According to a new report, tribal gaming resorts in California saw a 6% drop in revenue in 2008, and the report's author, Alan Meister, foresees a similar drop across the local industry in 2009. The states 65 casinos generated $7.3 billion in '08, compared to $7.8 billion in '07. California represents 27% of the nation's total tribal gaming sector, and almost half the states saw decreases in gaming revenue over the last two years. So we suppose this means that in times of economic trouble, people actually gamble away less of their social security and unemployment checks! Kudos, gamblers. more ›

A crane operated by a company called (get this) Reliable Crane and Rigging dropped a 120-foot, 50-ton crane boom onto a house in Santa Rosa yesterday, splitting it in half and sparing only the Halloween pumpkin which sat unscathed on the porch railing. Another crane had to come to lift the first crane off the house. Neither the homeowners Michelle and Kevin McCarthy nor their children were home at the time and no one was injured. But yeah, kind of a bummer! more ›