WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee on Monday accused Matt Gaetz of “regularly” paying women, including a 17-year-old girl, for sex and purchasing and using illicit drugs all while the Florida Republican was a member of Congress. The 37-page report by the bipartisan panel includes explicit details of sex-filled parties...
New Board Members Join Merced County’s Largest School District, Guiding It Into 2025
The Merced City School District is closing out 2024 with a new school board in place and looking forward to new beginnings in the New Year. Trustees Annie Delgado and Tsia Xiong took their oath of office on Tuesday night at a special board meeting. Additionally, Trustee Priya Lakireddy was...
‘It’s Living Hell’: Nurses Say CA Addiction Recovery Program Ended Their Careers
Bobbie Sage thought nursing would be her salvation. She was trapped in an abusive relationship with four kids and looking for a steady income. The day she graduated vocational nursing school, she took the kids and left their father. Five years later, a DUI ruined her carefully crafted stability. Sage...
Santa Who? Bizarre Christmas Traditions Stealing the Holiday Spotlight
When it comes to holiday traditions, Santa and his reindeer are being upstaged by some quirky and unexpected traditions around the world. From a gift-pooping log in Spain to a mythical cat that punishes lazy Icelanders, these traditions show just how creative and wild the holiday spirit can be. Catalonia's...
New Decisions Boost California’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Mandate, but Major Hurdles Remain
Gov. Gavin Newsom's decree that by 2035 all new cars sold in California must be powered by batteries or other zero-emission systems has received a double dose of legal and political support. Last Friday the U.S. Supreme Court blocked an effort by red states to declare California's zero-emission mandate unconstitutional....
Only $20K More to Bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Fresno
Fresno is one step closer to launching Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, with $380,000 raised toward the program that aims to provide free books to children from birth to age five. On Thursday, Fresno City Councilmember Tyler Maxwell and County Supervisor Brian Pacheco announced $73,000 in new funding, leaving just $20,000...
Jeffrey Sachs Warns of Looming US War With Iran
In a recent interview, renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs outlined his concerns about the possibility of war with Iran, framing it as the culmination of decades of U.S. foreign policy shaped by Israeli influence. Sachs pointed to the so-called “Clean Break” strategy, a 1996 plan championed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin...
Cat House on the Kings Urgently Needs You to Donate Dollars and Adopt Your New Best Friend
The Cat House on the Kings, California's largest no-cage, no-kill, and lifetime cat sanctuary based in Parlier, is urgently calling for donor support and new adoptive families. Cat House reports that this year there have been fewer adoptions even though the number of kittens, cats, and dogs (yes, Cat House...
The Surprising Sexual Politics of Nicole Kidman’s Kinky ‘Babygirl’
It has been a ghastly year for American women — at least those of us who are not looking forward to being ruled by a claque of cartoon chauvinists — but a pretty rich year for women in the movies. One of 2024’s biggest hits featured an unfairly maligned woman...
Why It’s Hard to Control What Gets Taught in Public Schools
But in a climate of extraordinary political scrutiny on the curriculum, many teachers say those efforts have little influence on how they run their classrooms. “I do business as usual,” said Derek Collins, a middle and high school social studies teacher in Roff, Oklahoma. And in El Paso, Texas, Daniel...