1.   A. The Midwest easily whips the gulf coast for wind speeds.

2.   Gulf coast.

3.   Most of the excitement is on the gulf coast, where people sunbathe and swim, and take jet skis and kayaks out on the water.

4.   The three officers are charged with having provided protection from arrest in return for payoffs from cocaine and marijuana traffickers operating along the gulf coast.

5.   The sale could cause antitrust problems, though, because the combined railroad would dominate petrochemical rail shipments from the Texas and Louisiana gulf coasts.

6.   Hurricane warnings were dropped along the gulf coast.