Hackers Heat French Supermarket Fridges, Sparking Fires and Spoiling Food
Hackers raised the temperature of refrigerators and freezers at hundreds of French supermarkets to as high as 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight, causing fires and spoiling food. The Paris prosecutor’s office said Oct. 12 a “large-scale” attack was …

AI’s Water Strain Includes Surging Demand From Electricity Use
Data center developers have started touting new technologies that slash the amount of water needed to cool hot-running servers in drought-stressed places like Arizona. Those efforts, though, are not addressing the vast majority of the water consumed by the AI …

Friend of Suspected FBI Data Thief: ‘Crazy’ Teen Warned Not to Hack Bureau
A friend of the suspected thief of a massive cache of personal data from the FBI says he begged the teenager not to do it. Adem El Adeb, 19, told Reuters that he tried to convince Saif al-Din Khader last …

‘Unusual’ Isaias Brings Winds, Downed Trees But Fewer Claims Than Expected
Lots of trees and fences were down, with some roof damage to homes, businesses and vehicles, and flooding and tornadoes in parts of western North Carolina. But overall, the insured losses from Hurricane Isaias, which made landfall in the Florida …

Supervisor’s Punching of Employees Enough for Tort Suit, NC Appeals Court Says
The North Carolina Court of Appeals last week reinforced long-debated exceptions to the exclusive remedy of the workers’ compensation system in two high-profile cases that could prove costly for employers and insurers. In the first case, from Charlotte, the appeals …

Homebuyers in Wildfire-Prone Areas Get Better Mortgage Deals Online
As climate change increases the threat of destructive wildfires, traditional mortgage lenders are making it harder or more expensive to secure a home loan in fire-prone parts of California. Online lenders are behaving differently. Fintech lenders — companies that originate …

Contractor Faces $255K Fine for 20-Year Old Worker’s Death in Trench Collapse
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited a Pennsylvania excavation contractor for safety violations after a 20-year old Maryland worker was killed in a trench collapse. OSHA opened an investigation into Jonas David Wagoner and his J.D. …

Retiree Helps Track Down Pennsylvania’s Abandoned Oil Wells
Driving into Bradford, Barbara Laxon tells people to look out for the flare coming from the oil refinery running along the town. At 74, Laxon spends much of her free time taking people on tours to show the traces of …

MEMIC Group to Send $17 Million Dividend to Employers
Workers’ compensation insurer The MEMIC Group said it will distribute a $17 million dividend for more than 17,000 Maine policyholders. This annual dividend is calculated based on MEMIC’s financial performance, claims experience, and its policyholders’ record in maintaining safe workplaces …

PVC Pipes Swept Away by Helene Still Dominate Cleanup of NC River
They’re piled on river banks, lodged in uprooted trees, embedded in sediment and jammed under logs. Many are tangled in mounds of debris up to two stories high. Two years after Hurricane Helene leveled forests, bulldozed houses and filled western …