Nation in brief: Quake hits near Palm Springs

Los Angeles – A 5.4-magnitude earthquake rattled a large portion of Southern California on Wednesday afternoon, causing scattered damage near the epicenter near Borrego Springs but sparing the region of injuries.

Thousands of people reported feeling the temblor, which hit at 4:53 p.m. about 28 miles south of Palm Springs. It was followed by several small aftershocks.

Mary Jane Laws, an assistant manager at Center Market grocery store in Borrego Springs, said a lot of products fell off the store’s shelves but that there was no major damage.

“I’ve been here 30 years, and it was bigger than any of us have experienced,” Laws said.

Beyond the immediate epicenter, the quake rattled nerves but little else.

Pipeline head plans to retire this fall

Anchorage, Alaska – Facing mounting criticism over cost-cutting, deferred maintenance and a corporate culture that discourages dissent, the embattled head of the company that runs the 800-mile-long TransAlaska pipeline announced Wednesday that he will retire in September.

Kevin Hostler’s decision comes as two congressional subcommittees probe Alyeska Pipeline Services Co.’s maintenance and safety records, and amid allegations that employee safety concerns were ignored or even punished.

The pipeline transports more than 13 percent of America’s crude oil production. But as the aging oil fields near Prudhoe Bay dwindle, it is operating at a third of its former capacity. Alyeska has moved to streamline staff and automate the remote pump stations that propel and monitor the oil on its journey from the far north to the tankers berthed in Valdez, Alaska.