Amazon.com on Monday announced it reached a new agreement with the U.S. Postal Service on package deliveries, and sources said the cash-strapped mail system would retain about 80% of its existing deliveries from its biggest customer. That 20% cut is a dramatically better outcome for the postal agency than the...
US Finalizes 2.48% Medicare Advantage Payment Hike, Insurance Stocks Surge
The U.S. government has finalized a 2.48% average increase in payments to private insurers offering Medicare Advantage plans to older adults in 2027, a much steeper rise than the near-flat increase it proposed in January. Shares of UnitedHealth, CVS and Humana rose between 8% and 14% in extended trading, as...
Merced County Authorities Arrest Woman on Attempted Murder Charge After Hilmar Stabbing
A woman was hospitalized after being stabbed multiple times Saturday night in Hilmar, and a 22-year-old woman was later arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, the Merced County Sheriff's Office said. Deputies responded about 9:30 p.m. to a residence on Dayton Avenue in Hilmar for a report of a stabbing....
Supervisors to Consider Human Compost Bans on Fresno County Farms and Public Land
Supervisors on Tuesday will consider a ban on the application of human compost as fertilizer on farm and public land in Fresno County. As California law opens up the usage of human compost in 2027, supervisors Garry Bredefeld and Nathan Magsig say there's insufficent science examining the impact that decomposed...
The California Lake Billed as the ‘Saudi Arabia of Lithium’
CALIPATRIA, Calif. — Beneath California’s Salton Sea, there is so much metal essential to rechargeable batteries that Gov. Gavin Newsom calls the vast lake “the Saudi Arabia of lithium.” An estimated $500 billion worth of lithium here could help power our smartphones, electric cars and electricity grids. And a so-called...
Merced County Jury Acquits Driver in Crash That Killed Two Sisters
A Merced County jury has acquitted a driver of two counts of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in a 2022 Atwater crash that killed two women. The women’s family told The Merced FOCUS they’re disappointed in the outcome. But the defense attorney in the case says a medical episode suffered by the...
Trump Renews Threat of New Attacks
President Donald Trump on Monday escalated his threats to devastate Iran if it does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, even as he again floated the possibility that diplomacy may yet avert steps to prolong and deepen the war. “We have a plan, because of the power of our military,...
Bakersfield Man Pleads Guilty to Running Illegal $5 Million Money Transfer Operation
A Bakersfield man pleaded guilty Monday to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business that handled more than $5 million in funds, including money from victims of fraud and cybercrimes, federal prosecutors said. Ifeanyi Emmanuel Ugwu, 49, owned and ran Franklin Finance Inc. from December 2020 to August 2023, using 20...
Fresno Police Make 6 DUI Arrests During Checkpoint
Six people were arrested for driving under the influence during a DUI checkpoint on Friday at Shaw and Brawley avenues, the Fresno Police Department reported. Officers contacted 203 vehicles and issued 29 citations for driving without a license or with a suspended or revoked license. Police said DUI checkpoint locations...
War in Middle East Will Lead to Slower Growth, Higher Inflation, IMF Chief Tells Reuters
The war in the Middle East will lead to higher inflation and slower global growth, the head of the International Monetary Fund told Reuters on Monday, ahead of a fresh forecast for the world economy planned by the global lender for next week. Barring the war, the IMF had expected...