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☆ BlocPower: 2023 CNBC Disruptor 50
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Brooklyn-based cleantech company BlocPower is squarely positioned with a mission to fight climate change while solving social injustices, focusing on renewable energy, reduction of carbon pollution, and urban redevelopment in lower-income areas. BlocPower was founded in 2014 by Donnel Baird, the child of Guyanese immigrants, who drew on his experience growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn in an apartment without well-functioning heating and cooling systems. This retrofitting of older buildings can lead to major energy savings, 30% to 50%, and a reduction of at least 40% in greenhouse gas emissions, BlocPower says. In Buffalo, BlocPower inked a contract with utility National Fuel Gas Company to upgrade hybrid heating and cooling systems in 34 low-to-middle income residential and commercial buildings. It also sealed a deal with Fujitsu General America to bring a better-functioning automatic heating and cooling unit to the U.S.

☆ California superbloom: Hillsides are exploding with wildflowers. Here's what it looks like from space
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Stephanie Elam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesVisitors walk through a field of wildflowers at the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve in Lancaster, California on April 14. Hillsides are covered in colorful wildflowers, seen here in a satellite image in Palmdale, California, on April 10. Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesWildflowers bloom at the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve in Lancaster, California, on April 14. Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesWhile California hasn’t closed state parks because of the superbloom, at least one town is demanding that tourists stay away. The Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve in Lancaster, California, on March 30.

☆ California Battered by New Winter Storm After Weeks of Heavy Snow
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Suryatapa Bhattacharya | Gareth Vipers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A large winter storm brought rain and flooding across parts of California, a state already reeling from weeks of record snowfall that left some residents trapped in their homes. Central California bore the brunt of the storm, known as an atmospheric river, early Friday afternoon and residents in parts of San Luis Obispo, Monterey and Santa Cruz counties were under evacuation orders or warnings.

[1/3] A truck drives through a flooded road after an atmospheric river storm system in Hayward, California, U.S. March 10, 2023. As much as 5 inches (13 cm) of rain has already fallen in some spots across the county, with some seeing as much as 7 inches. U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday declared an emergency in California, ordering federal assistance to help local, tribal and state officials respond to the severe weather. The heavy rains in northern and central California raised concerns that melting snow from a spate of blizzards in mid-elevation mountains could add to runoff and cause flooding downstream. Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles, Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

March 10 (Reuters) - A California man was sentenced on Friday to 25 years to life in prison for his conviction on charges of murdering college classmate Kristin Smart, whose 1996 disappearance had long ranked as one of state's most sensational unsolved crimes. The sentence pronounced for Paul Flores, who was found guilty in October of first-degree murder in the case, was announced by the San Luis Obispo County district attorney on Twitter. It was the maximum penalty Flores faced in California. Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

California is enduring more severe winter weather as storms continue to unleash unusual snowfall and strong winds across the state, damaging highways and roads and trapping some residents in their homes. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday evening declared a state of emergency in 13 counties affected by the storms. Disaster response and relief will be provided to the counties of Amador, Kern, Los Angeles, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Nevada, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Sierra, Sonoma and Tulare. The state's emergency agency and private weather forecasters in January said that damage from weeks of storms and flooding in California could surpass $1 billion. In the San Bernardino Mountains, snowfall blocked roads and stranded residents in their homes as crews worked urgently to clear the roads.

☆ Mud, mold, and destruction: California businesses face catastrophic damage
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

New York CNN —At the end of a long wooden Southern California pier that juts out above the Pacific ocean sits the Wharf House. Powerful winter storms have unleashed heavy rain, wind, flooding and dangerous mudslides the likes of which California hasn’t seen in decades. An aerial view shows damage to the pier on which the Wharf House restaurant is located. Businesses digging outAbout 5 million people were under flood watches Wednesday as yet another atmospheric river brings more rain to California. “There was water damage, but luckily our floors are concrete and easy to clean and sanitize.

