John Branch

A coaster dares riders to be daring, with steep drops, high speeds and improbably tight curves. But safety has become a concern again after a man was thrown from his seat and died in the United States. Compared with baseball and apple pie, the roller coas... See more

Compared with baseball and apple pie, the roller coaster is the renegade symbol of the carefree American summer. It is a twisted beacon over the kaleidoscopic amusement-park landscape. It dares us to be daring. Steep drops, high speeds and improbably tigh... See more

The Alert California team departs after installing wildfire cameras on an abandoned fire lookout at Shadequarter Mountain in Tulare County, Calif., July 13, 2026. The roving crew of California firefighters is installing cameras in some of the highest, cra... See more

Perched at the front line of California's fight against wildfires is a 41-year-old named Colby Nicholson and three other roaming MacGyvers in "Alert California" work shirts. On this warm June morning, they were on a cliff 1,500 feet above the vineyards an... See more

By John Branch, New York Times Perched at the front line of California's fight against wildfires is a 41-year-old named Colby Nicholson and three other roaming MacGyvers in 'Alert California' work shirts. On this warm June morning, they were on a cliff 1,... See more