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Colorado State University, German company partner on cutting-edge fusion energy project

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:55:19 GMT

Colorado State University and a German technology company are teaming up on what is expected to be one of the most powerful laser facilities in the world and a major step in the quest to commercialize fusion energy, long seen as a potential source of carbon-free power.The $150 million project announced Monday will construct a research facility next to the school’s Advanced Beam Laboratory, built in 2013 on the CSU Foothills campus, west of the main campus in Fort Collins.“CSU already today has a leading laser facility out at the Foothill campus. It has been a pleasure to come here for two years and conduct experiments,” said Heike Freund, the chief operating officer at Marvel Fusion, based in Munich.The partnership is pending final authorization by the CSU System Board of Governors.There is “a hard deadline of July 1, 2026,” for completion of construction, said Grant Calhoun, director of CSU’s Office of Industry Research Contracting.“That fits Mar...

Dish Wireless just built a brand new cellular network. Now it needs customers — lots of them.

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:55:19 GMT

Dish Network, based in Englewood, pulled off what some observers thought it could never achieve. It built a state-of-the-art 5G cellular network reaching more than 240 million U.S. residents in three years for a fraction of what legacy wireless carriers have spent.As Herculean as building the country’s fourth-largest cellular network from scratch might sound, the company faces an even tougher task, one that could secure its future and support thousands of jobs in the metro area or bury it under a huge pile of unpaid debts and unfulfilled potential.In a brutally competitive market, Dish Wireless needs to find customers, as many as it can and as fast as it can, for its new network.“The technology is now in place.  A lot of people said it would be difficult and they figured out how to do it,” said Roy Chua, an industry analyst and principal at AvidThink in San Francisco. “Obviously, that is great, but it doesn’t matter unless you get subscribers.”From a te...

Pedestrian killed by semi-truck on SB 101 Freeway; lanes closed through Echo Park

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:55:19 GMT

A pedestrian was struck and killed on the 101 Freeway prompting lane closures through the Echo Park area of Los Angeles Tuesday morning.California Highway Patrol units responded to the incident around 3:45 a.m. on the southbound side of the freeway near Alvarado Street. First responders investigate a fatal crash on the 101 Freeway in the Echo Park area on Aug. 8, 2023. (KeyNews.TV)The pedestrian was apparently struck by a semi-truck but it was unclear why the person was on the freeway to begin with. The unidentified pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. Third suspect arrested in connection with murder of teen in Irvine The southbound side of the 101 Freeway was shut down at Silver Lake Boulevard due to the investigation. It was unclear how long the lanes would remain closed.

Facing more than 500 abuse lawsuits, San Francisco Archdiocese says bankruptcy ‘very likely’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:55:19 GMT

Facing a staggering stack of more than 500 lawsuits alleging long-ago child sexual abuse by clergy, the Archdiocese of San Francisco, one of Northern California’s oldest Roman Catholic institutions, says it will “very likely” join more than a dozen dioceses across the U.S., including Oakland and Santa Rosa, and file for bankruptcy.The lawsuits have come under a recent state law that made it easier to bring forward decades-old complaints. But this latest wave is five times what the archdiocese faced two decades ago when the state last relaxed limits on filing long-ago abuse claims. A bankruptcy filing would add to a dark chapter for an archdiocese established during the California Gold Rush that now serves 450,000 Roman Catholics in three Bay Area counties and once oversaw the faith throughout Northern California and beyond.“For several months now, with the assistance of our financial and legal advisors, we have been investigating the best options for managing...

49ers camp: Refresher on NFL gambling rules required for Las Vegas visit

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:55:19 GMT

SANTA CLARA – The 49ers are leaving for a five-night residency in Las Vegas before Sunday’s preseason opener. A gambling tip: Count on them to know the NFL’s increasingly enforced sports-betting policy.Stressing the NFL’s rules are a shrewd and necessary move, not just because of the “Vegas, baby, Vegas!” allure, but also with this year’s crackdown on betting violations.At what length have the 49ers informed their players and staff on the NFL’s gambling rules?“Definitely more than we have in the past,” coach Kyle Shanahan answered Monday. “We did it in OTAs (spring workouts), in the beginning of training camp, and we’re going to do it again tomorrow before we head down there (Tuesday after practice).”Of all the guidelines – set forth by a league that now counts casinos as sponsors — the simplest for the 49ers to follow is that players are not allowed inside a sportsbook, since the “season” officially began with last week’s ...

