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2022's most memorable recalls: Are they still in your home?

January 1, 2023 Published by Fox News

Product recalls in the U.S. this year reportedly reached a 20-year high,

According to Sedgwick, a provider of technical and business information, at the end of September there were 1.22 billion units involved in recalls across the five sectors it tracked: automotive, consumer products, food and drink, medical devices and pharmaceutical.

That total surpasses the previous record of 1.20 billion set in 2018 – although the numbers then were for the whole year and the U.S. hit that milestone in just three quarters.

The first quarter, the report noted, experienced the highest number of units recalled in a single quarter over the past two decades.

ENOKI MUSHROOMS LINKED TO LISTERIA OUTBREAK IN TWO STATES: PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS

Compared to the quarterly averages in 2018 for recall events, the year-to-date numbers are lower this year for every sector except consumer products.

A Dec. 1 release from Sedgewick said that the overall rise had been driven primarily by increases in the average recall size for the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.

Here are some of the year’s most memorable recalls:

1. The infant formula crisis

Bottles of Similac baby formula from Abbott Laboratories are visible in a shipment box, in Lafayette, California, May 13, 2022. Shortages of baby formula were reported in early 2022.
(Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

In February, Abbott recalled three brands of baby formula after infants became sick.

Nearly a year after a nationwide shortage, parents are still not able to find formula on store shelves.

“We have been getting less powder, Nutramigen. So, whatever I have, I’m kind of like, can I just feed him less? But then it’s like, you can’t feed a child less because that’s not fair to them,” mother Ellie Johnston told FOX Business.

2. A Listeria outbreak tied to meats and cheeses

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned in November that one person had died and 13 others had been hospitalized due to a multistate listeria outbreak linked to deli meats and cheeses.

Seven of the 16 illnesses were found in New York, according to agency data.

U.S. health officials said at least one death was tied to an outbreak of listeria food poisoning associated with sliced deli meats and cheeses that sickened 16 people in six states, including 13 who were hospitalized.
(Elizabeth White/CDC via AP, File / AP Newsroom)

AS CONTAMINATED BEEF IS RECALLED, A REMINDER TO CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATORS TO KEEP OUT THE FAMILY SAFE

In October, several brands of brie and camembert cheeses made by Old Europe Cheese, Inc. were recalled over a listeria outbreak.

3. Blueberries could have elevated levels of lead

BrandStorm Inc. issued a voluntary recall in July for two lots of its Natierra Organic Freeze-Dried Blueberry pouches “because of the presence or potential presence of lead above the FDA’s recommended limits; per the serving size specified on the nutritional facts panel,” according to the recall.

4. Daily Harvest’s French Lentil + Leek Crumbles product

Meal service delivery company Daily Harvest temporarily discontinued its French Lentil + Leek Crumbles product in June after several customers posted online that they became severely ill and even went to the emergency room after consuming it.

Daily Harvest temporarily discontinued its French Lentil + Leek Crumbles product
(Daily-harvest.com)

“At this time, we have identified tara flour as the cause of the issue,” Daily Harvest CEO Rachel Drori said in a July blog post. “We have only used this ingredient in French Lentil + Leek Crumbles and we are no longer sourcing from this producer who does not provide any ingredients for our 140+ other items.”

5. Wall beds sold at Amazon, Costco recalled after woman crushed to death

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Nearly 130,000 wall beds that were on the market for about eight years were recalled in April after one fell on a 79-year-old woman in 2018 and killed her, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

The company also received 60 reported incidents “resulting in bruising and other injuries from the wall beds detaching and hitting consumers,” according to the recall.

Fox Business’ Kayla Bailey, Anders Hagstrom, Daniella Genovese and Reuters contributed to this report.

Julia Musto is a reporter for Fox News and Fox Business Digital.

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Colorado library closes due to meth contamination

January 1, 2023 Published by CNN

CNN
—

Boulder, Colorado, has closed its main public library due to methamphetamine contamination in the facility’s bathrooms and some seating areas, city officials say.

The library first closed on December 20 after “higher than acceptable methamphetamine levels were found in restroom air ducts,” according to a news release from the City of Boulder.

