Wednesday | June 19, 2013

AUDIO: Online startup says it can rescue brick-and-mortar florists

LOS ANGELES, 6/18/13 9:00pm

• Says it puts floral artists together with local customers

• “It brings a lot of transparency to buying flowers”

CalPERS health insurance rates may go up

SACRAMENTO, 6/18/13 9:00pm

• Increase to take effect Jan. 1, 2014

• “There will be more quality health coverage options”

Supply chain development workshop in Tracy

TRACY, 6/18/13 11:49am

• Two-hour seminar

• Morning of June 25

State of business ethics may be lower than you think

FARMINGTON, CONN., 6/18/13 11:35am

• More than a third employees think managers are unethical

• Ominous signs on the horizon

A buyer's guide to safer communication

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y., 6/18/13 11:27am , by Quinn Norton, Special to ProPublica

• Worried about who’s listening? Here may be some answers

• “Encryption works" -- Edward Snowden

Worried about the mass surveillance? How to practice safer communication

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y., 6/18/13 11:26am , by Quinn Norton, Special to ProPublica

• Tips and techniques for non-techies

• Technology taketh away privacy, but can giveth quite a bit of it back, too

Former Wine Tasting Network executive indicted

SAN FRANCISCO, 6/18/13 7:54am

• Accused in $900,000 fraud

• Being sought by the FBI

California home sales see decline, says report

TRUCKEE, 6/18/13 4:50am

• Drop in sales of distressed properties is cited

• “Banks foreclose more quickly on lower-end properties”

Feds crack down on Central Valley ID fraud mills

FRESNO, 6/17/13 9:00pm

• Guilty pleas and a sentencing

• “The distribution and sale of counterfeit documents poses a significant security vulnerability”

AUDIO: Encore career leaves him hungry but satisfied

LODI, 6/17/13 9:00pm

• Artist Joe Lee sees growing success

• “I’m a starving artist”

Bank of America lied to homeowners and rewarded foreclosures, former employees say

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y., 6/17/13 2:07pm , by Paul Kiel, ProPublica

• Bank denies it

• Cites “commitment to assisting customers who are at risk of foreclosure”

Restrictions lifted for Asian citrus psyllid in Tulare County

SACRAMENTO, 6/17/13 11:46am

• Extensive trapping fails to find more of the pest

• “Thanks to the responsiveness and cooperation of our farmers and their neighbors”

Lowe’s may buy Orchard Supply chain

SAN JOSE, 6/17/13 11:38am

• OSH declares Chapter 11 bankruptcy

• Acquisition might include 60 metro locations

Environmental groups sue to stop governor’s twin tunnels

SAN FRANCISCO, 6/17/13 10:55am

• Say Delta Plan fails to fix Delta’s problems

• “No serious benefit cost analysis was ever conducted”

• UPDATED with statement from Delta Stewardship Council

Attacks on rangers and federal land managers spike

WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/17/13 7:57am

• Violence directed at refuge mangers, U.S. Park Police

• “The saying ‘it’s not easy being green’ is becoming truer with each passing year”

Home builders’ confidence at seven-year high

WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/17/13 7:35am

• More than half are now optimistic about industry’s future

• “Builders are seeing better market conditions”

Top-level changes at Aerojet Rocketdyne

SACRAMENTO, 6/17/13 5:19am

• Warren Boley Jr. named president

• Jim Maser named VP for corporate strategy

VIDEO: A new take on nurse education

STOCKTON, 6/16/13 9:00pm

• University, city and developer team up for a unique approach

• “The future nurses we graduate here will be very, very good nurses”

AUDIO: Don’t trust anyone under thirty

KERRVILLE, TEXAS, 6/16/13 9:00pm

• Why you’re having trouble selling to Millennials

• “My way, right away, why pay”

Over a third of companies missed revenue goals last year

CHICAGO, ILL., 6/14/13 9:01pm

• Research suggests a common culprit

• “There is a disconnect”

Saturday News Briefs

STOCKTON, 6/14/13 9:00pm

• Lawyering up over water

• A state budget ahead of time? True

• And more….

