DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ We became homesteaders now instead of waiting for retirement. We wanted to live our dream, even though our car is always dirty and it's 90 minutes to the nearest mall.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Chuck: I grew up on a fourth-generation dairy farm in Wisconsin, and my intention was actually to become a farmer. Chuck: We wanted a forest and pasture, and we wanted it to be within 30 minutes of a more developed town. We knew what we were going to do, and those kinds of life events just change your timeline a bit. Brooke: It was a matter of getting a well put in, getting electrical put in, getting the mail to recognize us. AdvertisementAdvertisementChuck: We have nine miles of trails that we've already mapped out on our property — just the absolute stunning beauty.

Persons: Brooke, Chuck Anderson, They're, —, I'd, Chuck, we'd, Brooke Anderson, We've, homesteading, we've, Brooke Anderson Brooke, haven't, Brooke :, they've, I'm, She's, We're Organizations: Service, YouTube, Virginia Tech, Andersons, Raleigh . Locations: Virginia, Wisconsin, Raleigh, COVID, We're, Blacksburg, Brooke, Roanoke

☆ Some people buy a car during a midlife crisis. This man bought a small-town hotel instead
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Marylou Costa | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Shopping in Green Lake. A small-town hotel for saleOne day while on his computer, Rogatz saw that a small hotel — the Green Lake Inn — was for sale. The Green Lake Inn. An ice sailing race on Green Lake. Source: Our Green Lake

Persons: Matt Rogatz, Rogatz, Brio, I've, it's, He's Organizations: CNBC Travel, Chicago Locations: Chicago, Green Lake , Wisconsin, Green Lake, Wisconsin, Green, Geneva

☆ Indian farmers carry on burning stubble despite cost to health
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Manoj Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But for him, the only alternative to burning crop residues is to join the queue to hire machines to clear his field, which would cost him about $100 for his four-acre farm. More than 85% of Indian farmers are categorised as small, meaning that, like Sharma, they own about four acres or fewer. Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana has typically accounted for 30% to 40% of Delhi's October-November pollution, according to government air-quality monitoring agency SAFAR. POLITICAL WILL LACKINGAjay Singh Rana, a Haryana farm official, said the number of farms burning stubble in Karnal had dropped to 96 so far this year from 270 last year. ($1 = 83.1750 Indian rupees)Reporting by Manoj Kumar, additional reporting by Anushree Fadnavis; editing by Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Anushree, Aashish Sharma, Sharma, SAFAR, Dharamvir Singh, Ajay Singh Rana, Sharma's, Mukhi Ram Sharma, Bajinder Pal Punia, Manoj Kumar, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Central Pollution Control, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Karnal district, Haryana, India, New Delhi, Sharma's, Karnal, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Samalkha

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Morale and trust within the Walt Disney World government has deteriorated since allies of Florida Gov. With the departure of so many district employees in such a short period of time, the district is “no longer functional,” a facilities director who left last month wrote in her exit survey. Disney has sued DeSantis and the members of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board in federal court in Tallahassee over the takeover, claiming its free speech rights were violated. Disney is also battling the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District in state court in Orlando. Before control of the district changed hands, the Disney supporters on its board signed agreements with Disney to shift control over design and construction at Disney World to the company.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, ”, “, there’s, DeSantis, hadn't, Matthew Oberly, Martin Garcia, ” Garcia, Glen Gilzean, Gilzean, Mike Schneider Organizations: —, Walt Disney, Florida Gov, Central, District, Associated Press, Republican, GOP, Florida Legislature, Disney, Improvement Locations: ORLANDO, Fla, Florida, Central Florida, “, Reedy, cronyism, Tallahassee, Orlando

☆ China Is Lending Billions to Countries in Financial Trouble
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Keith Bradsher | More About Keith Bradsher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

China’s early, rapid expansion of the Belt and Road Initiative alarmed U.S. officials, who saw the program as eroding American influence. The Trump administration and Congress merged and expanded two agencies in 2018 to create the development finance corporation. Between 2014 and 2017, AidData found, China was providing nearly three times as much development financing as the United States. But by 2021, China was outspending the United States by only 30 percent. (The American loan for up to $553 million would be for expansion of the busy port in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital and main city.)

