Ex-university instructor charged with setting 4 California fires

Earlier this month, a federal grand jury in Sacramento, California, indicted a former university instructor on charges related to an arson spree near the massive Dixie fire this summer.

Related: Tanker pilot dies in crash while fighting Colorado wildfire

The indictment charges Gary Stephen Maynard, 47, of San Jose, California, with setting four small fires over the course of two weeks in July and August. According to prosecutors, two of the blazes could have trapped firefighters battling the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ex-university-instructor-charged-with-setting-4-california-fires

BLAZE raises $8M, enables cashless transactions

BLAZE, an enterprise resource of legal cannabis vendors, has closed on its Series A funding round for $8 million. Delta Emerald Ventures led the round, which included a past investor, Act One Ventures, and new investor, SOJE Capital. The company has raised a total of $9.5 million since 2019.

“We’re thrilled to have such a great group of investors to help grow our platform and company to the next level,” said Chris Violas, co-founder and chief executive officer of BLAZE, in a release. “Cannabis...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/blaze-raises-8m-enables-cashless-transactions