The city closed the library “out of an abundance of caution” and to conduct environmental testing, according to the release. Testing found meth residue inside airducts in the main library’s bathrooms. The testing was ordered based on “a spike in reports of individuals smoking in public restrooms over the past four weeks,” according to the release.

“This is truly a sad situation and represents the impact of a widespread epidemic in our country,” said library director David Farnan in the release. “The city is consulting with Boulder County Public Health officials and will take all steps necessary to prioritize safety. We are committed to transparency and appropriate remediation.”

Further testing confirmed that contamination was almost entirely limited to the public-facing bathrooms and “on the surfaces of the exhaust ducts in these enclosed spaces,” the city said in a December 28 news release.

In addition to contamination in the bathroom, there is also “a limited amount of surface contamination in a few discrete locations in highly trafficked seating areas in the south portion of the building,” according to the release.

The earliest the library could reopen to the public is January 3, according to the release. The city is still waiting on a final report from the environmental testing before city and health department officials will meet to discuss next steps. The city plans to release the exact test results within the next week, the release says. Several other library branches remain open.

The restrooms and seating areas affected will have to undergo “professional remediation” before they are made accessible to the public again, according to the release. The seating areas may be repurposed with furniture that can be cleaned regularly.

“It is not yet clear if, and when, public restrooms will be brought back,” the city said in the release.

Meth contamination usually occurs when individuals touch residue on surfaces directly, according to the release. The city noted that meth contamination regulations were developed particularly for contexts where continual exposure is likely, such as in buildings where people are manufacturing meth, not just using it.

“Episodic exposures, such as in public buildings, present much less threat to health,” the city said in the release.

2021 saw an increase in the number of deaths from methamphetamine usage in the United States, according to data from the CDC.

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A cardiologist shares the 4 worst foods for high cholesterol—and what she eats to keep her ‘heart healthy’

January 1, 2023 Published by CNBC News

Want to maintain a healthy heart and brain? Keep a close eye on your cholesterol numbers.

LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol builds up in the arteries and forms plaque, which blocks blood flow to the brain. HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol picks up the LDL and takes it to the liver to be processed.

The optimal levels vary from person to person, so always check with your doctor first.

As a cardiologist who treats patients with high cholesterol, I always try to use diet as medicine first. Here are the four worst foods for high cholesterol — and what I eat instead to keep my heart healthy:

1. Red meat

Yes, that includes burgers, ribs, steak and pork chops. If you don’t want to cut out red meat altogether, focus on small amounts of lean meat. And by small, I mean a portion size of up to three ounces — and eat red meat at most, once a week.

Remember that poultry also contains saturated fat, so avoiding red meat doesn’t necessarily mean you should load up on chicken.

As for meat alternatives, I’m generally skeptical about engineered foods. To me, plants were never meant to bleed.

What to eat instead: Think fish and shellfish. Shrimp may be high in cholesterol, but as long as you don’t douse it with butter, it will supply you with plenty of protein while leaving your blood cholesterol alone.

Some other delicious lean protein options are white-fleshed fish like tilapia, halibut, cod and bass.

2. Anything fried

Frying food typically ups the calorie count because saturated or trans fats and cholesterol are absorbed by the foods during the process.

What to eat instead: Bake potatoes, kale or broccoli to a crisp when you’re craving crunch. Or, you can invest in an air fryer, which uses much less fat.

3. Processed meat

The World Health Organization has classified processed meats such as bacon, hot dogs and salami as carcinogens. Processed meat is also loaded in sodium and saturated fat.

What to eat instead: Fake bacon is unlikely to satisfy your cravings for a BLT. My advice? Cut way back on these products and make them special occasion treats.

4. Baked goods

Mass-produced cookies, cakes and pastries are often dense in calories, low in nutrients, and contain large amounts of fat (especially saturated fats like butter and shortening) and sugar. All of these are big culprits of high cholesterol.

What to eat instead: Bake at home, and control the amount and type of fat and sugar you use.

Dr. Elizabeth Klodas is a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods. Trained at Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins, Dr. Klodas has published dozens of scientific articles throughout her career, authored a book for patients, “Slay the Giant: The Power of Prevention in Defeating Heart Disease,″ and served as founding editor-in-chief of Cardiosmart.org.

