Fresno residents needing help with their down payments can get up to $25,000, but money is limited and on a first-come, first-serve basis, so act soon. Fresno Housing anticipates being able to help 20 to 25 first-time home buyers through its OpenHome Down Payment Assistance Program, funded by a $500,000...
Pentagon’s New Media Rotation Program Boots NPR, NY Times, NBC News
The Department of Defense announced Friday that it will implement a new “annual media rotation program” for its press corps, removing several major news outlets, including NBC News, from their Pentagon office spaces in favor of others, NBC reported. In addition to NBC News, The New York Times, National Public...
Bredefeld Wants Less Scrutiny for Supervisors’ Discretionary Budget. Pacheco Calls It ‘Ironic.’
How much scrutiny should be given to a supervisor's discretionary budget? That's the question Fresno County supervisors debated Tuesday following supervisor Garry Bredefeld's proposal to change the rules about the spending process. Each year, supervisors get a budget of about $600,000 for improvements in their district or donations to nonprofits...
Senate Confirms Gabbard as Trump’s Director of National Intelligence
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Tulsi Gabbard as President Donald Trump's director of national intelligence after Republicans who had initially questioned her experience and judgment fell in line behind her nomination. Gabbard was an unconventional pick to oversee and coordinate the country's 18 different intelligence agencies, given her...
President Trump and Putin Have Agreed to Start Negotiations to End the Ukraine War
MOSCOW — President Donald Trump says he and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to begin “negotiations” on ending Ukraine war. The Republican said in a social media post Wednesday disclosing a call between the two leaders that they would “work together, very closely.” The call followed a prisoner swap...
Google Calendar Users No Longer See Default Entries for Events Like Pride, Black History Month
NEW YORK — Google's online calendar has removed default references for a handful of holidays and cultural events — with users noticing that mentions of Pride and Black History Month, as well as other observances, no longer appear in their desktop and mobile applications. The omissions gained attention online over...
Apple Changes Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America on Maps
SAN FRANCISCO — Apple renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America on its maps Tuesday after an order by President Donald Trump was made official by the U.S. Geographic Names Information System. The move follows Google, which announced last month that it would make the change once...
Kevin Durant Becomes 8th in NBA History to Score 30,000 Points
PHOENIX — Kevin Durant became the eighth player in NBA history to score 30,000 points, hitting the mark against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night with a free throw late in the third quarter. The 36-year-old Phoenix Suns forward, who recently was voted to his 15th All-Star team, joins LeBron James,...
Too Few Tents Entering Gaza Threatens the Truce. Here’s What’s Happening
JERUSALEM — Three weeks into the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the number of tents and temporary homes entering Gaza risks falling short of the goals set for the deal's first phase. The looming deficit sits at the heart of a dispute between Israel and Hamas that could topple the...
California’s FAIR Plan Needs $1B for Wildfire Claims, Costs Passed to Policyholders
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s plan that provides insurance to homeowners who can’t get private coverage needs $1 billion more to pay out claims related to the Los Angeles wildfires, the state Insurance Department said Tuesday. The FAIR Plan is an insurance pool that all the major private insurers pay into,...