Samantha Wender

2 months ago | cbsnews.com | David Schechter |Samantha Wender

Climate change threatens maple syrup industry Sebago, Maine — You know you're in Maine when the pancakes come hot off a 100-year-old wood stove. But drill into Alan Greene's eighth-generation maple syrup operation in the town of Sebago, and you'll find it doesn't run as smoothly as it used to. "The last 10 years, we are definitely becoming warmer earlier," said Greene, who runs Greene Maple Farms. "We're not getting the cold and the gradual warm-up.

Mar 5, 2025 | cbsnews.com | Mark Strassmann |Samantha Wender

College student's classroom is farm where he works Ten years ago, Carlos Marquez started as a day laborer at Live Oak Farms in California's San Joaquin Valley. Now, he's the farm's operations manager and a full-time student at Merced College. Marquez is in a pilot program funded by a federal grant. In the competency-based curriculum offered to students for free, Marquez and his cohort master vocational skills within the field of agriculture.

Feb 19, 2025 | aol.com | Mark Strassmann |Samantha Wender

For Altadena resident Chien Yu, an 18-year firefighting veteran, battling the blazes that hit the Los Angeles area last month turned personal when he lost his home and watched his own community burn. His family of four lost everything, like families throughout his scorched neighborhood. "This is where we lived for almost 8 years," Yu said, adding that he's hoping other residents in the area will rebuild their homes.

Feb 18, 2025 | cbsnews.com | Mark Strassmann |Samantha Wender

Same risks threaten new disasters as L.A. rebuilds For Altadena resident Chien Yu, an 18-year firefighting veteran, battling the blazes that hit the Los Angeles area last month turned personal when he lost his home and watched his own community burn. His family of four lost everything, like families throughout his scorched neighborhood. "This is where we lived for almost 8 years," Yu said, adding that he's hoping other residents in the area will rebuild their homes.

Feb 10, 2025 | cbsnews.com | Jonathan Vigliotti |Samantha Wender

French fry plant closure leaves town struggling For half a century, the economy in Connell, Washington, was hotter than oil. Up until last fall, this plant processed 300 million pounds of potatoes into french fries every year. Adam Kunkel moved his family there in 2013 so he could work at the factory, and his wife Katrina opened a coffee shop. "We finally bought a house like two years ago.