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Top Wall Street analysts like these stocks in 2023

January 1, 2023 Published by

US Top News and Analysis

In this article

MDBVZGOOGLPZZASTAA

Source: Papa Johns

We step into the new year with a largely unchanged macroeconomic backdrop and a recession waiting for us. However, investors can maintain a healthy portfolio if they keep a longer-term view, shutting out all the noise.

In that context, we kickstart 2023 with five stocks picked by Wall Street’s top analysts, according to TipRanks, a service that ranks analysts based on their past performance.

STAAR Surgical

Medical technology company STAAR Surgical (STAA) is benefiting from solid demand for refractive corrections (surgical corrections for eye conditions) across the world. Moreover, BTIG analyst Ryan Zimmerman believes that favorable demographic trends, including an aging population and a rising number of myopia cases, are also driving demand for STAAR’s products.

Earlier in December, the company announced that its president and chief executive officer, Caren Mason, is retiring by the end of the month. Mason will be succeeded by Thomas Frinzi, who has earlier served as head of Johnson & Johnson’s vision unit and president of Abbott Medical Optics. Zimmerman said the appointment of Frinzi can appease investors, thanks to having 40 years of experience in medical optics. (See Staar Surgical Hedge Fund Trading Activity on TipRanks)

The analyst is also upbeat about the demand environment for STAAR’s products across different time periods. “Next-gen lenses to new markets should drive near-term growth, while expanded indications, presbyopia, and cataract companion drive long-term growth,” noted Zimmerman, who reiterated a buy rating on the stock with a price target of $80.

Zimmerman ranks No. 861 among more than 8,000 analysts tracked on TipRanks. Moreover, 44% of his ratings have been profitable, with each rating generating 7.2% average returns.

Papa John’s

Quick-service pizza chain Papa John’s (PZZA) stock has depreciated significantly this year due to challenges in the U.K. and inflationary pressures, but its longer-term outlook remains resilient. BTIG analyst Peter Saleh noted that during these times when inflation is high and a recession is on the horizon, lower-income consumers are spending less on eating out. Therefore, Papa John’s value offerings like Papa Pairings are attracting new lower-income guests.

After surveying more than 1,000 Papa John’s customers, Saleh found that only a low-single-digit percentage of them find the menu prices too expensive, even after the company raised prices by 3-4 times in 2022. Encouraged by these trends, the analyst mildly raised his 4Q22 domestic same-store sales expectations. (See Papa John’s International Insider Trading Activity on TipRanks)

Saleh reiterated a buy rating on the stock with a price target of $100. “We believe new leadership has the right strategies in place to engineer a turnaround; these efforts have already translated into better operating efficiency, stronger franchisee alignment, and improved net unit growth, and we expect these will continue to build in 2022/23. We see several near- and long-term levers to drive shareholder value that have started to unfold and will allow Papa John’s to again outperform peers, leading to our Buy rating,” said Saleh.

Saleh has a 524th position among more than 8,000 analysts on TipRanks. Each of his 59% successful ratings has garnered an average return of 10.3%.

Alphabet

The next on our list is Monness Crespi Hardt analyst Brian White’s stock pick, Alphabet (GOOGL), which has proved to be more resilient than its peers in the digital ad market this year. Moreover, the company could mitigate impact on its business with the help of strong growth in Google Cloud.

White said as “a challenging year nears an end, but harrowing headwinds persist in 2023,” Alphabet has started to reduce its expenditures to be better prepared. (See Alphabet Class A Stock Chart on TipRanks)

“In our view, Alphabet is well positioned to capitalize on the long-term digital ad trend, participate in the shift of workloads to the cloud, and benefit from digital transformation,” said White, justifying his stance on Alphabet’s prospects for 2023. He reiterated a buy rating on the stock with a price target of $135.

The analyst noted that Alphabet has delivered 23% sales growth per annum and 27% operating profits over the last five years. Along with a dominant position in the search engine area with leadership in digital advertising, White believes that the stock should trade at a healthy premium to the technology sector in the long run.

White, a 5-star analyst on TipRanks, stands at No. 71 among more than 8,000 tracked analysts. Moreover, 62% of his ratings have been profitable, with each rating delivering an average return of 17.2%.