California slipping in education attainment

INDIANAPOLIS, IND., 6/14/13 11:22am

• Will be unprepared for 21st Century’s economy

• “California clearly has a long way to go”

GenCorp completes acquisition of Rocketdyne

SACRAMENTO, 6/14/13 10:31am

• Seller is United Technologies

• Will be headquarters in Sacramento

Dimethyl ether to be tested as alternative fuel in Central Valley

BRAWLEY, 6/14/13 7:49am

• San Diego company gets $500,000 grant

• Would be used in Safeway trucks

California’s gasoline price drop may be over

LOS ANGELES, 6/14/13 3:59am

• Prices begin an upward creep in many areas

• “California prices continue to be lower this week than those of … other states”

Thousands of rare tricolored blackbirds saved in Central Valley

TULARE, 6/13/13 9:01pm

• Farmers and conservationists save 65,000

• “A nesting area … can mean everything to the success of thousands of birds”

Reclamation ups Friant Division water allocations

FRESNO, 6/13/13 9:01pm

• Class I to get 55 percent instead of 50

• Wetter early June helps

Feds OK start of construction of high-speed rail

WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/13/13 9:00pm

• First segments will be in Central Valley

• Approval for 65 miles of track

People in the News

STOCKTON, 6/13/13 9:00pm

• Bank names two assistant VPs

• Citizenship project picks a new executive director

• And more….

Lawsuit set to halt Delta Plan, governor’s water export tunnels

STOCKTON, 6/13/13 2:58pm

• Fishing, environmental, farming advocates to sue

• Groups say Bay Delta Conservation Plan falls short

Unpaid interns win major ruling in ‘Black Swan’ case

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y., 6/13/13 1:49pm , by Blair Hickman and Jeremy B. Merrill, ProPublica

• Now what for businesses – and students?

• “It should send a signal to colleges and universities”

Sales of California small businesses increase

DUBLIN , 6/13/13 1:36pm

• Up 11.7 percent in May over year earlier

• “In addition … the boost in sales reflects improvement in other sectors of the economy”

California would ban two companies from writing small business policies under Obamacare

SACRAMENTO, 6/13/13 12:02pm

• Insurance Commissioner says Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Cross of California should be excluded

• Says they have a pattern of excessive and unjustified premium increases

Asians fastest-growing race or ethnic group in U.S.

WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/13/13 11:37am

• California has largest numbers of Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans

• “Asians and Hispanics have long been among our nation’s fastest-growing race or ethnic groups”

State makes $18 Million in awards to expand hydrogen fueling stations

SACRAMENTO, 6/13/13 5:31am

• Will support emerging market for zero emission fuel cell vehicles

• Grants must be matched by funds from those getting the awards

Foreclosure starts increase nationwide

IRVINE, 6/12/13 9:08pm

• Starts were up 4 percent in May compared to April

• “Foreclosure activity continued to bounce back in some markets”

House OKs hedging changes involving public utilities

WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/12/13 9:01pm

• Congressman says it will protect consumers from sharp utility rate hikes

• “An unintended consequence has put them at risk of a spike in their electric bill”

Stockton reaches deal with retirees’ health benefits

STOCKTON, 6/12/13 9:01pm

• Settles what could have been hundreds of millions of dollars in benefits for $5.1 Million

• To become part of city’s exit from bankruptcy

State OKs a Billion dollars for highway work

SACRAMENTO, 6/12/13 9:00pm

• Central Valley gets less than a fifth of the total

• From a Stockton freeway extension to a bike map

Foreclosure rate in California falls for first time since January

TRUCKEE, 6/12/13 9:00pm

• Drops 10.2 percent statewide

• But several Central Valley counties see increases

Central Valley firm recalls salad

TRACY, 6/12/13 1:42pm

• Misbranding and undeclared allergen cited

• No illnesses reported

California getting over $1.8 Million for farmworker career training

WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/12/13 11:26am

• Goes to three Central Valley counties

• “Will open up new opportunities to find a long-term job”

Hello, summer! Goodbye, CEO!

CHICAGO, ILL., 6/12/13 7:35am

• Start of summer sees increased CEO exits

• “In this environment, no CEO is secure”

California employment in May shows rebound

ROSELAND, N.J., 6/12/13 7:23am

• But Texas leads in jobs growth

• “All nine U.S. Census Bureau Divisions recorded private sector job growth in May”

Central Valley sees some of nation’s strongest income growth

WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/12/13 6:45am

• Two metros make the nation’s Top Five

• Income growth in 2011 paced well ahead of 2010

Nearly 10 Million homes still underwater in U.S.

IRVINE, 6/12/13 5:22am

• But 850,000 finally bob above water in Q1

• “We expect the pent-up supply that falling negative equity releases will moderate price gains”

Sacramento security firm acquired

SACRAMENTO, 6/12/13 4:58am

• Topspin LBO buys LifeLine Security

• “LifeLine has historically generated a high level of recurring monthly revenue”

Many bosses have workers they’d like to see leave

CHICAGO, ILL., 6/12/13 4:42am

• The clues you’re on your way out

• “It’s important that workers be aware of such warning signs”