NEW YORK — More U.S. children have died this flu season than at any time since the swine flu pandemic 15 years ago, according to a federal report released Friday. The 216 pediatric deaths reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eclipse the 207 reported last year. It's...
Gaza Tensions Flare Over Dwindling Supplies as Blockade Persists, Aid Worker Says
GENEVA (Reuters) - Fights are erupting over dwindling supplies in Gaza, a United Nations aid official said on Friday, as Israel's total blockade on supplies into the enclave hit the two-month mark. Since March 2, Israel has completely cut off all supplies to the 2.3 million residents of the Gaza...
Trump Signs Executive Order to End Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aiming to cut federal funding for NPR and PBS, accusing the news outlets of producing biased coverage and “left-wing propaganda.” Trump instructed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds public broadcasters in the United States, to end federal funding for NPR...
Israeli Forces to Demolish More Than 100 Homes in Israeli-Occupied West Bank
JERUSALEM — Israeli forces were preparing on Friday to carry out home demolitions across two northern urban refugee camps in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to the governor of one of the camps and Israeli military documents shared with The Associated Press by the United Nations. Abdallah Kamil, the governor...
Visalia Driver Arrested After Running Stop Sign Causing Fatal Crash
A 26-year-old man was arrested Thursday evening after running a stop sign and causing a three-vehicle crash that left one woman dead, police said. The Visalia Police Department said officers responded around 5 p.m. to the intersection of Burke Street and Kaweah Avenue, where Omar Chavarria was driving eastbound on...
Fed Outlook in Focus as US Stocks Rally Picks up Steam
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve meeting in the coming week is set to test the U.S. stock market's sharp rebound, with investors hoping the central bank is poised to resume lowering interest rates in the months ahead. During the rally, stocks have erased the slump set off by...
Earthquake Strikes off Chile’s Southern Coast, Sparking Tsunami Threat
(Reuters) - A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Drake Passage between Cape Horn and Antarctica at a depth of just 10 km (6 miles) on Friday, the United States Geological Survey said. Chile's SENAPRED disaster agency said a coastal area of Magallanes region in the southern tip of the country should...
As Trump Moves to Tax Small Parcels, Some Retailers Give up on US
LONDON (Reuters) -With the end of a U.S. tariff exemption for small parcels on Friday, some retailers have stopped selling to customers in the United States while others are seeking temporary workarounds in the hope the tariff rate may be reduced. The removal of "de minimis" - duty-free treatment of...
High-Speed Rail CEO Won’t Commit to Size of Fresno Station. What’s in the Future for Rail?
As part of the California High-Speed Rail Authority's attempt to rein in a ballooning budget, its new CEO in a townhall last week walked back promises about the size of the future Fresno station. At the Fresnoland Futures' high-speed rail forum on April 20, CalMatters editor Yousef Baig said the...
Fresno County Crew Rescues Man Who Fell Into Ponding Basin Near Coalinga
Emergency crews rescued a man early Thursday after he fell into a ponding basin near Highway 33 and Gale Avenue, just north of Coalinga, CalFire reported. Fire officials said the first engine crew on scene found the man about 60 feet down the embankment. A technical rescue team was called...