A traffic stop on Highway 99 in Merced led to the discovery of a rifle and suspected drugs, the California Highway Patrol said on Tuesday. CHP officers stopped a vehicle traveling southbound near Le Grand Road for following another car too closely. During the stop, an officer noticed signs of...
Merced County Man Arrested After Shooting Dog, Forcing Burial at Gunpoint
A Winton man was arrested after allegedly shooting and killing his dog, then forcing another person at gunpoint to bury the animal, according to the Merced County Sheriff’s Office. Animal Services received a report Monday of an animal cruelty incident that occurred at a residence in Winton. The reporting party...
Fresno Council Seeks To Expand Former Councilmember’s Consulting Contract
Blong Xiong has done such a good job consulting for the city of Fresno that two Fresno city councilmembers say they want him to do more. Xiong, a former city councilmember, signed a $48,000, one-year contract July 2025 to provide outreach services, including helping Hmong businesses access city resources, assisting...
US Posts Record $145 Billion December Deficit as Outlays Outpace Receipts
The U.S. government posted a $145 billion budget deficit for December, up 67% or $58 billion from a year earlier due to record outlays that were inflated by calendar shifts in benefit payments and receipts, the Treasury Department said on Tuesday. The report showed that revenue growth from President Donald...
Oil Prices Jump on Possible Iranian Supply Disruption
Oil prices surged by more than 2% on Tuesday as the prospect of disruptions to Iranian crude exports overshadowed possible increased supply from Venezuela. Brent futures jumped by $1.57, or 2.5%, to $65.44 a barrel by 1:22 p.m. EST (1822 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude climbed $1.59, or about...
From NFL Turf to Olympic Pool, SoFi Stadium Prepares for the World Cup and LA28
SoFi Stadium was built as the NFL's gleaming new palace, but over the next three years it is set to become a global sporting stage - a venue that will flip from World Cup spotlight to Super Bowl host to Olympic spectacle and swimming venue. Billionaire real estate magnate Stan...
Initial Obamacare Enrollment Drops by 1.4 Million
About 1.4 million fewer people have enrolled in Obamacare coverage this year in the face of soaring premiums, according to an early report, following the expiration of the enhanced subsidies that helped lower the cost of health insurance for millions of Americans. Numbers published by the federal government Monday indicated...
Trump Says USMCA Is Irrelevant for US
President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) is not relevant for the U.S. but Canada wants it, as he pushed for companies to bring manufacturing back to American soil. "There's no real advantage to it, it's irrelevant," Trump said. "Canada would love it. Canada wants...
3 Minnesota Prosecutors Quit After Push to Investigate ICE Shooting Victim’s Widow
Three Minnesota federal prosecutors resigned over the Justice Department’s push to investigate the widow of a woman killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent and its reluctance to investigate the shooter, according to people with knowledge of their decision. Joseph H. Thompson, who was second in command at the...
Scott Adams, Audacious Creator of the ‘Dilbert’ Comic Strip, Dies at 68
Scott Adams, whose experience as a bank and phone company middle manager gave him the material to create the comic strip “Dilbert,” a daily satire of corporate life that became a sensation but was dropped by more than 1,000 newspapers after he made racist comments on his podcast in 2023,...