Santa Ana Winds Rip Up West

But probers wonder how simple screw-up spread so far, so fast

(NEWSER) - Power company officials believe a worker moving a piece of monitoring equipment in an Arizona utility substation likely turned off the lights yesterday for a massive 6 million customers stretching through southern California and Mexico. "This was not a deliberate act. The employee was just switching out a piece of equipment that was problematic," said a spokesman for Arizona Public Service. Searing San Diego took the brunt of the shutdown: All flights from the city's airports were canceled and police stations switched to generators so they could answer emergency calls. Two nuclear generators went offline after power shut down and the US-Mexico border was plunged into darkness. More»

San Diego, parts of Mexico in the dark after grid failure

(NEWSER) - A massive power outage has left more than 1 million people in the dark in California, Arizona, and Mexico, reports AP . San Diego is especially hard hit. No definitive word yet on what triggered the problem about 4pm local time, but authorities made a point to rule out terrorism. "To my knowledge this is the first time we've lost an entire system," said an official with San Diego Gas & Electric. Temperatures were above 100 degrees in San Diego County at the time of the failure, which could mean a long, hot night for residents without air-conditioning. More»

Northeast, Midwest would lose seats if today's census was used

(NEWSER) - The South is gaining population and power at the expense of the Northeast and Midwest, according to Census Bureau estimates released yesterday. If House seats were distributed based on the estimates, which are believed to be a strong predictor of the 2010 census results, Texas would be the big winner, gaining three seats, with Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington each adding one. More»

Diminishing snowcap, shrinking reservoirs could 'wipe out' states

(NEWSER) - Officials out West are worried about water, the New York Times reports, and not just for the short-term. In what the Times calls the "other water problem" caused by global warming, snowcaps that feed the the Colorado River—which quenches the thirst of 30 million people in seven states—are at their lowest levels in 20 years. The "most optimistic" climate models suggest that 30% to 70% will be gone the second half of this century. More»

Forget that city stress—these getaway spas will have you relaxing in no time

(NEWSER) - The nine most delicious getaway spa experiences, from the readers of Condé Nast Traveler.

1. Mayflower Inn & Spa, Washington, Conn.
2. Lake Austin Spa Resort, Austin, Texas
3. Cal-A-Vie: Vista, Calif.