JERUSALEM, Feb 19 - More than 75,000 Palestinians were killed in the first 15 months of Israel's military assault in Gaza, a figure far higher than the 49,000 deaths local health officials announced at the time, says a new study by The Lancet Global Health medical journal. The peer-reviewed study,...
Will City of Fresno Craft Its Own Health Plan After Blue Shield-Community Split?
The Fresno City Council on Thursday made the first moves to create a new health care plan for its workers and families after failed negotiations between Community Health Systems and Blue Shield of California left thousands with only out-of-network coverage. On Feb. 1, more than 12,000 subscribers on the city's...
Trump Pitches Economic Plan in Georgia as High Prices Frustrate Voters
President Donald Trump insisted on Thursday his policies were easing high prices, seeking to persuade voters frustrated by the cost of living that he and fellow Republicans have an effective economic plan ahead of November's midterm elections. Speaking at a steel distributor in Rome, Georgia, Trump touted a growing stock...
Will Thunderstorms Cap Wild Wet Fresno Weather Tonight?
After receiving nearly a half-inch of rain Thursday through 2 p.m., Fresno will see more showers and possibly a thunderstorm or two before the storm concludes, the National Weather Service says. NWS also continues to predict that snow could fall as low as 1,500 feet in the Valley foothills on...
Alysa Liu, Clovis-Born Olympian, Wins Gold in Figure Skating
Alysa Liu, 20, of the United States, captured the Olympic gold medal in women's figure skating on Thursday, delivering a commanding performance to hold off Kaori Sakamoto at the Milan Cortina Games. Liu finished with a score of 150.20 points from the free skate, a total of 226.79 points, securing...
A Lonely Baby Monkey Wins Hearts, and Even a Few Friends
Punch, a 7-month-old macaque monkey, had no friends. His mother abandoned him. He wasn’t quite fitting in with the other monkeys at Ichikawa City Zoo, outside Tokyo. The closest thing he had to loved ones were the zookeepers who look after him and a stuffed animal from Ikea. But a...
FBI Plans to Reduce Vetting of Some Applying to Be Agents, Sources Say
The FBI plans to make it easier for existing employees to become agents, removing two long-standing steps in vetting applicants as the bureau faces a staffing crunch under President Donald Trump's administration, according to two people familiar with the move. FBI Director Kash Patel is expected to eliminate a requirement that...
Visalia Police Arrest Hanford Man Accused of Targeting 15-Year-Old on Instagram
A 19-year-old Hanford man was arrested after authorities say he attempted to arrange a sexual encounter with a 15-year-old girl he contacted on Instagram. The investigation began Jan. 13 when a detective with the Visalia Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit was contacted by the teen, who reported being...
Trump Administration Moves to End Housing Assistance for Mixed Immigration Families
WASHINGTON, Feb 19 - The Trump administration took steps on Thursday toward ending federal housing assistance for households with mixed immigration status, as it seeks to stop ineligible migrants from benefiting from the funding. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said it estimates approximately 24,000 undocumented migrants, ineligible...
What to Know About the Trial of South Korea’s Ousted Leader
A South Korean court on Thursday sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of leading an insurrection when he briefly imposed martial law in 2024. Yoon’s actions plunged South Korea into a constitutional crisis, and he was later impeached and ousted. Here’s what to...