A new California legislative bill would stop utility companies from passing political lobbying, advertising, and shareholder expenses onto energy consumers. Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park), introduced Assembly Bill 1167 on Feb. 21. The bill requires utility companies to justify rate increases. It makes "unjust" or "unreasonable" charges unlawful, according to...
Fresno County Hires Two New Department Heads
Fresno County recently split its Internal Services Department into two branches. And with that split comes two new hires. On Tuesday, supervisors approved hiring Raymond Hunter as director of general services and Michael Kerr as chief information officer and director of information technology services. Kerr, Hunter Come to Fresno From...
Track and Field to Be First Olympic Sport Requiring DNA Sex Tests for Women
Track and field will introduce mandatory DNA sex testing for athletes entering female competitions, its global leader said Tuesday, making it the first Olympic sport to add the requirement. The move comes amid an increasingly vexed debate over eligibility rules in female sports and comes less than a year after...
Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett Mocks Wheelchair-Bound Greg Abbott as ‘Gov. Hot Wheels’
Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett mocked her state’s governor during a weekend appearance, referring to Greg Abbott — who uses a wheelchair — as “Gov. Hot Wheels” while speaking at a banquet in Los Angeles. “You all know we got Gov. Hot Wheels down there. Come on, now,” Crockett, a Dallas...
Appeals Court Allows Trump to Suspend Approval of New Refugees Amid Lawsuit
WASHINGTON — An appeals court on Tuesday allowed the Trump administration to suspend entry of new refugees as a lawsuit plays out over the president’s executive order halting the nation’s refugee admissions system. Refugees conditionally approved before President Donald Trump took office must still be processed under the order from...
Sacramento State Hires Former NBA Star Mike Bibby as New Basketball Coach
Former Sacramento Kings star Mike Bibby was hired to take over the struggling basketball team at Sacramento State. Athletic director Mark Orr announced the move on Tuesday, saying he believed that Bibby can help generate excitement for the program. "Since 2001, Sacramento has felt like home to me,” Bibby said...
New CA System Tells You When and Where Pesticides Are Applied
A new statewide notification system lets Californians know when and where pesticides will be applied. People who sign up for the California Department of Pesticide Regulation's SprayDays California will get phone calls and text messages before pesticides get sprayed on fields near them, according to a news release from the...
Stanford Football Coach Fired After Alleged Mistreatment Investigation
STANFORD, Calif. — Stanford fired football coach Troy Taylor following a report last week that he had been investigated twice for allegedly mistreating staffers. General manager Andrew Luck announced the decision on Tuesday in his first major move since taking over in his role running the entire football program. “Since...
5 High-Level CDC Officials Are Leaving in the Latest Turmoil for the Public Health Agency
NEW YORK — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was rocked by five high-level departures on Tuesday in the latest turmoil for the nation's top public health agency. The departures were announced at a meeting of agency senior leaders. The Atlanta-based CDC has two dozen centers and offices. The...
Fresno Man Pleads Guilty After Mistaking Undercover Officer for a Prostitute
A Fresno man pleaded guilty Monday to being a felon in possession of ammunition after attempting to sell a rifle to an undercover officer while mistakenly believing the officer was a prostitute, federal prosecutors said. Donald Henderson, 30, admitted to possessing a privately manufactured firearm, commonly known as a ghost...