WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Friday refused to lift a judge's order requiring U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to fully fund this month's food aid benefits for 42 million low-income Americans during the ongoing U.S. government shutdown. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals delivered its ruling...
Fresno Families, Veterans, and Federal Workers Turn to First Fruits Market for Help
Friday morning at Fresno Mission's City Center, First Fruits Market reached capacity almost immediately. Families, veterans, furloughed government workers, and others in need shuffled through the doors, looking for something basic — eggs, bread, fresh produce, frozen meats — but leaving with something more: a moment of dignity in a...
Wall Street Ends Mixed on Signs of Shutdown Progress
NEW YORK — The Nasdaq closed lower but the S&P 500 and the Dow eked out late-session gains on Friday as investors turned the page on a roller-coaster week with economic worries, the longest-ever federal government shutdown, and sky-high tech stock valuations dampening risk appetite. All three major U.S. stock...
A Decade Later, Supreme Court Is Asked to Revisit Same-Sex Marriage Decision
WASHINGTON — Gay Americans celebrated a decade ago when the Supreme Court established a constitutional right to same-sex marriage in a landmark decision. But the community was shaken several years later when the court’s conservative majority eliminated the constitutional right to abortion, showing its willingness to revisit long-standing precedent. Justice...
Tulare County Authorities Arrest Wanted Felon in Terra Bella
Tulare County sheriff’s detectives arrested a wanted felon Thursday afternoon in Terra Bella, authorities said. Around 3:30 p.m., detectives went to the 400 block of East Terra Bella Avenue in Pixley to contact Julian “Tommy Gunz” Villa, who was wanted on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a...
With US Aid in Limbo, More States Start Paying Full Food Stamp Benefits
WASHINGTON — A growing roster of states including New York, Kansas, Pennsylvania and Oregon said Friday that they had started to send full food stamp benefits to low-income Americans, restarting the critical aid program even as a legal battle with the White House remained unresolved. As benefits started to reach...
No Immediate Threat to US, Allies From North Korea’s Missile Launch, US Military Says
The U.S. military said that North Korea's launch of a ballistic missile earlier on Friday does not pose an immediate threat to the United States or its allies, but it "highlights the destabilizing impact" of Pyongyang's actions. "We are aware of the missile launch and are consulting closely with our...
Sen. John Kennedy Says Congress Shouldn’t Get Paid During Shutdown
Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana with old-school values about right and wrong, is authoring two bills that would stop paychecks to members of Congress during the federal shutdown. His "No Shutdown Paychecks to Politicians Act" calls for lawmakers to lose their pay for every day of a shutdown....
Crew of Fatal UPS Cargo Flight Tried to Control Aircraft Before Crash, NTSB Says
As a bell sounded in the cockpit, three UPS pilots tried to control a cargo flight that crashed this week in Louisville, Kentucky, killing at least 13 people, the National Transportation Safety Board said on Friday. While UPS flight 2976 started uneventfully, a repeating bell was heard on the aircraft's...
Gov. Newsom Pardons Detained Immigrant Fresno Restaurant Manager
Federally incarcerated Fresno restaurant manager Psalm "Sam" Behpoor's case for being released from a Kern County immigrant detention facility received a big boost Friday. Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a "full and unconditional pardon" for a residential burglary Behpoor committed when more than two decades ago when he was 18 years...