Water-logged Californians will have to endure several more days of rain, as new storms line up in the Pacific to pound the state with unprecedented precipitation, forecasters said Thursday. The Bay Area and Central Coast have been particularly hard hit, with rain falling on San Francisco for 15 out of 18 days from Christmas through Wednesday. Oakland International Airport, a focal point of the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area region, has received almost a year's worth of rain in just the past 3 1/2 months. From Oct. 1 through Wednesday, that neighborhood of East Oakland received 17.85 inches of rain when a normal year accounts for 18.7 inches of rainfall. San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office via TwitterA brief respite from rain in the Central Coast is allowing rescuers in San Luis Obispo County to continue their search Thursday for 5-year-old Kyle Doan, who was swept away by floodwaters on Monday.

☆ California picks up debris from latest storm, braces for the next
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Sharon Bernstein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

At least two more storm systems were set to pound California and the Pacific Northwest starting Friday and over the weekend, the National Weather Service said, including another atmospheric river, systems of dense moisture funneled into California from the tropical Pacific. The state has already been hit with seven such weather systems over the past two weeks. In Monterey County, water from prior storms continued to swell the Salinas River, officials said. The heavy rains have eased California's historic drought but not ended it, the U.S. Drought Monitor showed on Thursday. Even with more atmospheric rivers in the immediate forecast, the state's water system will remained strained in coming years without new infrastructure to capture more storm water, restore flood plains and recycle wastewater.

It would turn into a nightmare as their 5-year-old son, Kyle, got swept away in raging flood waters while his mom drove him to school. San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office via TwitterKyle was lost to a succession of unrelenting rainstorms that have pummeled California over the last two weeks and contributed to 17 deaths. As water poured into her car, Lindsy told Kyle to unbuckle his car seat so they could escape. Nearby homeowners fetched rope and managed to rescue Lindsy, who was closer to the bank. “We continue to hope for the best,” said Grace Norris, a San Luis Obispo sheriff’s spokesperson.

Northern California braced for more downpours as southern and central regions of the state got a break Wednesday from torrential rains and prepared for another strong system just days away. At least 17 people have died since late last week in these California storms that show few signs of slowing up. Josh Edelson / AFP - Getty ImagesThe heaviest rains Wednesday were expected to fall on northern and coastal regions of the state. A major system is forecast to hit almost all of coastal California, from the Oregon border to Los Angeles late Friday afternoon or evening. Santa Cruz County has been told to brace for between 3 to 6 inches of rain Friday, Saturday and Sunday, according to Hart.

☆ Rain blamed for 17 deaths in California, a state primed for very different natural disasters
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Tim Stelloh | Tim Stelloh Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The deaths have been reported across the state — from San Bernardino County in the south to Mendocino County in the north, according to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. The 1990s was possibly the last time California had this much rain at once, he said. Josh Edelson / AFP - Getty ImagesAnother 34,000 people remained under evacuation orders across the state, Newsom said Tuesday. The parent was rescued, but the boy vanished in surging floodwaters, county sheriff’s spokesman Tony Cipolla said. The sheriff’s office resumed a search Tuesday morning after “extreme” weather hampered the effort Monday, Cipolla said.

☆ Apple to replace key Broadcom chip with in-house design - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) plans to replace a Broadcom Inc (AVGO.O) chip from its devices with an in-house design in 2025, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. Apple plans to replace Broadcom's Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to the Bloomberg News report, which added that Apple is the U.S. chipmaker's largest customer. The Cupertino, California-based company accounts for about 20% of Broadcom's revenue. Apple's decision is likely to hit Broadcom revenue by about $1 billion to $1.5 billion, said Stacy Rasgon, an analyst with financial services firm AB Bernstein. Apple and Broadcom did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comments.

