内容摘要：That left Chief Justice John Roberts appearing to hold the key vote, and suggests he went with the liberals to make the outcome 4-4.

That left Chief Justice John Roberts appearing to hold the key vote, and suggests he went with the liberals to make the outcome 4-4.

in Los Angeles burned, three 1-million gallon tanks that helped pressurize city hydrants in the Pacific Palisades ran dry as demand soared and burning pipes leaked water.Other times, helicopters just can’t access them. When winds are fierce, flying is nearly impossible; hurricane-force winds that supercharged the Los Angeles infernos initially grounded firefighting aircraft. When multiple helicopters respond to large blazes, they can’t all use the Heli-Hydrant. And smoke can make it hard to see it.

Portable water tanks can accomplish some of the things that Heli-Hydrants do, but can require time, people and equipment to set up.Glenn Chavez sets the distance for which a helicopter pilot can remotely turn on a Heli-Hydrant, a small, open tank that helicopters can rely on to get water faster for urban fires, Friday, April 11, 2025, in Cabazon, Calif. (AP Photo/Brittany Peterson)Glenn Chavez sets the distance for which a helicopter pilot can remotely turn on a Heli-Hydrant, a small, open tank that helicopters can rely on to get water faster for urban fires, Friday, April 11, 2025, in Cabazon, Calif. (AP Photo/Brittany Peterson)

Areas where wildland vegetation intersects with human development have always been vulnerable to fires, but more people are living in them today, and climate change is creating conditions that can make these regions drier and more flammable.Jake Wiley has seen intensifying wildfires devastate his community. Two blazes — in 2007 and 2017 — collectively scorched more than 400 structures in San Diego. The last one forced Wiley, now general manager for the Rainbow Municipal Water District, to evacuate.

That fire also prompted local agencies to install a Heli-Hydrant — and when the Garden Fire erupted in November, it played a big role helping firefighters protect homes.

“It seems like when you’ve seen the worst, you haven’t yet,” Wiley said. “Anything we can do helps.”Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies’ most recent quarterly outlook of home improvement projects that spending on home renovations will continue to increase this year, despite

Spending by homeowners on maintenance and home improvement projects increased 0.5% in the first quarter from a year earlier to $513 billion, according to the JCHS’ leading indicator of remodeling activity, or LIRA.It also forecasts annual increases from here that will drive spending to $526 billion by the first quarter of next year. That would represent a 2.5% increase from the first quarter of this year.

Rising home prices and signs of a solid economy have supported the outlook for higher spending on home improvement, but that could change if the housing market and economic outlook worsen, said Carlos Martín, director of the JCHS’ Remodeling Futures Program.“Building materials retail sales are strong, but we are seeing a significant downturn in the sales of existing homes and their median sales price since the last projection — both are known contributors to home improvements,” Martin said. “Broader economic turbulence like a recession, a worsening job market or higher inflation would almost certainly temper our expectations.”