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Caleigh Wells

Latest Stories (134)

Drinkable seawater? One company in drought-plagued SoCal is trying a new approach

by Caleigh Wells
Mar 25, 2025
The biggest cost in desalination is energy, and this company says its approach uses at least 30% less of it.
This pilot project produces drinkable water out of a single spout. OceanWell estimates a farm of machines like the one being tested now could produce 50 million gallons per day.
Caleigh Wells/Marketplace
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Trade War 2.0

Tariffs could pinch the already tight building industry

by Caleigh Wells
Mar 18, 2025
New residential building permits are down. High prices on building materials could further slow new construction.
New building permits in February fell 6.8% from the same month in 2024, according to new data release by the Census Bureau.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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Why Forever 21 couldn't last forever

by Caleigh Wells
Mar 18, 2025
The fast fashion retailer declared bankruptcy this week, for the second time in six years.
Forever 21 has faced stiff competition from online, foreign retailers like Shein and Temu.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Dollar General stalls as its customers struggle financially

by Caleigh Wells
Mar 14, 2025
Core customers — those earning less than $40,000 per year — are cutting back even on items once considered necessities.
Dollar General's traffic is declining as lower income consumers tighten their spending habits.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
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A Warmer World

High fire risk hasn't yet harmed home values in California cities

by Caleigh Wells
Mar 13, 2025
Many high-risk homes are in areas that are desirable because of location and home demand still outstrips supply.
"[Fire] risks have been around for a long time. They're getting worse," said UC San Diego's Judson Boomhower. Above, flames from the Palisades Fire approach homes on Jan. 8.
Tiffany Rose/Getty Images
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Los Angeles Wildfires

LA wildfire debris is going to local landfills. Neighbors of one worry it's toxic.

by Caleigh Wells
Mar 12, 2025
Officials say the toxic stuff is removed first. Residents say there's no way to be sure.
Local officials say the waste headed for the Calabasas landfill won't harm public health. Protesting residents living nearby aren't convinced.
Jaysen Stewart/Society of Wolves
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Solar power is on a tear, even as President Trump looks to quell green energy growth

by Caleigh Wells
Mar 12, 2025
A new report from the trade group Solar Energy Industries Association says that in 2024, two-thirds of new energy made in the U.S. came from solar panels.
"[Solar power] is too cheap, too prevalent and too available for utilities to not want it and consumers to not choose," said Rob Gramlich of Grid Strategies.
Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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What's behind Tesla's post-election stock slump?

by Caleigh Wells
Mar 10, 2025
The delay in producing autonomous vehicles and a threat to federal regulations partly explain the stock's fall, some experts say.
"What's happening here you can probably explain through the politics and the optics," says Columbia climate economist Gernot Wagner about the drop in Tesla's stock price.
Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
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How much you get for your house may depend on when you sell it

by Caleigh Wells
Mar 10, 2025
New date from Zillow suggests the time of year owners sell affects how much they get. The best time varies by region.
I mean, who would want to move in weather like this?
George Frey/AFP via Getty Images
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Experts worry about degradation of economic data after advisory committees disbanded

by Caleigh Wells
Mar 5, 2025
The two groups, which existed for decades, gave expert advice to federal data scientists and played a role in government transparency.
"You don’t fulfill an ongoing mission by canceling this communication mechanism," said former advisory committee member Erica Groshen.
Annabelle Gordon/The Washington Post via Getty Images
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