Latest news with #Fenn
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Utah commission chairman defends approval of Rocky Mountain Power 4.7% rate increase
The chairman of a commission that approves utility rate adjustments across the state says the board only awarded a portion of Rocky Mountain Power's proposed rate increase because some of the company's woes were 'the result of their own actions.' The board allowed the state's largest power provider to collect a revenue increase of $87.2 million, which amounts to a 3.8% to 4.7% increase for the average customer, late last month. Rocky Mountain Power, which initially requested a 30% rate increase before cutting it down to 18%, still has a few days left to request a rehearing before those changes go into effect. The decision largely had to do with an issue with Utahns paying for problems the provider and its parent company have had outside of the state, as well as a failure from the company to provide evidence of benefits with other projects tied to the proposal, said Jerry Fenn, chairman of the Utah Public Service Commission. 'Do we want Rocky Mountain Power to be successful and earn a reasonable rate of return on their investment? Yes, but we also want to protect ratepayers from what we think are unjust and (unreasonable) rate increases,' he said. Fenn defended the board's April 25 decision during a presentation to members of the Utah Legislature's Public Utilities, Energy and Technology Interim Committee on Wednesday. The committee requested an update on the situation, which drew plenty of attention last year, as well as ire from the Utah Legislature. Rocky Mountain Power officials explained that inflation, since its previous rate increase in 2020, has resulted in increased costs to fuel power plants and to purchase wholesale power rates. At the same time, they planned to use increases to help offset rising insurance rates and fund capital investment projects, such as completing a 400-mile transmission line into central Utah. 'We go out and spend money on behalf of customers to make investments to provide an essential service,' Rocky Mountain Power President Dick Garlish told lawmakers last year. Its initial request called for a revenue increase of $667.3 million, or a 30% rate increase spread out between 2025 and 2026. Gov. Spencer Cox and other state leaders were critical of the proposal. The governor called it 'completely unacceptable,' while representatives questioned how massive wildfire settlements made by Rocky Mountain Power's parent company, PacifiCorp, factored into the equation. Rocky Mountain Power also provides energy in Idaho and Wyoming, while PacifiCorp also has dealings in parts of California, Oregon and Washington. The company has paid over $1 billion in various wildfire-related settlements, many of which came from wildfires ignited by power lines in Oregon five years ago. Lawmakers argued that residents shouldn't be forced to pay for issues in other states. Rocky Mountain Power later reduced its revenue request to $393.7 million, which would have been an 18.1% rate increase in 2025 with no subsequent increase in 2026, following the early feedback. The request quickly became one of the more closely followed proposals to end up in front of the Public Service Commission, Fenn said on Wednesday. The board sifted through the arguments from both sides, as well as thousands of written or verbal public comments. Commissioners also held two public hearings on the matter, one of which was held in Cedar City, which is 'unusual' for the board, he pointed out. The board ultimately decided that the 18% request wasn't 'prudent' enough to pass along to the customer. 'At the end of the day, we concluded ... that Rocky Mountain Power's models provided a growth rate that was greater than the growth rate of the economy,' he said. 'We really didn't think you could grow greater than GDP (gross domestic product).' The board also believed it was 'unreasonable' for Utah customers to pay for company issues happening outside of Utah, such as wildfire settlements and capital projects in other states, Fenn added, referencing a class-action lawsuit in Oregon. A jury there found PacifiCorp liable for negligence tied to wildfires in 2020, the Statesman Journal reported in 2023. The company is appealing that ruling. What the commission ultimately approved is expected to result in a monthly increase of $4.31 for the average residential customer, who consumes 700 kilowatt-hours per month, or $3.31 per month for the average multifamily dwelling. Members of the legislative committee lauded the board for how it handled the process. 'I really appreciate you guys sticking up for us,' said Sen. David Hinkins, R-Orangeville. The company still has time to formally request a rehearing, which is required in the appeal process, Fenn said. He expects the request will be filed. He said the request must be filed by Sunday, but Rocky Mountain Power officials say it's Tuesday because of the weekend and the Monday holiday. Jonathan Whitesides, a spokesman for the company, declined to say whether it would request reconsideration, other than that a denied request could spark a judicial review with the Utah Supreme Court. He said earlier this month that the company was still reviewing its options. He added that the company was still 'committed' to wildfire mitigation, despite the lower rate increases. 'It's going to be a challenge, but we're going to continue forward with the projects we've got going on (and) operational practices,' he said on May 6.