Persons: Trump, China’s, AidData, Mahinda Rajapaksa Organizations: United States International Development Finance Corporation, Initiative Locations: Greece, Sri Lanka, China, United States, Hambantota, Colombo, Sri

Some developers are building homes like Paulson's with an eye toward making them more resilient to the extreme weather that's increasing with climate change, and friendlier to the environment at the same time. Solar panels, for example, installed so snugly that high winds can't get underneath them, mean clean power that can survive a storm. Recycled or advanced construction materials that reduce energy use as well as the need to make new material. Pearl Homes' Mirabella community in Bradenton, Florida, consists of 160 houses that are all LEED-certified platinum, the highest level of one of the most-used green building rating systems. “We’re building the same old stuff that got blown away.”Babcock Ranch is another sustainable, hurricane-resilient community in South Florida.

Persons: Hurricane Michael, Bonny Paulson's, ” Paulson, Steve Linton, “, Marshall Gobuty, ” Gobuty, Paulson, she's, ”, ” Babcock, Syd Kitson, Ian, Kitson, you’re, Nature, Natalia Padalino, Alan Klingler, ” Klingler, ” Padalino, Laura Bargfeld, Gerald Herbert Organizations: Hurricane, Florida Panhandle, Homes, Pearl Homes, University of Central, Babcock, Florida Keys, Associated Press, AP Locations: Mexico Beach , Florida, Bradenton , Florida, University of Central Florida, Florida, Mexico Beach, South Florida, U.S, New Orleans

☆ Urban golf courses are making housing more expensive and parks harder to access — and taxpayers are footing the bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Many states subsidize golf courses with low property taxes, so non-golfers are footing the bill. David Madison/Getty ImagesUrban golf courses also cost taxpayers — even those who don't play — a lot of money. Proponents of retrofitting courses note that reducing the number of golf courses would help boost revenue for courses that do survive. "But then on the flip side, we have these public golf courses that are just these almost vacuous spaces that are quite underutilized." He noted that projects that just involve turning golf courses into parks are often most palatable to neighbors.

Persons: —, they'd, Franciscans who'd, Zach Klein, VDERHLrowD, David Madison, it's, Malcolm Gladwell, Scottie Scheffler, Richard Heathcote, Mitchell Reardon, htpq6Uqx8q — Cork Gaines, Ray Delahanty, Jennifer Keesmaat, Keesmaat, Don, RENE JOHNSTON, Charlie McCabe, he's, Former California Assemblymember Cristina Garcia, McCabe, Reardon Organizations: Urban, Service, Franciscans, Olympic, Getty, Los Angeles Country Club, United, 123rd U.S, YouTube, Center, City, Trust, Public, Denver, Council, Democrat Locations: Presidio, U.S, San Francisco , California, California, San Francisco's, Golden, Beverly Hills, United States, Los Angeles , California, Cities, Florida, Toronto, haven't, Don Valley, Toronto , Ontario, New Orleans, Former California, Los Angeles County

☆ Afghanistan opium poppy supply plummets 95% after Taliban ban, U.N. says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Charlotte Greenfield | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An Afghan man walks through a poppy field in the Gereshk district of Helmand province, Afghanistan April 8, 2016. REUTERS/Abdul Malik/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 5 (Reuters) - Opium poppy production in Afghanistan, previously the world's top supplier, has plummeted since the Taliban administration banned the cultivation of narcotics last year, a United Nations report said on Sunday. During their previous rule, the Taliban in 2000 banned poppy cultivation as they sought international legitimacy but faced popular a backlash, according to experts. Many of the provinces where the Taliban has historically had high levels of support, such as southern Helmand, have a large concentration of opium poppy cultivation. The UNODC said many farmers had switched to growing wheat but that this earned significantly less than poppy.

Persons: Abdul Malik, UNODC, Charlotte Greenfield, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, United, Drugs, Thomson Locations: Afghan, Gereshk, Helmand province, Afghanistan, United Nations, Helmand

☆ Billionaire group behind mystery Silicon Valley city says it's done buying up land. The company now owns a property the size of Beaumont, Texas.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The group, Flannery Associates, has so far purchased more than 53,000 acres of land. Flannery Associates has been grabbing plots of land in Solano County, about 60 miles from San Francisco, for the past five years. Flannery Associates had acquired about 52,000 acres of farmland around Travis Air Force Base in rural Solano County. AdvertisementAdvertisementFlannery filed a lawsuit against a group of Solano County landowners and farmers in May, claiming that they conspired to inflate land prices. An attorney for Flannery Associates did not respond to a request for comment sent outside business hours.