☆ California storm forces thousands to flee their homes and leaves 1 dead in 'endless onslaught'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

As of early Tuesday, more than 63,000 utility customers were without power across California, according to PowerOutage.us . The heavy rains are expected to worsen ongoing flooding and prolong the risk of flash flooding and mudslides across the state. The flooding came five years to the day after heavy rains hammered a Montecito "burn scar," killing nearly two dozen people. The severe weather also forced the Santa Barbara Airport to close due to flooding, the airport announced in a tweet Monday. The recent severe weather prompted Gov.

☆ U.S. grants $1.1 bln to keep Diablo Canyon nuclear plant open
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Timothy Gardner | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Diablo is the last operating nuclear plant in California. The Biden administration believes nuclear power is critical in curbing climate change and wants to keep plants open ahead of the development of next-generation reactors. Poppe said the plant is also ordering more uranium fuel for the reactor, and dry casks for storing nuclear waste. Some politicians who have been wary of problems associated with nuclear waste have come out in support of the Civil Nuclear Credit program. Holtec International, which in May bought the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan, said on Friday that DOE rejected its application for funding.

☆ Biden grants PG&E $1.1 billion to keep Diablo Canyon nuclear plant open
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Biden administration on Monday said it's providing Pacific Gas & Electric Co. with a $1.1 billion grant to help the company prevent the closure of Diablo Canyon, California's last nuclear power plant. Diablo Canyon was originally scheduled to be decommissioned in two phases in 2024 and 2025, but state lawmakers in September voted to keep it open for five more years. PG&E applied for funding in the Department of Energy's initial phase of the $6 billion Civil Nuclear Credit program aimed to keep U.S. nuclear power reactors open. Diablo Canyon is California's single largest source of power, providing 8.6% of the state's total electricity and 17% of its zero-carbon electricity. Final terms of the grant are subject to negotiation and finalization, the Energy Department said, but the funding is designed to cover PG&E's anticipated losses from keeping Diablo Canyon open.

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Nov 14 (Reuters) - Epic Games on Monday will try to overturn portions of a court ruling in an antitrust trial last year that largely favored Apple Inc (AAPL.O). The "Fortnite" creator sued Apple in 2020 alleging that the iPhone maker's App Store rules, under which software developers must pay commissions of up to 30% on in-app purchases, violated U.S. antitrust law. Apple appealed the order, and Epic appealed the finding that Apple did not violate antitrust laws. According to its court filings, Epic plans to argue that the trial judge did not properly interpret U.S. antitrust laws. Epic argues that such standard agreements are still subject to antitrust laws.

☆ California mother charged after 3-year-old son dies of fentanyl overdose
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A California mother has been charged with child endangerment after her 3-year-old son died of a fentanyl overdose earlier this year, police say. Jennifer Mae Niemann, 30, was the primary caregiver of the boy and was present when her child died on May 4, the San Luis Obispo Police Department said Thursday. Police received a call at 10:15 p.m. local time about an unresponsive 3-year-old boy who was turning blue and not breathing at a home in the 1600 block of Mill Street in San Luis Obispo. The boy was transported to a nearby hospital but never regained consciousness and was pronounced deceased that evening. On Monday, San Luis Obispo Police detectives went to San Diego to attempt to locate Niemann, who they described as transient, and she was located Tuesday and taken into custody.

☆ Man Convicted of Killing Kristin Smart, California College Student Missing Since 1996
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Paul Flores was found guilty of killing Kristin Smart, who disappeared during her freshman year at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif..LOS ANGELES—The last man seen with Kristin Smart was convicted Tuesday of killing the college freshman, who vanished from a California campus more than 25 years ago. Jurors unanimously found Paul Flores guilty of first-degree murder, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reported. A jury in a separate trial found his father, Ruben Flores , not guilty of charges of being accessory to murder after the fact for allegedly helping to conceal the crime.

