Missing Tally More Than Doubles in Deadliest Fire in California History
*By Chloe Aiello*
As of Friday afternoon, more than 600 people are still missing and almost 70 are dead as a result of ongoing fires that have ravaged parts of Northern and Southern California over the past week.
The toll of missing individuals from the Camp Fire soared after the Butte County Sheriff Department adjusted the count to reflect those reported missing during the height of the blaze. In a conference with reporters late Thursday [recorded by NBC](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/number-missing-doubles-northern-california-s-camp-fire-seven-more-n937006), Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said he suspects many on the list may have sought cover from the fire and don't even know they've been reported missing. He also said he expects the list to fluctuate as some are located and others are reported missing.
The list includes many elderly individuals in their 80s and 90s.
The Camp Fire has been deemed the most deadly and destructive fire in California's history. It's scorched 142,000 acres, destroyed more than 12,000 structures ーmany of them homesー and almost completely leveled the town of Paradise. It also accounts for a reported 66 of the 69 fire casualties reported, but those numbers are still shifting.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said it expects to have the Woolsey Fire fully contained by Monday and the Camp Fire contained by Nov. 30.
President Donald Trump is scheduled to travel to California on Saturday "to meet with individuals impacted by the wildfires." the White House said Thursday. The show of support signals a change in tone for the President, who over the weekend blamed the blaze on what he called "gross mismanagement of the forests," and threatened to revoke federal funding of certain departments.
His comments sparked backlash from [Californians, fellow politicians, and advocates of climate science.]( https://cheddar.com/videos/rep-elect-rouda-trump-should-lead-on-climate-change-instead-of-throwing-tweet-tantrums).
Meanwhile, the financial toll of the fire was also coming into focus.
Shares of Pacific Gas and Electric Company ($PCG) recovered more than 37 percent on Friday after a report that signaled a possible bailout of the company, which is California's leading utility provider.
Shares of the utility were thrashed this week over concerns its equipment would be found responsible for the igniting the Camp Fire. The utility revealed in a filing on Tuesday that it experienced an outage in Butte County, near the area where the fire is thought to have started ー and right around the same time. [In the filing,](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/75488/000114036118042983/form8k.htm
) the utility provider disclosed that "the Utility could be subject to significant liability in excess of insurance coverage" if its equipment is found to be at fault.
The head of a California utility regulator, however, said the company should not be allowed to enter bankruptcy when it may be on the hook for billions in liabilities, Bloomberg [reported](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-16/pg-e-soars-after-regulator-eases-concern-on-bankruptcy-risk).
“It’s not good policy to have utilities unable to finance the services and infrastructure the state of California needs,” California Public Utilities Commission's Michael Picker said. “They have to have stability and economic support to get the dollars they need right now.”
Picker later told [The San Francisco Chronicle](https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/California-regulator-lays-groundwork-for-PG-E-13397247.php) about a possible pathway to bailout which would rely on a relatively new state law to allow PG&E to pass along some costs to customers.
California's new composting law will affect what residents do in their kitchens. As of this week, Californians will have to recycle excess food in an effort to reduce emissions caused by food waste. Cities and counties will turn recycled food into compost or use it as a renewable energy source. California's new law is the largest mandatory residential food waste recycling program in the country. Rachel Wagoner, Director of the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery called the law 'the biggest change to trash' since recycling started in the 1980s. She joined Cheddar Climate to discuss.
Fast-casual restaurant chain Sweetgreen is rolling out its first salad subscription service called sweetpass as it looks to customers tackling new year weight loss and health goals. Members will receive up to 30 percent off of purchases.
Washington DC and the surrounding areas saw a record breaking snow storm Monday as a strong storm system works its way across the eastern U.S. The extreme weather event caused extensive damage in the greater Washington area, leaving thousands in the region without power. Jonathan Porter, Chief Meteorologist, AccuWeather, joined Wake Up with Cheddar to discuss the fierce storm.
Airlines canceled more than 3,000 flights on Monday over severe weather and crew shortages. The cancellations come on one of the busiest travel days of the holiday season, and is a continuation of the industry-wide disruption that started before Christmas. Thomas Pallini, Aviation Reporter for Insider joined Wake Up with Cheddar to discuss.
Millions of Americans with young children have relied on the child tax credit since the federal government began issuing checks in July 2021. The last round of payments was sent out just before the Christmas holiday — at the same time as the omicron variant surged. Leah Hamilton, associate professor of social work at Appalachian State University, joined Cheddar to discuss what the end to the tax credit means as the U.S. sees the end of many relief programs and its highest number of COVID cases since the start of the pandemic. "It'll become harder for families to meet their basic needs, increasing national childhood poverty rates and the proportion of families who have difficulty putting food on the table, maintaining stable housing, and paying their bills," Hamilton said. She also pointed to research that the credit as a long-term investment in children offsets claims that it contributes to macroeconomic impacts like inflation.
Several Silicon Valley insiders are being accused of contorting a 1990s-era tax break to avoid taxes on millions of dollars of investment profits. The tax break is known as the qualified small business stock exemption, and it allows early investors in certain companies to avoid half of the taxes on up to $10 million in capital gains. A piece recently published in the New York Times says venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz replicated the tax exemption by giving shares of companies to friends and family, who would otherwise face a 23.8% capital gains bill. The CEO of Roblox is also accused of replicating the tax break for his family members at least 12 times. Although the loophole known as 'stacking' is considered to be legal, the Times piece implies that the exemption has been manipulated for the ultra-wealthy to become more wealthy. Greycroft co-founder and Chairman Emeritus Alan Patricof joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
There is a new player in the mobile app stock trading space.
Zingeroo recently announced a funding round of $8.5 million. The company says it aims to bring 'friendly competition' to stock trading, by literally breaking trading down into daily and weekly competitions between friends. Zingeroo also says it hopes its new approach can make trading more accessible, educational, and social than ever before. Zingeroo co-founder and CEO Zoe Barry joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell for more.
