California wildfires

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The Goats of Sacramento Are Back
The Goats of
Sacramento
Are Back
May 28, 2025 6:15 PM CDT

The Goats of Sacramento Are Back

Calif. county to spend $400K to let herds graze on dry vegetation that could serve as wildfire fuel

(Newser) - Goats are back on the job in Sacramento, California, called in once again to help head off potential wildfires as the region's temperatures rise. Under a program led by Sacramento County Regional Parks, thousands of goats and sheep are grazing their way through open areas to eat down...

Man Killed His Date, Started a Wildfire to Cover It

California's Victor Serriteno faces 73 years for woman's killing, deaths of 2 others in 2020 blaze

(Newser) - A California man who killed his date, then tried to conceal her body by setting a fire that would eventually kill another two people, now faces more than 70 years in state prison. Victor Serriteno, 33, of Vacaville pleaded no contest to three counts of murder and two courts of...

California to State Farm: Go Ahead and Increase Insurance Rates by 17%

Company is granted emergency rate increase for homeowners' insurance

(Newser) - California has approved the emergency rate hike State Farm requested for homeowners' insurance policies in the wake of this year's devastating Los Angeles wildfires. The company will be temporarily allowed to increase rates in the state by 17%, a move that comes on the heels of State Farm having...

Actor Osment: I'm 'Horrified' by My Behavior

He apologizes for slur after being hit with drug and disorderly conduct charges

(Newser) - The headlines just got a little worse for actor Haley Joel Osment. After his arrest earlier this month for alleged public intoxication at a California ski resort, the 37-year-old has been charged with possession of cocaine and disorderly conduct, reports People . But maybe more troubling: Police bodycam footage shows Osment...

In Altadena, a Race to Save Historic Tile From the Ruins

Fireplaces left standing often have tiles made by renowned craftsman Ernest Batchelder

(Newser) - Wildfires devastated the city of Altadena, California, and now an unusual—and painstaking—volunteer effort is underway to salvage a big part of Altadena's history: its craftsman tiles. A story at Dwell.com explains that when the city began growing in earnest in the early 1900s, new homeowners turned...

Burned Lots Selling Fast in California

They're being scooped up fast by developers in cash-only deals

(Newser) - This year's wildfires in Los Angeles County destroyed an estimated 12,000 homes, reports the New York Times . What now? One safe bet based on robust sales of vacant lots is that 12,000 new homes will go right back up, though many with different owners. Both the Los ...

Sad Ending for Firefighter Who Vanished After Boss Died

Remains of Carlos Baltazar found in San Bernardino County, 4 years after he disappeared

(Newser) - For more than four years, firefighter Carlos Baltazar has been missing, after a mysterious disappearance following the death of his fire chief. Now, remains found in October in a remote part of the San Bernardino Mountains have been identified as those of the 35-year-old. Per SFGate , Baltazar had been part...

Steve Carell Is Taking 800 LA Kids to the Prom

Actor combines with a charity to pony up tickets for students affected by California wildfires

(Newser) - A 62-year-old man taking any sort of interest in a high school prom might seem a little sketchy, but here we have Steve Carell offering to pony up for prom tickets for some 800 kids affected by the Los Angeles wildfires. As NBC News reports, the actor, working with a...

Former Los Angeles Fire Chief Appeals Controversial Firing

Mayor Karen Bass had placed blame on Kristin Crowley when she fired her

(Newser) - Former LAFD Fire Chief Kristin Crowley is appealing her termination at the hands of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Crowley alerted City Council members to her appeal Thursday, KTLA reports. Bass' decision has been controversial, with at least one councilmember speaking out against it. The LAFD declined to comment on...

Wildfires Force a Rethinking of What a 'Home' Looks Like

Some in California want fire-resistant structures like SuperAdobe dwellings

(Newser) - Lots of homeowners and developers are scrambling to rebuild as fast as possible after the catastrophic California wildfires. But the Los Angeles Times reports on an uptick in interest in a fundamentally different kind of dwelling—relatively simple fire-resistant structures built in a style known as SuperAdobe.
  • "Instead of
...