Daily Mail
26-04-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Tycoon reveals tantalizing secrets to his treasure hunt that's seen $2m in GOLD and jewels hidden across US
In 2016, serial entrepreneur Jon Collins-Black set off for a five-week solo trip in the Rocky Mountains in search of a $3million fortune buried by the eccentric Vietnam veteran turned millionaire art dealer Forrest Fenn. Fenn's treasure hunt was sparked six years earlier when he published a cryptic poem in his autobiography, The Thrill of the Chase, which teased the location of a buried stash of gold in a secret location where Fenn had envisioned 'laying down to die'. Collins-Black was captivated, as were more than 350,000 other hunters, who ventured out in search of the riches, scouring rural lands from New Mexico to Montana, with at least five people losing their lives in the process. Fenn's hunt came to an end in 2020 when a 32-year-old medical student, Jack Steuf, discovered the trove somewhere in the Wyoming stretch of the Yellowstone National Park, months before Fenn's death. Collins-Black was devastated by the news of the discovery, but out of his disappointment came an idea. 'Going out in nature and searching for treasure like this was really captivating to me. It was such a cool experience,' he told 'When COVID happened… and we were in lockdown, we had a lot of time to sit around and think about our lives, and that's when I started thinking about what I wanted to do next. 'And when the Fenn treasure was found, I realized I could do something similar, but I could do it my way. 'I thought if I'm going to do this, I'm going to make it as grand as possible. I want to make it like a true National Treasure hunt that would really capture people's imaginations.' Promised treasure Collins-Black, a lifelong fantasy enthusiast, made his fortune selling a self-help website and investing in Bitcoin in the early 2010s, shortly before the cryptocurrency experienced a stratospheric boom. Financing the treasure for his own hunt was not a problem, but he dreamed of creating an experience that was more personal and accessible than Fenn's single chest quest, so he set to work to try and source a diverse collection of valuable relics that would appeal to hunters of all ages and interests. To do so, over 12 months, Collins-Black collaborated with historians and experts and attended auctions until he created what he believes is a perfect, one-of-a-kind collection. Collins-Black's treasure trove includes everything from typical pirates' booty, including ruby earrings, a golden chalice, shipwrecked antiques, and a huge Colombian emerald, to items of historical significance, such as a gold pendant crafted by Picasso, George Washington's jelly glass, Olympic gold medals, the autograph of Amelia Earhart, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's diamond sapphire brooch. To inspire younger adventure seekers to join the chase, a Michael Jordan rookie basketball card, a Casascius bitcoin (the first physical bitcoin ever made), and a series of rare Pokémon cards, including a near-mint shiny 2002 Charizard, are included among the assets. And for those who tried and failed to find Fenn's treasure, Collins-Black offers them a second chance. He purchased some of Fenn's treasure from Steuf, and there's one item in particular that Collins-Black believes Fenn fanatics are already fiending to find. 'One of the most interesting items is the olive jar that had Forrest Fenn's autobiography in it, and I'm the only other person who's opened it and read what's inside,' he said. 'I'm not telling what it says, but there are people who searched for the Fenn treasure who are really excited to find that, because they want to know what's inside.' In total, Collins-Black's bounty is estimated to be worth somewhere between $2million-$3million. The longer the treasure stays hidden, the more it will appreciate in value. Collins-Black believes his hunt is the largest in US history. To ensure as many prospective hunters have a chance of striking gold, he has divided the treasure into five boxes - one containing the 'lions share', and four smaller ones - across five US states. The clues to finding them are buried within the pages of his 243-page book, There's Treasure Inside, which was published in November. And the boxes that conceal the treasure are themselves puzzles and intricate works. Collins-Black came across a box at the Smithsonian museum called The Coffer by blacksmith Seth Gould, who had studied puzzle boxes in Japan. He commissioned Gould to build five boxes for his hunt, each one completely unique. Art of the hunt To protect the integrity of the hunt, Collins-Black worked with as few strategists and editors as possible to prevent hints being leaked to the public. So secret in the drafting of his grand adventure, Collins-Black said the location each chest isn't even known by his wife. 'It's just me,' he said. 'I didn't want anyone else to carry the burden of knowing, because I learned from the Forest Fenn treasure that there would be a spectrum of people that get a little excited, and some that maybe get a little crazy, so I didn't want my wife or any of my friends to be privy to anything. 