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Good morning. It’s Monday, Oct. 7.
Potent marijuana drives serious health consequences.
First salmon sighting marks milestone for Klamath River.
And Humboldt Bay is best place to retire in California.
As marijuana legalization has accelerated across the U.S., an explosion of the drug’s use and intensity has led to serious health problems for chronic users. Results from a 2022 drug use survey were especially alarming among young Americans, from ages 18 to 25: More than 4.5 million use the drug daily or near daily, and 81% of those users met the criteria for cannabis use disorder, meaning they continue to use the drug despite significant negative effects on their lives. The New York Times investigated the “unexpected problem in the rise of marijuana.”
In the latest sign of how dire the insurance crisis has grown, the California Association of Realtors has added an insurance contingency clause to its template for home sales. It allows buyers who can’t find insurance to take back their offer, even after it has been accepted. “It went from, ‘Well, this is not really a big deal,’ to ‘No one can get insurance,’” said Ernest Berghof, a Santa Rosa agent. “It wasn’t property-specific or location-specific. … It could be a house downtown, not in a fire zone of any kind, and simply no one is writing insurance.” S.F. Chronicle
State Farm projected that it could drop more than 1 million California policies by 2028. S.F. Chronicle
The Arkley Center for the Performing Arts is one of many historic buildings in Eureka. (Manuela Durson)
The Los Angeles Times rated 367 California cities based on their fitness for retirement using four factors: climate, health and wellness, recreation, and affordability. Two cities separated by only a few miles tied for the No. 1 spot: Eureka and Arcata, which both hug the shore of the North Coast’s Humboldt Bay. Both offer access to breathtaking nature and home prices that hover around $500,000. Another attribute that goes unmentioned: the cities are a wonderland of Victorian architecture, with hundreds of historically significant structures. L.A. Times
“Patriarch Grove, Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, California, 2021.” (Mitch Epstein)
For his latest project, “Old Growth,” the Massachusetts photographer Mitch Epstein set out to document the phenomenal resilience of the world’s most ancient woodlands. His visit to the bristlecone pines in the White Mountains of California was unforgettable, he said: “It’s impossible to describe the utter enchantment and otherworldliness of this landscape, with trees that have lived for thousands of years, in what seems like inhospitable set of circumstances.” Huck Magazine | Mitchepstein.net
The Klamath River is flowing free. (Gina Ferazzi/L.A. Times via Getty Images)
Scientists have detected what they believe is the first salmon in more than a century to have pushed up the Northern California’s Klamath River into waters once blocked by dams. The nonprofit California Trout said a sonar camera captured what was almost certainly a 2½-foot-long chinook salmon migrating upstream last Thursday after the recent removal of four hydroelectric dams along the 250-mile waterway. “This fish marks the beginning of the recovery for the fishes of the Klamath,” said Damon Goodman, a fish biologist. S.F. Chronicle
See before-and-after images of the now freely flowing Klamath. 👉 Lost Coast Outpost
Bay Area residents remain overwhelmingly dismayed by how things are going in the region, a new survey found. Among the findings of the poll, carried out by a partnership of the think tank Joint Venture Silicon Valley and the Bay Area News Group:
70% of respondents said the region’s quality of life had worsened over the past five years
53% said they can’t afford their monthly expenses and also save or invest
46% said they were likely to leave the Bay Area in the next few years
Mark Zuckerberg, left, in 2011, and last month. (Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images; David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Washington Post on the “bro-ification of Mark Zuckerberg”:
“He has abandoned his closet full of gray hoodies and fitted crewnecks for a style upgrade, showcasing gold chains, unruly curls, and ‘loud luxury’ wedding fits by Alexander McQueen. Zuckerberg acquired a sizable high-end watch collection seemingly overnight and a UFC featherweight physique carved from mixed martial arts matches, reflecting a more conventional masculinity ascendant in the tech world.”
Daniel Villaseñor, a civil engineering student at UC Berkeley, had been at the Cal campus since 11:30 p.m. Friday, hoping to be a part of ESPN’s “College GameDay” festivities the following day. On Saturday morning, a raffle ticket he bought was called. Villaseñor, who was operating on no sleep and a single donut, could win $75,000 if he kicked a 33-yard field goal. He missed, but host Pat McAfee gave him another chance — this time for $100,000. Villaseñor nailed it. The crowd went wild. KGO | NBC Bay Area
See Villaseñor’s epic kick. 👉 @PatMcAfeeShow
There’s a happy “hour” in Carmel where drinks sell for just 10 cents. But “Dime Time,” a decades-long tradition at Bud’s in the La Playa Hotel, includes some challenging rules: the only acceptable tender is the dime; the hour is actually 10 minutes; and while it occurs daily, the starting time depends entirely on the bartender’s whim. “I’ve gone to Bud’s probably 40 times and never got Dime Time,” one patron said. “It’s my white whale.” SFGATE
Antelope Valley residents attended a hearing on the placement of Christopher Hubbart on Oct. 1. (Christina House/L.A. Times via Getty Images
Antelope Valley — where the homes are affordable and spaced far apart — has been an enticing destination for correctional authorities looking to relocate former sex offenders. In 2014, the Antelope Valley Times labeled the region a “dumping ground for sex offenders,” counting 876 registered offenders in the area. Now a court is deliberating over whether to place Christopher Hubbart, also known as the “Pillowcase Rapist,” in the valley. Outraged locals have flooded the court with letters and petitions. L.A. Times
In 2019, Shanice Dyer, 17, killed Jose Flores Velazquez, 23, and Alfredo Carrera, 24, in South Los Angeles, targets chosen at random by the Crips street gang she belonged to. The two young men had a bright futures: Vasquez was an aspiring astrophysicist in UC Irvine, and Carrera was an expectant father. But L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón gave Dyer a second chance. She served less than four years in prison before being released last February. Now she’s been arrested again in connection with another homicide. L.A. Times
A jaguar cub was passed around for entertainment, investigators said. (U.S. District Court for the Central District of California)
It’s illegal to own big cats in California. But they still find their way here from places like Texas, where the laws on exotic pet ownership are liberal. In one disturbing case, a jaguar cub was passed among drug dealers in Riverside County who posed with the animal on social media. Then, six months after the jaguar was born, it was dumped outside a San Diego sanctuary, malnourished and shaking in fear. The Los Angeles Times showed how one mistreated animal’s story exemplifies the dark underbelly of the exotic pet trade.
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“}]] Good morning. It’s Monday, Oct. 7. Potent marijuana drives serious health consequences. First salmon sighting marks milestone for Klamath River. And Read More