SACRAMENTO — After stealing the identities of death row inmates and even a sitting U.S. senator to make off with billions of dollars in fraudulent unemployment benefits during the pandemic, scammers have now moved on to impersonating doctors to dupe California officials into giving them disability checks. State officials on...
Merced County Mom Charged With Murdering 3 Children
LE GRAND — The mother of three children found dead inside a central California home has been charged with murder, officials said Thursday. Deputies doing a welfare check found the children, ages 8, 5, and 3, Wednesday in a Merced County apartment. They also found their mother, Patricia Ortiz,...
Gang Members Arrested in Triple Slaying at Visalia High School
VISALIA — Authorities investigating the fatal shootings of three teenagers said Thursday they have arrested three men suspected in the killings and two dozen other gang members connected to a drug and weapons trafficking operation. Jose Carlos Hernandez Pena, 19, Isaiah Rule, 18, and Blake Madeiros, 19, were found...
Supreme Court Halts COVID-19 Vaccine Rule for US Businesses
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has stopped a major push by the Biden administration to boost the nation's COVID-19 vaccination rate, a requirement that employees at large businesses get a vaccine or test regularly and wear a mask on the job. At the same time, the court is allowing the...
LA Sheriff Says Newsom’s Homelessness Plan Is a Failure
PARAMOUNT — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday rejected claims by the sheriff of California’s most populous county that record spending on homelessness initiatives isn’t putting a dent in the problem of people living in the streets and the state isn't held accountable for where the billions of dollars go....
3 Children Dead, Woman Hospitalized in Merced County
LE GRAND — Three children under the age of 8 years old were found dead Wednesday in an apartment and a woman was hospitalized with apparently self-inflicted injuries, the Merced County Sheriff's Office said. The incident is being investigated as a possible murder-suicide attempt, authorities said. Sheriff's deputies were...
Valley Congressman’s Talks with Trump Draw Jan. 6 Panel’s Interest
The House panel investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection requested an interview and records from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday, shifting their investigation to a top ally of former President Donald Trump in Congress. Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, Democratic chairman of the panel, requested that McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, provide...
US Announces $308 Million in Aid for Afghans as Crisis Grows
The United States on Tuesday announced $308 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan, offering new aid to the country as it edges toward a humanitarian crisis since the Taliban takeover nearly five months ago. White House national security council spokesperson Emily Horne said in a statement that the new aid...
Storied 49ers-Cowboys Playoff Rivalry Resumes. What Are Your Memories?
SANTA CLARA — Kyle Shanahan was a teenager watching on the sideline when the heated playoff rivalry between the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers reached a fever pitch with three straight NFC title game matchups. Now Shanahan will take a starring role when one of the NFL's great...
In 1st, US Surgeons Transplant Pig Heart Into Human Patient
In a medical first, doctors transplanted a pig heart into a patient in a last-ditch effort to save his life and a Maryland hospital said Monday that he's doing well three days after the highly experimental surgery. While it’s too soon to know if the operation really will work,...