Verizon

Wireless and wireline communications services Verizon (VZ) is another name on our top-5 list this week. One of the picks of 5-star analyst Ivan Feinseth of Tigress Financial Partners, Verizon is well-positioned to gain from ongoing 5G wireless subscription growth as well as new growth opportunities in fiber and fixed broadband connectivity.

Feinseth expects that its “size advantage” and prospects in the rapid deployment of high-speed 5G connectivity in the U.S. should fuel further growth in wireless subscribers. (See Verizon Stock Investors sentiment on TipRanks)

Verizon boasts of a strong balance sheet and cash flow generating abilities that allow the company to invest in spectrum expansion and other growth initiatives. Moreover, a healthy financial position helps the company maintain a compelling dividend yield and consistent dividend hikes.

“VZ’s expected generation of $54.53 billion in Economic Operating Cash Flow (EBITDAR) over the near-term provides it with significant cash to fund its 5G high-speed network rollout, spectrum purchases, other growth initiatives, strategic acquisitions, and ongoing dividend increases,” said Feinseth, who holds the 283rd position among more than 8,000 analysts on TipRanks.

The analyst reiterated a buy rating and price target of $64 (adjusted lower from $68) on VZ stock.

Remarkably, 58% of Feinseth’s ratings have generated profits, and each rating has brought a 10.3% average return.

MongoDB

General purpose database platform provider MongoDB (MDB) is among Feinseth’s buy stocks that we think is a great addition to portfolios this week. Feinseth said that the company’s “industry-leading open-source database software structure” is attracting new customers.

Despite lowering his price target to $365 from $575, the company is well-poised to profit from gradual increase in enterprise IT spending when companies adopt MongoDB’s highly customizable and scalable Database as a Service, Feinseth said. (See MongoDB Website Traffic on TipRanks)

“The rapid acceleration of hosted and hybrid cloud migration is driving increasing demands for scalable, customizable, and developer-friendly database architectures that will continue to drive growth in MDB’s subscription-based revenue model. This will drive an ongoing acceleration in Business Performance trends, which will drive an increasing Return on Capital (ROC), leading to significant gains in Economic Profit and long-term shareholder value creation,” said Feinseth, justifying his stance on MDB stock.

NYPD searching for suspects wanted for string of armed robberies across NYC

January 1, 2023 Published by Fox News

The New York Police Department is searching for two suspects believed to be behind at least 17 armed robberies across the city, with some of them reported violent.

The first incident happened on Nov. 4, with the most recent occurring around two weeks ago on Dec. 18, according to a news release.

Most of the attacks involve a similar pattern where a vehicle drives up next to the victim(s) before the armed suspects get out, threaten and sometimes beat the victims before stealing items such as cell phones, jewelry and cash.

Both suspects are described as men with slim builds. One was last seen wearing a black ski mask, a black hooded sweatshirt, black jeans and black sneakers. The other was last seen wearing a white hooded sweatshirt and black sweatpants with a white stripe down the side of the pant legs.

MULTIPLE NYPD OFFICERS STABBED WITH MACHETE NEAR TIMES SQUARE

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Anyone with information in regard to these incidents is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or on Twitter @NYPDTips.

All calls are strictly confidential.

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Joy Behar pays tribute to ‘The View’ founder Barbara Walters: ‘She had a work ethic you couldn’t deny’

January 1, 2023 Published by

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News

“The View” co-host Joy Behar called into “Good Morning America” on Saturday to pay tribute to Barbara Walters, a pioneer for women in broadcasting who died last week at age 93.

Walters, a journalism icon who created “The View” in 1997, wanted to bring women from different backgrounds and perspectives together to discuss the hot topics of the day. “The View” was born from that idea, and Behar has been a mainstay for much of the show’s 26-year run. After a montage of their time sharing the screen, Behar explained that the press wasn’t always privy to the more playful side of Walters.

“She could have a laugh, have fun, told a good dirty joke, you know she was a lot of fun,” Behar said.

BARBARA WALTERS, JOURNALISTIC PIONEER, DEAD AT 93

“I went to her house a lot of times for dinner, she always had an array of the brilliant people of our time at the table, and she would always include me and my husband as if we were part of that particular group of people, which we were not,” Behar continued. “We were not friends with them, we were friends with her. She was always very cordial and lovely to me.”