Silicon Valley electric vehicle tech maker Proterra files for bankruptcy

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:55:19 GMT

By Amelia Pollard | BloombergProterra Inc., which makes heavy-duty electric vehicle components like chargers and batteries, filed for bankruptcy on Monday.The Burlingame -based company listed assets and liabilities of at least $500 million each in a Chapter 11 petition in Delaware. The filing gives Proterra protection from creditors while it finds a way to repay them. Shares of the company fell as much as 65% in premarket trading on Tuesday.Proterra plans to either recapitalize its businesses or sell them off, according to a statement. The firm will continue operating as normal by using existing money to fund its business operations.Related ArticlesTechnology | Opinion: How California can fix its transmission lines bottleneck Technology | Tesla is under investigation again after 12 drivers complain of steering problems Technology | #VanLife gets electrified: Six places to rent electric camper vans around the globe Technology | ...

Opinion: How off-shore wind farms could solve California energy needs

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:55:19 GMT

Offshore wind could be the economic engine and energy solution California needs, but only if our state policymakers lead the way — and we’re running out of time to get it right.Last year California set its first offshore wind goal — 25 gigawatts by 2045, enough to power 25 million homes. That announcement was soon followed by the first federal Pacific offshore wind lease, and port investment announcements in Humboldt County and Long Beach that could support such development.While this is the boldest goal of any state, California should aim higher to fight climate change, bolster the electric grid and strengthen our economy.New research from Energy Innovation, GridLab and UC Berkeley shows smart state and federal policies could help install over 100 gigawatts’ worth of offshore wind farms along the West Coast by 2050, primarily off California’s shores. Thanks to Inflation Reduction Act tax incentives and falling technology prices, electricity costs from offshore wind turbines would b...

Group ends San Jose brutalist building case, focuses on “endangered 8”

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:55:19 GMT

SAN JOSE — A San Jose group has terminated its lengthy court fight over a downtown brutalist building and now hopes to rescue what it calls an “Endangered Eight” set of structures that include a neglected old church.The Preservation Action Council has decided to drop its legal challenges against the city of San Jose’s decision-making process that ultimately cleared the way for a developer to bulldoze the brutalist building at 199 Park Avenue.Demolition equipment is visible next to the “brutalist” bank building at 199 Park Avenue in downtown San Jose, November 2021. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)The group decided to terminate the legal fight after it lost a 3-0 state Court of Appeal ruling in April that upheld the procedures San Jose officials employed when they approved a big tech campus at CityView Plaza, a process that also enabled the removal of structures ahead of the development.“We have chosen not to pursue any further appeals...

Air horns and moving trucks: How Oakland residents are facing a surge in crime

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:55:19 GMT

By Kyung Lah and Chandelis Duster | CNNOakland  — After 60-year-old retiree David Schneider was shot and killed here while trimming a tree in his yard, his neighbor, Toni Bird, said she retreated indoors.“People aren’t feeling safe out of their house,” she said. “It makes sense that you would want to protect your house then, right? You would barricade it.”Amid a surge in crime in Oakland, police have advised residents to use air horns to alert neighbors to intruders and add security bars to their doors and windows.RELATED: Borenstein: Oakland crime surges way beyond San Jose and SF levelsBird, who moved to Oakland 2 1/2 years ago, said she took their advice to heart. She now has three air horns and five security cameras around her home.Toni Bird holds an air horn, which Oakland Police suggested could scare away criminals and alert her neighbors.(Kyung Lah/CNN) “The types of crime that we’re seeing feel much more violent and the consequences feel much more severe,” she said. “An...

Opinion: Shadowy land deals near Travis Air Force Base require scrutiny

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:55:19 GMT

When it comes to our state’s agricultural preservation and our nation’s security, knowing who owns and controls land is crucial.In just five short years, a mysterious corporation called Flannery Associates, based out of Delaware – where corporations don’t have to disclose their owners or officers – has spent nearly $1 billion acquiring 52,000 acres in Solano County, becoming the largest landowner in the county. This includes important agricultural land, open spaces and, most concerningly, land encircling Travis Air Force Base, the largest hub for our Air Mobility Command.Yet, despite the scale, strategic location and potential risk of these acquisitions, we know surprisingly little about Flannery Associates. Who are they? Do they represent foreign interests? What are their intentions for this land?We have some troubling clues. As a state water quality regulator, I helped put in place stringent monitoring and enforcement standards for the controversial application of biosolids – trea...