LND topic: california-colorado-illinois page 1

Santa Rosa is turning a stretch of its main street into a living music venue. From August 14 to October 31, cars will be barred from a section of Ross Street so that local musicians and food trucks can take over the block. The idea grew out of a longer debate about closing part of Fourth Street, but

business

Job Cuts Shake Up Irvine Game Studio

Obsidian Entertainment, a game studio in Irvine, announced it will let go of 52 employees. The layoffs happen while the company is restructuring under Microsoft’s Xbox division. The announcement came from Jason Tucker, Obsidian’s HR director, who filed a notice with the state on July 6. He said t

Data Centers Spark Nationwide Protest Wave

HumansFirst, a grassroots group led by a former Tea Party figure, has organized the first nationwide protest against the fast‑growing data center industry. The movement will hit at least 125 sites across the U. S. on Saturday, aiming to voice anger over what it calls an “unaccountable” expansion tha

State Rankings: Who’s Really Winning the Move?

The yearly “America’s Top States for Business” list has added a new focus on what makes life good, and it now gives extra weight to a section called “Quality of Life. ” The idea is that after the pandemic, companies are following where people want to live instead of forcing workers to move. But the

health

Lettuce Link: Taco Bell’s Fresh Start After Parasite Alert

The CDC has warned that shredded iceberg lettuce sold at Taco Bell in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia may carry a parasite that causes severe diarrhea. The outbreak, which has already touched more than 30 states, is linked to a single lettuce supplier identified by the FDA. While

business

JBS Plant Shut‑Down: How Leaders and Workers Are Fighting Back

The JBS meat‑packing plant in Souderton, Pennsylvania, will close on August 14, taking about 1, 700 jobs with it. Workers from Montgomery, Bucks and Berks counties will feel the loss most acutely. State Rep. Donna Scheuren says officials are trying to keep the plant running by finding a new buyer

States Fight to Keep Their Truck License Power

A group called SBTC wants the federal government to remove New York and California’s authority to issue commercial driver licenses (CDLs). They argue that both states are not following federal safety rules. The main question is whether a law says the government must cancel a state’s license pr

Alameda County Moves Forward While Oakland School Plan Stalls