Latest news with #Bobcat
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bobcat Bonnie's Ferndale closing Monday
The Brief Bobcat Bonnie's in Ferndale is closing after Monday. This closure comes after the original Bobcat Bonnie's location in Detroit's Corktown closed in March. The local chain will have one location left in Lansing. FERNDALE, Mich. (FOX 2) - Bobcat Bonnie's Ferndale, the last Metro Detroit restaurant that remained of the local chain, is closing for good Monday. The restaurant, known for its brunch bloody Mary and mimosa bars, announced Sunday night that there would be one last day of service before the doors close. "Thank you Ferndale for truly changing so many of our lives. And thank you for changing mine- and building my confidence to be myself without wavering. It is so empowering to live in this community," owner Matthew Buskard wrote on Facebook. Bobcat Bonnie's will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday, or until the restaurant sells out, with drinks for only $5. Then, a liquidation sale will begin Tuesday. After Monday, only one Bobcat location remains - Lansing. It appears the Grand Rapids location, which has been in the process of moving, will not reopen. Dig deeper This closure comes after the original Bobcat Bonnie's location in Detroit's Corktown closed in March. The flagship closure also followed the closure of Bobcat's Partridge Creek, Ypsilanti, and Wyandotte locations. Bobcat Bonnie's Ypsilanti closed shortly after a group of several employees made allegations of bounced pay checks, and inconsistent scheduling. They called for a picket as they sought better working conditions, but canceled this picket after reaching an agreement with the owner. Ferndale's closure comes after the eatery reached out on social media last week, seeking a partnership to help bring change to the restaurant chain. "We would ideally like to find a partner who can come in, help us stabilize operations, allow us to handle what we are good at (in unit operations, customer service, building the business, getting our quality back, etc.) and they can handle all the financial stuff and bookkeeping (something we have always struggled at.)," Buskard wrote on social media. What's next In the post announcing the closure, Buskard wrote that another restaurant operator will be taking over the space. It is unclear when this will happen. The Source Previous FOX 2 stories and social media posts from Bobcat Bonnie's were used in this report.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Colorado cactus removed from endangered species list after nearly 50 years
DENVER (KDVR) — A cactus in Colorado is recovering, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service was able to take it off the endangered species list after it was considered a federally threatened species for nearly 50 years. The Colorado hookless cactus is a small, barrel-shaped cactus with pink flowers that bloom in late April and early May. It is usually found around the Gunnison River basins and canyons in western Colorado. While these cacti are usually found in Colorado — they thrive in semi-arid, high-elevation desert environments — there wasn't exactly a surplus in the state. Bobcat suprises deputies after sneaking into Ken Caryl home Since 1979, the service said it was federally listed as a threatened species. That is, until the service announced on Wednesday that it had removed the cactus from the federal list of endangered and threatened plants due to its recovery. The service said threats to the cactus were eliminated or reduced, and the species no longer meets the definition of a threatened or endangered species. Recent scientific data also shows the species is 'more abundant than previously known at the time of listing.' Fact or Myth? Common thunder and lightning phrases you may still believe 'This decision is based on the best available scientific and commercial information and reflects ongoing conservation efforts and improved scientific data on the species,' the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service said in a press release. The service said this is thanks to the help of the recovery partners, which include the Bureau of Land Management, the Colorado Natural Heritage Program and the Denver Botanic Gardens. While the species is no longer considered threatened or endangered, the service said it will continue to work with partners to monitor the species' long-term stability. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Edison will pay U.S. a record $82.5 million in Bobcat fire settlement
Southern California Edison has agreed to pay $82.5 million to cover costs and damages from the 2020 Bobcat fire in what federal officials are calling a record settlement for one of the largest blazes in Los Angeles County. Federal officials allege that the Bobcat fire, which burned more than 114,000 acres in 2020, ignited when trees that were not properly maintained by Southern California Edison and its tree maintenance contractor came into contact with power lines. Edison agreed to pay the settlement within 60 days of the effective date of the agreement, which was May 14, without admitting wrongdoing or fault. The utility did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. The U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles called it "the largest-ever wildfire cost recovery settlement" by the government in the Central District of California. 'This record settlement against Southern California Edison provides meaningful compensation to taxpayers for the extensive costs of fighting the Bobcat Fire and for the widespread damage to public lands,' U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli said in a news release. 