PG&E trying a new tactic in power cuts to prevent wildfires

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The nation’s largest utility says it is executing smarter and shorter power shutoffs after receiving widespread criticism last year when it turned off electricity to 2 million California customers to prevent its equipment from sparking wildfires. The outages that began overnight to nearly 172,000 homes and businesses are the first by Pacific Gas & Electric since critics blasted a series of shut-offs a year ago as poorly executed and overly broad. It does so a