WASHINGTON - The U.S. health department is giving Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials access to the personal data of 79 million Medicaid enrollees to help them track down immigrants who may not be living legally in the country, it said on Thursday. Giving ICE access to the personal data of...
Fresno Grass Fire Near Woodward Park Prompts Brief Evacuations
A grass fire that broke out near the San Joaquin River bottom west of Woodward Park in prompted temporary evacuations Thursday afternoon before crews brought the flames under control, Fresno officials said. The Fresno Fire Department responded to the blaze around 11:40 a.m., with assistance from Fresno police. Firefighters estimated...
Behind the Masks: Who Are the People Rounding Up Immigrants in California?
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. They appeared in plain clothes outside a San Diego hotel, wore camouflage as they raided a Los Angeles factory and arrived with military gear at a Ventura County farm. The presence of thousands of hard-to-identify federal agents is...
Homeowners With Solar Rise Up to Defang Bill Authored by Former Utility Executive
Vocal opposition to a California bill canceling rooftop solar contracts for people who sell their homes resulted in major amendments to the proposal last week. The changes effectively neutralize the legislation's negative impacts on solar panel owners. Assemblymember Lisa Calderon (D-Whitter), a former executive for Edison International, agreed to changes...
Man Admits to Killing Missing Bass Lake Resident, Madera County Authorities Say
A man has confessed to killing 75-year-old Robert “Bob” Boyajian, who was last seen Saturday in Bass Lake, according to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators found Boyajian’s car, briefcase, and Apple Watch — an item authorities say he never left behind — at his residence. However, his cell phone,...
Trump Diagnosed With Vein Condition Causing Leg Swelling, White House Says
President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with a "common" vein condition after being evaluated by his doctor over swelling in his lower legs, the White House said on Thursday. Reading a letter from Trump's physician, Leavitt said at a press briefing that an ultrasound on the president's legs "revealed chronic...
Connie Francis, Whose Ballads Dominated ’60s Pop Music, Dies at 87
Connie Francis, who dominated the pop charts in the late 1950s and early ’60s with sobbing ballads like “Who’s Sorry Now” and “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You,” as well as up-tempo soft-rock tunes like “Stupid Cupid,” “Lipstick on Your Collar” and “Vacation,” died Wednesday. She was 87. Her...
Fresno Fire’s Rescue of 2-Year-Old in Locked Car Is a Reminder of Deadly Heat Risks
Fresno firefighters rescued a 2-year-old child who was accidentally locked inside a running car Tuesday evening outside Herndon Avenue KinderCare, officials said. Crews used a lock-out kit to safely open the vehicle. The engine was running and the air conditioning was on when first responders arrived. Emergency medical services were...
Trump Will Not Recommend Special Prosecutor in Epstein Case
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump will not recommend a special prosecutor in the Jeffrey Epstein case, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday. "The president would not recommend a special prosecutor in the Epstein case. That's how he feels," Leavitt told reporters. — (Reporting by Steve Holland and...
US Attorney General Bondi Visits Alcatraz After Trump Call to Reopen Notorious Prison
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi visited the infamous Alcatraz prison in the San Francisco Bay on Thursday, weeks after President Donald Trump said he would order the long-shuttered facility, now operated as a historical site, to once again house violent criminals. Aerial footage showed Bondi speaking with park rangers and...