Finding work with good wages is challenging for many Mendota residents. Located about 34 miles west of Fresno, the town's work opportunities usually consist of farm labor. But the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission is expanding the options through its Valley Apprenticeship Connections program. VAC, which started in Fresno in...
Home Construction is Economic Bright Spot, Up 4.9% in October
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Home construction rose 4.9% in October as home building remains as one of the bright spots of the economy. The increase pushed home construction to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.53 million homes and apartments and followed a more modest gain of 1.9% in September. Building...
White House Welcomes Court Ruling on Border Wall Spending
WASHINGTON — The White House says construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall will move forward after a federal appeals court ruling that frees up construction money. The 2-1 ruling on Wednesday halted a federal judge’s ruling in December that had prevented the government from spending $3.6 billion diverted from 127 military...
Last Year’s Hottest Housing Fight Just Got Resurrected — Here’s What to Know
For the third year in a row, California lawmakers will consider a controversial housing proposal that would force neighborhoods to allow taller, denser housing near public transportation and job centers. San Francisco Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener — whose Senate Bill 50 has twice been beaten back, in different forms, by an assortment of...
US New-Home Sales Rose 1.3% in November
WASHINGTON — U.S. sales of newly built homes increased 1.3% in November from the prior month, a sign that low mortgage rates are pushing up purchases as well as prices. The Commerce Department said Monday that new single-family houses sold at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 719,000 last month....
Walters: California's Housing Crisis vs. Reality
As he was running for governor, Gavin Newsom repeatedly and emphatically promised to attack California’s housing shortage head-on, pledging in an online article to “lead the effort to develop the 3.5 million new housing units we need by 2025 because our solutions must be as bold as the problem is big.” During his...
Attention, Bargain Shoppers! Aldi Is Coming to Northwest Fresno
A blighted vacant strip mall at the northwest corner of Shaw and West avenues will be anchored by the first Aldi supermarket in Fresno. Listen to this article: Renovations are beginning on the building, which has been a magnet for crime and a landing spot for vagrants. The strip...
Central Unified Mulls Lowering Fees for New Home Construction
The cost of new homes built in Central Unified School District is likely to go down slightly. The Central Unified board on Tuesday will vote on lowering developer fees that are collected to help pay for new schools. If the board approves the change, Central's fees would be $5.16 per...
School Bond Backers Have Some Selling to Do, Poll Shows
California voters have resoundingly approved tens of billions of dollars in state school construction bonds over the last two decades. But a new survey suggests that voters have yet to similarly warm up to the latest and heftiest proposal to come before them: a $15 billion state bond for public schools, community colleges...
EU Condemns New Burst of Israeli Settlement Approvals
JERUSALEM — The European Union on Monday criticized Israel’s approval of plans to build over 2,000 new homes in West Bank settlements. In a statement, the EU reiterated its longstanding position that all settlement activity on occupied land is illegal. “It erodes the viability of the two-state solution and the...