A California church that defied safety regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic by holding large religious services won't have to pay about $200,000 in fines, a state appeals court ruled. Calvary Chapel San Jose and its pastors were held in contempt of court and fined in 2020 and 2021 for...
Recall of Drinks Made by Fresno-Based Company Expands Over Possible Botulism Contamination
Lyons Magnus, a Fresno-based maker of coffee and nutritional drinks, is expanding a recall of dozens of different products over potential bacterial contamination that could cause botulism poisoning. The Food and Drug Administration said the items, which were distributed starting April 2021, are potentially contaminated with the bacteria Cronobacter...
Iran Denies Involvement but Justifies Salman Rushdie Attack
An Iranian official Monday denied Tehran was involved in the stabbing of author Salman Rushdie, though he sought to justify the attack in the Islamic Republic's first public comments on the bloodshed. The remarks by Nasser Kanaani, the spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, came three days after Rushdie was wounded...
What Takes Years and Costs $20K? A San Francisco Trash Can
What takes four years to make and costs more than $20,000? A trash can in San Francisco. That costly, boxy bin is among six trash cans hitting San Francisco's streets this summer in the city's long saga in search of the perfect can. Overflowing trash cans are a common...
What the U.S. Gets Wrong About Iran
Multiple U.S. administrations have attempted to coerce or persuade Iran to reconsider its revolutionary ethos, but have failed. The reason is simple: U.S.-Iran normalization could prove deeply destabilizing to a theocratic government whose organizing principle has been premised on fighting American imperialism. The United States has sought to engage...
Could the EV Boom Run out of Juice Before It Really Gets Going?
Electric vehicles seem unstoppable. Carmakers are outpledging themselves in terms of production goals. Industry analysts are struggling to keep up. Battery-powered cars could zoom from less than 10% of global vehicle sales in 2021 to 40% by 2030, according to Bloomberg. But Western car companies, desperate to reduce their dependence on...
Fresno State’s New Ag Initiative Focuses on Global Hunger
Weather extremes coupled with the ongoing impact of COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine War are resulting in skyrocketing global commodity prices, regional food insecurity, and the potential for a “human catastrophe” food crisis, according to a recent statement by World Bank president David Malpass. A 2021 report by the Food...
Newsom Wants to Extend Life of Avila Beach Nuclear Plant
Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing to extend the life of the state’s last operating nuclear power plant by at least five to 10 years to maintain reliable power supplies in the climate change era. A draft bill obtained Friday by The Associated Press said the plan would allow the...
Zakaria: Kabul Fell One Year Ago. Here Are the Lessons We Should Learn.
On Aug. 16, 2021, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction released a report: “What We Need to Learn: Lessons from Twenty Years of Afghanistan Reconstruction.” The report was overtaken by the news, as only the day before the Afghan government had collapsed and the Taliban rapidly seized power. But...
Anne Heche on Life Support, Survival of Crash ‘Not Expected’
Anne Heche is on life support after suffering a brain injury in a fiery crash a week ago and her survival isn't expected, according to a statement from a representative. The actor, who is in a coma and in critical condition, is being kept on life support for possible...