KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Negotiations between Israel and Hamas on the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire began Thursday in the Egyptian capital, Egypt said, averting a collapse ahead of Saturday's expiration of the agreement's first phase. Officials from Israel, Qatar and the United States started "intensive discussions" on...
Congress Votes to Kill Biden-Era Methane Fee on Oil and Gas Producers
WASHINGTON — The Republican-controlled Congress has voted to repeal a federal fee on oil and gas producers who release high levels of methane, undoing a major piece of former President Joe Biden's climate policy aimed at controlling the planet-warming "super pollutant." The fee, which had not gone into effect, was...
Lawsuit Claims FUSD’s African American Academic Support Program Discriminates
A federal lawsuit says Fresno Unified's program to fix educational gaps among African American students discriminates against non-Black children. Of the district's roughly 5,200 African American students, 23% participated in the program in the 2023-24 school year. The Office of African American Academic Acceleration (A4) served 7,950 students, with Black...
ACE Union Files New Labor Charges Against Clovis Unified over ASL Interpreters
The Association of Clovis Educators announced this week that it has filed new labor charges against Clovis Unified School District for hiring an outside agency to provide American Sign Language interpreting services, which the union says violates California labor laws. ACE is in the process of becoming the union representative...
Social Security Administration Could Cut Up to 50% of Its Workforce
WASHINGTON — The Social Security Administration is preparing to lay off at least 7,000 people from its workforce of 60,000, according to a person familiar with the agency's plans who is not authorized to speak publicly. The workforce reduction, according to a second person who also spoke on condition of...
Fresno Judge Tentatively Sides With Harris Construction in School Build Lawsuit
A Fresno County Superior Court judge this week issued a tentative decision finding that Fresno Unified and Harris Construction did not break the law in 2012 when the district awarded a lease-leaseback contract to Harris to build Rutherford P. Gaston Middle School. The $37.6 million construction contract was the subject...
If Trump Alone Can Fix It, What Is Elon Musk Doing?
As Donald Trump searched for a running mate in May of 2016, his oldest child, Donald Trump Jr., tried to bring John Kasich, the governor of Ohio, into the fold. His supposed offer, according to reporting in The New York Times: that Kasich, as vice president, could be president in...
‘Jeopardy!’ and ‘Wheel of Fortune’ to Leap to Streaming
LOS ANGELES — "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!" are two of the biggest holdouts of the streaming revolution, available only on traditional broadcast television. Not for much longer. Sony Pictures Entertainment, the owner of the popular game shows, said Thursday that it was soliciting bids from major media and tech...
Three Kings County Businesses Cited for Selling Alcohol to Minors
Three Kings County businesses were caught selling alcohol to a minor in a decoy operation on Tuesday, the Kings County Sheriff's Office said in a Thursday statement. The sheriff’s office, alongside the Hanford Police Department and a California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control agent, conducted the operation. Authorities said the...
Fresno Council Approves 11.8% Raise for City Attorney Janz
Even with a pending $20 million budget shortfall, the Fresno City Council voted 5-0 to give City Attorney Andrew Janz a double-digit pay hike on Thursday. Janz received an 11.8% raise to $285,000, with the contract backdated to Jan. 1, 2025. City Council President Mike Karbassi said Janz earned the...