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 end of the year brings an opportunity for reflection, and for newsrooms big and small that takes the form of the annual tradition of recapping the best stories over the course of 52 weeks.

Mark Haney, the entrepreneur, angel investor, radio host and CEO of Rocklin-based HaneyBiz, says investors should look for startup founders who work well together and are committed to the product.

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

A growing movement of farmers is focused on agricultural practices that can mitigate or adapt to an uncertain future brought by climate change.

Part of this month’s Innovation issue

Operated by a local nonprofit, the Alchemist Microenterprise Academy is a business training course geared toward food entrepreneurs from underserved communities.

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

There’s always someone in the office counting the number of vacation days each person takes, which makes extra paid vacation days a tricky thing to offer.

The term “big data” is practically synonymous these days with the Big Bad Wolf. (Cambridge Analytica ring a bell?) But is big data really that big of a deal?

In California, where 90 percent of American strawberries are grown, the time is ripe for a faster, better way to pick them. That’s the idea behind Advanced Farm Technologies, a Davis-based startup that uses customized tools to lend farmers a helping robotic hand.