Behar, an original cast member of “The View,” said she and Walters were “pals” and used to share endless laughs both on and off-camera. The fiery redhead never thought she’d involve herself with a daytime talk show until Walters, who discovered Behar by catching one of her comedy acts, came along.

BARBARA WALTERS LEFT BEHIND MESSAGES ABOUT HER ‘SENSE OF ISOLATION’ AS A CHILD — AND WHAT DROVE HER SUCCESS

“I took the job at a time when my career could have gone in the direction of acting and the sitcom world, because I was doing a lot of years of standup and there are certain ways that you can go from that and a talk show came along and I said, ‘Daytime talk show? I don’t know about that, it doesn’t seem to be my cup of tea,’” Behar said. “This was different and it had Barbara at the helm, and that’s when I decided I’ll take the job because if she was in charge of it, it would be a smart show.”

BARBARA WALTERS HONORED WITH ‘THIS IS 2020’ TRIBUTE VIDEO FEATURING STAR CAMEOS

Behar said Walters wouldn’t have done a “dumb show,” so the daytime gabfest was sure to be a success. Along the way, the former standup comic learned the TV broadcasting business by watching Walters lead by example.

“She’s very much the role model for a lot of people in showbiz and the news world for sure,” Behar said. “She had a work ethic you couldn’t deny. She was always prepared, she was always working on her material. She never went out there and didn’t know what she was doing. That was an important thing to learn.”

Fox News’ Brie Stimson contributed to this report.

Go Woke, Go Broke? Liberal movies, books, TV that bombed in 2022

January 1, 2023 Published by Fox News

A swath of films, books and other media projects with far-left messages failed with audiences and consumers this year, according to box office numbers and sales.

Disney’s first animated film with an openly LGBT character “Strange World,” tanked at the box office last month. The film had a whopping $180 million budget but only took in $24 million when it opened during the Thanksgiving holiday week, according to Variety. Pixar’s latest installment in the popular Toy Story franchise, “Lightyear,” failed to meet expectations, earning $51 million at the box office. The family-friendly series owned by Disney attracted headlines for having a same-sex kiss.

“Lightyear” debuted to $51 million last summer, falling short of the $70 million minimum it was expected to earn.
(AP Newsroom)

Another film focused on LGBT characters, “Bros,” didn’t move the needle at the box office, either. Star Billy Eichner furiously warned “homophobes” on Twitter to not come see the movie. It grossed $14.8 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. The New York Times suggested “homophobia” could be the reason the gay romantic comedy was unsuccessful.

Movies with overtly political themes like the star-studded “Amsterdam” also failed to attract audiences this year. The film about friends who uncover a plot to overthrow the government, featured Robert De Niro’s character giving a “thinly veiled speech telling off Trump.”

Actor Robert DeNiro, a frequent Trump critic, stars
(Reuters)

OSCAR FILMS TANK AT BOX OFFICE BECAUSE THEY’RE ‘MISERY AND DEGRADATION’ SCHOLAR SAYS: ‘GIVE US A LAUGH OR TWO

One critic even argued “Amsterdam” was a result of the director’s distaste for Trump.

“Clearly, David O. Russell is another creative who saw Trump become the President, lost his mind, and then gathered as many celebrities as he could to defend one of the most agreeable stances in the history of the world: that hate is bad and kindness is good. It’s the kind of lukewarm, on-the-nose take that elicited audible groans throughout the theater,” Josh Rosenberg wrote for Esquire.

It opened to a mere $6 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

Media projects by far-left figures also didn’t seem to resonate with Americans.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.’s climate change documentary tanked at the box office.
(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s, N.Y., climate change documentary “To the End” was a big flop, earning just $80 per theater in ticket sales.

HARRIS FAULKNER DISCUSSES HER NEW FAITH-BASED BOOK IN LIGHT OF CHRISTMAS CONTROVERSIES

Journalist Jemele Hill’s memoir “Uphill,” also had a rock start, selling only a little over 5,000 copies since it debuted in October, according to publisher data reported by OutKick Sports’ Bobby Burack.

Sports journalist Jemele Hill accepts the William C. Rhoden Sports Media Award at the Advancement of Blacks in Sports (ABIS) Champions and Legends Awards at Resorts World Las Vegas on May 28, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Comedian Jon Stewart’s new Apple TV+ streaming show and podcast called “The Problem with Jon Stewart” was also a “flop,” according to several reports. By the show’s fifth episode in March, viewership went down 78%, according to Bloomberg.