'My office will continue to aggressively pursue recovery for suppression costs and environmental damages from any entity that causes harm to the public's forests and other precious national resources." The settlement comes as Edison seeks to raise customer rates by 10% in order to pay for wildfire mitigation and cover 'reasonable costs of its operations, facilities [and] infrastructure," according to the utility giant's request filing. It also comes just months after fire ravaged Pacific Palisades and Altadena. The California Public Utilities Commission is expected to make a decision this summer on the request. If approved, the rate hike would mean an $18 average increase in monthly electrical bills for Edison's 15 million customers. Read more: Edison's proposed rate hike angers L.A. wildfire survivors The federal government filed a lawsuit in September 2023 on behalf of the Forest Service against Edison and Utility Tree Service seeking damages in excess of $121 million for the cost of extinguishing the Bobcat fire and the resulting damage to property and natural resources. The fire, which began on Sept. 6, 2020, destroyed 87 homes, 83 other structures and 178 vehicles. An additional 28 homes were also damaged and at least six firefighters were injured while battling the fire. Federal officials said it also resulted in years of closure of more than 100 miles of trails and numerous campgrounds and had a harmful impact on habitats and wildlife, including to the "federally endangered wildlife-mountain yellow-legged frog, federally threatened fish and birds and irreplaceable cultural and heritage resources." 'These settlements are essential in restoring our landscapes after wildfires," acting U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Regional Forester Jason Kuiken said in the news release. Tony Martinez, deputy forest supervisor for the Angeles National Forest, said the resources would "help rehabilitate burned areas, restore wildlife habitats, and strengthen our forests' resilience to future wildfires." Edison's safety record declined last year, with the number of fires sparked by its equipment soaring to 178, from 90 the year before and 39% above the five-year average. In April, the chief executive of Southern California Edison's parent company said that the company was likely to suffer 'material losses' related to the deadly Eaton fire, which ignited on Jan. 7 and burned more than 14,000 acres in and around Altadena. Investigations into the cause of the fire are continuing and have not concluded that Edison's equipment sparked the blaze, Edison International Chief Executive Pedro Pizarro said during the company's first-quarter earnings call in April. Edison has previously acknowledged that it could be responsible for the blaze and said this month that a dormant power line might have been the cause. The Eaton fire killed 18 people and destroyed thousands of homes and other structures. Early estimates put the cost of damage at $10 billion, but experts said that number would grow. Times staff writer Caroline Petrow-Cohen contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
23-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Edison will pay government a record $82.5 million in Bobcat fire settlement
Southern California Edison has agreed to pay $82.5 million to cover costs and damages from the 2020 Bobcat fire, what federal officials are calling a record settlement for one of the largest blazes in Los Angeles County. Federal officials allege that the Bobcat fire, which burned more than 114,000 acres in 2020, ignited when trees that were not properly maintained by Southern California Edison and its tree maintenance contractor came into contact with power lines. Edison agreed to pay the settlement within 60 days of the effective date of the agreement, which was May 14, without admitting wrongdoing or fault. The utility did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. The U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles called it 'the largest-ever wildfire cost recovery settlement' by the government in the Central District of California. 'This record settlement against Southern California Edison provides meaningful compensation to taxpayers for the extensive costs of fighting the Bobcat Fire and for the widespread damage to public lands,' U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli said in a news release. 'My office will continue to aggressively pursue recovery for suppression costs and environmental damages from any entity that causes harm to the public's forests and other precious national resources.' The settlement comes as Edison seeks to raise customer rates by 10% in order to pay for wildfire mitigation and cover 'reasonable costs of its operations, facilities [and] infrastructure,' according to the utility giant's request filing. It also comes just months after fire ravaged Pacific Palisades and Altadena. The California Public Utilities Commission is expected to make a decision this summer on the request. If approved, the rate hike would mean an $18 average increase in monthly electrical bills for Edison's 15 million customers. The federal government filed a lawsuit in September 2023 on behalf of the Forest Service against Edison and Utility Tree Service seeking damages in excess of $121 million for the cost of extinguishing the Bobcat fire and the resulting damage to property and natural resources. The fire, which began on Sept. 6, 2020, destroyed 87 homes, 83 other structures and 178 vehicles. An additional 28 homes were also damaged and at least six firefighters were injured while battling the fire. Federal officials said it also resulted in years of closure of more than 100 miles of trails and numerous campgrounds and had a harmful impact on habitats and wildlife, including to the 'federally endangered wildlife-mountain yellow-legged frog, federally threatened fish and birds and irreplaceable cultural and heritage resources.' 