WASHINGTON — An idea first proposed on social media has bubbled up to the White House and received President Donald Trump's enthusiastic endorsement: Take some of the savings from billionaire Elon Musk's drive to cut government spending and return it to taxpayers. “I love it,” Trump said late Wednesday on Air Force...
Suspect in Wild Fresno High-Speed Chase Indicted on Gun Charge
A federal grand jury indicted a Fresno man on a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith said Thursday. The charge stems from a high-speed chase last month that ended with David Garcia, 32, allegedly trying to drive through a fence at...
How Will Big Federal Layoffs Impact Yosemite and Other Sierra Destinations?
President Donald Trump's promise to reduce the federal government has hit the national parks and national forests. The Associated Press reports 1,000 newly hired National Park Service employees have been laid off. The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed to GV Wire that 2,000 probationary employees with the U.S. Forest Service...
Fed Audit of CA High-Speed Rail Begins. $4B in Funding at Stake.
President Donald Trump's cabinet followed through Thursday on a promise made earlier this month to audit California's high-speed rail project. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy directed the Federal Railroad Administration to review the feasibility of the California High-Speed Rail and $4 billion previously allocated for the project. Duffy questioned cost...
Trump Team Plans Deep Cuts at Office That Funds Recovery From Big Disasters
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration plans to all but eliminate the office that oversees America’s recovery from the largest disasters, raising questions about how the United States will rebuild from hurricanes, wildfires and other calamities made worse by climate change. The Office of Community Planning and Development, part of the...
Two Arrested in Visalia Homicide Investigation Identified
Authorities have arrested two suspects in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred over the weekend, the Visalia Police Department said Thursday. The arrests follow a shooting early Sunday near the intersection of Court and Main streets, where officers found Adolfo Martinez, 54, suffering from a gunshot wound. He was...
DOGE Cuts 9/11 Survivors’ Fund, and Republicans Join Democrats in Rebuke
In a rare pushback against President Donald Trump, a coalition of congressional Republicans from the New York area rebuked the president for cuts to a federal program that administers aid to emergency workers and others suffering from toxins related to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In a letter...
LA Wildfires Intensify Political Jousting Over Home Insurance Premiums
The timing could not have been better — or worse. The horrendously destructive and deadly Los Angeles wildfires erupted in January just as Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara's historic and very controversial overhaul of how insurers calculate premiums was taking effect. On one hand, the disaster drove home the insurance industry's...
Bucks’ Portis Suspended 25 Games for Unintentional Drug Violation
The NBA has suspended Milwaukee forward Bobby Portis Jr. for 25 games without pay because he tested positive for the painkiller Tramadol, a violation of the league's anti-drug program. Portis cannot play again until April 8 — the 79th game of Milwaukee's 82-game regular-season schedule — at the earliest. His...
California Lawmakers Scramble Again to Fix ‘Lemon’ Vehicle Law
For more than half a century, California's "lemon" law was considered one of the best in the nation at giving consumers the legal right to demand car companies fix or replace defective vehicles still under warranty. Now, California lawmakers are scrambling to repair recent changes they made to the law...