Top Sacramento stories: Meta settlement, Bing Crosby ranch sale and more

Wednesday brought a mix of major legal, real estate and local business news across California and beyond. Here’s a quick rundown of the top stories, from a landmark tech settlement to a whistleblower’s push for state intervention.

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• Meta agreed to pay nearly $17 billion to settle a case brought by 29 states alleging its platforms were addictive and harmful to children. The deal requires Meta to remove users under 13 without parental permission, cap teen usage at two hours per day without parental consent and hire an independent auditor. California Attorney General Rob Bonta called it “a significant victory for families across the country.”

• A 3,000-acre Nevada ranch once owned by Bing Crosby sold in an off-market deal for $14.2 million. Northfork Ranch, located 45 miles north of Elko, has capacity for 600 cattle and includes a private airstrip and a 5,000-square-foot main residence. The property had originally been listed at $7.28 million in 2019 by seller Jim Boyer, a retired telecom entrepreneur, before being taken off the market.

• Jennifer Raymond, the whistleblower who helped expose a mass dog grave at Miranda’s Rescue in Humboldt County, submitted a complaint asking Attorney General Rob Bonta to seek the nonprofit’s dissolution. She is also requesting a court-ordered receiver for the roughly 40 dogs still at the facility. Investigators previously uncovered the remains of more than 100 dogs, and more than 700 animals transferred to the rescue remain unaccounted for.

• The Original Hagen’s Orange Freeze, a Carmichael fruit freeze shop owned by Temme and Toy Hagen, is preparing to open a second location in Fair Oaks. The couple learned the trade at Merlino’s Freeze, a now-defunct local chain, and opened their Carmichael shop in 2003 inside a former Merlino’s building. The shop offers a rotating lineup of fruit and dairy freeze flavors, with the classic orange remaining the bestseller.