Stewart’s show has been criticized for its “super-woke” takes on race. In an April episode, he claimed that achieving the American Dream for Blacks was “a fallacy.”

In April, reports called Jon Stewart’s new show a “flop” because of drastically declining viewership.
(Apple TV+)

FIRST EMMYS FOR CHILDREN HEAVILY FOCUSED ON LGBT CONTENT, ‘WOKE’ SHOWS AIMED AT KIDS

Trevor Noah, who took over the Comedy Central show after Stewart left in 2015, announced he was also leaving the show. Noah failed to average even 400,000 viewers in recent months, compared to Stewart’s 2.5 million in 2013. Fox News contributor Joe Concha called the show a “profound disaster.”

Christian Toto, editor of HollywoodinToto.com, said entertainment projects with “woke” themes tend to turn away audiences.

“The American public is increasingly aware of ‘woke’ Hollywood projects and often steers clear of them. The examples from 2022 include ‘Strange World,’ ‘Lightyear,’ ‘Bros’ and ‘Amsterdam,’” he said.

Several ‘woke’ Hollywood projects flopped in 2022.

But the critic said there were signs Hollywood had taken notice.

“One project, the Warner Bros. film ‘Batgirl’ featuring a race-swapped heroine, got canceled before its release date despite having completed much of its shoot,” Toto said.

Netflix and Hulu also canceled “woke shows” and defended comedians that have been attacked by progressives.

“Hulu canceled its original series, literally named ‘Woke,’ after just two seasons. Netflix nixed an animated series based on Ibram X. Kendi’s ‘Anti-Racist Baby’ book. The streaming giant similarly stood up for unwoke comedians like Dave Chappelle and Ricky Gervais, understanding their robust ratings dwarf the attacks on them,” he pointed out.

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Fox News’ Lindsey Kornick and Brian Flood contributed to this report.

Kristine Parks is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Read more.

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Storm drenching California leads to widespread flooding, water rescues and power outages

January 1, 2023 Published by CNN

CNN
—

Northern California was inundated with widespread flooding and power outages as a powerful atmospheric river barreled into the region, forcing water rescues, several highway closures, evacuation warnings and shelter-in-place orders.

Despite the issues, the moisture is a bit of relief for drought-stricken California, which saw the driest beginning of the year on record and ended 2022 with drenched roadways, flooding rivers and thick mountain snow.

How much the parade of storms will make a dent in California’s drought conditions, however, remains to be seen.

Meanwhile the storm, which also brought strong winds, knocked out power to more than 300,000 homes and businesses across California and Nevada as of early Sunday, according to Poweroutage.US.

And as streets flooded and river water levels rose, the storm also forced residents of several small communities in northern California out of their homes on New Year’s Eve as evacuation orders and warnings were issued.

On top of urban flooding, several rivers began overflowing, including the Cosumnes and Mokelumne rivers and the Mormon Slough, according to the National Weather Service in Sacramento. Flood warnings were issued for the southern Sacramento Valley and Sierra foothills.

At one point Saturday, officials ordered residents in Wilton – roughly 20 miles from Sacramento – to leave the area immediately, warning that rising water may spill over onto roadways and cut off access to leave the area. Just about two hours later, Wilton residents were told to shelter in place after water made roads “impassable.”

Three communities near the city of Watsonville were also told to evacuate by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office due to creek flooding, while the rising San Lorenzo River waters prompted evacuations in the communities of Paradise Park and Felton.

In San Ramon, police used an armored rescue vehicle to evacuate residents from floodwaters.

“Flooding impacts continue to escalate as this rain continues with too many road closures to count at this point,” NWS said Saturday, telling residents to stay put amid reports of rock and mudslides across the foothills and road closures across the Sierra passes.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District crews were kept busy on Saturday, performing water rescues and responding to fallen trees on homes and cars, and to drivers whose vehicles became disabled after they drove through standing water, officials said.

Calling it “Stormageddon,” the Amador County Sheriff’s Office shared an image of cars up to their doorhandles in floodwaters and said there’s been reports of flooding, mudslides and trees blocking roadways.

