Hundreds of Thousands Evacuated as Wildfires Spread in California

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency as two wildfires spread across the state, originating in wine country near San Francisco, and around Los Angeles in the southern portion of the state. Around 200,000 people have already evacuated, and thousands of buildings are at risk for fire damage. People are also dealing with bad air quality and school closures, while forecasters on Tuesday began to warn of powerful winds expected around L.A. on Wednesday and Thursday. The fires, part of a dozen burning in the state, were moved quickly because of the already high winds the state was dealing with. Newsom said that the state is responding as best they can. "We are deploying every resource available, and are coordinating with numerous agencies as we continue to respond to these fires. It is critical that people in evacuation zones heed the warnings from officials and first responders, and have the local and state resources they need as we fight these fires,” he said. In addition, about one million PG&E customers are without power, most of whom lost electricity because of preventative power shutoffs. "This (public safety power shutoff) action is based on forecasts of historic dry, hot and windy weather that poses a significant risk for damage and sparks on the electric system and rapid wildfire spread," PG&E said in a statement. Last year proved to be the most destructive fire season on record, in part due to fires caused by downed power lines, but some now fear that 2019 will be worse. With the massive evacuations required with this round of fires, many Californians are stranded. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office took to Twitter to remind people to take the evacuation seriously. "This is the largest evacuation that any of us at the Sheriff's Office can remember. Take care of each other,” they tweeted. More than 700 Airbnb hosts have opened their rental properties to those fleeing the fires in Northern California. The state has spent more than $4.7 billion from its emergency fund in the last 10 years fighting fires. [LAist; CNN; CBS News]

INVASIVE SPECIES | Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon launched a new initiative to come up with policy proposals to address the state’s invasive plant species. The group will consist of government officials, representatives from agricultural groups, and scientists.“Wyoming is faced with threats from multiple invasive species, both on land and in our waters. I have specifically asked these groups to address terrestrial plants and provide recommendations on how to take the first step towards tackling some of the toughest questions. Our best efforts should begin close to home,” Gordon said. Brian Mealor, a professor at the University of Wyoming and a member of the initiative, said that the impact of invasive species on ranchers can be particularly devastating, since they rely on native plant species for grazing. “Some of our really problematic weed species, you might lose 70% of your forage value when you have an infestation. So if you’re talking to a rancher and you say, ‘I’m going to take 70% of your ranch away,’ that’s going to have a big impact. It’s a really clear economic impact,” he said. [Wyoming Public Media; The Sheridan Press]

SUICIDE PREVENTION | Legislators in Wisconsin are considering a bill that would require schools to put the suicide prevention hotline number on all student ID cards. The bill was introduced following the suicide death of a 16-year-old student in July. One of the boy’s friends, Morgan Rose, testified in support of the bill in front of the legislature. "It’s so hard to see somebody who is so young and full of life and funny and happy to take an unexpected turn. I don’t want to lose any more of my friends to suicide if there’s anything we can do to prevent it,” she said. Robin Patrick, a parent in the school district where the student died, has worked to put the suicide prevention hotline number on ID cards for the current school uaer. “In some way it empowers you to heal from something traumatic and turn something good from something so horrible. I’m just a mom who cares about kids and I don’t want to see this happen again,” Patrick said. The bill was introduced by state Rep. Rob Stafsholt, who also sits on the state’s suicide prevention task force. Stafsholt said he has been working with schools to understand the impact of suicide on families. “This is not an issue that we can take lightly. Every year, citizens of all ages and backgrounds are taken from us much too soon,” he said. [WSAW; WMTV]

CHICAGO CRITICISM | In a visit to Chicago, President Trump said that the city is embarrassing the nation, calling it a more dangerous place than Afghanistan. He also criticized Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, who did not attend his speech at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference. “There is one person that’s not here today. I said, ‘Where is he, I want to talk to him.’ In fact, more than anyone else, this person should be here because maybe he could learn something,” he said. Johnson responded that there has been a 40% drop in gun violence since 2016, and double-digit declines in the rates of robberies, burglaries, and vehicle thefts. “Today the same police officers the president criticized for their inability to protect this city spent all day protecting him. The national narrative that Chicago is a city on fire is just simply not true,” he said. Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted out her criticism of the president. “It’s no surprise that @realDonaldTrump brought his insulting, ignorant buffoonery to Chicago. Luckily, in this city, we know the truth and we will not let anyone—no matter how high the office—denigrate who we are as a people or our status as a welcoming city,” she wrote. [WTTW; New York Post; Chicago Tribune]

SINKHOLE | A city bus in Pittsburgh fell partially into a 20-foot sinkhole earlier this week. A bus driver and one passenger were aboard, and neither suffered major injuries. The bus was at a red light when the sinkhole opened, and the rear end of the bus fell in, which the Port Authority said happened because the engine sits in the back of the bus, which means it is the heaviest part. Two cranes was called to remove the bus, and traffic was diverted for several hours. “The problem that we’re having is that we have to lift that Port Authority bus straight up, because we … have several gas lines involved and we don’t want to create any further problems than what we have now,” the Port Authority tweeted. “We are grateful … that no one was seriously injured,” they wrote in a follow-up. [Associated Press; CBS Pittsburgh]