Phoenix Marketing International (PMI), a reputable market research enterprise noted that some 8,386,508 US households of 125,018,808 total households are now in the millionaire bracket. That amounts to 6.71% of US households enjoying millionaire status. 

When it comes to ranking individual states in terms of the numbers of millionaires per state, some interesting trends emerge. While many of these households have accumulated their wealth over a long period of time, a handful has hit pay dirt at places like VIP casino in Canada, the Powerball, or even Mega Millions. 

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the poorest ten states, including the likes of:

• West Virginia
• Arkansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Alabama
• Oklahoma
• New Mexico
• Idaho
• Tennessee
• Montana

Are Red States Poorer than Blue States...

Berkeley City Councilmember Susan Wengraf is running for a fourth term this November and hopes to continue her work on wildfire safety and develop a COVID-19 recovery strategy.

Wengraf moved to Berkeley from Brooklyn, New York, in 1969 to work as a special education teacher for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. She first became involved in city politics when she organized an effort to convert what was then the oldest building in Berkeley into a city museum.

“I never intended to be a politician, but I always loved organizing people for a cause,” Wengraf said. “That’s how I fell into politics.”

Wengraf’s political career began in 1990 when she was appointed to the city’s Planning Commission, where she served for 18 years.

In 2008, Wengraf was elected to City Council after se...

Tim Presley released his new visual art and poetry book, “Under the Banner of Concern,” Aug. 25. Best known for his music, released under the moniker White Fence, the Bay Area-based artist’s new book is filled with dramatic black and white brushstrokes and deconstructive, vulnerable word play. This collection of artworks demonstrates both Presley’s multidimensionality and his ability to represent the human condition through a variety of mediums. 

“Under the Banner of Concern” features art from Presley’s 2019 exhibition at Chicago’s Soccer Club and Los Angeles’ The Pit, in addition to previously unreleased work and new poetry. 

The book begins with an insightful forward by Trinie Dalton...

Right now, the only thing on my mind is virtual sorority recruitment. And this year will look nothing like it ever has.

For one thing, the first two days will be conducted over Zoom with our cameras turned off, in an effort to make recruitment based less on appearance. I’ve spent more time than I’d like to admit figuring out which spot in my apartment has the best lighting for when I talk with PNMs (sorority slang for potential new members) in breakout rooms. Sororities also no longer have to worry about ordering tiny glasses of lemonade to refresh in-person guests or practicing intense singing, dancing and clapping routines.

It’s hard to put into words what rushing a sorority is like, but at the end of each day that I rushed, I could barely move the muscles in my face from all the f...

The Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board passed two policies Friday that would reduce disincentives for landlords to lower rent and respond to the state emergency.

The first measure amended an earlier rent board resolution to allow landlords and tenants to voluntarily agree to temporary rent reductions without long-term consequences. Under current policies, temporary rent reductions could permanently lower the rent ceiling of the unit, which is the maximum price a landlord is legally allowed to charge for rent, and the market rent rate of the property.

It also included a guarantee that any rent waivers would not be collectible as unpaid rent after the agreement expires.

“I know that some of you are concerned that, if you put this through, it’s still voluntary and there won’t be owners who w...

In hopes of addressing the prevailing question, “What is the new normal?” the ASUC hosted a town hall with campus administrators Friday to address UC Berkeley’s COVID-19 social norms campaign.

To kick off the meeting, Diana Harvey, campus associate vice chancellor for communications and public affairs, introduced the campaign to town hall attendees, outlining the research that has been done to determine the most effective way to distribute COVID-19 safety information to students. Attendees then had the opportunity to discuss the campaign, COVID-19 policies and the semester ahead with campus administrators.

“Student thinking and student voices will be the powerful ones for helping us to help to manage the public health situation on the campus,” said campus Executive Vice Chancellor ...

The state of California will more than double its coronavirus testing capacity thanks to a partnership with PerkinElmer, a Massachusetts-based diagnostics company.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the partnership Aug. 26. It will allow the state to increase its testing by 150,000 tests with a waiting time for results between 24 and 48 hours, according to the press release. A laboratory is planned to be built in the state with the ability to start processing the tests by Nov. 1 and run at full capacity by March 2021.

“This (partnership) provides us the ability to have much more stability and … the ability to provide more reliability to people that are at risk — essential workers — to address the supply chain constraints that we think will only grow, not diminish into the flu season,...

Electric vehicle sharing company Revel has expanded its service of mopeds to the Berkeley area. 

Revel provides electric mopeds that can be accessed through an app, and all users must be at least 21 years old, have a driver’s license and have a safe driving record to access the service. Drivers also must complete in-app training and take a selfie with their helmet before riding a moped, according to Frank Reig, CEO and co-founder of Revel.

“Revel provides riders with a convenient and safe transportation option to navigate their cities,” Reig said in an email. “During COVID-19, especially, this option allows Berkeley residents a reliable, socially distanced transportation alternative...

Caring father, friend, colleague, engineer and UC Berkeley professor emeritus Richard “Dick” White died Aug. 14 at the age of 90 in his home on Panoramic Hill. He will be remembered for his drive to help others through invention, his care for the world around him and his ingenuity.

Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, White fostered his appreciation for the environment through hiking, skiing, running and mountain climbing, according to his son Rollie White. His love for nature continued as he ran cross-country at Harvard University, where he earned his undergraduate, graduate and doctorate degrees.

“He was the kind of person that just really loved a problem to solve, you know, he liked to try to figure out how things worked,” Rollie White said...

The Berkeley Zoning Adjustments Board, or ZAB, approved a 42-unit co-living accommodation’s construction at 2435 San Pablo Ave. after several failed motions and disagreements among board members.

Property owner Erik Waterman described the housing complex as a place for working professionals who want to pay less rent than they would for a market-rate studio. The board approved the building to have 40 bedrooms, a ground-floor commercial space and a rooftop deck.

“The single-family home isn’t the be-all, end-all of all life,” said ZAB member Teresa Clarke during the meeting. “I’d really like to see this as a model that could work.”

Disagreements about the property and a split vote early in the night also led to a small discussion among members about the board’s overall role...