The National Weather Service in Hanford has issued a "major heat risk" warning for the Valley, Sierra foothills, westside hills, and Kern River Valley starting Saturday. The weather sends out advisories so people will know they need to take precautions to avoid illness, meteorologist Stephen McCoy said Thursday. "Many of...
Hanford Hospital Settles With State AG in Controversial Stillbirth Cases
Adventist Health Hanford has settled with the California Attorney General's Office over accusations the hospital gave law enforcement medical records on two pregnant women without requiring warrants. Two stillbirths at the hospital — one in 2019 and one in 2017 — resulted in murder charges for two women after staff...
Kern Pistachio Grower Ordered to Pay $30 Million in Groundwater Pumping Case
An Orange County court last week approved an injunction mandating that Mojave Pistachios LLC pay $30 million in back fees owed to the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority for pumping groundwater without an allocation in Kern County’s eastern desert. That $30 million is the accumulation of a $2,130-per-acre-foot fee for...
Tulare County Bust Uncovers Large Cache of Illegal Guns and Drugs
Law enforcement arrested four individuals in Tulare County and confiscated a substantial cache of illegal firearms, ammunition, drugs, and cash. Further investigations showed broader alleged criminal activities leading to the arrest of a cohort suspected of drug trafficking and manufacturing. The searches yielded two shotguns, four rifles, six handguns, approximately...
Former Fresno Council Candidate, Business Partner Convicted in Multi-Million Dollar Fraud
Marcus Asay, 68, and Antonio Gastelum, 53, — an unsuccessful Fresno City Council candidate in 2016 and former Parlier city manager — were found guilty of a multi-million dollar fraud scheme on Tuesday. Along with their company Agricultural Contracting Services Association, operating as American Labor Alliance, they were found guilty...
Donald Sutherland, Iconic Actor of ‘M.A.S.H.’ and ‘Hunger Games,’ Dies at 88
NEW YORK — Donald Sutherland, the prolific film and television actor whose long career stretched from "M.A.S.H." to “The Hunger Games,” has died. He was 88. Kiefer Sutherland, the actor's son, confirmed his father's death Thursday. No further details were immediately available. “I personally think one of the most important actors in...
California Voters Lose a Shot at Checking State and Local Tax Hikes at the Polls
SACRAMENTO — The California Supreme Court on Thursday removed a measure from the November ballot that would have made it harder to raise taxes, siding with Gov. Gavin Newsom and his Democratic allies in the state Legislature. The measure would have required voter approval for tax increases passed by the...
The Supreme Court Upholds a Tax on Foreign Income Over a Challenge Backed by Business Interests
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a tax on foreign income over a challenge backed by business and anti-regulatory interests, declining their invitation to weigh in on a broader, never-enacted tax on wealth. The justices, by a 7-2 vote, left in place a provision of a 2017 tax...
South Korea Will Consider Supplying Arms to Ukraine After Russia and North Korea Sign Strategic Pact
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea said Thursday that it would consider sending arms to Ukraine, a major policy change suggested after Russia and North Korea rattled the region and beyond by signing a pact to come to each other’s defense in the event of war. The comments from a...
Mike Pence’s Foundation Launches a $10 Million Election-Year Campaign to Preserve Trump-Era Tax Cuts
WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Mike Pence’s foundation is launching a $10 million campaign to preserve the Trump-era tax cuts that are set to expire after next year as he presses conservatives not to stray from the fight before the November election. Advancing American Freedom released a 13-page blueprint Thursday...