Fresno County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Hamilton Jr. has ordered Fresno contractor Stephen Davis to shell out nearly $1.7 million to Harris Construction to cover its legal fees in the long running lawsuit over the lease-leaseback contract to build a Fresno Unified middle school. But Hamilton stayed the order pending...
Trump Signs Executive Order Implementing Trade Deal With Japan, White House Says
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday implementing the U.S.-Japan trade agreement, the White House said. "Under the Agreement, the United States will apply a baseline 15 percent tariff on nearly all Japanese imports entering the United States, alongside separate sector-specific treatment for automobiles and automobile...
US Imposes Sanctions on Palestinians Who Asked for Israel War Crimes Probe
The United States has imposed sanctions on three Palestinian human rights groups that asked the International Criminal Court to investigate Israel over allegations of genocide in Gaza, according to a notice posted to the U.S. Treasury Department's website on Thursday. The three groups - Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights...
US Justice Department Opens Criminal Mortgage Fraud Probe Into Fed Governor Cook
The U.S. Justice Department has launched a criminal mortgage fraud probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook and has issued grand jury subpoenas out of both Georgia and Michigan, according to documents seen by Reuters and a source familiar with the matter. The investigation, which followed a criminal referral from Federal...
Fresno County’s Rat Explosion: Why Now and How Can Farmers Deal With It?
Rodents are not a new problem for Central Valley growers. However, the explosion in the roof rat population over the last 12 months has researchers and farmers scrambling to not only figure out what caused the boom, but also how to deal with it. Calls to the state for help...
Visalia Police Detain Six After School Altercation Involving Replica Gun
Visalia police detained six people Thursday morning following an altercation near Crescent Valley Charter School in the 100 block of East Main Street. Officers responded at 9:09 a.m. to reports of a man with a gun near the school. During the incident, one individual displayed what was later determined to...
Fresno Unified Expands HBCU Ties to Improve College Readiness
Fresno Unified School District is adding another university to its HBCU Step-Up program, designed to increase graduation rates and improve college readiness. The district partnered with Fort Valley State University, a historically Black college in Georgia, offering expanding dual enrollment opportunities to 70 more students from Sunnyside and McLane high...
Wall Street Indexes Rise as Data Keeps Rate Cut Views Intact
The three major U.S. stock indexes were higher on Thursday as labor market data did not change expectations for an interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve this month. Shares of chip company Broadcom, considered a key artificial intelligence player, were up 1.2% ahead of its quarterly results due after the...
Northwestern University President Steps Down After Trump Funding Cuts
CHICAGO — The president of Northwestern University, a prestigious school in suburban Chicago, announced on Thursday that he would resign as the institution deals with budget issues stemming from cuts in federal funding by the Trump administration. President Michael Schill, who has led the university in Evanston, Illinois, for three...
US Accuses Southern California Edison in Lawsuit of Igniting Eaton, Fairview Wildfires
The U.S. government filed two lawsuits against Southern California Edison on Thursday, blaming the utility's equipment for sparking two wildfires, including the Eaton Fire in January that damaged National Forest System lands. The lawsuits against the unit of Edison International were filed by the U.S. Department of Justice in Los...