Highway 50 was reopened just after midnight, hours after a section between Pollock Pines and Meyers was closed due to flooding from the American River, while another section was closed over Echo Summit for avalanche control work.

Interstate 80 was also partially closed near the Nevada line midday Saturday “due to multiple spinouts over Donner Summit,” according to the California Department of Transportation.

US Highway 101 – one of California’s most famous routes – was also temporarily closed in both directions in South San Francisco with California Highway Patrol reporting “water is not receding due to non-stop rainfall & high tides preventing the water to displace.”

In Sacramento County and adjacent areas, residents were advised to avoid travel as wind gusts of up to 55 mph toppled trees and covered roads with debris, according to a tweet from the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

The county proclaimed a state of emergency, saying the atmospheric river has caused “significant transportation impacts, rising creek and river levels and flooding” in the Wilton area.

An atmospheric river is a long, narrow region in the atmosphere which can transport moisture thousands of miles, like a fire hose in the sky.

Downtown San Francisco received 5.46 inches Saturday, meaning it was on track to become the second wettest day on record for the area, according to the National Weather Service in the Bay Area.

This heavy rainfall is expected to slide southward to Southern California on Saturday and Sunday, accompanied by gusty winds of 30 to 50 mph.

As some parts of Northern California deal with heavy rainfall, mountain areas have received thick snowfall accumulations.

A winter storm warning is in effect until 4 a.m. Sunday in the Sierra Nevada mountains from Yosemite National Park to Tulare County, where the Weather Service warned travel could be very difficult to impossible.

Snow accumulations of 1 to 2 feet were expected above 7,000 feet, and isolated accumulations of 5 feet were possible above 9,000 feet, the Weather Service said.

The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab reported 7.5 inches of snow per hour between 4 and 5 p.m. Saturday in Soda Springs, about 30 miles from Lake Tahoe, sharing video of thick snow blanketing the area.

The lab said it had unofficial measurements of more than 30 inches of snow on Saturday.

Over a foot of new snow fell at Mammoth Mountain’s Main Lodge Saturday, the ski resort said on Facebook, adding that work will take place across the mountain since all lifts were coated in ice and “avalanche danger is extremely high.”

At the Nevada State line and Colfax, CHP reported “dangerous and treacherous” driving conditions with dozens of vehicles stuck on the I-80 and county roads.

“Caltrans, CHP and tow operators spent New Year’s Eve pulling out dozens of stranded vehicles,” the California Department of Transportation said.

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These 5 stocks started trading in 2022, and analysts expect strong gains from them in 2023

January 1, 2023 Published by Fred Imbert

US Top News and Analysis

Virtually every corner of the stock market had a horrible 2022, including initial public offerings. The Renaissance IPO ETF (IPO) , which tracks the performance of newly-public companies, plunged 57% in 2022, notching its biggest one-year decline on record. That comes just two years after its biggest annual gain ever. Total proceeds from new companies going public dropped more than $7 billion in 2022, reaching their lowest level since at least 2013, Renaissance data showed. Despite a sluggish year for IPOs, analysts see big gains ahead for some stocks that started trading in 2022. CNBC Pro combed through the 2022 IPOs for companies covered by at least seven analysts, with the average price target implying upside of at least 15%. Of those, more than 60% of analysts have buy ratings on them. Among the names that made the list is Mobileye Global, a company specializing in assisted and autonomous driving technology. The stock has risen more than 66% since its public market debut in October. Mobileye is covered by 14 analysts, and roughly two-thirds of them rate the stock as a buy. On average, analysts see the stock rising about 20% over the next 12 months. “We expect Mobileye to replicate its success in ADAS [advanced driver assistance systems] in Autonomous Driving to position itself for strong robust growth,” wrote JPMorgan analyst Samik Chatterjee, who rates the stock overweight. “Broader ADAS adoption had already delivered revenue growth of 34% between 2015 and 2021. Increasing CPV [cooperative perception on vehicles] led by adoption of Enhanced ADAS, in combination with Supervision, Chauffeur, and [mobility as a service] platforms, will enable scaling ADAS to [autonomous vehicles], driving 38% revenue CAGR between 2022 and 2030, implying revenue of $23 billion exiting the decade,” the analyst wrote. Eye care products maker Bausch + Lomb also made the list, with 66% of analysts rating it a buy. Analysts on average see the stock rallying 25% in the next year. Bausch + Lomb has dropped 13% since going public in May. Other stocks that made the list are CinCor Pharma , Corebridge Financial and Credo Technology . — CNBC’s Michael Bloom and Gina Francolla contributed reporting.

