A Dinuba man was sentenced Friday to more than 23 years in state prison for a 2023 DUI crash that killed two women and seriously injured two others, the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office announced. Blake Benham, 44, was sentenced to 23 years and 8 months after pleading guilty on...
US Judge Grants Trump Admin Request to Scrap Biden-Era Medical Debt Rule
WASHINGTON - A federal judge in Texas on Friday granted a request from the Trump administration and industry groups to scrap regulations adopted during the final days of Joe Biden's presidency that would have removed consumers' medical debts from their credit reports, court papers showed. U.S. District Judge Sean Jordan,...
Madera County Authorities Searching for Felony Theft Suspect
The Madera County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a 28-year-old man who is wanted on felony burglary and grand theft warrants. Tyler Joseph Norris is the primary suspect in a series of thefts at a private residence on Highway 145. Just before 8:30 p.m. Monday, he was seen fleeing the...
Fallout Over Handling of Epstein Case Erupts Into the Open
WASHINGTON — The bitter blame game over the handling of the investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein erupted in public on Friday between Attorney General Pam Bondi and the senior leadership of the FBI, particularly the bureau’s deputy director, Dan Bongino. Bondi and her allies believe that Bongino, who parlayed...
One California Worker Dead, Hundreds Arrested After Cannabis Farm Raid
WASHINGTON - A California farmworker died on Friday from injuries sustained a day earlier when U.S. immigration agents raided a cannabis operation and arrested hundreds of workers, according to a farmworker advocacy group. Dozens of migrant-rights activists faced off with federal agents in rural Southern California on Thursday. It was...
Musk’s xAI Seeks up to $200 Billion Valuation in Next Fundraising, FT Reports
Elon Musk's xAI is preparing to raise more money from investors in a deal that could value the artificial-intelligence company as high as $200 billion, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people close to the talks. — (Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Pooja Desai)
Divided US Appeals Court Rejects Plea Deal for Accused September 11 Attacks Mastermind
A U.S. appeals court on Friday refused to allow Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks, and two of his co-defendants to plead guilty under agreements that would have spared them the death penalty. The ruling by a 2-1 panel of the U.S. Court of...
Skydance in Early Talks to Acquire The Free Press, NYT Reports
Skydance Media CEO David Ellison has held preliminary talks to acquire The Free Press, an online news outlet, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. The news comes as Skydance is seeking to close its $8.4 billion merger with Paramount Global, which is awaiting...
Madera Hospital in Full Swing With New Permanent CEO
Now that operations at Madera Community Hospital are into full swing, the medical center has found a new CEO. The hospital board earlier this month named Sony Sidhu to lead the hospital, according to a news release from American Advanced Management. Sidhu comes to Madera by way of Modesto's Central...
Trump’s Copper Tariffs Pile More Metal Misery on US Auto Industry
LONDON/DETROIT - President Donald Trump's threat of a 50% tariff on copper imports is raising alarm in the U.S. auto sector, as it could make it even harder for carmakers and suppliers to absorb border taxes and rising costs, executives and industry experts say. The duties on their own may...