Perhaps the biggest local political battle on the November 2026 ballot will be over Fresno County's half-cent sales tax funding highways, road repairs, mass transit, and other projects. Some people will oppose the extension because they don't like taxes or believe Measure C hasn't delivered on its promises. Others, however,...
Avoid Highway 41 in Fresno. Brush Fire Is Causing Traffic Delays
Update on Monday, May 14, 2025 at 2:45 p.m. Fire and police crews have extinguished the flames. Original Story Fire and police crews are responding to a brush fire near Highway 41 and Gettysburg Avenue in Fresno on Wednesday afternoon. The fire, which stretches along the southbound lanes of Highway...
To Fix $50M Budget Hole, Fresno Will Hold Off Hiring and Make Spending Cuts
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer unveiled his $2.36 billion budget on Wednesday to the media, revealing how he plans to balance a $50 million deficit. "We will live within our means here in the city of Fresno, but we will also build a better future at the same time," Dyer said....
Bad News for California. State Budget Is $12 Billion in the Red
SACRAMENTO — California is staring down an $12 billion budget deficit, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday. The Democratic governor shared the number as he laid out his nearly $322 billion state spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year. He says the deficit is partly due to broad economic uncertainty, including...
Can Middle Schoolers Handle College? This San Jose School Is Finding Out
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. By 2:45 p.m. the regular school day at August Boeger Middle School had already ended, but one class is about to start. More than 20 eighth graders drop their backpacks and settle into desks — not for extra...
Clovis Police, ABC Cite Three for Giving Alcohol to Minors in Shoulder Tap Operation
Clovis police and California Alcoholic Beverage Control agents cited three people for furnishing alcohol to minors during an undercover operation on Tuesday, authorities said. The "Shoulder Tap" operation used a decoy under 21, supervised by law enforcement, who asked adults outside local stores to buy alcohol while clearly stating they...
Trump to Remove US Sanctions on Syria in Major Policy Shift
RIYADH/DAMASCUS (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would order the lifting of sanctions on Syria at the behest of Saudi Arabia's crown prince, a major U.S. policy shift ahead of an expected meeting with Syria's Islamist President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Trump is set to say hello to Sharaa...
US Overdose Deaths Fell 27% Last Year, the Largest One-Year Decline Ever Seen
There were 30,000 fewer U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2024 than the year before — the largest one-year decline ever recorded. An estimated 80,000 people died from overdoses last year, according to provisional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Wednesday. That’s down 27% from the 110,000 in 2023....
Debate Turns Raucous as House Panel Weighs Medicaid Cuts
WASHINGTON — As he called to order a marathon committee session to consider Medicaid cuts and other critical pieces of Republicans’ sweeping domestic policy bill, Rep. Brett Guthrie of Kentucky surveyed a packed hearing room Tuesday afternoon and asked for a respectful debate. “I know we have deep feelings on...
California Democrats Restore Penalties in Teen Sex Trafficking Bill After Backlash
California's Democratic leadership has once again executed a dramatic policy reversal following intense public backlash, this time on legislation concerning sex trafficking of minors, San Francisco Chronicle reports. Assembly Democrats initially opposed strengthening penalties for adults who purchase 16- and 17-year-olds for sex, stripping Assembly Member Maggy Krell's bill (AB379)...