West News

California Governor Wants Wildfire Fund to Help Utilities

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is pressing lawmakers on a wildfire fund that may be financed through bonds to help utilities pay for the catastrophic blazes their power lines keep igniting, according to people familiar with the proposal. Newsom is proposing …

Bird Knocks Out 84% of Massive California Solar Farm

An “avian incident” sparked a fire at one of California’s biggest solar farms, affecting 1,200 acres and knocking out 84% of the California Valley Solar Ranch’s generating capacity. The June 5 incident didn’t damage solar panels at the 250-megawatt power …

Most Local Governments on Sidelines of California Cannabis Rush, But for How Long?

The number of licensed cannabis businesses in California continues to rise. For the state’s three types of licenses – temporary, provisional and annual – the latest figures show roughly 2,700 businesses licensed by the Bureau of Cannabis Control, which includes …

Climate Change Forcing Some Alaskan Villages to Relocate

Accelerating erosion is forcing villages in western Alaska to begin making plans to move, officials said. Erosion caused by climate change threatens village infrastructure and could force the relocation of communities such as Quinhagak, Alaska’s Energy Desk reported Monday. A …

Utah Movie-Filtering Company Ordered by Jury to Pay $62M to Studios

A Utah-based movie-filtering company has been ordered to pay more than $62 million to Disney and other Hollywood studios. A California jury decided the damages this week against the company VidAngel, which had ripped the movies from DVDs and then …

Cancer Patient Another to Accuse UCLA Gynecologist of Assault

A cancer patient is the latest woman to accuse a retired University of California, Los Angeles gynecologist of sexually abusing her during treatment. The Los Angeles Times reports the 44-year-old unnamed woman has sued UCLA and Dr. James Heaps, alleging …

How PG&E’s $1B to Local Governments for Wildfire Damage Will be Paid

A California utility agreed Tuesday to pay $1 billion to 14 local governments to cover damages from a series of deadly wildfires caused by its downed power lines. The settlement is a sliver of the more than $30 billion in …

Police Say Defects May Have Caused Balcony Collapse that Injured Utah Couple, 5 Kids

A Utah couple and five of their nine children are recovering from injuries after the balcony on their home collapsed. Spring City police say the accident occurred about 9:30 p.m. Sunday. The Salt Lake Tribune reports Adam Burningham, his wife …

Nevada’s Attorney General Files Wide-Ranging Opioid Lawsuit

Nevada’s attorney general expanded the state’s lawsuit against the maker of the opioid OxyContin this week to include the company’s former president, his family, other drugmakers, distributors and drugstores, including Walgreens, CVS and Walmart. The lawsuit naming more than 40 …

California Warehouse Fire Defendant Says No One Was in Charge

The San Francisco Bay Area warehouse where a fire killed 36 people more than two years ago was an artist enclave where nobody was fully in charge, one of two men blamed for the fire testified this week. Max Harris …

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