Workers at Starbucks stores plan to go on a five-day strike starting Friday to protest lack of progress in contract negotiations with the company. The strikes by baristas and other workers were scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle and could spread to hundreds of stores across...
Did You Know Fresno County Doesn’t Have a Tax Assessor?
In this festive season, as I gather with friends and acquaintances, discussion inevitably centers on what I do not do as Assessor, which is the one thing almost everybody thinks I do — I do not collect taxes! The person responsible for collecting taxes has a very intuitive title: the...
Next Phase of Friant-Kern Canal Repairs Begins With Intense Scrutiny of Study Contract
Negotiations focusing on how Friant Water Authority will repay the Bureau of Reclamation for a $22.2 million study mapping out how to fix the northern and southern portions of the sinking Friant-Kern Canal began Wednesday in Fresno. "We anticipate these talks should go smoothly, and we look forward to the...
Visalia Police Arrest Suspect in the Shooting Death of 15-Year-Old
Detectives arrested Jorge Aroz, 20, in Visalia on Thursday morning for his alleged role in the 2023 murder of Isaak Sedillo, the Visalia Police Department said in a statement. Aroz was booked and charged with conspiracy and murder, according to authorities. The Homicide On March 13, 2023, Visalia police responded...
House Rejects Trump-Backed Plan on Government Shutdown, Leaving Next Steps Uncertain
WASHINGTON — The House rejected President-elect Donald Trump's new plan Thursday to fund federal operations and suspend the debt ceiling a day before a government shutdown, as Democrats refused to accommodate his sudden demands and the quick fix cobbled together by Republican leaders. In a hastily convened evening vote punctuated...
Pentagon Warns That a Government Shutdown Will Cost Troops Their Pay Over the Holidays
WASHINGTON — Republicans' decision to abandon a congressional spending plan will cost troops their paychecks over the holidays unless some agreement is reached before Friday's deadline to prevent a government shutdown, the Pentagon warned. Even if they don't get paid, those troops will be required to report for duty both...
Chinese National Charged With Acting as Beijing’s Agent in Local California Election
WASHINGTON — A Chinese national was arrested Thursday on charges of acting as an illegal agent for Beijing when serving as the campaign manager for an unnamed politician elected to a city council in Southern California two years ago. The arrest of Yaoning "Mike" Sun, 64, came at a time...
CA Lemon Law Will Provide Car Buyers Fewer Protections in 2025
The year 2025 is shaping up to be a confusing one for Californians unlucky enough to buy a new or used car that turns out to be a clunker. Starting Jan. 1, car buyers who purchase a faulty vehicle will have to navigate a new version of California's "lemon law"...
Time to Celebrate! $1M Gift Tops Off Fundraising Goal for Marjaree Mason Center
The Marjaree Mason Center announced Thursday it has received a $1 million donation from Booth Ranches and the Otis Booth Foundation, completing the $21 million fundraising goal for its new Community Resource Center, the Isnardi Foundation Building. The center, which began construction in 2018, will house the organization’s 24/7 trauma-informed...
US Deportations Surge to Highest Level in a Decade Before Trump Takes Office
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported 271,484 immigrants to nearly 200 countries during the last fiscal year, the highest number since 2014, according to ICE’s annual report released Thursday, The Washington Post reported. Most of the deportees had crossed the U.S. southern border illegally, driven by poverty, violence, and economic...