Persons: Flannery, —, it's, Marc Andreessen, Laurene Powell, Jan Sramek, Goldman Sachs Organizations: Silicon, Flannery Associates, Service, Bloomberg, Travis Air Force Base Locations: California, Beaumont , Texas, Sioux Falls , South Dakota, Solano County, San Francisco, Solano County .

☆ This city never slept. Now with China tightening its grip, is the party over?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

China’s message at the time was that even if change was coming to Hong Kong, its spirit of “anything goes” would be staying put. People gather outside a restaurant on a near-empty street in the Soho area of Hong Kong. Officials say they were “fluorescent.”A Hong Kong government spokesman told CNN this week that the activities were “well-received by local residents and tourists”. Under Hong Kong’s pandemic restrictions, live music was all but banned in small venues for more than 650 days. Months before the virus emerged, China had been tightening its grip on Hong Kong in response to pro-democracy protests that had spread throughout the city.

Persons: Hong Kong, Boy George, Grace Jones, Pete Tong, Paul Oakenfold, China’s, Deng Xiaoping, China –, Deng, Deng’s, –, Noemi Cassanelli, Hong, John Lee, “, ”, Gary Ng, Covid, Benson Wong, Wong, Lan Kwai Fong, Cassanelli, Hong Kongers, Kongers, Ng, Yan Wai, ” Yan, hasn’t, Billy H.C, Kwok, Richard Feldman, Feldman, Becky Lam, ” Lam, “ They’ll, ” Feldman, Kwai Fong, Marco Chan, Chan, ” Allan Zeman, Allan Zeman, Lan, CNN “ They’ll, they’ll, Lam, Hong Kong’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, East, West, Britain, Occupy Central, National Security, Michelin, CNN, Hong, Tai Hang, National, Hong Kong Wine, HKSAR, Immigration Department, Chinese University of Hong, Soho Association, Netflix, “, Lan Kwai Fong Group, Hong Kong, Shady Locations: China, Hong Kong, Asia, Hong, Soho, Japan, Singapore, Tai, Thailand, Lan Kwai, expats, Britain, Canada, Australia, Natixis, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Lan, revelers, California, Central, Shenzhen, Hong Kong’s Central, Bangkok, Shanghai, Taipei, Petticoat

☆ A Tangle of Rules to Protect America’s Water Is Falling Short
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Dionne Searcey | Delger Erdenesanaa | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +18 min

UNCHARTED WATERS A Tangle of Rules to Protect America’s Water Is Falling Short The Times asked all 50 states how they manage groundwater. California’s State Water Resources Control Board provides a list of some 85 firms that help clients who have questions about water rights there. Irrigated acres 0 10 100 200 thousand 1987 2017 MISSOURI MISSOURI ARKANSAS ARKANSAS MISSISSIPPI MISSISSIPPI LOUISIANA LOUISIANA Irrigated acres 0 10 100 200 thousand 1987 2017 MISSOURI MISSOURI ARKANSAS ARKANSAS MISSISSIPPI MISSISSIPPI LOUISIANA LOUISIANA Irrigated acres 0 10 100 200 thousand 1987 2017 MISSOURI MISSOURI ARKANSAS ARKANSAS MISSISSIPPI MISSISSIPPI LOUISIANA LOUISIANA Irrigated acres 0 10 100 200 thousand 1987 2017 MO. “When Tennessee pumps groundwater, it is pumping water located within its own territory,” the 2021 ruling said. One practical problem The Times’s research identified is that state water authorities are often small operations relative to their sprawling responsibilities and the growing danger of aquifer damage.