'She was disappointed… but it was better it was just me.' An olive jar belonging to Fenn offers searches for his treasure a shot at redemption When deciding where the hide the boxes, Collins-Black began by scouring Google Maps and learning about the histories of prospective burial spots and studied their topographies. He then hiked around 100 miles on foot all around the country before deciding where to leave them. Everything a hunter needs to find the boxes is buried within the pages of his book, he said. Collins-Black shared that you don't need to be a genius to crack his cyphers, adding that some are more difficult than others. Crucially, one thing he wanted to improve upon on the Fenn search was safety. Between 2015 and 2020, five people were killed hunting for Fenn's fortune in the wilderness of the Rockies. On numerous occasions, calls were made for Fenn to cancel his hunt to prevent any more lives from being taken but he refused. In his preparation for his hunt, Collins-Black wanted to ensure that no dangerous stunts were required to reach his boxes, nor crossing any treacherous terrains or rivers. All of the boxes can be found within three miles of a public road, none of the chests are buried and all are located on public land. Explaining the decision, he shared: 'When Forrest created his hunt, he did it in private and… I don't think he realized how big it was going to get. 'And to get to his treasure, you had to cross the Madison River… and I've been there, it's a wide river and arguably very dangerous. 'So in my hunt, you don't need to go into water… they're not in dangerous places, you don't need to do anything dangerous to find them, you don't need to search for them in the cold. 'There might be some physical exercise involved, but safety is something that was very important to me when I was hiding these boxes.' That being said, with the amount of money on the line, Collins-Black conceded there's only so much he could do to protect the most excitable treasure hunters from themselves. He said he's already learned of one person, two weeks after the launch of his book, who jumped into a cold lake to swim to a nearby island and had to be rescued by another searcher. 'At the end of the day, people get excited… so I knew in making this treasure hunt there was nothing I could do to protect everyone from their own excitement. 'I can evangelize and write about safety and I hope and pray nobody gets injured or something worse, but I guess we are all human, and we're having a human experience, and there are factors that we can't control. 'I try to do my part, but people are going to do what they're going to do.' Nearing a breakthrough Almost six months into the hunt, Collins-Black said the reaction so far has been incredible. Searchers have flocked in their thousands to Discord servers, Reddit pages, and Facebook groups to share clues, document their searches, and debate the meaning of Collins-Black's coded messages. He has been monitoring the chatter and said it's incredible to watch the code cracking unfold in real time. The first printing run of books sold out within days, and sales figures have now exceeded the six-figure mark. As for how long he expects the search last, Collins-Black said he's unsure, though he hopes all five boxes are found within his lifetime. He declined to offer any explicit clues, though subtle hints may be found within his quotes in this story. Promisingly, he believes that one of the boxes is already close to being discovered - and could even be found by the end of the year. He shared: 'After the book came out there was this initial surge of people trying to get out there and find the treasure before the snow came, and there were a couple areas people descended upon that now the snow is thawing, it will be interesting to see if people descend on those areas again, or if they think the horizons have expanded. 'But I think at least one of the boxes might be found this year, just based on the sheer number of people involved and what I've seen. 'The treasures are like wine; they age with time. They become more mysterious as the more lure builds around them. 'I don't want it to take an extensively long amount of time, if it took five to 10 years, then I don't have a problem with that. 'But I think there could be a breakthrough soon.' Quest for fun For Collins-Black, unlike Fenn, his treasure search is not a legacy project and he has no plans for the hunt to outlive him. If the boxes aren't found within the decade, he may consider dropping more clues. But ultimately, his goal in all this, is to create an analogue adventure for those who seek to step away from their phones and laptops for a few hours or days at a time, and experience nature without the distractions of the modern world, while reveling in the shared experience of a quest for glory. 'In my book there's definitely a theme and a message of joy, and I've spoke about that, how every aspect of this has given me joy,' Collins-Black said. 'I love the fact that this is an analog adventure in an increasingly digital world… and it may be a cliché, but it's true: this hunt is about the journey, not the destination. 'This is about letting those childlike qualities of excitement and imagination percolate in the adult body and mind, and I would invite everyone to approach this with that in mind. 'I love the emails I get, and the pictures people send out looking with their kids, or their girlfriend, or their spouse - they're reconnecting. 'That's what this is about. If you find the treasures, great. But the experiences along the way are what you need to embrace. 'This is all about finding the fun.'
