Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont announced Monday he will run for reelection this year, squelching speculation that the 82-year-old progressive icon might retire at a time when the Democratic Party is anxious about the advancing age of its top leaders. Hailing from a Democratic stronghold, Sanders' decision virtually guarantees that...
Thief Uses Sleight of Hand to Swipe $255K Tiffany Ring, Cops Say
NEW YORK — A jewel thief wanted for crimes from Florida to South Korea stole a diamond ring worth $255,000 from a Tiffany store in New York by switching it with a cubic zirconia replica, authorities said. The theft happened on March 4 at a Tiffany store in Manhattan's Rockefeller...
California Reports the First Increase in Groundwater Supplies in 4 Years
SACRAMENTO — After massive downpours flooded California’s rivers and packed mountains with snow, the state reported Monday the first increase in groundwater supplies in four years. The state saw 4.1 million acre-feet of managed groundwater recharge in the water year ending in September, and an 8.7 million acre-feet increase in...
Fresno Charter School Wants to Increase Enrollment. But Are Its Students Lagging Their Peers?
Golden Charter Academy is asking the Fresno Unified School Board to authorize the school to expand its enrollment capacity and to move its location to a new site just south of Roeding Regional Park and the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. Superintendent Bob Nelson has recommended approval of the charter revision, which...
Lawsuit Alleges Decades of Child Sex Abuse at Illinois Juvenile Detention Centers Statewide
CHICAGO — Child sexual abuse at Illinois juvenile detention centers was pervasive and systemic for decades, according to disturbing accounts in a lawsuit filed Monday by 95 men and women housed at the youth centers as children. The lawsuit details alleged incidents of abuse from 1996 to 2017, including gang...
Texas Soldier Arrested in Russia on Theft Charges After Unexpected Detour
WASHINGTON — An American soldier has been arrested in Russia and accused of stealing, according to two U.S. officials. U.S. officials said the soldier, Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, 34, was stationed in South Korea and was in the process of returning home to Fort Cavazos in Texas. Instead, officials said...
Fresno Detectives Arrest Motorcycle Club Leader on Arson, Gun Charges
Thomas Martin Qualls, 39, remains in Fresno County Jail with bail of $337,000 facing charges of arson and possession of guns and ammunition by a felon. The Multi-Agency Gang Consortium arrested Qualls, who is the leader of the Screamin Demons Motorcycle Club, after a search warrant was served Thursday, May...
Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism Awarded to The New York Times, The Washington Post, AP and Others
NEW YORK — The New York Times and The Washington Post were awarded three Pulitzer Prizes apiece on Monday for work in 2023 that dealt with everything from the war in Gaza to gun violence, and The Associated Press won in the feature photography category for coverage of global migration...
Hamas Accepts Gaza Cease-Fire; Israel Launches Strikes in Rafah
JERUSALEM — After Hamas on Monday announced its acceptance of an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal, Israel said its leaders approved a military operation in the southern Gaza town of Rafah and began striking targets in the area. Still, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would send negotiators to continue talks on...
Tom Brady’s Netflix Roast Features Lots of Jabs and a Belichick-Kraft Reunion
INGLEWOOD — Three months before Tom Brady gets roasted by critics as Fox Sports' top NFL analyst, he took his share of barbs from comedians, former teammates, and his longtime coach Sunday night during a made-for-streaming comedy live event on Netflix. And it is safe to say after the one...