Leads:
- An alleged arsonist faces a four-count indictment for starting multiple fires in Northern California. Gary Stephen Maynard was charged in August for setting fires in Siskiyou and Lassen counties. If convicted, Maynard could serve 20 years in prison. The 47-year old has a Ph.D. and lectured in criminal justice, social science, cults, and deviant behavior at Sonoma State University. He was under police investigation in July after a U.S. Forest official saw Maynard trying to dig his car out of a rut near what became known as the Cascade Fire. He's been in the main Sacramento County jail since his arrest.
- Sacramento will be one of the most expensive cities in the country to rent a vehicle this Thanksgiving. A FinanceBuzz study ranks Sacramento as the eighth most expensive city to rent a car for the upcoming four-day holiday weekend. Data Researcher Josh Koebert also points to the microchip shortage for holding up the auto industry supply chain. He says Thanksgiving vehicle rental prices in Sacramento will be $45more per day for cars, and for SUVs about $60 higher per day than the national average.
- Standardized testing will no longer be required for freshman admissions to the University of California. During yesterday's meeting of the university system's Board of Regents, members reportedly nixed proposals to find alternative standardized tests to replace the traditional SAT and ACT exams. Last year, officials with the statewide university system rejected the traditional college-admittance examinations, arguing that they are "biased against low-income students, disabled students, and (students of color)."
- More than 80% of California continues to languish under "extreme drought." This according to state and federal officials, who say drought conditions persist over much of the state despite near-record rains last month. According to one state source, as many as 37.3% million Californians are being impacted by the continuing drought. That figure reportedly corresponds to 95% of the state's population.
Extra Links:
- Bill Maher says both sides are trying to cancel him now and it's new.
- L.A. Times reporter Stacy Perman, author of the best-selling 2009 book “In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules” discusses the chain's battle over covid rules.
- Rep. Steve Scalise says Democrats want to snoop on bank accounts of people making over $10,000.