FresYes Fest organizers expect 25,000 people — maybe more — in downtown Fresno enjoying food, crafts, and musical acts Saturday. Now in its 11th year, organizer Mike "Oz" Osegueda says FresYes Fest — which started as a celebration of Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Co.'s anniversary — is Fresno's preeminent party destination. "Over...
Everyday Tattoos Got Venezuelan Men ID’d as Gang Members and Deported, Lawyers Say
A crown over a soccer ball. An eyeball that "looked cool." Flowers. Those are some of the everyday tattoos that defense lawyers say helped lead to the sudden weekend deportation of roughly 200 Venezuelan men who are accused of being members of the ruthless gang Tren de Aragua. President Donald...
DOGE Blocked in Court From Social Security Systems With Americans’ Personal Information
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency from Social Security systems that hold personal data on millions of Americans, calling their work there a "fishing expedition." The order also requires the team to delete any personally identifiable data in their possession....
Carnivore Diet Sends Social Media Influencer to the Hospital
A 23-year-old content creator from Dallas, Texas, found herself hospitalized after strictly adhering to a trendy carnivore diet she discovered on social media. Eve Catherine's meat-only regimen resulted in some health complications, as reported by News18. Catherine's daily menu consisted primarily of protein-rich foods. "My breakfast was usually two to...
Regulators Recall Nearly All Cybertrucks as Safety Issues Mount
U.S. safety regulators on Thursday recalled virtually all Cybertrucks on the road, the eighth recall of the Tesla-made vehicles since deliveries to customers began just over a year ago. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's recall, which covers more than 46,000 Cybertrucks, warned that an exterior panel that runs along...
GOP and Dems Target the Valley in 2026 Fight to Control Congress
After losing a Central Valley congressional seat in 2024, the National Republican Congressional Committee wants it back. Democrats, meanwhile, want to defend their Valley seats while also ousting David Valadao, the resilient Kings County Republican who has won election to Congress six of the seven times he's run. Given that...
Fresno Fraud Case: Accountant Indicted for $1 Million Theft, Illegal Re-Entry
A federal grand jury has indicted a Mexican citizen residing in Fresno on charges of bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and illegal re-entry of a removed person, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced. The indictment, returned on Feb. 27 and unsealed following the arrest of Sergio Zacarias Lopez, 57, on...
How Trump’s Tariffs Affect US Farmers
Retaliatory tariffs are hitting U.S. farmers hard, particularly in states that voted for Trump. Ana Swanson, an Iowa native who covers trade and international economics for The New York Times, explains how retaliatory measures from countries like China and Canada affect the agriculture industry and what it means for the...
In Rush to Release Kennedy Files, Personal Information Went Public, Too
In the 64,000 pages of documents released this week regarding the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, there appeared to be no redactions, those blacked-out sections that typically dot sensitive material, even once it is declassified, to mask confidential or compromising data. Critics said that failure was evidence of...
Lobbyists Are a Growth Industry in Politically Complex California
This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. In the late 1990s, the late Jay Michael and I coauthored a book, published by the University of California, that explored why and how interest groups employ lobbyists to represent them in Sacramento. Michael was a retired lobbyist...