Five years and 2,500 miles apart, fires devastated thriving communities — and major U.S. utility companies stood at the center of the infernos. It’s a story increasingly familiar in the energy industry: Some utility companies don’t properly assess the risks wildfires pose to their operations. A failure to mitigate these risks can have disastrous consequences … Read more
A California lawmaker introduced legislation that would prevent cars from going over 10 miles per hour over the speed limit. The measure is part of the “SAFER California Streets Package,” introduced by Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener Thursday. The bill, S.B. 961, would if passed require cars to implement “speed governors,” also known as “intelligent … Read more
Photo: California Highway Patrol An elderly man allegedly ignored roads signs leading to a construction site and found himself atop a steep dirt hill in Fresno, California. Before the driver or any construction workers were hurt, the California Highway Patrol claims they managed to intervene and get the older man to safety, lending assistance to … Read more
King of the Hammers is touted as the toughest off-road race on Earth, a multi-week event in the Southern California desert that’s open to anyone with a car or motorcycle and a healthy amount of chutzpah. From sections that include high speed stretches of open desert to ultra-technical rock crawling, sometimes racers even have to … Read more
At age 12, Bella Lin had a problem. Her guinea pigs were disappearing. In those days, Lin let her three guinea pigs roam her parents’ grassy, fenced-in backyard just outside of San Francisco. It was better than the alternative, she thought: The two-pound creatures “looked miserable” in their cramped, “prison-barred” cage, Lin, now 17, tells … Read more
“I remember taking so many tours out there,” said Rentner, “and all the public funding agency partners would go, ‘OK, so you have a million dollars in hand, and you still need how many? How are you going to get there?’” “I don’t know,” Rentner told them in response. “We’re just gonna keep writing proposals, … Read more
Scott Olson | Getty Images News | Getty Images There will be no fooling California fast-food workers come April 1. That’s the day they can honestly believe the minimum wage in the Golden State will jump to $20 an hour from $16, and only in that sector. The pay raise exclusive for that workforce, estimated … Read more
Social media giant X, formerly Twitter, lost its bid to block a California content moderation law on Friday, with a federal judge dismissing the company’s challenge. The company claimed the California law violated its free speech rights by requiring it to publicly post its policies and report data on hate speech, disinformation, harassment and extremism … Read more
The very first Cybertruck crash to occur on public roads happened Thursday in Redwood City, California, and it seems all the people involved made it out OK. The Toyota and the Cybertruck involved in the collision, however, didn’t fare as well. My First Car: Randall Park Cruised LA in His New, Gifted 1992 Toyota Corolla … Read more
For the first time in four centuries, it’s good to be a beaver. Long persecuted for their pelts and reviled as pests, the dam-building rodents are today hailed by scientists as ecological saviors. Their ponds and wetlands store water in the face of drought, filter out pollutants, furnish habitat for endangered species, and fight wildfires. … Read more
