President Donald Trump's administration announced on Wednesday it will temporarily suspend federal anti-smog regulations on seasonal gasoline blends to combat higher pump prices since the start of the war on Iran. The move by the Environmental Protection Agency is a win for the U.S. biofuels industry because it will allow...
Fresno’s Next Shakespeare Production to Be Even Grander Than the First
The next production from Fresno's professional Shakespeare company promises to be even more ambitious than the first as the troupe prepares to take on what was likely the Bard's last play. Chanticleer Shakespeare Co.'s production of "The Tempest" opens April 24, with an eight-show run that includes one show dedicated...
Woman Pleads Not Guilty to Attempted Murder of Singer Rihanna
A Florida woman pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to the attempted murder of singer Rihanna after authorities said she fired shots from a semiautomatic weapon at the Grammy-winning musician's Los Angeles mansion this month. The woman, Ivana Lisette Ortiz, entered her plea in Los Angeles Superior Court. Ortiz, from Orlando,...
Long Lines Reported at Major US Airports as More TSA Officers Quit
Long lines were reported at major airports on Wednesday as the Transportation Security Administration said the number of airport security officers quitting had jumped to more than 480 since the mid-February start of a partial government shutdown. Ha McNeill, the senior official at the Transportation Security Administration, told a U.S....
Merced Police Seek Public Help Identifying Suspects in Home Depot Thefts
The Merced Police Department is asking the public for help identifying two individuals connected to multiple thefts at the Home Depot in Merced. Authorities say a female suspect entered the store on three separate occasions during February and March and is believed to have stolen merchandise valued at approximately $2,000....
California Governor’s Race Gets Weirder With Debate Cancellation, New Poll
This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Just when we thought the campaign for California’s governorship couldn’t get any weirder, it did. A Tuesday night debate at the University of Southern California was cancelled late Monday amid allegations of racism because all the candidates invited...
Iran Still Reviewing US Proposal Despite Negative Initial Response, Senior Iranian Official Says
Iran is still reviewing a U.S. proposal to end the war in the Gulf, despite an initial response that was negative, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday, indicating that Tehran had so far stopped short of rejecting it outright. Publicly, Iranian officials poured withering scorn on the prospect...
Massachusetts Teacher Charged With Raping Two Students
A former teacher at Miss Hall’s School, a private girls’ boarding school in western Massachusetts, was indicted by a Berkshire County grand jury on three counts of rape Tuesday for allegedly assaulting two students. The case had incited outrage about the teacher’s long history of alleged abuse and had prompted...
New Records in Trump Documents Case Raise Concerns Over Business Conflict, US Lawmaker Says
Newly released records in the now-dismissed classified documents case against U.S. President Donald Trump raise fresh concerns over national security risks and potential private business motivations, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee said. The records, handed over by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of the Republican-led...
How Epstein Helped Solve Billionaire Leon Black’s Problems With Women
In October 2017, a yoga instructor emailed Jeffrey Epstein with a delicate question: When might she receive the tens of thousands of dollars she’d been promised by billionaire Leon Black? She and Black had been in a sexual relationship, and since at least 2009, hundreds of thousands of dollars had...