A Tennessee family wants to turn about 850 acres near the Hiwassee River into an energy campus that could host a data center; residents are raising concerns ahead of the first votes

A proposed industrial campus in Bradley County, Tennessee, is putting economic development, energy demand and environmental protection on a collision course. The Wright family, owners of Wright Brothers Construction, wants to rezone and annex about 850 acres west of Interstate 75 and north of Old Lower River Road, close to the Hiwassee River. Called Project…

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Palo Alto built San Francisco Bay’s first horizontal levee to reuse treated wastewater; the 500-foot living slope restores marsh habitat and tests defenses against sea-level rise

Palo Alto’s 500-foot living levee reuses treated wastewater to restore marsh habitat and fight seas (Image Credit: City of Palo Alto) A shoreline defence can be more than a wall. In Palo Alto, California, engineers have built a broad, gently sloping landscape designed to protect the coast while functioning like a living ecosystem. The project…

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Since 2000, Marc Benioff and his wife bought more than 600 acres in Hawaii worth nearly $100 million; they later donated 440 acres for affordable housing, starting with 43 homes

Benioff had been buying property in Hawaii for years, but his focus changed after the pandemic began (Bloomberg photo) Since 2000, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and his wife, Lynne Benioff, have bought more than 600 acres of land in Hawaii worth nearly $100 million. Much of the land is in and around Waimea, a rural…

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In 1936, Memphis built Overton Park Shell for $14,000; 18 years later Elvis played his first paid concert there, and 90 years on the stage is still hosting shows

A historic open-air stage in Memphis, Tennessee, built for just $14,000 during the Great Depression, is celebrating nine decades of live music with a major series of public concerts. The Overton Park Shell, built in 1936 as a Works Progress Administration project, became internationally known 18 years later when 19-year-old Elvis Presley performed his first…

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In 2023, Reed Hastings invested $100 million to become majority owner of Utah’s Powder Mountain; he is now spending another $200 million as the resort expands public and private skiing

Hastings became the controlling owner of Powder Mountain in 2023 after investing $100 million (Image Credit: Powder Haven) What happens when a Netflix co-founder turns his attention from streaming to skiing? For Reed Hastings, it has meant taking control of one of Utah’s largest ski areas and attempting to reshape how a mountain resort operates….

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Built in 1966, San Francisco’s Empress of China closed in 2016; 10 years later, a collaborative founded by six nonprofits returned it to community ownership and reopened its doors

San Francisco Empress of China San Francisco’s historic Empress of China building has returned to community ownership a decade after closing, following its purchase by a group formed by six leading Asian American non-profit organisations. The Chinatown Media and Arts Collaborative announced the purchase of the landmark six-storey property at 838 Grant Avenue, clearing the…

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In 2001, a Houston baby needed a liver transplant as US flights were grounded; strangers moved the organ 800 miles by C-130, and 25 years later she is in law school

Dr Goss with little Kareena after her successful surgery On September 11, 2001, while the US was dealing with the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, a six-month-old baby in Houston was fighting for her life. Kareena needed a liver transplant, but the donor organ was nearly 800 miles away in Nashville, and the civilian…

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In 1876, Los Angeles built the Perry House; 99 years later it was moved to Heritage Square for preservation, and at 150 its normally closed second floor opened to visitors

Los Angeles preservationists have marked a rare milestone as the historic Perry Mansion celebrated its 150th anniversary by opening its restricted second floor to the public. The grand Victorian residence, built in 1876, welcomed visitors to its normally off-limits upper rooms during an anniversary fundraising event. Organisers held the gathering to raise essential funds for…

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Cheyenne’s Twin Chimneys motor court stood for almost 90 years; this week its landmark chimneys fell in about 30 seconds to make way for a drive-thru coffee shop

The twin chimneys were saved until the end of the demolition. The Twin Chimneys Motor Court in Cheyenne, Wyoming, which once gave travellers a place to stay along the historic Lincoln Highway, has been demolished to make way for a 7 Brew Coffee drive-thru stand. Its distinctive twin stone chimneys, the last parts of the…

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US Republican governor candidate escapes plane crash, swims to safety after emergency lake landing

US Republican governor candidate Tom Tiffany. Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial candidate and US Congressman Tom Tiffany escaped with minor injuries after the small plane he was travelling in lost power and made an emergency landing in Lake Wausau on Saturday night.Tiffany said he was returning from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner when the four-seat…

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