NEW YORK — A gunfire location and detection system long used by the New York Police Department and other law enforcement agencies nationwide, — including in Fresno — is sending police officers to respond to loud noises that don’t turn out to be confirmed shootings 87% of the time, a...
Ohtani Hits 21st Homer, Smith and Freeman Also Go Deep in Dodgers’ Victory Over Rockies
DENVER — Shohei Ohtani led off the game with his 21st homer of the season, Will Smith and Freddie Freeman hit back-to-back homers in the fourth inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 5-3 on Thursday. Ohtani's homer was his fourth in five games and Smith and...
Give-and-Take Between Dyer & Council Yields a Fresno Budget. What’s In It?
After the Fresno City Council approved a $2 billion budget for the next 12 months, Mayor Jerry Dyer pumped his fist in excitement. "Another unanimous budget," an elated Dyer said as he entered the lobby to take victory pictures with his department heads. The 6-0 vote Thursday — Councilmember Miguel...
This Giant Freshwater Fish — North America’s Largest — Gains California Protection
Killed by algae blooms and dwindling from dams and droughts, the largest freshwater fish in North America is at risk in California. Today, wildlife officials took the first major step toward protecting it under the state’s Endangered Species Act. White sturgeon, which can live longer than 100 years, historically reached...
Superstar Boxer Canelo Alvarez Will Speak at Hispanic Foundation Gala at Table Mountain
One of boxing's biggest stars, Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, will be the keynote speaker at the gala for The Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation on Friday night. The foundation is celebrating its first 20 years with a gala that starts at 6 p.m. at the Table Mountain Casino Conference Center. Over 1,000...
California’s Budget Process Has Once Again Become Secretive and Needs Reform
A minor miracle occurred in the California Capitol 50 years ago this month when a bipartisan majority of state senators refused to accept a pork-laden budget that was drafted in secret by two powerful legislators. It’s a tale worth retelling because the current budget is also being written in secrecy....
Scorching Temperatures Will Raise Heat Risk This Weekend. How Hot Will It Get?
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...