'These settlements are essential in restoring our landscapes after wildfires,' acting U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Regional Forester Jason Kuiken said in the news release. Tony Martinez, deputy forest supervisor for the Angeles National Forest, said the resources would 'help rehabilitate burned areas, restore wildlife habitats, and strengthen our forests' resilience to future wildfires.' Edison's safety record declined last year, with the number of fires sparked by its equipment soaring to 178, from 90 the year before and 39% above the five-year average. In April, the chief executive of Southern California Edison's parent company said that the company was likely to suffer 'material losses' related to the deadly Eaton fire, which ignited on Jan. 7 and burned more than 14,000 acres in and around Altadena. Investigations into the cause of the fire are continuing and have not concluded that Edison's equipment sparked the blaze, Edison International Chief Executive Pedro Pizarro said during the company's first-quarter earnings call in April. Edison has previously acknowledged that it could be responsible for the blaze and said this month that a dormant power line might have been the cause. The Eaton fire killed 18 people and destroyed thousands of homes and other structures. Early estimates put the cost of damage at $10 billion, but experts said that number would grow. Times staff writer Caroline Petrow-Cohen contributed to this report.
Los Angeles Times
21-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Edison executives made false statements on wildfire risks, lawsuit claims
Edison International officers and directors misled the company's investors about the effectiveness of its efforts to reduce the risk of wildfire in the months and years before the devastating Eaton fire, a shareholder lawsuit claims. The lawsuit, filed last week in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, points to repeated statements that the utility made in federal regulatory reports that said it had reduced the risk of a catastrophic wildfire by more than 85% since 2018 by increasing equipment inspections, tree trimming and other work aimed at stopping fires. The complaint also raises doubts about news releases and other statements that Edison made soon after the start of Eaton fire, which killed 18 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in Altadena. 'We take all legal matters seriously,' said Jeff Monford, a spokesman for Edison. 'We will review this lawsuit and respond through the appropriate legal channels.' The lawsuit claims that Edison's early statements on the Eaton fire — in which it detailed why it believed its equipment was not involved in the fire's start — were wrong. 'Edison obfuscated the truth by making false and misleading statements concerning its role in the fire,' the lawsuit claims. More recently, Pedro Pizarro, the chief executive of Edison International, said the leading theory for the fire's start was the reenergization of an unused, decades-old transmission line in Eaton Canyon. The investigation by state and local fire investigators into the official cause of the deadly fire is continuing. The lawsuit was filed as a derivative action in which shareholders sue a company's officers and directors on behalf of the company, claiming they had breached their fiduciary duties. It seeks financial damages from Pizarro, Chief Financial Officer Maria Rigatti and members of the company's board of directors. Money recovered would go to the company. It also directs Edison 'to take all necessary actions' to reform its corporate governance procedures, comply with all laws and protect the company and its investors 'from a recurrence of the damaging events.' The lawsuit was brought by Charlotte Bark, a shareholder of Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison. 'Prior to the outbreak of the Eaton Fire, the Company had a long history of not prioritizing the safety of those who lived in the areas it serviced, and paying fines as a result,' the lawsuit states. Since 2000, it says, Edison has paid financial penalties of $1.3 billion for violating utility safety regulations. The complaint points to an October regulatory report that was the focus of a Times report. In the article, state regulators criticized some of Edison's wildfire mitigation efforts, including for falling behind in inspecting transmission lines in areas at high risk of fires. The lawsuit lists the major destructive wildfires that investigators said were sparked by Edison's equipment in recent years, including the Bobcat and Silverado fires in 2020, as well as the Coastal and Fairview fires in 2022. 'The recurring wildfire incidents connected to the Company display that the Board has repeatedly failed to mitigate a risk that materially threatens Edison,' the complaint states. The lawsuit accuses Pizarro, Rigatti and the company's board of directors of 'gross mismanagement' and claims that the defendants 'unjustly enriched' themselves. 'Because the Individual Defendants failed to carry out their respective duties, the compensation they received was excessive and undeserved,' the suit states. It asks the court for an order that would require the officers and directors to pay restitution, including returning the compensation they received that was tied to how well the company performed.