Persons: don’t, Matthew Staver, ”, Christopher Neel, Chris Scheuring, Reba Epler, Mira Rojanasakul, “ We’re, Andrew Sheeley, Mike Parson, Jeff Roberson, Dave Owen, Ron Wyden, who’s, “ We’ve, Ryan Gordon, Mark Rogers, Gabriel Eckstein, Jeremy Manley, Cody Smith, Jake Parrish, Sharon Megdal, Elizabeth Cisar, “, ’, Dr, Gordon, Ariz, Rebecca Noble Organizations: Times, MISSOURI TEXAS, VERMONT, New York Times, The New York Times, Oklahoma Water Resources Board, California Farm Bureau, Nationwide, Arup, Water Resources Control, Congress, MISSOURI MISSOURI ARKANSAS, Missouri Department of Natural, Associated Press, UC Law San, Energy, Power, WASHINGTON, Maine Geological Survey, United States Geological Survey, United States Supreme, Associated, Texas, M University, Staff, State Engineer’s Office, Yakima Herald -, Water Resources Research Center, University of Arizona, Joyce Foundation, The New York Locations: America’s, . TEXAS MISSOURI VERMONT, MISSOURI, MISSOURI TEXAS VERMONT, VERMONT, TEXAS MISSOURI, MISSOURI TEXAS, Oklahoma, Kansas, . Oklahoma, California, American, Wyoming, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Great, Mississippi, Missouri , Arkansas, Louisiana, MISSOURI MISSOURI ARKANSAS ARKANSAS MISSISSIPPI MISSISSIPPI LOUISIANA LOUISIANA, . LA, LA, Missouri, Missouri Department of Natural Resources . Missouri, Ozark, States, Kentucky, Vermont, Oregon, In Texas, United States, WASHINGTON ARKANSAS, ARKANSAS WASHINGTON, Maine, Tennessee, Memphis, Muleshoe , Texas, When Tennessee, Minnesota, Blaine, ’, Laramie County, Sunnyside, Wash, Yakima, Yakima Herald - Republic, Colorado, Maryland, In Illinois, Illinois, ”, Arizona, Phoenix, In Kansas, Washington, Hope

☆ Egypt is trying to make Cairo look like Dubai. It's taken 10 years and cost $58 billion.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( James Pasley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

They are building a $59 billion city in the desert and have already built 4,350 miles of new roads and 900 tunnels and bridges. To make way for its new infrastructure, thousands of graves have been razed as well as hundreds of acres of public green space. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Egypt's president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is trying to turn Cairo into a modern city, like Dubai.

Persons: —, Abdel Fattah el Organizations: Service Locations: Egypt, Cairo, Dubai, He's

Google confirmed on Thursday that the company ended its agreement with the development partner that was working on four key campus sites. Alphabet-owned Google is embarking on its most expansive cost cuts in its almost two decades on the public market. CNBC reported that, as part of Google's downsizing that went into effect early this year, the company gutted its development team for the San Jose campus. As recently as September, Google executives, including CFO Ruth Porat, appeared at a San Jose event that aimed to reaffirm the company's commitment to building in the city. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said in a statement to CNBC that the latest news "doesn't change Google's commitment to San Jose or their timeline."

Persons: Lendlease, we've, Ruth Porat, Matt Mahan, Mahan Organizations: Google, Lendlease, Downtown, San, Alexa, CNBC, San Jose Locations: Jose, Sunnyvale, Bayshore, Mountain View, San Francisco Bay, Bay, San Jose, San

☆ Indonesia says 200,000 hectares of palm plantations to be made forests
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A general view of a palm oil plantation in Siak regency, Riau province, Indonesia, April 26, 2022. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJAKARTA, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Some 200,000 hectares (494,210 acres) of oil palm plantations found in areas designated as forests in Indonesia are expected to be returned to the state to be converted back into forests, a government official said late on Tuesday. While 3.3 million hectares (8.1 million acres) of the country's nearly 17 million hectares of palm plantation have been found in forests, only owners of plantations with a combined size of 1.67 million hectares have been identified, forestry ministry secretary general Bambang Hendroyono told reporters. Indonesia's chief security minister Mahfud MD has threatened to pursue legal action against palm oil companies that use land illegally after the Thursday deadline passes. Indonesia has launched several programmes to improve governance in its massive palm oil industry, amid criticism by environmentalists of the crop's impact on deforestation.

Persons: Willy Kurniawan, Bambang Hendroyono, Bambang, Mahfud, Bernadette Christina, Gayatri Suroyo, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Officials, Thomson Locations: Siak, Riau province, Indonesia, Rights JAKARTA

☆ Bye California: 7 people who fled the state share the culture shocks they've experienced and why they have no regrets
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Manseen Logan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Over 800,000 people left California between 2021 and 2022, according to the Census Bureau. Since moving to San Antonio, Burse told Insider she spends less on gas and groceries and feels more comfortable sharing her opinions. But Hayes was finally able to purchase a home and told Insider he enjoys the cleaner air and clearer skies. "No one is really tackling the problem or communicating what can be done to help those in need," Cheng told Insider. Vered DeLeeuw and her husband left Palo Alto, California, for friendlier MemphisDeLeeuw and her husband recently relocated to Memphis, Tennessee.

