AP....

Shining Sun Belt Beckons to Rust Belt's Weary

Rob Quinn — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:43:00 CDT

Americans are continuing to flock to the Sun Belt, reports the AP. Almost all of the 50 fastest-growing metro areas in 2006 and 2007 were in the South and West, and four of the top 10 were in Texas. None were in the Northeast. Experts say the Sun Belt's strong...

FAA Orders Inspections of Boeing 737s

Colleen Barry — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 04:30:59 CDT

The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered airlines to inspect hundreds of Boeing 737s after a loose bolt punctured a China Airlines jet last week, causing a fire that destroyed the aircraft. Southwest, Delta, Continental, AirTran, Alaska Air, ATA and Aloha Airlines have 24 days to check for loose nuts on...