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SAN LUIS, Ecuador—Built near a spewing volcano, it was the biggest infrastructure project ever in this country, a concrete colossus bankrolled by Chinese cash and so important to Beijing that China’s leader, Xi Jinping , spoke at the 2016 inauguration. Today, thousands of cracks have emerged in the $2.7 billion Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant, government engineers said, raising concerns that Ecuador’s biggest source of power could break down. At the same time, the Coca River’s mountainous slopes are eroding, threatening to damage the dam.

110 30% 50 70 90 150 200 300 400 Short-term view: Past month Long-term view: Past 3 years Redding Redding Sacramento Sacramento San Francisco San Francisco Fresno Fresno Los Angeles Los Angeles San Diego San Diego 110 30% 50 70 90 150 200 300 400 Short-term view: Past month Long-term view: Past 3 years Redding Redding Sacramento Sacramento San Francisco San Francisco Fresno Fresno Los Angeles Los Angeles San Diego San Diego 110 30% 50 70 90 150 200 300 400 Short-term view: Past month Long-term view: Past 3 years Redding Redding Sacramento Sacramento San Francisco San Francisco Fresno Fresno Los Angeles Los Angeles San Diego San Diego 110 30% 50 70 90 150 200 300 400 Short-term view: Past month Redding Sacramento San Francisco Fresno Los Angeles San Diego Long-term view: Past 3 years Redding Sacramento San Francisco Fresno Los Angeles San Diego 110 30% 50 70 90 150 200 300 400 Short-term view: Past month Redding Sacramento San Francisco Fresno Los Angeles San Diego Long-term view: Past 3 years Redding Sacramento San Francisco Fresno Los Angeles San Diego 110 30% 50 70 90 150 200 300 400 Short-term view: Past month Long-term view: Past 3 years Redding Redding Sacramento Sacramento San Francisco San Francisco Fresno Fresno Los Angeles Los Angeles San Diego San Diego Source: PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University Note: Data from the past six months is preliminary. California has built its water infrastructure — reservoirs, wells and irrigation systems — in part to account for the imbalanced timing in precipitation. California has a naturally variable climate: Periods of drought are punctuated by periods of wetter weather. A chart shows average snow water equivalent levels for each water year from 2003 through Jan. 17, 2023. Atmospheric rivers don’t always bring more snow; storms can actually shrink the snowpack if precipitation falls as rain instead of snow at high elevations.

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☆ 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.

☆ BMW planning major investment in Mexico, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, Jan 13 (Reuters) - German carmaker BMW (BMWG.DE) is planning a new major investment in the central Mexican state of San Luis Potosi, where the company already has a plant, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Friday. "He already announced a very important investment which will be made in San Luis Potosi, by BMW." BMW, which operates three plants in Latin America, opened the billion-dollar San Luis Potosi site in 2019. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited Mexico in September. Lopez Obrador said on Thursday that he and Ebrard would travel to San Luis Potosi in February.

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.

Courtesy Roberto’s Taco Shop; LLC Courtesy Roberto’s Taco Shop; LLCMore than 70 variations have been reported across the Southwest states and the majority are owned by people who originate from the same region in Mexico that the Robledos are from. Courtesy Roberto’s Taco Shop; LLC"At first, that’s all they sold," said Reynaldo Robledo, 57, the 12th of the Robledo children. Courtesy Roberto’s Taco Shop; LLCThe restaurant initially had six combination plates and four burrito types. Outside a Roberto's Taco Shop in Nevada in 2014, when the family was in town for the gala celebration of Roberto’s 50th anniversary. Courtesy Roberto’s Taco Shop; LLCThe senior Robledo died in 1999 and Dolores died in 2020.

☆ 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.

☆ Independent union wins bargaining rights at 3M in central Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Daina Beth Solomon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Independent Mexican union La Liga has won the right to represent workers at a 3M Co (MMM.N) plant, authorities said on Monday, marking a second victory for the fledgling group at a pivotal moment for workers to take on entrenched interests. Workers at 3M's plant in the central city of San Luis Potosi, which makes everything from Post-It notes to N95 masks, voted in January to reject the collective contract negotiated by their long-established union, the Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM), opening the door to new representation. The union now has six months to negotiate a new contract, and aims to ensure salaries that keep up with Mexico's climbing inflation, Saucedo said. It has previously said it aims to offer competitive salaries and ensure job stability and will negotiate with the union chosen by workers. Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Fact Check-No evidence of widespread ballot 'harvesting' ahead of the U.S midterm election
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Stuffing ballot boxes, ballot harvesting, gerrymandering, and the lonist goes on and on,” reads a tweet. A Reuters Fact Check explainer exploring examples of how and why voter fraud is exceedingly rare in the U.S. ahead of the midterms can be seen (here). According to Minnite, experts agree there is no evidence of systematic voter fraud happening during absentee voting. They found 491 cases of absentee ballot fraud from 2000 to 2012, a time when 146 million Americans were registered to vote (news21.com/archive/), (here), (here). A Reuters fact check article previously found that the film does not provide verifiable evidence of voter fraud (here).

☆ 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.

☆ Argentina's replaces three ministers amid economic crisis, puts more women in power
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUENOS AIRES, 10 Oct (Reuters) - Argentine President Alberto Fernandez on Monday again reshuffled his Cabinet and appointed three women to lead the labor, social development and women's ministries, as a deep economic crisis has sparked weeks of protests. Ayelen Mazzina, current secretary of Women, Diversity and Equality of San Luis province, will take over as the new minister of Women, Gender and Diversity. She will replace Elizabeth Gomez Alcorta who resigned after opposing the eviction of a group of indigenous Mapuche women from land in the southern Patagonia region. The latest Cabinet changes come less than three months after the government reshuffled the economic ministries, naming Sergio Massa to be Argentina's economy "superminister" in an attempt to contain the worsening economic crisis. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Eliana Raszewski; Editing by Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 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.

☆ DeSantis and the GOP's myth of an 'open border'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Debu Gandhi | Debu Gandhi Is The Senior Director Of Immigration Policy At The Center For American Progress Action Fund. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

One would think that those perpetuating the “open border” myth would be eager to seize every opportunity to strengthen border security. This action — and similar ones orchestrated by other GOP governors — have also deliberately elevated the “open border” narrative, which falsely represents that unlawful immigrants are waltzing into the U.S. through a porous southern border in droves. Contrary to the “open border” myth, U.S. borders are guarded by a vast and well-funded national security agency that has grown far larger and more powerful in recent years. Nick Ut / Getty Images fileOne would think that those perpetuating the “open border” myth would be eager to seize every opportunity to strengthen border security. Characterizing the humanitarian challenge at the southern border as a solely U.S. “open border” problem also presents an inaccurate picture of the global forced displacement crisis.

☆ 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.

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