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.
M&T Bank rang the Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange Thursday morning as the company celebrated a milestone of opening 100 new multicultural banking centers. David Femi, head of multicultural banking, joined Cheddar to discuss the culturally inclusive expansion as part of the bank's overarching goal to increase financial access in racially and ethnically diverse communities. "By designating branches as multicultural is just one way for us to be intentional in making sure, that number one, when [customers] come into these branches, they see people that look like them, they see people that speak their language," he said.
A second Starbucks location in the U.S. has officially voted to unionize. On Monday, the National Labor Relations Board announced workers at the Starbucks store located in the Buffalo, NY suburb of Cheektowaga voted 15-9 in favor of being represented by Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union. The New York Times reports votes were tallied in December but remained inconclusive as the union challenged the ballots of several employees it said did not work at the store. A Starbucks spokesperson has said that it may appeal the labor board's decision, which comes as several other Starbucks stores across the country are also pushing to form a union. Danka Dragic, shift supervisor for the second Starbucks store in the country to unionize, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Technology-driven sustainable waste management platform, RoadRunner Recycling, recently raised a $70 million Series D round from BeyondNetZero, the climate investing venture of General Atlantic. RoadRunner says it creates and manages end-to-end waste and recycling solutions for businesses of all sizes and that its proprietary technology can boost cost savings and improve recycling rates for companies, which in turn drives sustainability for the waste industry and our world. RoadRunner Recycling founder and CEO Graham Rihn joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Apple TV+ is in serious talks for the rights to stream MLB games next season, the first foray into sports content for the platform, according to the New York Post. Lee Berke, president and CEO of LHB Sports, sat down with Cheddar to discuss how such a deal might impact the tech giant and the sports content industry. "Quite often with new media platforms one of the quickest ways to create and implement a programming strategy — and actually one of the most expensive ways — is to offer up sports content," Berke noted. "So, with this package available, it puts Apple literally in the game and gives them an opportunity to demonstrate their skills in offering up a major league sport."
A.I.-enabled fintech company Qraft Technologies recently closed a $146 million investment from SoftBank Group Corp.
The companies say they are entering a partnership to accelerate artificial intelligence in the asset management industry. Qraft has already developed A.I. solutions that have been used by major financial institutions and says its new approach to asset management maximizes investment efficiency. Qraft Technologies U.S. CEO Robert Nestor joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Peacock has announced a slate of original Olympic games documentaries set to premiere throughout January. The first series, 'Meddling' is now available to stream. The four-part docuseries details the 2002 winter Olympic scandal which alleged that the pairs figure skating competition had been fixed to favor Russia. Tara Lipinski, Olympic gold medalist, champion figure skater, and executive producer of ' Meddling,' joins Cheddar News discuss the series.
A decade ago, long before streaming services, the amount of binge-watching viewers could take part in was slim. Now, streaming services have established binge-watching as a viewing norm. However, how can viewers know when they've crossed the line from innocent entertainment to harmful addiction? Judy Grisel, professor of psychology at Bucknell University, joins Cheddar News to discuss a new study that identifies psychological predictors of problematic binge-watching.
Glassdoor has officially revealed its list of the best places to work in the year 2022. The top 10 on the list include tech companies and just one retail company. Senior economist at Glassdoor, Daniel Zhao, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Students in the Chicago Public School system will head back to class tomorrow at long last. The move comes after four days of canceled classes due to clashes between teachers and the city, including Chicago Mayor Laurie Lightfoot. National Educational Reporter at USA Today, Richard Erin, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
