Whether it be housing or commercial real estate, economic slowdowns stifled growth in Fresno County in 2024. But after years of declines, experts expect a turnaround soon. The Fresno County Economic Development Corporation brought out a panel of experts to discuss housing construction and sales, major commercial real estate purchases,...
First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close
California's effort to have no new gas-powered vehicles sold in the state by 2035 is beginning, and it requires 35% of all 2026 models sold this year to be zero-emission. Dealers say they aren't close to fulfilling the mandate for zero-emission vehicles and are nervously wondering what the future holds...
Kings County Authorities Arrest Suspect in Ag Wire Theft, Meth Seizure
Kings County authorities arrested a man in connection with stolen copper wire from multiple agricultural wells and a half-pound of methamphetamine, officials said Thursday. Deputies took Salvadore Silva Valdovinos into custody on Oct. 30 while unloading copper wire stolen the previous evening from the Fresno County area, the Kings County...
Visalia Police Tase, Arrest Man After Threatening Officers and Attempting Arson
A 27-year-old man was arrested Thursday after threatening police officers with a metal pipe and attempting to start a fire in a North Visalia yard, authorities said. Just after 1:20 p.m., Visalia Police officers responded to the 2000 block of North Burke Street following reports of a man stealing lawn...
Visalia Police Cite 21 Drivers for Hands-Free Cell Phone Violations
Visalia police cited 21 drivers Wednesday for violating California’s hands-free cell phone law during a distracted driving enforcement operation. Under current law, drivers cannot hold a phone or any electronic device while driving, including talking, texting, or using apps, police noted. Using a handheld cell phone while driving can result...
Valley Children’s Hospital Commits $2 Million to Launch ‘Our Valley Cares’ for At-Risk Youth
Valley Children’s Hospital is committed $2 million to help launch Our Valley Cares, an initiative supporting at-risk youth across the Central Valley, leaders announced Thursday at Fresno Mission's City Center. The program brings together Fresno Mission, CASA, Breaking the Chains, City Without Orphans, Central California Food Bank, Justice Coalition, Martin...
Clovis Republican Tangipa Applauds Trump Administration’s Lawsuit Over Prop. 50 Maps
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Thursday sued California over its new redistricting maps after a ballot measure adopting new congressional districts passed last week, according to documents filed in federal court. The measure could give the Democratic-led U.S. state five more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and...
State Center Chancellor Carole Goldsmith Retiring in 2026
State Center Community College District Chancellor Carole Goldsmith announced she will be retiring by September 2026. The leader who oversaw some of the district's biggest expansion and fundraising efforts said she would step down at the start of the 2026-27 school year. She made the announcement Thursday in the district's...
Wall Street Tumbles as Nvidia Slides, Investors Fret That Fed May Slow Rate Cuts
Wall Street ended sharply lower on Thursday, with steep losses in Nvidia and other AI heavyweights, as investors scaled back expectations of interest rate cuts due to inflation worries and divisions among central bankers about the U.S. economy's health. The U.S. government reopened after a record 43-day shutdown that had...
Dumb Ideas Never Die in the Cesspool of American Politics
In one of the great scenes of one of the great gangster movies, Mike Newell’s “Donnie Brasco,” an aging Mafioso named Lefty Ruggiero paces a hospital corridor while his son fights for his life following a drug overdose. “Twenty-eight years, you can read it on his birth certificate: Bellevue Hospital,”...
The Shutdown Is Over. When Will Things Get Back to Normal?
WASHINGTON — For the first time in more than 40 days, Washington was set to open for business Thursday, although some federal services would be slow to return and thousands of government employees were left unsure of when they might receive their missing paychecks. The longest federal shutdown in U.S....
Israel Receives Another Deceased Hostage From Hamas
Israel has received the body of what is believed to be a deceased hostage from Palestinian militants in Gaza via the Red Cross, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office and the Israeli military said on Thursday. The body, the army said, is already back inside Israel and is on its way...