North Carolina blackouts caused by shootings could last days
Tens of thousands of people are bracing for days without electricity in a North Carolina county where authorities say two power substations were shot up by one or more people with apparent criminal intent. Across Moore County southwest of Raleigh, businesses handed out free food or coffee and and often conducted transactions in cash. The county announced that schools would be closed for a second day Tuesday due to the lingering outages. Traffic lights were out around the county. Drivers treated intersections as four-way stops, which caused some traffic in places such as downtown Carthage.
Sale jumpstarts floating, offshore wind power in US waters
Tuesday marks the first-ever U.S. auction for leases to develop commercial-scale floating wind farms in the deep waters off the West Coast. The live, online auction for the five leases — three off California’s central coast and two off its northern coast — has attracted strong interest — 43 companies from around the world. It marks America’s first foray into floating wind turbines; auctions so far have been for ones that are anchored to the seafloor. The need for energy that does not put more carbon into the atmosphere is increasing as climate change takes a toll. Environmentalists and tribes say they want to make sure the offshore and coastal development is done right.
California eyes penalties for oil companies’ big profits
California could become the first state to fine big oil companies for making too much money. The proposal is a reaction to the oil industry’s supersized profits following a summer of record-high gas prices in the nation’s most populous state. Gov. Gavin Newsom and his Democratic allies in the state Legislature introduced the bill on Monday. But the proposal is missing key details. It does not say how much profit is too much or how much the fine would be for oil companies exceeding it. Newsom said those details would be sorted out after negotiations with the state Legislature.
Warnock claims momentum in Georgia, as Walker banks on election day turnout
On the final day before Georgia’s Senate runoff, Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock pleaded with supporters to vote “like it’s an emergency.” His Republican challenger, Herschel Walker, a former football star recruited into the race by former President Donald Trump, made a circuit of north Georgia counties he won easily a month ago, urging Republicans who have avoided early voting to hit the polls Tuesday. A Warnock victory would deliver Democrats a 51st vote in the Senate, but if Walker wins, Republicans would maintain joint control of Senate committees, and two centrist Democratic senators would have effective veto power over all Senate legislation.
Manhattan DA hires ex-Justice official to help lead Trump inquiry
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is hiring a former senior Justice Department official with a history of taking on Donald Trump and his family business as the office seeks to ramp up its investigation into the former president. Matthew Colangelo, who before he became a top official at the Justice Department led the New York attorney general’s civil inquiry into Trump, is likely to become one of the leaders of the office’s criminal inquiry into the former president. While working at the New York attorney general’s office, Colangelo led dozens of lawsuits against the Trump administration, including a successful challenge to the inclusion of a question about citizenship to the census in 2020.
Arizona certifies midterm results after GOP resistance
Arizona’s top officials signed papers to certify the results of the state’s midterm election on Monday, completing a normally routine task that had become troubled in a state where Republican activists and candidates have claimed without evidence that the election results were marred by problems. Two conservative counties initially delayed certifying their results but ultimately did so. In one case, in Cochise County, certification came only under order from a judge. Finally, at an event closed to the public but broadcast live, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat who won this year’s race for governor, signed documents to certify the results in all 15 counties.
Investigation into toxic legacy of huge mine to begin
An independent investigation will begin Tuesday into the environmental and human rights impact of an abandoned gold and copper mine in Papua New Guinea that residents say has been poisoning their water, flooding their lands and putting their livelihoods at risk. In 2020, 156 residents of Bougainville, an island in an autonomous region of the country, accused the mining giant Rio Tinto of human rights and environmental violations related to what they said was its failure to clean up millions of tons of waste at the mine, Panguna, which closed more than three decades ago.
By wire sources
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