Persons: —, Calli Edington, South Georgia Edington, Chelsea Jia Feng, Edington, she's, I'm, Jackie Burse, Antonio Burse, Burse, I've, Davrick Hayes, Bismarck , North Dakota Hayes, Hayes, Janelle Crossan, New Braunfels , Texas Crossan, Chelsea JIa Feng, Crossan, Elisabeth Wykert, Wykert, Joseph, there's, That's, Pengyu Cheng, Austin Cheng, Cheng, Austin, Vered DeLeeuw, DeLeeuw, it's Organizations: Census Bureau, Service, Golden State, Census, Chelsea, Orange County Wykert, Palo, Memphis Locations: California, Cali, Memphis , Missouri, North Dakota, Texas, Northern California, South Georgia, Chelsea, Magalia , California, Douglas , Georgia, Georgia, ultraliberal California, Orange County, San Antonio, LA, Bismarck , North Dakota, Los Angeles, Downey , California, Southern California, New Braunfels , Texas, Costa Mesa , California, Missouri, Kansas City, Brea , California, St, Francisco, Bay, San Francisco, Austin, Palo Alto , California, Memphis , Tennessee, Silicon Valley, Memphis, Southern, Tennessee

☆ We left California and have no regrets: 7 people who fled the state share why and the culture shocks they've experienced in their new locations
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Manseen Logan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Over 800,000 people left California between 2021 and 2022, according to the Census Bureau. Read more: I left California and I'm never going back. Read more: I left California for Texas to begin my new life as a divorcée. But Hayes was finally able to purchase a home and told Insider he enjoys the cleaner air and clearer skies. Vered DeLeeuw and her husband left Palo Alto, California, for friendlier MemphisDeLeeuw and her husband recently relocated to Memphis, Tennessee.

☆ Five modern-day ghost towns
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Elissa Garay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Think of “ghost towns” and images of dusty, lost-to-time towns, like those in America’s Wild West, may come to mind. “Climate change will undoubtedly cause death of landscapes where we shall mourn our environmental decline.”Visiting such places now can shine a critical light on the effects of climate change and, in so doing, offer educational experiences to the contemporary visitor. “Visiting such places now can shine a critical light on the effects of climate change and, in so doing, offer educational experiences to the contemporary visitor.”Here are five global ghost towns that have been created as climate change reshapes the world – the likely harbingers of many more to come. Chacaltaya Ski Resort, BoliviaBolivia's abandoned Chacaltaya Ski Resort closed in 2009. Luke Chen/iStock Editorial/Getty ImagesOnce the world’s highest ski resort, the 17,388-foot-high lodge on Mount Chacaltaya opened in the 1930s as a popular – and only – ski resort in Bolivia’s Andes.

Persons: ”, Gaia Vince, “, Jack DeWaard, “ They’re, it’s, Vince, ” Vince, DeWaard, Philip Stone, Stone, Christoph Sator, de Jean Charles, Jean Charles’s, Cotul, Luke Chen, Chacaltaya, Kile Brewer, – Organizations: CNN, Population Council, United Nations, University of Central, for Dark Tourism Research, Institute, Dark Tourism, Fijian, Louisiana Communities, Valmeyer , Illinois Old, Valmeyer, School, The New York Times Locations: Wild, Hawaii , California, Australia, Bangladesh, Lahaina, Hawaii, Spain, University of Central Lancashire, Vunidogoloa, Fiji, Pacific, Fijian, Vanua Levu, Louisiana, Gulf, Mexico, New Orleans, Cotul Morii, Moldova, Morii, Europe, Bolivia, Andes, La Paz, Valmeyer , Illinois, Mississippi, North, Illinois, Valmeyer, –

“If we put our hands up, we will have a food crisis in Israel.”The Israel-Hamas war has plunged Israel’s agricultural heartlands, located around the Gaza Strip and in the north near the Lebanese and Syrian borders, into crisis. Meanwhile, farms in the north produce 40% of the country's sub-tropical fruit and 70% of its eggs, the Agriculture Ministry said. It also plans to build greenhouses to make up for potential shortages, construct hundreds of bomb shelters near farms and support volunteer efforts to fill labor gaps. Before the war, roughly half of Israel's agricultural workforce was composed of foreign and Palestinian labor. As Israel calls 360,000 reservists up for military service, posts from pickers to truck drivers have been left abandoned, the Agriculture Ministry says.

