Dec 27 California moves up primary, wants bigger impact 2020 vote By Nicholas Riccardi, Associated Press Early voting in California's primary will overlap with the traditional early nominating contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. That could force the sprawling field of Democrats to navigate those states as well as California's notoriously complex landscape,… Continue reading
Dec 18 'Zero-tolerance' immigration policy hits snag in California By Elliot Spagat, Associated Press Federal prosecutors introduced mass hearings on immigration charges to California in July, adopting a model that has been in place for years elsewhere on the U.S.-Mexico border. Since then, judges have challenged President Donald Trump's moves on immigration in ways… Continue reading
Dec 17 How a strange rumor of Walt Disney's death became legend By Dr. Howard Markel When you hear "Disney on Ice," you may think of the wildly popular ice shows featuring Mickey and Minnie Mouse and others skating in hockey arenas across the nation. But there's also the disturbing urban legend that Walt Disney’s corpse… Continue reading
Dec 13 FDA identifies a farm linked to the romaine lettuce E. coli outbreak By Laura Santhanam Adams Bros. Farms, the producer linked to the pre-Thanksgiving outbreak, has not shipped lettuce since Nov. 20 and has cooperated with the investigation, the FDA said in a statement. Continue reading
Dec 12 California fires insurance claims at $9 billion and expected to rise By Kathleen Ronayne, Associated Press Collectively, the fires destroyed or damaged more than 20,000 structures, with the vast majority in and around Paradise. On Tuesday, state and federal authorities estimated it will cost at least $3 billion just to clear debris. Continue reading
Dec 07 Storm brings record rainfall to Southern California in wake of wildfires By Amanda Lee Myers, Associated Press Multiple people had to be rescued in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties as water overcame roadways and at times submerged cars. More than 300 people living in a San Diego shelter had to be evacuated to a… Continue reading
Dec 05 Paradise residents can begin to go home weeks after deadly blaze began By Don Thompson, Associated Press Evacuation orders were being lifted for all neighborhoods in the eastern side of the town of Paradise, where the fire that started Nov. 8 destroyed about 14,000 homes and killed at least 85 people, the Butte County Sheriff's Office said… Continue reading
Dec 04 Watch 8:09 Automation threatens jobs. Can education create new ones? As automation spreads through the American economy, experts say its impacts will be uneven. Key factors in determining that effect include geography and race, but likely even more important is education. With the rapid pace of technological evolution, will job… Continue watching
Dec 04 Children return to school 3 weeks after destructive California wildfire By Jonathan J. Cooper, Associated Press Schools in the county had been closed since Nov. 8, when the blaze swept through the town of Paradise and surrounding areas, destroying nearly 14,000 homes and killing at least 85 people in the nation's deadliest wildfire in a century. Continue reading
Nov 30 8 numbers that tell the grim story of California's wildfires By Vicky Stein The overall damage to the state after the 2018 wildfire season has been predicted, by one estimate, to top $400 billion, which could make it the most expensive slew of natural disasters in the history of the United States. Continue reading