This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. It's likely that most Californians have never heard of the Levering Act, passed by the California Legislature in 1950, but it symbolized the state's political orientation in the post-World War II era. As the Cold War flared, anti-communist...
City of Clovis Celebrates Opening of New Letterman Dog Park
The City of Clovis officially opened its second dog park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 22, 2025. The new Letterman Dog Park, spanning nearly 30,000 square feet, features separate areas for small and large dogs, shaded spaces, and water fountains for both humans and canines. "This all started in...
Three Killed, 15 Injured in a Shooting at a Park in New Mexico’s Las Cruces
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Three people died and 15 others were injured after an altercation broke out Friday at a park in the desert city of Las Cruces, New Mexico, police said Saturday. Police and fire crews arrived at just after 10 p.m. Friday onto a chaotic scene at the...
Pope Francis to Be Released From Hospital Sunday After 5 Weeks Fighting Pneumonia
ROME — Pope Francis will be released from hospital on Sunday after 38 days battling a severe case of pneumonia in both lungs that threatened his life on two occasions when he suffered acute respiratory crises, his doctors said Saturday. Dr. Sergio Alfieri, who coordinated Francis' medical team at Rome's...
3 People Killed in Russian Attacks on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Despite Limited Truce
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia launched a drone attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, killing three people and wounded 12, Ukrainian officials said Saturday, despite agreeing to a limited ceasefire. Zaporizhzhia was hit by 12 drones, police said. Regional head Ivan Fedorov said that residential buildings, cars and communal buildings...
Israel Fires on Lebanon After Rocket Attack in Largest Clash Since Truce With Hezbollah
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Israel struck Lebanon on Saturday in retaliation for rockets targeting Israel, killing two, including a child, in the heaviest exchange of fire since its ceasefire with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah almost four months ago. The rockets fired from Lebanon were the second ones launched since December...
George Foreman, the Heavyweight Who Became a Beloved Champion, Dies at 76
JACKSONVILLE, Mi - George Foreman became the heavyweight champion of the world in his 20s, only to lose his belt to Muhammad Ali in perhaps the most memorable fight in boxing history. A full 20 years later in 1994, the 45-year-old Foreman became the oldest man to win the heavyweight...
America Is Aggravating the World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis
AWEIL, South Sudan — The world's worst humanitarian crisis today is probably the web of famine, civil war, mass rape and other atrocities in Sudan, a nightmare that the United States has formally described as genocide. Many tens of thousands have been killed, 11 million Sudanese have been displaced, the...
Madera Drama Teacher Sees the Arts as a Gateway to Improving Literacy Skills
A few years ago, when Julian Ramos first started teaching drama, he was hoping to explore Greek tragedy with his sixth graders. Then he realized only three out of his 30 students were reading at grade level. So, Sophocles was off the table. A practical soul, he pivoted to "The...
Researchers Say US Government Tried to Erase Sexual Orientation From Findings
Two California researchers said Friday that a U.S. government health publication instructed them to remove data on sexual orientation from a scientific manuscript that had been accepted for publication. The researchers also said they were told to remove the words “gender,” “cisgender” and “equitable" from their paper, which looked at smoking among...