DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ I spent $2 million restoring a cruise ship I bought on Craigslist. The project took over my life, but I don't regret it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-11 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

In 2010, Christopher Willson bought a deteriorating historic cruise ship off of Craigslist. It looked more like a giant yacht than a cruise ship. A vintage picture of the Aurora cruise ship. A side view of the Aurora cruise ship. Inside of the Aurora cruise ship.

Persons: Christopher Willson, —, Wappen von Hamburg, wasn't, Willson, leaseholder, Aurora Organizations: Craigslist, Service, Aurora Locations: Aurora, Santa Cruz , California, Silicon Valley, Rio Vista, Germany, California, San Francisco, Port of San Francisco, Stockton , California

☆ He bought a cruise ship on Craigslist and spent over $1 million restoring it. Then his dream sank
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( Tamara Hardingham-Gill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

CNN —Buying a historic cruise ship he found on Craigslist back in 2008 was undoubtedly a life-altering decision for Chris Willson. Ship of dreamsWillson and Li moved on board the ship and focused their energies on painstakingly restoring it. Christopher WillsonHis ultimate goal was to transform the neglected ship into a museum, but things didn’t quite go to plan. “We absolutely loved our time with that ship,” Willson tells CNN Travel. It subsequently remained at Alameda for several years, before being purchased by a businessman, who went on to list the ship on Craigslist.

Persons: Chris Willson, Jin Li, Willson, Li, Christopher Willson, ” Willson, I’m, ”, Wappen von Hamburg, “, Aurora ’, Helen’s Marina, ” Herman, “ I’d, Christopher Willson “, Aurora, he’d, Kristina Werner, Connie Cochran, ” Cochran, Cochran, he’s, Christopher Wilson Willson, I’ve, “ There’s, Mary, that’s, haven’t, “ I’ve, hasn’t, It’s, Chris, … Wappen von, … Wappen von Hamburg doesn’t Organizations: CNN, Craigslist, CNN Travel, Blohm, California Delta, Herman, Aurora, Unified Command, US Coast Guard, California Department of Fish, Wildlife, Coast Guard, San, San Joaquin County Sheriff’s, Delta, Global, Wildlife’s, Spill Prevention, City, ” CNN, Love, YouTube, … Wappen von Hamburg Locations: Utah, Germany, Voss, California, Rio Vista, San Francisco’s, Little Potato, Stockton, California’s Central Valley, Chaleur, San Joaquin County, City, Russia, Vancouver, Alameda , California, Alameda, Craigslist, United States, Philadelphia’s Delaware, Long, Aurora

☆ Dollar Tree shares plunge 22% after discounter cuts full-year forecast
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-04 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A sign is posted in front of a Dollar Tree and Family Dollar store on March 13, 2024 in Rio Vista, California. Shares of Dollar Tree fell more than 22% on Wednesday after the discounter cut its full-year outlook, citing increasing pressures on middle-income and higher-income customers. Dollar Tree includes two store chains, its namesake, which sells a wide variety of lower-priced items like party supplies, and Family Dollar, which carries more food. At Dollar Tree, same-store sales increased by 1.3% and at Family Dollar, same-store sales fell by 0.1%. Dollar Tree bought Family Dollar for nearly $9 billion in 2015 and since then, it's struggled to strengthen the grocery-focused chain and better compete with Dollar General.

Persons: Jeff Davis, Todd Vasos, Davis, it's, —, Robert Hum Organizations: LSEG, Dollar, Walmart Locations: Rio Vista , California

☆ Rio Vista, Texas: He’s one of the last surviving participants in a US program some described as ‘legalized slavery’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Catherine E. Shoichet | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

This time, officials were unveiling plaques designating the former Rio Vista Bracero Reception Center in Socorro, Texas, as a National Historic Landmark. While the bracero program provided a legal pathway for guest workers, crackdowns on illegal immigration were also common during that period. Why Rio Vista is so significant – and rareThe Rio Vista site, a key hub for the program, is about a 30-minute drive from El Paso, Texas. Before its role in the bracero program, the area known as Rio Vista Farm was a poor farm and an orphanage. All of this went through Corral’s mind as he revisited Rio Vista on May 11.