☆ Ex-classmate convicted of murdering long-missing California student Kristin Smart
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 18 (Reuters) - A former classmate of Kristin Smart, the California college freshman whose 1996 disappearance long stood as one of the state's most sensational unsolved crimes, was found guilty on Tuesday of murdering her, prosecutors said. The guilty verdict against Paul Flores, who was arrested and charged with Smart's death in April 2021, almost a quarter-century after she vanished, was returned by a jury in Monterey County Superior Court. A separate jury found his elderly father, Ruben Flores, not guilty on a charge of helping to hide Smart's body. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe murder verdict was announced on the Facebook page of the San Luis Obispo County district Attorney, Dan Dow. The trials were moved from San Luis Obispo County in a change of venue requested by defense lawyers because of intense pretrial publicity surrounding the investigation.

☆ The 'bummer' of the $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit: Its full value may be hard to get
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

But it may be tough for consumers to get the full value of the tax credit — at least initially. The tax credit 'bummer': It's nonrefundableThe legislation, called the Inflation Reduction Act, made the tax credit "nonrefundable." This person wouldn't get the full $7,500 tax credit — they'd be able to claim $5,000 and cut their tax bill to zero. More from Personal Finance:Missed a tax credit from last year? It's unclear which electric vehicles will meet these standards and qualify for a tax credit next year.

☆ The Year of the Voice Message: A Modern Guide to Phone Etiquette
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Magdalene J. Taylor | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

NATHAN HEINRICH, 41 years old, feels totally disconnected from his younger sister. In fact, the writer and designer from West Nyack, N.Y, says they’re in touch plenty. The problem: This year, she suddenly started communicating exclusively through recorded voice messages, colloquially called voice notes or voice memos, a feature that’s been available on Apple ’s iMessage since June 2014. His sister, Hilary Heinrich, a busy 32-year-old teacher in San Luis Obispo, Calif., says the technology nicely combines aspects of both phone calls and texts. Mr. Heinrich, however, finds that having to respond to her voice notes in kind makes him feel like a trucker on a CB radio.

☆ Evidence that freed Adnan Syed was long available, 'Serial' host says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

In a new episode of “Serial” released Tuesday, host Sarah Koenig noted that most or all of the evidence cited in prosecutors’ motion to overturn the conviction was available since 1999. Adnan Syed, center, leaves the courthouse after being released from prison in Baltimore, Md., on Sept. 19, 2022. In the “Serial” episode posted Tuesday, Koenig broke down prosecutors’ motion and described how some evidence they cited was featured in the podcast, while other evidence — including the evidence of other possible suspects — became public more recently. Other supporting evidence on the unreliability of a key witness and questions about cellphone data was previously featured on “Serial,” Koenig said. In the years since “Serial” chronicled Syed’s case and transformed the true-crime genre, a number of breakthroughs have come in other cases examined by like-minded podcasters.

☆ Cracked iPhone back glass? Some new models much easier to fix, firm finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

IFixit, which assesses the reparability of consumer electronics, said on Monday Apple has made major changes to the iPhone 14 base model. In the iPhone 14, the back glass is held in place by just two screws one connector, making it easy to remove. Apple did not mention the internal redesign when it announced the iPhone 14 earlier this month. It also creates opportunities for local repair shops.”The costlier iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max still have the older style of glued-in glass back. In 2019, Apple started selling tools, parts and manuals to independent repair shops.

☆ New iPhones have Qualcomm satellite modem, new Apple radio chips
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-17 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An employee of electronics repair firm iFixit is seen opening models from Apple?s iPhone 14 lineup to reveal a circuit board inside in this undated handout image. Apple released its iPhone 14 lineup on Friday. Apple said earlier this month that the iPhone 14 models contain new hardware that makes possible the emergency message service, which Apple plans to turn on with a software update coming in November. In a statement to Reuters on Saturday, Apple said there is additional proprietary hardware and software in the iPhone 14 for the new messaging feature. “iPhone 14 includes custom radio frequency components, and new software designed entirely by Apple, that together enable Emergency SOS via satellite on new iPhone 14 models," Apple said in a statement.

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