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Yahoo
More shop and barber raids to come, says inspector
A police inspector in charge of an operation investigating high street businesses acting as fronts for criminal activity has said there are more raids to come. Raids in Shrewsbury, Hereford and Worcester, were amongst 265 carried out across England and Wales as part of a crackdown on businesses - often Turkish-style barbers, vape shops and mini-marts - suspected of being fronts for international crime gangs. Det Insp Daniel Fenn of West Mercia Police said from the 33 warrants issued, four arrests for money laundering and immigration offences were made. He told BBC Radio Shropshire: "You shouldn't be worried about going into a barber shop because some of them are being run legally." "However, the signs to look out for are if a shop is always closed, are they being run at odd times, do you see quite a lot of activity during the night time hours, do they have very few customers but lots of workers in the shop, for example?" Small shops, barbers and vape stores are suspected of being fronts for illegal activity like human trafficking and money laundering as part of the National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation, known as Operation Machinize. The Shrewsbury raid was on a barber shop in the centre of town, one of five close together which were also targeted in the operation. West Mercia Police arrested one man for money laundering offences in relation to a raid on a barber shop in Worcester, while three others were arrested in Hereford and Worcester for immigration offences. Det Insp Fenn said police had seen many barber shops opening across the country, both in urban and rural areas. "That is not to say that all of them are run illegally but obviously with more and more popping up it raises questions," he said. He said while the raids resulted in organised crime being uncovered, police had to act quickly as offenders moved on. "We found the ones we did [raid] across the West Mercia area were linked, they are either linked through the same directorship or linked to other shops such as sweet shops or vape shops, so there are a wide span of businesses linked to either one person or intrinsically linked across a number of pieces." From the raids in Shropshire, West Mercia Police recovered £500,000 in illegal assets, linked to tobacco, illicit vapes and large amounts of cash stored in ways that were "indicative to money laundering." Det Insp Fenn said the money would now go back into West Mercia Police and the Home Office to continue to tackle organised crime across the country. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Police raid barbers and vape shops suspected of being fronts for crime gangs West Mercia Police National Crime Agency
BBC News
16-04-2025
- BBC News
West Mercia Police say more shop and barber raids to come
A police inspector in charge of an operation investigating high street businesses acting as fronts for criminal activity has said there are more raids to come. Raids in Shrewsbury, Hereford and Worcester, were amongst 265 carried out across England and Wales as part of a crackdown on businesses - often Turkish-style barbers, vape shops and mini-marts - suspected of being fronts for international crime Insp Daniel Fenn of West Mercia Police said from the 33 warrants issued, four arrests for money laundering and immigration offences were told BBC Radio Shropshire: "You shouldn't be worried about going into a barber shop because some of them are being run legally." "However, the signs to look out for are if a shop is always closed, are they being run at odd times, do you see quite a lot of activity during the night time hours, do they have very few customers but lots of workers in the shop, for example?" Small shops, barbers and vape stores are suspected of being fronts for illegal activity like human trafficking and money laundering as part of the National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation, known as Operation Shrewsbury raid was on a barber shop in the centre of town, one of five close together which were also targeted in the Mercia Police arrested one man for money laundering offences in relation to a raid on a barber shop in Worcester, while three others were arrested in Hereford and Worcester for immigration offences. Det Insp Fenn said police had seen many barber shops opening across the country, both in urban and rural areas."That is not to say that all of them are run illegally but obviously with more and more popping up it raises questions," he said. He said while the raids resulted in organised crime being uncovered, police had to act quickly as offenders moved on. "We found the ones we did [raid] across the West Mercia area were linked, they are either linked through the same directorship or linked to other shops such as sweet shops or vape shops, so there are a wide span of businesses linked to either one person or intrinsically linked across a number of pieces."From the raids in Shropshire, West Mercia Police recovered £500,000 in illegal assets, linked to tobacco, illicit vapes and large amounts of cash stored in ways that were "indicative to money laundering."Det Insp Fenn said the money would now go back into West Mercia Police and the Home Office to continue to tackle organised crime across the country. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
02-04-2025
- BBC News
West Mercia Police seize £500k in money laundering barbershop raids
Police have seized more than £500,000 from barbershops being used as fronts for money Mercia Police said it executed 33 warrants in Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire last was working in conjunction with Trading Standards, the immigration service, and HMRC."Whilst these businesses appeared legitimate, they were actually tools for criminals to hide illegal cash flow," said Det Insp Dan Fenn from the force's Economic Crime Unit (ECU). The action was taken as part of Operation Machinize, which targeted criminal gangs using barbershops as fronts for fraud, money laundering, and the sale of illicit seized more than £500,000 in illegal funds and £16,000 in cash.A total of seven people were arrested by police and immigration officers. "Organised crime groups are opportunistic and exploit legitimate businesses, such as barbershops, to hide their illegal cash flow," said Det Insp Fenn. "The high cash turnover of these businesses makes them ideal for disguising illicit activities."Our work during Operation Machinize sends a clear message to these crime networks: we will not tolerate criminal activity in our communities."He added that the ECU had seized more than £6m in criminal assets since April 2024. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
