When a jury returns to a packed courtroom to announce its verdict in a capital murder case every noise, even a scraped chair or an opening door, resonates like

The Esperanza wildfire was caused by arson and began near Cabazon, Calif. on Oct. 26, 2006, and was 100% contained on Oct. 31, 2006. It burned over 40,000 acres

Porter offers this eye-opening look at the increase in wildfires in the past decade and the long-term ecological effects they may have on the planet.

The "vivid" and "electrifying" true story of how five monks saved the oldest Zen Buddhist monastery in the United States from wildfire (San Francisco Chronicle)