Page 4 - Complex Fire News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

The Smokehouse Creek Fire burning in the Texas Panhandle is much larger than the fire that burned 32,000 acres in Bastrop County.

"I'm a ratepayer and my rates are going to go up," said Board Chair Bruce Jaffe, also a candidate for 2nd District Santa Cruz County Supervisor, before the vote at the Capitola City Council chambers. "This is an investment in the future and I'm willing to do that."

The San Lorenzo Valley Water District Board of Directors announced Friday that in a 4-1 vote they have approved an increasing rate hike over the next five years for customers.

If approved by the board this month, the new rates would take effect March 1, with a four-year implementation schedule impacting customers within the district's service area of Aptos, La Selva Beach, Opal Cliffs, Rio Del Mar, Seascape, Soquel and parts of Capitola.

Besides physical effects, wildfire smoke can create economic anxiety, isolation, and despair. In rural areas, scientists see a link between smoke and higher suicide rates.