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SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire with a ferocity never seen by veteran California firefighters raced up and down canyon hillsides Wednesday, instantly incinerating homes and forcing thousands of people to flee, some running for their lives just ahead of the flames. A day after it ignited in brush left tinder-dry by years of drought, the blaze had spread ...

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico regulators have approved a power-supply plan for a proposed Facebook data center as the state vies with Utah to lure investments by the social media giant. The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a plan from investor-owned utility Public Service Co. of New Mexico that would use new solar ...

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe says he has contacted the White House and met with North Dakota’s senators in an effort to halt construction of a $3.8 billion, four-state oil pipeline. David Archambault II says he met Wednesday with North Dakota Sens. John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp to “express concerns” about the Dakota ...

The 2016 Chevrolet Volt is quicker, quieter, more fuel-efficient and goes farther — up to 53 miles — on all-electric power than its predecessor. The new gasoline-engine and electric-powered Volt also is restyled with a more mainstream look and has new features, such as options that let the car start charging only when off-peak electric rates apply. Plus, Chevy cut ...

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Utility crews are busy restoring electricity after a wave of thunderstorms roared across Pennsylvania. Utilities across the state reported more than 10,000 customers lost power, most of those in Pittsburgh and the surrounding counties. By mid-morning Wednesday, Duquesne Light Co. and West Penn Power were reporting about 3,000 customers still without power. Strong winds downed trees and ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Factory activity in New York slowed in early August for the second straight month, and manufacturers in the state cut jobs. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York said Monday that its Empire State manufacturing index dropped to a reading of minus 4.2, from 0.6 in July. Any reading above zero points to expansion. Even so, new ...

PINE RIDGE, S.D. (AP) — Oglala Sioux Tribe members are traveling from their reservation in southwest South Dakota to join a growing protest against the construction of a four-state oil pipeline. Donna Solomon is the tribe’s legislative liaison. She says at least two buses and several cars carrying tribal members will arrive Monday evening to the site of the protest ...

If you are interested in buying a home in the oil patch communities in western North Dakota, you’re not alone. Many people have ended up in this region due to the abundance of high-paying jobs in the Bakken formation, where jobs surrounding the oil and gas industry have dominated the economy over the past few years. When the boom first ...

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — An act of God is how some are describing it, a catastrophic 48-hour torrent of rain that sent thousands of people in Louisiana scrambling for safety and left many wondering how a region accustomed to hurricanes could get caught off guard so badly. At least six people have been killed and more than 20,000 have ...

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A flag desecration charge was dropped Monday for a man who protested a crude oil pipeline that crosses his property by hanging an American flag upside down at his home, online court records show. Homer Martz, 63, was charged Friday under a state law that makes it illegal to defile, cast contempt upon, satirize or ...