DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Help him, Tom Cruise! NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon wants a "Days of Thunder" sequel and said at Daytona International Speedway that he's been in touch with the Hollywood actor about making the project come to life. "I've absolutely talked to Tom about it because...
Adames Joins Giants, Excited to Team Up With Gold Glover Chapman
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Willy Adames started spring training a while ago. He has been working out in Arizona for about a month, looking to ease his transition to life with the San Francisco Giants. Even with all that extra time, he felt like Monday's first full-squad workout for the team...
Leonard Peltier Released After Biden Commuted Sentence in FBI Agents’ Killings
SUMTERVILLE, Fla. — Native American activist Leonard Peltier was released from a Florida prison on Tuesday, weeks after then-President Joe Biden angered law enforcement officials by commuting his life sentence to home confinement in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents. Peltier, 80, left Coleman penitentiary in an SUV, according...
Not Quite a Unified Theory of Trumpism, but Still an Alarming Pattern
President Donald Trump’s second term dizzies many Americans, but I find it oddly familiar — an echo of the time I lived in China as a reporter. Americans sometimes misperceive Trump’s actions as a fire hose of bizarre and disparate moves, a kaleidoscope of craziness. Yet there is a method...
CA Electricity Bills Could Soar Even Higher as Big Tech Builds More Data Centers
California residents now pay the highest price for electricity in the continental U.S., state analysts reported last month. Costs have been driven in part by levies to prevent and insure against wildfires, but the analysts anticipate a less conspicuous source of pressure on power bills going forward: growing electricity demand...
Small Businesses Drive the Economy. Yet Their Funding Is at Risk Under Trump.
California's small businesses — employers to more than half the state's workforce — are staring down what some owners, experts, and advocates say could be immense negative consequences from President Donald Trump's slew of executive orders. Trump's embattled federal funding freeze and anti-diversity push have seeded uncertainty about the economy,...
‘Poet Warrior’ Joy Harjo Is Wednesday’s Speaker at Town Hall
Joy Harjo, the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States, will share her poetry, story-telling, and tales of personal activism with a San Joaquin Valley Town Hall audience on Wednesday morning. The title of her talk is "Beyond Words: A Poetic Resonance" As a member of the Muscogee Nation, Harjo's ...
College Student Stuns NBA Star, Wins $100K in 3-Point Contest
SAN FRANCISCO — Jaren Barajas shoots on his backyard hoop maybe once a month these days. He's a busy 18-year-old college student now, so basketball has taken a backburner to academics. On Sunday night with the world watching, Barajas somehow beat Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard in a 3-point shooting...
Aryan Brotherhood Members Convicted of Murder, Racketeering in Federal Trial
Three members of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang were convicted of racketeering and murder following a four-week federal trial in Fresno, the Department of Justice announced on Tuesday. Francis Clement, 58, was convicted of conspiracy and five counts of murder in aid of racketeering for the killings of Allan Roshanski,...
KMJ’s Iconic ‘Voice of Fresno,’ Al Smith, Dies at Age 86
The man behind one of the Central Valley's most recognizable voices died Saturday. Al Smith, the former general manager of KMJ and longtime president of the Fresno Chamber of Commerce, was 86, according to KMJ Now. Born in New Orleans, Smith rose to prominence in the Fresno area through a...