Siri has new role in new home systems

Hey Siri, turn off the kitchen light.

The first “smart” home gadgets that can be controlled by Apple’s voice-activated digital assistant went on sale just days after rival tech giant Google announced it’s building its own software for Internet-connected home appliances and other gadgets.

While a number of companies are working on similar products, analysts say Apple could persuade more consumers to try them by making it easy to control different products from a familiar device, such as the iPhone.

Apple announced its “HomeKit” software project a year ago but isn’t making the new products. HomeKit-certified products include wireless hubs from two companies, Insteon and Lutron Electronics. The hubs, about the size of a small home router or cable TV box, act as the central controller for lights and other gadgets. The hubs in turn can be managed with a smartphone app.

EPA downplays threat of fracking to water

Hydraulic fracturing to drill for oil and natural gas has not caused widespread harm to drinking water in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency said last week.

But a draft report issued by the agency found several specific instances where poorly constructed drilling wells and improper wastewater management affected drinking- water resources. It said the number of cases was small, however, compared with the large number of wells that use hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking.

The report identified vulnerabilities to drinking-water resources, including fracking’s effect on drought-stricken areas; inadequately cased or cemented wells resulting in below-ground migration of gases and liquids; inadequately treated wastewater discharged into drinking water resources; and spills of hydraulic fluids and wastewater.

N.M. ski resorts see big bump in attendance

A state industry group says New Mexico’s ski resorts have seen a significant jump in the number of visitors in recent seasons.

Ski New Mexico has found a nearly 20 percent increase in skiers during the 2013-14 season. The nonprofit trade organization also found resorts gained 176,000 more visits during this season with a $98 million boost in economic activity.

The group’s report calculated any skier visiting any of the state’s 11 ski areas for all or part of a given day.

U.S. construction spending rises in April

U.S. construction spending climbed in April to the highest level in more than six years, fueled by gains in housing, government spending and non-residential construction.

Spending advanced 2.2 percent in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1 trillion, the highest level since November 2008, the Commerce Department said Monday. Spending had risen a more modest 0.5 percent in March.

The gain included a 0.6 percent rise in residential construction and a 3.1 percent jump in non-residential activity such as office buildings, hotels and shopping centers. Government projects increased 3.3 percent, reflecting the biggest jump in spending on state and local projects in three years.

The Associated Press