JERUSALEM — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting fellow mediators Egypt and Qatar as he pressed ahead Tuesday with the latest diplomatic mission to secure a cease-fire in the war in Gaza, even as Hamas and Israel signaled that challenges remain. Hamas in a new statement called the...
New Surveys Show Signs of Optimism Among Small Business Owners
NEW YORK — Small business owners overall are feeling positive about their business and achieving the goals they set for this year despite inflation and high labor costs, according to two new surveys. "At the mid-point of 2024, we asked small businesses to look back on the goals they set...
The Obamas and Emhoff Will Headline the DNC on Tuesday
CHICAGO — Former President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will speak Tuesday on the second day of the Democratic National Convention, turning the party’s attention toward Vice President Kamala Harris and her faceoff against Republican Donald Trump. The Harris campaign said Tuesday it will spotlight “trusted messengers” from key...
Warring Sides Will Try Mediation to Settle Lawsuit Over Sinking Friant-Kern Canal
Attorneys for the Friant Water Authority and Eastern Tule Groundwater Sustainability Agency agreed to mediation on Friday in an attempt to resolve a dispute over how quickly payment for repairs to the sinking Friant-Kern Canal should be handed over. During a status conference in Visalia, both parties told Tulare County...
Harris Super PAC Chief Warns of Tight Races Despite Lead in Polls
The founder of the primary super PAC supporting Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign warns that their internal polling is less “rosy” than public surveys suggest, indicating tighter races in key states Reuters reported Monday. “Our numbers are much less rosy than what you're seeing in the public,” said Chauncey McLean, president...
Tulare County’s Coffee Pot Fire at 0% Containment. No. 1 Priority Is Protecting Three Rivers.
Click here for the updated story posted on August 20, 2024, at 5:40 PM - Story Update on August 20, 2024, at 11:00 AM As of Tuesday morning, the fire has grown to 1,305 acres according to CalFire. Original Story The Coffee Pot Fire, which began on Aug. 3 after...
Firefighters Are Taming the Park Fire, CA’s 4th-Largest Wildfire on Record
CHICO — California's largest wildfire this year has been significantly tamed as the state's initially fierce fire season has, at least temporarily, fallen into a relative calm. The Park Fire was 53% contained Monday after scorching nearly 671 square miles (1,738 square kilometers) in several northern counties, destroying 637 structures...
US Intelligence Officials Say Iran Is to Blame for Hack of Trump’s Presidential Campaign
WASHINGTON — U.S. intelligence officials said Monday that Iran is responsible for the hack of Donald Trump's presidential campaign. It was the first U.S. government attribution of responsibility for a cyber intrusion that the Republican nominee had previously linked to Tehran. The FBI and other federal agencies said Iran perceived...
Cal State, University of California Ban Encampments, Impose Protest Rules
California State University and the University of California are welcoming student activists back to campus this fall with revamped protest rules that signal a harder line on encampments, barriers and, under certain circumstances, the wearing of face masks. Cal State, the nation's largest public university system, was first to issue...
17,000 AT&T Workers in Southeast Strike Over Contract Negotiations
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — More than 17,000 AT&T workers in nine states across the Southeast are on strike after accusing the company of unfair labor practices during contract negotiations this summer. The Communications Workers of America — the union representing the striking employees — said workers walked off the job Friday...