There are many benefits to living in rural areas. But doing so comes with its own challenges. PG&E’s answer to the challenges of wildfires: Shut off power — a move that has hit rural areas the hardest.

The Urban Technology Lab aimed to offer businesses and academic institutions a space to develop their ideas, products and services with the goal of making Sacramento more tech savvy. Is the program making good on that promise?

Part of this month’s Innovation issue

When officials began taxing and regulating cannabis after voters approved it for recreational use, donations to compassionate cannabis programs fell sharply. Now the state is attempting to revive those services for low-income medicinal users.

Ten of the 20 most destructive wildfires in state history have occurred since 2015. These megafires fueled by hot, dry winds and climate change seemingly blanket every late summer with gray, smoky skies and a gnawing worry among Californians that the next one might take out their home.

Even though mental illness affects one in five adults – and depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide – secrecy and stigma around the issue continue.

Living in rural America certainly comes with a number of benefits, including less crime and a lower cost of living. But rural Americans also face disparity in health care, exacerbated in part by insurance carriers and the networks they put together for their consumers.

In August, Visit Sacramento became the latest entrant in the podcasting craze with a six-episode series dedicated to the farm-to-fork movement that has ingrained itself into the identity of California’s capital city.

Several public and private sector partnerships are helping to position the Capital Region as a leader in the new mobility revolution. 

Part of this month’s Innovation issue

Data breaches continue to grow in size, frequency and intensity. Company responses are typically inadequate, so now it’s time for government regulators to step in.

Physicians say the law’s constraints on what insurers now pay has given the companies an unfair advantage in negotiations with doctors, which is leading to major changes that may affect patients.