Persons: Sebastian Corral’s, they’d, “, you’d, ” Corral, Lee G, Williams, Yolanda Chávez Leyva, it’s, ” Leyva, Sebastian Corral, ”, Leyva, who’s, Blanca McCreary, ” McCreary, Department of Homeland Security Leyva, Corral, —, Sehila Mota Casper, They’ve, ” Mota Casper, Kip Malone, Mota Casper, ” Victor Reta, he’s, he’d, Maria, He’d, Reagan Organizations: CNN, Corral, Historic Landmark, Mexican Farm Worker, Library, Department of Homeland, Dallas Morning News, Department of Labor, University of Texas, Rio Vista, ” Patrol, National Trust for Historic Preservation, US Public Health Service, Heritage, ” Locations: Vado , New Mexico, America, Rio, Socorro , Texas, Mexico, Hidalgo , Texas, El Paso, Rio Vista, El Paso , Texas, South Texas, Socorro, Leyva, United States, Delicias, New Mexico, ”, New Mexico , Colorado , Wyoming, Texas, Mexican, Los Angeles, California

☆ Man Behind California Forever, Silicon Valley's City of the Future
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Hugh Langley | Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

He sees California Forever. And if he can't undo the damage, there may never be a California Forever. California Forever may be a subdivision, but it's precisely the kind of subdivision America needs right now. But here's the thing: California Forever may be a subdivision, but it's precisely the kind of subdivision America needs right now. Places like California Forever aren't being opposed by the people who are desperate for a place to live.

Persons: Jan Sramek's, Goldman Sachs, Sramek, Reid Hoffman, Laurene Powell Jobs, Marc Andreessen —, They've, Christie Hemm, Peter Thiel, Jan Sramek, Jan, Thiel, Goldman, CheatSheet, Sramek's, hadn't, Jonas Rave, who's, —, Guy Saidenberg, Evernote, Marc Andreessen, Jane Jacobs, He's, he'd, Robert Moses, growth.y Christie Hemm, Flannery, Bronson Johnson, David George, Andreessen Horowitz, Marilyn Farley, Farley, Solano County's, Kathleen Threlfall, Bill Mortimore, California Forever's, Jessica Christian, he's, Lyle Lanley, Solano, Sam Houston, weren't, Gabriel Metcalf, You've, John Garamendi, Garamendi, isn't, they'll, latte, Christie, Travis, I've, aren't, They're Organizations: Silicon, California, BI Development, University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, Party, Rising Star, Facebook, York, Sramek's, BI Sramek, Google, American, Planners, Sacramento -, Travis Air Force Base, Area, titans, Farmers, councilwoman, California Forever, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Air Force, Flannery Associates, Disney, San Francisco, Vallejo Naval, Historical Museum, Rep, BI, Solano, Sierra, Goldman Locations: San Francisco, It's, Sramek, California, Rio Vista, Solano County, Napa, Sacramento, Silicon Valley, America, London, Zurich, England, Czech Republic, Dřevohostice, York, British, Eastern Europe, Cambridge, Bay Area, Hayes Valley, America's cutest, Atlanta, Phoenix, Copenhagen, Barcelona, New York, Sacramento - San Joaquin, San Francisco Bay, Lake Tahoe, Toledo , Ohio, Silicon, Google's, Toronto, Big Tech, China, Calif, Springfield, Vallejo, He's, Atherton, Foreverville, Fairfield, Austin, Solano, Valley, Europe

☆ The Farmers Had What the Billionaires Wanted
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Conor Dougherty | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For six years a mysterious company called Flannery Associates, which Mr. Sramek controlled, had upended the town of 10,000 by spending hundreds of millions of dollars trying to buy every farm in the area. It sued a group of holdouts who had refused its above-market offers, on the grounds that they were colluding for more. Residents worried it could be a front for foreign spies looking to surveil a nearby Air Force base. The truth was that Mr. Sramek wanted to build a city from the ground up, in an agricultural region whose defining feature was how little it had changed. They and others from the technology world had spent some $900 million on farmland in a demonstration of their dead seriousness about Mr. Sramek’s vision.

Persons: Jan Sramek, Flannery, Sramek, Michael Moritz, Reid Hoffman, Laurene Powell Jobs, Steve Jobs Organizations: American Legion, Flannery Associates, Air Force, Silicon, LinkedIn, Emerson, Apple Locations: Rio Vista, Calif, Rio

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Promoters of a secretive Silicon Valley-backed ballot initiative to build a new city on farmland between Sacramento and San Francisco are releasing more details of their plan as they submit paperwork Wednesday to qualify for the November election. That's why Jan Sramek, CEO and founder of California Forever, and the project's backers are turning to the ballot. California and the San Francisco Bay Area are desperate for more housing, especially affordable homes for teachers, firefighters, police and other municipal workers who make a city run. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesSituated between the Bay Area and the state's capital, Solano County is an attractive location for military contractors, agriculture technology and construction tech companies seeking to innovate, said Gabriel Metcalf, head of planning for California Forever. The plan calls for $400 million to help Solano County residents buy homes in the proposed community.

