Crypto News: Cutting through the noise amidst the LA fires

As winds continue to fan multiple fires across the Los Angeles region, misinformation and unfounded conspiracy theories are spreading on social media. For residents trying to cut through the noise for accurate information, the fire-tracking app Watch Duty has become a popular source.

The nonprofit app serves as a one-stop shop for live updates from various government agencies on the fires' size and location, as well as evacuation perimeters — all maintained by a team of trained volunteers and paid reporters. By Thursday, the app shot to the top of Apple's free app store after amassing some 1.4 million downloads over 48 hours, Laura Bliss reports. Today on CityLab: As Los Angeles Fires Burn, Residents Turn to Nonprofit Watch Duty

— Linda Poon

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What we're reading

Inmates are fighting California wildfires in long-running and controversial practice (NPR)
The roller-skating economist you can thank for congestion pricing (New York Times)
The US has more fancy apartments than it is able to fill (Wall Street Journal)
This New York City suburb rebranded. Then the drama came (Fast Company)
The anti-social century (Atlantic)