Persons: Avi, —, ”, Chivivian, Uri Dorman, Dorman, Yated, “, I’m, Ben Assayag, it’s, Liad Vaknin, ” Vaknin, Marcelo, Wasser, “ I’m, ” ___ Frankel Organizations: Agriculture Ministry, Israel Farmers, West Bank, Israel’s Dairy, ” Volunteers Locations: ASHKELON, Israel, Gaza, Yated, Lebanese, Turkey, Haifa, Jerusalem, overdraft, Thailand, Rwanda, Ashkelon, Nirim, Argentina

☆ California wildfire, fueled by desert winds, forces evacuations
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Omar Younis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A firefighter works to extinguish the Highland Fire, a wind driven wildfire near Aguanga, California, U.S., October 31, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Blake Acquire Licensing RightsTEMECULA, California, Oct 31 (Reuters) - A Southern California wildfire fueled by desert winds burned 2,487 acres (1,010 hectares) and prompted evacuation orders for more than 4,000 people in Riverside County, officials said on Tuesday. The seasonal phenomenon occurs when dry desert air blows toward the ocean, creating a fire hazard in Southern California. Some 1,220 homes and 4,270 residents were under mandatory evacuation orders, with another 1,136 homes and 3,976 residents under evacuation warnings, Cal Fire spokesperson Thomas Shoots said. Southern California has had a mild fire year in 2023, after unusually heavy rainfall that included the first tropical storm to reach heavily populated areas in the state in 84 years.

Persons: Mike Blake, Thomas Shoots, Barb Bommarito, Robert Duke, Duke, Omar Younis, Daniel Trotta, Mary Milliken, Jonathan Oatis, Tom Hogue Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Highland Fire, California Department of Forestry, Fire Protection, Fire, Cal Fire, Thomson Locations: Aguanga , California, U.S, Rights TEMECULA , California, Southern California, Riverside County, Santa, Temecula, Aguanga, Carlsbad , California

☆ The Apple-Picking Apocalypse of Upstate New York
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Elizabeth G. Dunn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It was a beautiful Friday afternoon in the Hudson Valley, 70 degrees in October and not a cloud in the sky: perfect weather for apple picking. A small crowd awaited a pig race, some of them clutching little checkered flags they had purchased for a dollar. “That’ll be eight weekends in a row,” Mr. Barton said. “It’s absolutely, absolutely unheard-of.”According to Mr. Barton, this has been, without question, the most miserable fall tourism season since he converted the family apple orchard to a pick-your-own outfit in the 1990s. In recent years, he said, the property has drawn more than 10,000 visitors on peak weekends.

Persons: Peter Barton, “ That’ll, Mr, Barton, “ Organizations: Barton Orchards Locations: Hudson, Barton, Poughquag, Beacon

☆ Southern California wildfire forces 4,000 residents to evacuate homes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A structure is engulfed in flames as a wildfire called the Highland Fire burns in Aguanga, California, on Oct. 30, 2023. Roughly 4,000 residents in Southern California have been ordered to evacuate their homes due to a raging fire in the small town of Aguanga in Riverside County, which spread further overnight. In the evening, it was reclassified as a "critical rate" spread and had grown to more than 1,200 acres. On Monday, 1,139 homes near the area were ordered to evacuate, equating to about 4,000 people, according to Maggie Cline De La Rosa, a spokesperson for the county fire department. The National Weather Service has issued an air quality alert to surrounding neighborhoods due to the windblown dust and smoke of the wildfire.

Persons: Maggie Cline De La Rosa, De, De La Rosa Organizations: Riverside County Fire Department, National Weather Service, CNBC Locations: Aguanga , California, Southern California, Aguanga, Riverside County, Riverside, De La, California

☆ Southern California wildfire prompts evacuation order for thousands
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Delon Thornton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSouthern California wildfire prompts evacuation order for thousandsA wind-fueled wildfire ripped through Southern California on Monday. The fire spread over 500 acres, destroying buildings in a rural area outside of Los Angeles. Over 4,000 residents in the region are currently under evacuation orders, but no injuries have been reported.

