Oil, carried here by the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, is fundamental to the state's economy. But Alaskans also face the effects of climate change in their daily lives. Al Grillo/AP hide caption
John Harris makes a weld for a test during a welding class at Spartanburg Community College in Spartanburg, S.C., on Oct. 22. Mike Belleme for NPR hide caption
Chevron Corp. supported several candidates in Richmond, Calif., where the company has been hoping to modernize a large oil refinery, seen here in 2010. None of the Chevron-backed candidates were elected. Paul Sakuma/AP hide caption
Berkeley's efforts to pass a penny-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks faced opposition with deep pockets — but it also got sizable cash infusions from some big-name donors. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption
Participants in an ethical hacking contest at a Swiss security conference in Geneva in March. So-called bug bounty programs are becoming very popular in Silicon Valley's high-tech sector. Salvatore Di Nolfi/EPA/Landov hide caption
Jose Franco and his colleagues at the Corcoran prison dairy milk about 300 cows a day. Lisa Morehouse hide caption
Some employers said that leaving out hospital coverage helped protect low-wage workers from big deductibles. Amriphoto/iStockphoto hide caption
Supporters of efforts to label GMOs in foods turn out at a rally in Denverin 2013. A ballot measure that would such labels failed to pass by a wide margin Tuesday. Luke Runyon/KUNC/Harvest Public Media hide caption
Fast-food workers and activists demonstrate outside a Chicago McDonald's in July in favor of a higher minimum wage. Illinois voters on Tuesday called on the state Legislature to approve a $10 minimum wage. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption
From left, Topher Jones, Edward Hartmann and Angie Holliday hold a campaign sign outside City Hall in Denton, Texas, on July 15, 2014. Voters in the college town approve a ban on fracking on Tuesday. Tony Gutierrez/AP hide caption
In the latest bids to compel companies to label foods made with genetically modified ingredients, voters in Colorado and Oregon weighed in on the issue Tuesday. Brennan Linsley/AP hide caption
Some things actually are surprising: Taylor Swift, performing on ABC's Good Morning America in New York City on Oct. 30, sold over a million copies of her new album, 1989, in its first week. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images hide caption
One proposed solution for New England's energy price spike problem: Importing more liquefied natural gas and feeding it into the pipeline network on the other side of the region's bottleneck. Sam Evans-Brown/New Hampshire Public Radio hide caption
Ray Gerrish repairs a drilling rig near Watford City, N.D. Oil industry analysts predict that oil prices will have to remain low for at least several months before having a significant effect on U.S. production. Jim Gehrz/MCT/Landov hide caption
Sunlight streams into a corn storage building at a Michlig Grain storage facility in Sheffield, Illinois, U.S., on Oct. 31, 2014. The price of corn has been falling for months. Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption
Massachusetts composting companies like City Soil, which turn food waste into compost that can be used on gardens and farms, say they expect to get quite a bit of new business from the food waste ban. Courtesy of City Soil hide caption
A stats board displayed at the Domino's flagship store in Grand Rapids, Mich. Emily Fox/Michigan Public Radio hide caption
Pumpjacks at the Inglewood oil fields in California in March. Some of the most controversial methods of oil extraction, like fracking, oil sands production and Arctic drilling, are also expensive. That's made them less profitable as the price of oil continues to fall. Richard Vogel/AP hide caption
Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory say their new genetic toolkit to improve tomato yield without compromising flavor can be used in all varieties, from plum to cherry. Courtesy of Zach Lippman/Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory hide caption