Persons: stealthily, Jan Sramek, Gabriel Metcalf, Metcalf, Sramek, Laurene Powell Jobs, Reid Hoffman, Marc Andreessen, ”, John Garamendi Organizations: FRANCISCO, —, California, Travis Air Force Base, Solano County —, San, California Forever, LinkedIn, Democratic U.S . Rep, U.S . Air Force Locations: Sacramento, San Francisco, Solano County, Rio Vista, California, San Francisco Bay, Texas, Vallejo, Fairfield, Silicon Valley

☆ Silicon Valley billionaires want to build a new city in rural California, but locals are skeptical of the project: 'Their secrecy has caused a lot of problems'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Janie Har | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Silicon Valley billionaires revealed plans to build a new city after buying $800 million in land. The land was quietly purchased in Solano County, a rural area near San Francisco and Sacramento. Most of the land purchased is in the southeastern portion of the county, with parcels stretching from Fairfield to Rio Vista. Billionaires want to build a new city in rural California, but they're encountering wavering support from locals and lawmakers. Solano County homes are among the most affordable in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a median sales price of $600,000 last month.

Persons: Jan Sramek, Goldman Sachs, Flannery, Laurene Powell Jobs, Reid Hoffman, Marc Andreessen, Marc Andreeseen, Lauren Powell Jobs, Michael Moritz, Paul Chinn, Countess, Michael Kovac, Sramek, Mike Thompson, Terry Chea, Princess Washington, Thompson, they're, he's, John Garamendi, Hoffman, Andreessen, Ron Kott, Kott Organizations: Service, FRANCISCO, Flannery Associates, Silicon, LinkedIn, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Getty, Fair, Solano, US Air Force, FBI, of Treasury, AP, San Francisco Bay Area, Travis Air Force Base, US Locations: Solano County, San Francisco, Sacramento, Wall, Silicon, Northern California, Solano, Silicon Valley, California, Fairfield, Rio Vista, U.S, United Kingdom, Ireland, walkable, Terry Chea California, California's, San Francisco Bay, Princess, Suisun City, Travis

☆ A company that counts billionaires Marc Andreessen and Laurene Powell Jobs as investors says it's bought 50,000 acres of land to build a new 'walkable' city in northern California. Here's everything w
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

California Forever says it wants to build a "walkable" city with new jobs, surrounded by an agricultural greenbelt. The company, Flannery Associates, has been quiet until now, but its parent company California Forever just launched a new website detailing its master plan. Solano County sits between Sacramento, San Francisco, and Napa Valley, and has a population of around 450,000 across just over 900 square miles. Sramek founded California Forever in 2017 and recently bought a family home there. "Now that we're no longer limited by confidentiality, we are eager to begin a conversation about the future of Solano County," it says.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Marc Andreessen, Laurene Powell Jobs, Flannery, Jan Sramek, he'd, Jan, Sramek, it's, Who's, Chris Dixon, John Doerr, Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross, Reid Hoffman, Michael Moritz, Andreessen Horowitz, Patrick, John Collison Organizations: Goldman, Service, Flannery Associates, California Forever, Travis Air Force Base, California Forever's, California Delta, California Locations: San Francisco, California, Wall, Silicon, Solano County, Sacramento, Napa Valley, Solano, Fairfield, Rio Vista, walkable

☆ Why are frozen vegetable prices so high? Blame war, fewer immigrants and California weather, say economists
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"Some areas were just inundated," which had the effect of decreasing vegetable supply, Tronstad said. Overall, the state accounts for nearly half of U.S. vegetable production, according to California Polytechnic State University. George Rose/Getty ImagesBut weather — and its negative impact on crop supply — isn't the only contributor to higher prices for frozen vegetables. The higher prices give farmers a "strong incentive" to plant these commodity products over others (like vegetables), a dynamic that could decrease vegetable supply, Bodor said. Labor supply pressured by reduced Mexican migrationLong-term immigration trends are also serving to put upward pressure on labor costs for farmers, economists said.

Persons: Tayfun, Tronstad, Pam Knox, George Rose, Alison Bodor, Bodor, Trey Malone, Zach Rutledge, Rutledge, Russell Tronstad Organizations: Anadolu Agency, Getty, State, Central Valley . Citizen, Getty Images, California Department of Food, Agriculture, California Polytechnic State University, University of Georgia, Food, Growers, University of Arkansas, Labor, Michigan State University, University of Arizona U.S, Agricultural Workers Survey, University of California Locations: Lompoc , California, Sierra Nevada, Central Valley ., Getty Images California, brussels, U.S, Ukraine, Sacramento, San Joaquin Rivers, Rio Vista , California, Mexico, Davis

☆ California and the Midwest face 'high risk' of electricity shortages in next five years
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Projected energy shortfalls have been projected in that region since 2018, Olson said. The Southwest could also suffer when demand is high and wind energy generation is low in the region. For its annual long-term electricity security assessment, NERC looks at the coming decade, but energy and capacity risk assessment goes out for the coming five years, from 2023 to 2027. There are too many moving parts and uncertainties for a risk assessment past the next five years to be worthwhile, according to NERC. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission certified NERC to measure and enforce safety standards for the energy grid in the United States in 2006.

Search resuls for: "Rio Vista"

11 mentions found