The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigation into the conditions at two California prisons: the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women in Chino. The probe will assess whether the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has sufficiently protected incarcerated women from sexual...
Nordstrom Family Teams Up With Mexican Retail Group to Bid for Its Namesake Retailer
NEW YORK — Members of the Nordstrom family with the help of a Mexican retail group are offering to take the century-old department store private for $3.76 billion, months after first expressing interest in a buyout. In a letter to the board of directors dated Tuesday, Erik Nordstrom said the...
14-Year-Old in Custody for Georgia High School Shooting That Killed 4, Injured Others
WINDER, Ga. — A 14-year-old student opened fire at a Georgia high school and killed four people on Wednesday, authorities said, sending students scrambling for shelter in their classrooms — and eventually to the football stadium — as officers swarmed the campus and parents raced to find out if their...
Visalia Man Convicted of Child Molestation, Faces Life Sentence as Repeat Offender
Jerome Jupiocio Avilez, 60, of Visalia was found guilty of nine felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14 Tuesday, the Tulare County District Attorney's Office said in a news release Wednesday. The jury also determined that Avilez's crimes involved multiple victims and included substantial...
A Diminished, Unpopular Gavin Newsom Loses His Grip on California Politics
Gavin Newsom's flirtation with national political status ended abruptly when Vice President Kamala Harris, often depicted as his rival, became the Democratic Party's presidential candidate. For months California's governor had been soliciting national media attention, making campaign-like visits to other states and otherwise acting like an aspirant for the White...
Fresno’s Not an Island, but Its Polynesian Dance Club Might Be the World’s Best
When competitors of the 2023 Tahiti Fete asked the Polynesian Club of Fresno's founder, Linda Kuma, what island Fresno is on following the group's first-place win, she laughed. "They heard we were from Fresno and they're trying to figure out what island was near Fresno," Kuma said. "We had a...
4 Dead, at Least 9 Injured in Shooting at High School Near Atlanta, Authorities Say
WINDER, Ga.— The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Wednesday that four people were killed and at least nine were injured in a shooting at a high school outside of Atlanta. Students scrambled for shelter in the football stadium as officers swarmed the campus and parents raced to find out if...
Sierra Unified Has Faced Many Pivotal Moments. Two More Are at Hand.
Cortney Burke and Angie Cozby were classmates at Sierra High School during its heyday two decades ago. Their Class of '01 was said to be one of the school’s biggest-ever senior classes at around 250 students. But these days, the high school senior class numbers slightly more than 100 students....
More TV Opportunities Are Helping Fuel the Rapid Growth of Women’s College Volleyball
MILWAUKEE — Just watch us once and you'll be hooked. That is the message women's college volleyball programs kept delivering as their sport went relatively unnoticed, struggling to find a television home amid the flurry of football games dominating screens each fall. "It was an accessibility issue, not necessarily a...
US Accuses Russia of Using State Media to Spread Disinformation Before the November Election
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Wednesday announced criminal charges, the seizure of internet domains and sanctions related to Russian disinformation efforts to influence the U.S. presidential election. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the actions relate to Russia's use of state media to enlist unwitting American influencers to spread propaganda...