As people celebrate Independence Day, San Joaquin Valley Air District officials are warning about the unhealthy air created by fireworks. "We are asking Valley residents to be mindful and considerate of their neighbors and the many sensitive individuals whose health may be impacted by the emissions that come from...
Fresno Gets ‘F’ Grades in Air Quality Again, but Is Any Progress Being Made?
The American Lung Association's “State of the Air” 2021 report finds that despite some nationwide progress on cleaning up air pollution, more than 40% of Americans—more than 135 million people— are living in places with unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution. As usual, Fresno County gets very low marks...
As People Stay Home, Earth Turns Wilder and Cleaner
An unplanned grand experiment is changing Earth. As people across the globe stay home to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, the air has cleaned up, albeit temporarily. Smog stopped choking New Delhi, one of the most polluted cities in the world, and India’s getting views of sights not visible in...
As Wildfires Get Worse, Smoke Spreads, Stokes Health Worries
PARADISE — First came the flames, a raging firestorm propelled by 50 mph wind gusts that incinerated Kelsey Norton’s house and killed 85 people in her community. Then came the smoke — not just from the forest but also from 14,000 houses and their contents that burned, generating a thick...
Will California Require Zero Emission Truck Sales?
SACRAMENTO — California could become the first state to require that a portion of new truck sales be electric or “zero emission” as it grapples with the nation's worst air. Home to the two largest ports in the country in Los Angeles and Long Beach, California has roughly 1.5 million...
California Economic Summit in Fresno Is Biggest Ever
For the eighth year — and the first time in Fresno — California Forward is holding an economic summit focused on how to improve the Golden State across many different sectors. And, according to California Forward's co-chairman Pete Weber, the two-day event — dubbed "Regions Rise Together" — will be the biggest...
Mapping US Counties Where Traffic Air Pollution Hurts Kids the Most
In the U.S., over 6 million children had ongoing asthma in 2016. Globally, asthma kills around 1,000 people every day – and its prevalence is rising. This condition has a high economic cost. Each year in the U.S., more than US$80 billion is lost because of asthma. This is mainly...
Banksy Mural on Garage in Wales Sold but Will Stay in Place
LONDON — A British art dealer says he has bought a mural stenciled by street artist Banksy on a garage wall in Wales for more than $129,000. The artwork in Port Talbot shows a child playing in falling ash from a dumpster fire, an apparent reference to the steel town's...
We're Working Hard to Improve Valley Air Quality: Air District Director
Growing up in this great Valley and working for nearly 20 years with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution District to improve our air quality, I have gained a deep appreciation for the ingenuity, effort, and investment that we as a region have made to improve the quality of life...
5G Promises Blazing Fast Speeds and Smarter Cities
The capabilities of the wireless devices we use every day for entertainment, staying in touch and managing so many other aspects of our daily lives is about to take a quantum leap forward. The rollout of 5G technology has begun, promising future speeds up to 1000 times faster than the...