Disaster Victims Could Get Incentive to Move to Wisconsin

Republicans suggest $10K tax credit for people who lost homes to Hurricane Helene, California wildfires

(Newser) - People who lost their homes to Hurricane Helene or California wildfires could get a sizeable tax break to move to Wisconsin. Republican legislators in the Dairy State have proposed a bill that would give anyone who moves to Wisconsin from North Carolina or Los Angeles County because they were displaced...

Scientists Are Worried About Ocean Damage From LA Fires

Hazardous ash could affect marine life, enter food chain

(Newser) - As crews work to remove potentially hundreds of thousands of tons of hazardous materials from the Los Angeles wildfires, researchers and officials are trying to understand how the fires on land have impacted the sea. The Palisades and Eaton fires scorched thousands of homes, businesses, cars, and electronics, turning everyday...

FEMA: Here's Why We're Not Testing Soil After LA Wildfires

Federal agency says it's removing 6 inches of topsoil and that's good enough

(Newser) - The Federal Emergency Management Agency is defending its decision not to carry out soil testing amid cleanup efforts in the wake of the Los Angeles wildfires after backlash erupted. FEMA originally announced that six inches of topsoil would be removed from destroyed properties, but that no testing would be done...

First California Fire Sale Is Not Cheap

Altadena lot goes for $100K above asking in all-cash bid

(Newser) - Despite some residents' vow that "Altadena is not for sale," a burned-down property in the historically Black Los Angeles neighborhood devastated by the Eaton Fire has sold for more than half a million dollars. The 9,109-square-foot lot on West Calaveras Street, teased as a "great opportunity...

Egg Farm Makes Massive Donation to Wildfire Victims

California farm is working with food bank to give away hundreds of thousands of eggs

(Newser) - As consumers face skyrocketing egg prices and widespread shortages, a California farm is donating hundreds of thousands of fresh eggs to people affected by last month's devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The 100-year-old family-owned Rosemary Farm in Santa Maria said it's working with the Los Angeles...

State Farm Wants a Monster Rate Hike in California

After LA wildfires, insurer seeks emergency 22% rate increase

(Newser) - California's largest home insurer has some not-great news for homeowners. On Monday, State Farm General, which currently insures about a million homes in the state, said it was asking the California Department of Insurance to OK an emergency rate increase as a result of the recent Los Angeles wildfires,...

Private Firefighter: People Were Offering Me $1M

'I'm here filling a gap,' one tells Rolling Stone

(Newser) - In the midst of the Palisades Fire, Los Angeles real estate mogul Keith Wasserman tweeted an urgent plea for private firefighters to come to his home to protect it. "Will pay any amount," he wrote. The plea drew plenty of attention and scorn, but it also illustrated the...

Man Admits Flying Drone That Hit Firefighting Plane

Canadian 'Super Scooper' was hit while fighting Palisades Fire in Los Angeles

(Newser) - A California man has agreed to plead guilty to flying the drone that took an aircraft fighting the Palisades Fire out of action earlier this month. Prosecutors say Peter Tripp Akemann, 56, will plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft, KCAL reports. Akemann will...

How to Watch Concert for California Wildfire Relief

Benefit will take over two arenas in Los Angeles

(Newser) - More than two dozen artists will take over stages in two arenas in the Los Angeles area on Thursday night to raise money to help people affected by wildfires and, the organizers say, "prevent future fire disasters throughout Southern California." The fires killed 29 people and destroyed more...

Kelsey Grammer Is Furious at LA Officials Over Fires

The Frasier star is calling for accountability

(Newser) - Kelsey Grammer isn't holding back about the role he believes Los Angeles officials played in the the wildfires that devastated Southern California earlier this month. In an interview with Fox News , the 69-year-old Frasier star said he's "devastated" by the "human loss" and "loss of...

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