Six weeks after announcing the plan to replace Fresno County's Measure C, organizers behind a new transportation tax intended to fix urban and rural roads say they have the signatures to qualify for the November ballot. On Tuesday, the Better Roads, Safer Streets coalition submitted the necessary 32,000 petition signatures...
US Hosts Rare Israel-Lebanon Talks, Progress Unclear
WASHINGTON/BEIRUT/JERUSALEM — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in decades on Tuesday and both sides said they held positive discussions although it was not immediately clear if they agreed to a framework for peace. The meeting marked a rare encounter between...
Wall Street Rallies on Renewed Hopes for US-Iran Talks, Earnings Boost
Wall Street's main indexes and the S&P 500 neared its record closing high as investors were optimistic about prospects to resolve the Middle East conflict while they assessed the latest batch of bank earnings and U.S. inflation readings. Talks to end the Iran war could resume in Pakistan over the...
Funding Effort for ICE, Border Patrol Could Begin in Senate Next Week, Majority Leader Says
Partisan legislation to fund Donald Trump's immigration enforcement activities through the end of his presidency in January 2029 could begin moving through the U.S. Senate by the end of this month, according to Republican senators and aides. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, is pushing for quick action on...
Why Aren’t More Merced Faiths Represented in Prayers at Government Meetings?
Jimmy Singh stepped to the podium before the Merced County Board of Supervisors earlier this month, delivering a solemn prayer some in the audience may have never heard in a local government building. The invocation was Sikh – a faith that’s more than 500 years old, with roots in India and...
Oasis, Wu-Tang Clan, Phil Collins To Join Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation unveiled its list of inductees for 2026 on Monday, including 1990s Britpop icons Oasis and American hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, and adding Phil Collins as a solo performer 16 years after he was honored as part of progressive rock band Genesis. The...
Virginia Governor Ends Tax Breaks for Confederate Groups
Gov. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia has signed into law a bill to end tax exemptions for a slate of Confederacy-related organizations in the state. The signing by Spanberger on Monday is the culmination of a yearslong Democrat-led push to shake off the state’s legacy as the capital of the 11...
Trump Urges Republican Lawmakers to Unify to Extend Surveillance Approval
President Donald Trump on Tuesday called upon Republican lawmakers to work together to extend a law that allows American spy agencies to surveil foreigners abroad using data drawn from U.S. digital infrastructure before the authorization expires next week. Trump said Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA 702),...
Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal Shooting Outside Sun Stereo Warehouse
Fresno police have arrested a 19-year-old in connection with a March shooting that left a 38-year-old man dead outside a downtown venue, authorities said. On Friday, March 20, at 11:16 p.m., Southwest Policing District officers responded to Sun Stereo Warehouse at 736 Fulton Street regarding a shooting victim, according to...
California Groundwater Portal Grinds to a Halt as Deadline for Farmers Approaches
The state is demanding farmers in Kings and parts of Tulare counties begin reporting how much groundwater they pump or face fines starting May 1. But it apparently doesn’t have a reliable system to take in that information. The state Water Resources Control Board’s reporting platform, known as GEARS, had...