MERCED — A little more than a year after Fresno-based Bitwise Industries collapsed, the building it once occupied in the heart of Merced is getting a new tenant. Officials at UC Merced have confirmed the university is taking over the lease of the building at the southwest corner of M...
Separating Fact From Fiction About California Homelessness
Homelessness is one of the most prominent, hardest to solve — and most polarizing — problems California faces today. It's an intensely emotional issue, as images of squalid encampments are enough to bring many to tears. But it's also an intensely political one, with state and local leaders squabbling over...
LL Cool J Relearned ‘How to Rap’ on His First Album in 11 Years, ‘the FORCE.’ Here’s How
NEW YORK — The Grammy award winning rapper-actor-author LL COOL J will release his first new album in 11 years, “The FORCE” in September — 40 years into his hip-hop career. Not that he hasn't been making music in that time. “I've always tinkered around in the studio here and there,”...
UC Merced Begins NCAA Division II Sports Competition in 2025-26 Season
UC Merced will commence NCAA Division II sports competition during the 2025-26 academic year and will be eligible for the postseason in 2026-27, university officials announced Thursday. Nine of the Bobcats' 12 intercollegiate varsity programs will compete in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The men's and women's water polo teams...
Bill Belichick Joining ‘Inside the NFL’ for Upcoming Season
LOS ANGELES — Bill Belichick has added a second media job for the upcoming season. The CW Network announced Thursday that Belichick will be one of the analysts on “Inside the NFL.” Belichick, who coached the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles during his 24 years at the...
Alec Baldwin Trial Halted as Judge Reviews Defense Motion to Dismiss Due to Ammo Dispute
SANTA FE — Alec Baldwin ’s involuntary manslaughter trial was put on hold Friday while the judge considers a defense motion to dismiss the case over disputed ammunition. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer sent the jury home for the day after a hearing on the issue raised more questions and called...
A Packed Fresno City Hall Witnesses Badhesha’s Historic Moment for Sikhs
The Sikh and legal communities packed Fresno City Hall on Thursday, honoring one of their own. Raj Badhesha is now a judge. In a special ceremony, 28 judges from multiple jurisdictions held an honorary session to enrobe Badhesha, 40, and swear him in as a judge. Coming from the Fresno...
The Embattled Biden Campaign Tests Kamala Harris’ Strength vs. Trump
Under siege from fellow Democrats, President Joe Biden’s campaign is quietly testing the strength of Vice President Kamala Harris against former President Donald Trump in a head-to-head survey of voters, as Biden fights for his political future with a high-stakes news conference Thursday. Survey Conducted This Week The survey, which...
Emergency Workers Uncover Dozens of Bodies in a Gaza City District After Israeli Assault
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip - Civil defense workers on Friday dug bodies out of collapsed buildings and pulled them off rubble-covered streets, as they collected dozens of Palestinians killed this week by an Israeli assault in a district of Gaza City. The discovery of the bodies came after Israeli troops...
Destination Paris: Swimmer Ryan Murphy Longs to Reclaim Top Spot on Medal Podium at the Olympics
INDIANAPOLIS — Ryan Murphy longs to reclaim the top spot on the medal podium at the Paris Olympics. America's backstroke star was relegated to silver and bronze in his individual races at Tokyo — a performance that still irks him just a bit. “There’s definitely no shortage of motivation from...