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A decade after a federal investigation found West Virginia unnecessarily institutionalizes foster kids, our investigation has found the state’s most vulnerable kids are still being left behind.

California lawmakers proposed making fossil fuel companies liable for natural disasters by allowing natural disaster victims and insurance companies to sue them due to their alleged impact on the environment. Wildfire experts, however, say that the state’s poor water management and recent cuts to forest management are largely responsible for the state’s worsening wildfires.

The Supreme Court will weigh in on whether a Georgia family whose home was mistakenly raided by an FBI SWAT team can sue the federal government for the error. Just over six hours after the justices issued a list of orders from their Jan. 24 conference, and three days after they granted three cases from that conference, the court issued a new order granting review in Martin v. United States and fast-tracking the case for oral argument, presumably during the 2024-25 term.

State trust lands send millions to carceral facilities and programs every year.

• Scientists found unusually high concentrations of nickel, manganese, and cobalt in marsh soils near Vistra Corp.’s (NYSE $VST) energy storage facility in Moss Landing, California, after a lithium-ion battery fire burned for several days.
• The company had said that no harm to the public from chemical exposure had been detected, citing air quality tests conducted by the EPA and a third-party consultancy.
• People living close to the fire site report symptoms ranging from burning eyes and sore throat to headaches and nosebleeds. Several say they have experienced a “metallic taste.”
• The investigation into what caused the fire is ongoing. An emergency response plan published by Vistra shows the company may have significantly underestimated the risk of a fire at its facility.
• Monterey County officials have declared a state of emergency and started collecting soil and water samples in the area around the Vistra facility to test for toxins. Residents have started taking their own soil samples and are planning to send them to an independent lab for testing.
• A bill introduced in the California State Assembly in response to the fire aims to put stronger restrictions on battery storage facilities in the state. If passed, it could derail Vistra’s 600-megawatt project near San Luis Obispo.

Astronomers have taken a crucial step in showing that the most massive black holes in the universe can create their own meals. Data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Very Large Telescope (VLT) provide new evidence that outbursts from black holes can help cool down gas to feed themselves.