Today’s News
Official: California must mull home ban in fire-prone areas
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s increasingly deadly and destructive wildfires have become so unpredictable that government officials should consider banning home construction in vulnerable areas, the state’s top firefighter says. Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Director Ken Pimlott will leave his job today after 30 years with the agency. In an interview with The Associated Press, he said government and citizens must act differently to protect lives and property from fires that now routinely threaten [...]
Dublin startup uses blockchain to create travelers checks
A Dublin-based startup company is using blockchain technology to create travelers checks for the digital age. The founders of TravelCash wanted to make payments easier when traveling abroad using a blockchain-based currency combined with a mobile payment and rewards system. “Imagine being on vacation at the beach in a foreign country and the issues you will encounter related to money,” said Will Gozzard, TravelCash co-founder and interim CEO, in an email to The Daily Reporter. [...]
Democrats focus on voting rights ahead of 2020 presidential primary
WASHINGTON — Democrats are trying to turn their most painful losses this year into a rallying cry they hope will electrify the 2020 presidential campaign: Every vote matters. Multiple potential contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination are elevating the issue of voting rights as they prepare to launch campaigns. They’re vowing to oppose Republican-backed efforts to require identification to vote, reinstate protections eliminated by a 2013 Supreme Court ruling and frequently highlight the necessity of [...]
Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources offers gift ideas for outdoorsy Buckeyes
From the stamp collector in the family to the neighbor who spends every spare moment outside, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources offers a number of gift options for people who want to give the gift of Ohio’s great outdoors. The state agency encourages Ohioans to consider a gift that invites loved ones to step away from their screens and spend time enjoying nature. The newest option of the unique gifts available from ODNR are [...]
Brands born on the internet embrace physical stores
SHORT HILLS, N.J. (AP) — Online retailers are getting physical. A growing number of brands born on the internet are now opening brick-and-mortar stores and moving into the suburban malls once considered doomed as more Americans shopped online. But they’re taking it even further by doubling-down on the tactile experience. Online mattress retailer Casper, for instance, is opening stores that allow customers to book naps and test out mattresses before buying. Indochino — the online [...]
‘Little League for esports’ hopes to organize youth gaming
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) — Christian Pineda plays a lot of video games, but he’s best at “Minecraft.” Hunched over a laptop in the front row of a half-full movie theater last month, the 13-year-old eagerly showed off why. “I basically know the controls like the back of my hand,” he said before turning his focus back to a tight match against a rival team from Boston. Christian claims to be shy at school, but [...]
Sting uses fake Amazon boxes, GPS to catch would-be thieves
The explosion in online shopping has led to porch pirates and stoop surfers swiping holiday packages from unsuspecting residents. The cops in one New Jersey city are trying to catch the thieves with some trickery of their own. Police in Jersey City, across the Hudson River from New York, are teaming up with Amazon to install doorbell cameras and plant dummy boxes with GPS tracking devices at homes around the city. They didn’t have to [...]
Ivanka, Kushner could profit from tax break they pushed
WASHINGTON — At an Oval Office gathering earlier this year, President Donald Trump began touting his administration’s new real estate investment program, which offers massive tax breaks to developers who invest in downtrodden American communities. He then turned to one of the plan’s strongest supporters. “Ivanka, would you like to say something?” Trump asked his daughter. “You’ve been pushing this very hard.” The Opportunity Zone program promoted by Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner [...]
Draining the swamp, clearing the burrows: Washington’s war on rats
WASHINGTON — Andre Pittman and Gregory Cornes are on a mission to rid Washington of opportunistic vermin. But their target isn’t corrupt officials or shady political fixers; it’s Rattus Norvegicus, the common Norway Rat. The nation’s capital is facing a spiraling rat infestation, fueled by mild winters and a human population boom. Washington’s government is struggling to keep pace, with the pest control department fielding a record number of calls. On one recent day, Pittman [...]
Polygamous group lets go of sprawling Arizona worship center
SALT LAKE CITY — A polygamous group based on the Utah-Arizona border is letting go of the sprawling building where its members worshipped, in the latest sign that the sect run by imprisoned leader Warren Jeffs is crumbling and losing control of the community it ruled for a century. The group known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or FLDS, now has nowhere to gather for worship services after the [...]
Legal News
Bill adopting state flag retirement protocol advances
The Ohio burgee — the Buckeye State’s distinctive state flag — soon may have an official retirement ceremony. A bill to adopt such a policy [...]
New legislative report on education, poverty offers recommendations
A legislative task force charged with taking a deep look at poverty’s impact on the education of Ohio’s children and any resultant achievement gap between [...]
Several fraternities and sororities sue Harvard over single-sex rule
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Several national fraternities and sororities sued Harvard University on Monday over a 2016 rule that discourages students from joining single-gender social [...]
Business News
General Motors fights government to retain tax credit for electric cars
WASHINGTON (AP) — General Motors is fighting to retain a valuable tax credit for electric vehicles as the nation’s largest automaker contends with the political [...]
Central Ohio entrepreneur nuts about his new buckeye product
Ohio is the heart of Geoffrey Lawson’s ecommerce business. “Legacy” is how the founder of Curio Cubes would describe his business in a single word. [...]
Columbus materials firm awarded Third Frontier grant
Columbus-based Agile Ultrasonics Corp. was awarded $100,000 in development grant funding for the purchase of additional ultrasonic equipment, according to an announcement from the Ohio [...]
Real Estate
Awaiting Amazon, two quiet real estate markets suddenly become white-hot
WASHINGTON — Amazon has just sparked a real estate frenzy to rival Cyber Monday. A three-bedroom condo with Manhattan views that had sat on the [...]
Clintonville office building approved for energy efficiency upgrades up to $950K
The Ohio Air Quality Development Authority approved financing for energy efficiency upgrades proposed for a 1960-era Clintonville office building situated along a busy stretch of [...]
Report: Columbus quickest market to recover from housing crisis
Central Ohio’s recovery from the housing bust was among the fastest of the 35 largest markets in the country. In Columbus, 88 percent of homes [...]
Politics
Feds to ease oil drilling controls protecting imperiled bird
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Trump administration moved forward Thursday with plans to ease restrictions on oil and natural gas drilling and other activities across [...]
Arizona agency wrestles with bias amid post-Arpaio overhaul
PHOENIX (AP) — Two years after defeating longtime metro Phoenix Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Paul Penzone is steadily making progress in carrying out a massive court-ordered [...]
California Democrats thank Trump for legislative majorities
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers began their new legislative session Monday with crushing Democratic supermajorities in both chambers to go with their sweep of [...]
