SACRAMENTO — Californians left in the dark by electric companies that shut off their power to prevent wildfires could get paid for things like lost wages or spoiled food under a bill being considered in the state Legislature. In a state plagued by catastrophic blazes started by strong winds knocking...
Starbucks, Home of the $4 Latte, Is Moving Into Poor Areas
DETROIT — Starbucks has a point to prove: There's more to the company than selling $4 lattes to rich people. The Seattle-based coffee giant that has cultivated a reputation for being socially responsible said Thursday it is expanding its effort to put more coffee shops — and create more jobs...
Latest Fire-Prevention Power Outage Ending in California
SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas & Electric expected to restore power Thursday to virtually all the 120,000 people it intentionally blacked out to avoid the risk of catastrophic wildfires. The nation’s largest utility cut the juice on Wednesday in 10 Northern and central California counties because of concerns that dry,...
Don't Let Try-Before-You-Buy Shopping Bust Your Budget
Services such as Stitch Fix and Amazon's Prime Wardrobe have put try-before-you-buy shopping on the map. The concept is simple: Shoppers get apparel, accessories or other goods delivered to try, which they can either send back or purchase. "For many customers who do not enjoy the hustle and bustle of...
Freebies Are the Key Hook in New 'Streaming Wars'
If you make it free, will they come? Apple, Disney and AT&T's WarnerMedia want to jump-start their challenges to Netflix by offering freebies and deep discounts on emerging streaming plans. That includes a free year of Apple TV Plus for customers of new Apple devices and a free year of...
Anger Rises as PG&E Imposes More Blackouts
SANTA ROSA — Frustration and anger mounted across Northern California as Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. began another round of fire-prevention blackouts Tuesday that could leave millions of people without electricity, some for five days or longer. The shut-offs, aimed at keeping windblown electrical equipment from sparking wildfires, came as...
California Braces for Possible Round 2 of Outages
SAN FRANCISCO — California’s largest utility said it will go ahead with widespread blackouts affecting nearly half a million people starting Wednesday as dangerous fire weather returns to California. Pacific Gas & Electric Company said it would begin precautionary power shutoffs Wednesday afternoon to nearly 180,000 homes and businesses in...
Google Affiliate Begins Drone Deliveries in Virginia Town
A Google affiliate has started using drones to deliver customers' Walgreens and FedEx purchases in a test being run in a Virginia town. Wing, which is owned by Google parent Alphabet, received federal approval earlier this year to make commercial deliveries by drone. It was the first drone company to receive the...
Newsom Wants PG&E to Pay Powerless Customers $100 Each
Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized PG&E for its performance during the largest planned power outage in California history to avoid wildfires and urged the utility to compensate affected customers with a bill credit or rebate worth $100 for residential customers or $250 for small businesses. Newsom said Monday that the shutoffs affected too many customers...
California Power Outages Ease, First Linked Death Reported
SAN FRANCISCO — The lights were back on Friday for many of the nearly 2 million Northern California residents who lost electricity when Pacific Gas & Electric switched it off this week in an effort to prevent wildfires, as the first death linked to the outages was reported — a...