By any measure, small businesses are the backbone of our economy. As an economics instructor, I teach my students that small businesses don’t just create jobs, they create stronger economies. They are how people move up, build wealth, and define their community. In places like Fresno, they are one of...
Brown University Gunman Planned Attack for Years, FBI Says
The man who killed two Brown University students and an Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor last December plotted the crimes over the course of three years, federal law enforcement officials said Wednesday. The shooter, Claudio Neves Valente, 48, had been socially isolated, making it hard to track his intentions, investigators...
San Luis Obispo Authorities Arrest Oceano Man on Child Sexual Abuse Material Charges
A 25-year-old Oceano man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office. Detectives served a search warrant at a home in the 2200 block of Beach Street in Oceano as part of an ongoing investigation into...
Trump Administration Sues New Jersey Over Law Enforcement Mask Ban
The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday filed a lawsuit seeking to block a New Jersey law that bans law enforcement officers from wearing masks and requires them to provide identification before arrests and detentions. The suit, filed in a Newark federal court, claims that the newly enacted New Jersey Law...
Court Puts Ballots in Recall of Avenal Councilmembers Under Lock and Key
Voters in the small farming city of Avenal were asked whether to recall four of five city councilmembers. And, although the election concluded Tuesday night, the results aren't known. That's because in the latest turn in this long and winding story an appeal court ordered the ballots placed under lock...
Fresno County Authorities Seek Owner of Recovered Agricultural Trailer
Detectives with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Agricultural Task Force are asking for the public’s help in identifying the owner of a recovered farm trailer believed to have been stolen recently in Fresno County. Authorities said the trailer is an early- to mid-2000s McArron two-axle heavy-duty agricultural trailer. Investigators have...
Central Unified Trustees Make It Official: We Unanimously Oppose SEDA
The Central Unified School Board unanimously approved a resolution to formally oppose the city of Fresno’s Southeast Development Area plan on Tuesday night. The resolution affirms the School Board’s stance against SEDA and permits administrators to convey this stance to city officials and the community. Trustees said they opposed the...
Bullard, Fresno High Schools Received Threats. Police Say Both Campuses Now Cleared
Two high schools in Fresno issued security measures Wednesday afternoon after receiving threats, according to Fresno Unified School District officials. The Fresno Police Department said Fresno High School and Bullard High School were among the campuses affected. Fresno High was under lockdown while Bullard was under a shelter-in-place order. Police...
Hanford Area Water District Fires Long-Time GM Days After Posting Job Ad
The Kings County Water District posted an advertisement for a new general manager, then several days later fired its long-time general manager, Dennis Mills. The dismissal was announced after a special closed session held April 22. “The board terminated Mr. Mills’ employment effective on or before May 15, 2026 pending...
Clovis High School on Shelter-in-Place After Reported Threat, Police Say
Update at 2:41 p.m. The Clovis Unified School District said that the Clovis Police Department concluded their work at Clovis High School. The school has been released from its shelter-in-place order. The suspicious call to the campus, and similar calls made to multiple schools in neighboring districts, was confirmed to...