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...
Europe’s AI Poster Child Klarna Taps the Brakes on Chatbots
STOCKHOLM/NEW YORK — After becoming one of the early adopters in Europe of artificial intelligence, Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski says the lender may have gone too far in using the technology to cut costs at the expense of service and product improvement. Global companies are racing to harness AI to...
Protesters Call Trump ‘Hitler’ as He Dines Out in Washington
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump ventured one-tenth of a mile beyond the gates of the White House for dinner Tuesday night, only to be met almost immediately by protesters who called him “the Hitler of our time.” Trump made the short trek from the White House to Joe’s Seafood, Prime...
Garnet Fire Grows to 56,795 Acres in Sierra National Forest, Containment at 15%
Firefighters working to contain the massive Garnet Fire in the Sierra National Forest made progress overnight, taking advantage of higher humidity and calmer winds to hold the blaze south of Snow Corral Road and strengthen containment lines, officials said Wednesday. The fire has burned 56,795 acres and is 15% contained...
Gesture Politics No Help to Palestinians, but It Does Breed Antisemitism
This month, France, Canada, Australia, and possibly Britain will recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly. Also, some 1,800 actors and filmmakers, including Mark Ruffalo and Cynthia Nixon, have signed a public letter pledging “not to screen films, appear at or otherwise work with Israeli film institutions.”...
Are Sabrina Carpenter and Karol G Headlining Coachella 2026? Rolling Stone Says Yes
"Please Please Please" let this report be true. Rolling Stone published a story Tuesday, Sept. 9, reporting that popstar Sabrina Carpenter and reggaeton/pop songstress Karol G would both headline the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2026. But is it true? Coachella 2026 Headliners Leaked? Goldenvoice, the promoter...
Tech Company Merger Aims to Aid Special Ed in CA Public Schools
Medical Billing Technologies, a leader in education reimbursement, and SIRAS Systems, the state’s second-largest provider of web-based special education software, have been helping school districts obtain funding, file tedious paperwork, and remain in compliance for years. Now, MBT has acquired SIRAS, offering the first commercially available, all-in-one system that combines...
Flotilla for Gaza Reports Second Drone Attack on Boat at Tunisian Port
SIDI BOU SAID, Tunisia — The Global Sumud Flotilla, an international aid initiative to deliver vital supplies to Gaza, said on Wednesday that one of its boats was attacked by a drone at a Tunisian port, the second such strike in two days. The GSF, which is seeking to break...
Fresno County Authorities Seek Public’s Help to Find Family of 67-Year-Old Woman
The Fresno County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office is asking for the public’s help in finding relatives of a woman who died last month. Officials said Yvonne Rodriguez, 67, passed away at a Fresno hospital on Aug. 17. Despite searching numerous personal records, the Coroner’s Office has not been able to locate her...
Project 2025 Think Tank Takes On the Constitution in New Book
WASHINGTON — With a preface by Justice Samuel Alito and contributions from more than 30 conservative judges, the Heritage Foundation, the influential think tank that has helped shape the Trump administration’s second-term agenda, will soon publish an 800-page, clause-by-clause analysis of the Constitution. “The Heritage Guide to the Constitution” is...
Missing Limbs and Loved Ones, Gazan Children Begin Treatment Journey Abroad
BEIRUT — Six-year-old Omar Abu Kuwaik still believes that by his next birthday, his missing hand will have grown back. He is one of thousands of Palestinian children who have lost limbs and loved ones in Israel's bombing campaign of the Gaza Strip. "It'll be big again when I turn...