These states are raising their minimum wages in 2023. Chart shows where workers can expect higher pay

January 1, 2023 Published by Lorie Konish

US Top News and Analysis

Labor activists hold a rally in support of a national $15 minimum wage on May 19, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images News | Getty Images

As the calendar turns to 2023, workers in more than half of all states have something to look forward to this year: a higher minimum wage.

That’s occurring as the federal minimum wage stands pat at $7.25 per hour — the same rate since 2009.

But many states and cities have put their own rates in place, and most of them are poised to increase in the new year.

A total of 26 states have announced that higher minimum wages will be introduced during 2023, with one more state likely to see an adjustment in July, according to research from payroll experts at Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S.

Meanwhile, 23 states and Washington, D.C., according to the Economic Policy Institute, will implement higher minimum wages on Jan. 1. Those increases, which will range from 23 cents to $1.50 per hour, will affect 8 million workers.

The state poised to provide the highest minimum pay rate is Washington, at $15.74 per hour, according to Wolters Kluwer.

Workers under the age of 16 in that state will be paid $13.38 per hour starting in 2023, or 85% of the adult minimum wage.

The minimum wage in Washington, D.C., will be $16.10 per hour.

Washington, D.C., and 13 states tie their minimum wages to the consumer price index, a government measure for the average change consumers pay for certain goods and services.

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“There’s quite a few states across the country that will be seeing quite big jumps in the minimum wage because of the higher rate of inflation this past year,” said Deirdre Kennedy, senior payroll analyst at Wolters Kluwer.

Other states will continue to phase in increases passed through legislation. States that are not seeing minimum wage hikes in 2023 still tie their base pay to the $7.25 per hour federal rate.

How the federal minimum wage affects workers

President Joe Biden has campaigned to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour. He signed an executive order in 2022 raising it to that level for federal workers and contractors.

But a broader change to $15 per hour nationally would have to be done through Congress. Efforts to raise the rate nationally failed to make it into Covid-19 relief legislation in 2021.

“As the gap between that and the federal minimum wage increases, it will be interesting to see if that can kind of spur more momentum for more states to increase their wages or try and get more momentum on the federal level,” said Kevin Werner, research associate at the Income and Benefits Policy Center at the Urban Institute.

Raising the minimum wage nationally to $15 per hour would affect 56 million workers, according to an Urban Institute report released in September.

The research modeled possible results where a new $15 minimum wage resulted in either no job losses and two different scenarios where extended job losses occurred.

“Even in our highest job loss scenario, we still found that on average, the average worker was better off, and that poverty declined overall,” Werner said.

“Even though some individual people who lost their jobs may have been worse off, the net effect was still positive,” he said.

There’s quite a few states across the country that will be seeing quite big jumps in the minimum wage because of the higher rate of inflation this past year.

Deirdre Kennedy

senior payroll analyst at Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S.

The majority of workers who would be affected by a $15 minimum wage are over the age of 25, according to Werner. About one-third are the sole income earners for their families.

Workers who depend on the minimum wage are also much more likely to be people of color and living in poverty. Consequently, raising the minimum pay nationally would help vulnerable people, Werner said.

Raising minimum wages can also help increase consumer demand and put money back into local economies, said Holly Sklar, CEO of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, a national network of business organizations, owners and executives that support higher minimum wages.

“Putting needed raises in minimum wage workers’ pockets [is] really the most efficient way you can boost the economy,” Sklar said. “Those are the people who have to go right back around and spend it.”

With federal action to raise the minimum wage uncertain, some big name companies have already stepped up to raise their pay rates.

Costco has raised its minimum wage for U.S. store workers to $16 per hour, while Target, Amazon and Walmart have all moved to pay hourly workers $15 per hour.

As the economy has continued to open up following the Covid shutdown, competition for workers has prompted employers to offer higher wages and starting bonuses for workers on the lower end of the income spectrum, Werner noted.

“It’s giving low-income workers more leverage than they had before,” he said.