Locations: California, Southern California, Los Angeles

☆ Two Dead, Dozens of Homes Destroyed as Bushfires Rage Across Eastern Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Two people have been killed and dozens of homes destroyed in bushfires raging across Australia's northern Queensland state, as firefighters travel from across the country and from New Zealand to try and contain the out-of-control blazes. Residents have been told to evacuate from two massive bushfires in the southeast portion of Queensland, even as dozens of fires continue to burn across the state where at least 45 homes have been destroyed and two people killed since last week. "These are heartbreaking scenes when people lose their houses," Albanese said from the town of Bundaberg, near one of the large fires. Firefighters from the neighbouring state of Victoria and New Zealand were on their way to help, Albanese added. More than 7,500 hectares (18,500 acres) are burning out of control in the neighbouring state of New South Wales, only 40 kms (25 miles) from one of the Queensland fires.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, " Albanese, Albanese, Firefighters, Lewis Jackson, Michael Perry Organizations: SYDNEY, Firefighters, Queensland Locations: Australia's, Queensland, New Zealand, Bundaberg, Victoria, Australia, New South Wales, Ulan, Sydney

WASHINGTON (AP) — Before House Speaker Mike Johnson was elected to public office, he was the dean of a small Baptist law school that didn't exist. “The law school deal was really an anomaly. As dean of the proposed law school, Johnson embarked on a major fundraising campaign and described a big-dollar event in Houston with former Arkansas Gov. Bobby Jindal and Pressler, according to an account Johnson wrote in a 2011 alumni magazine. Meanwhile, the historic former federal courthouse in Shreveport that was selected as the law school’s campus required at least $20 million in renovations.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, It's, “, ”, Gene Mills, Johnson's, ” J, Michael Johnson, Southern Baptist Convention luminary, Tony Perkins, Jerry Falwell, “ I’m, Joe Aguillard, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, Aguillard, “ Mike, Gilbert Little, ” Johnson, Perkins, Little, Barack, Kelly, Kelly Johnson, Louis “ Woody ” Jenkins, Jenkins, Democrat Mary Landrieu, Moon Griffin, Eugene Mills, Mills, ” Mills, Johnson’s, George W, Bush’s, it’s, Lamar White Jr, Lamar, Richard Lardner, Trenton Daniel Organizations: WASHINGTON, Paul Pressler School of Law, Louisiana College, Louisiana Christian University, Republican House, Southern Baptist Convention, Family Research, Southern Poverty Law, Liberty University, Daily, ”, Arkansas Gov, Louisiana Gov, Freedom Guard, Southern Baptist Conference, Shreveport Times, ABC News, Louisiana State University, Democrat, Louisiana Family, Alliance Defense Fund, Alliance Defending, ADF, CNN, Democratic, Civil, Associated Press Locations: Louisiana, Washington, Alexandria , Louisiana, Houston, Pressler, Africa, Shreveport, Shreveport , Louisiana, everyone’s, America, New Orleans, Texas, Orleans Parish, Trump’s, Baton Rouge, New York

☆ A mystery company backed by Silicon Valley elites is buying up land to build a new city. Farmers say they've been pressured to sell up.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

New filings accuse the company backed by Marc Andreessen and Reid Hoffman of forcing farmers to sell up. Solano County farmers say Flannery Associates targeted them with pressure tactics and litigation. The company has bought up 52,000 acres outside San Francisco to build a utopian city. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe company that wants to create an entirely new city in California, and that's backed by Silicon Valley billionaires, has been accused of coercing farmers into selling their land. AdvertisementAdvertisementCalifornia Forever, the parent company behind Flannery Associates, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider, sent outside normal working hours.

Persons: Marc Andreessen, Reid Hoffman, Flannery, —, John Garamendi, Jan Sramek, Mark Friedman, Princess Washington Organizations: Service, Silicon, Bloomberg, California, KQED, New York Times, Flannery Associates Locations: Solano, San Francisco, California, Solano County, Sacramento, Princess, Suisun City

Search resuls for: "Acres"

25 mentions found