Maria G. Diaz splits her time as an attorney between Los Angeles and Fresno but considers the Central Valley home. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Diaz, 55, to the Fresno County Superior Court bench. "I really believe in equal access to justice and diversity on the bench. And I...
He Has Prison in His Past. Now He Hopes Law School Is in His Future
Austin O'Campo went from prison to graduating from UC Berkeley, while living in his car. Now the 29-year-old San Jose resident is studying for law school while completing a fellowship designed to help young people like him find careers. The fellowship is through a nonprofit called CURYJ. Pronounced "courage," the...
Trump’s Picks for Top Health Jobs Not Just Team of Rivals but ‘Team of Opponents’
Many of President-elect Donald Trump's candidates for federal health agencies have promoted policies and goals that put them at odds with one another or with Trump's choice to run the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., setting the stage for internal friction over public health initiatives....
Volunteers Needed To Clean Trash On the Lower Kings River
Volunteers are invited to spend a Saturday morning cleaning a section of the Kings River. The Kings River Fisheries Management Program's Kings River cleanup event will be held Saturday, Dec. 21 from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m near the Thorburn Channel to Cobbles Weir. Volunteers will be expected to sign-in...
Fresno County Mail Theft Probe Leads to Five Arrests
A months-long investigation into mail theft and identity fraud in Kerman resulted in the arrest of five suspects and the recovery of stolen mail and equipment used to commit fraud, the Kerman Police Department said in a statement on Monday. The investigation began after reports of stolen mail belonging to...
Are Fresno Unified’s Race-Based Training Programs Violating Anti-Discrimination Laws?
Concerns that several race-based training programs offered to Fresno Unified employees might violate anti-discrimination laws are being raised by former School Board candidate Emma Villa, an education consultant and advocate. Villa is questioning whether programs for "white-identifying" employees and for "men of color" should be open to all employees regardless...
What’s the Future of Fresno’s Closed IRS Facility? Proposal Would Build Homes There.
Property owners have been trying to find a use for the massive IRS facility in southeast Fresno for some time. A proposal would tear down the 532,000 square feet of office space to make way for single-family homes. Carlsbad-based Roundtree Properties hosted a community meeting in November to begin the...
US to Pay Nearly $116M to Settle Lawsuits Over Rampant Sexual Abuse at California Women’s Prison
NEW YORK — The U.S. government will pay nearly $116 million to resolve lawsuits brought by more than 100 women who say they were abused or mistreated at a now-shuttered federal prison in California that was known as the "rape club" because of rampant staff-on-inmate sexual misconduct. Under settlements approved...
Tech Consultant Guilty of Murder in Stabbing Death of Cash App Founder Bob Lee
SAN FRANCISCO — A San Francisco jury on Tuesday found a tech consultant guilty of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee, which carries a sentence of 16 years to life, rejecting the defendant's claim that he had acted in self defense. Jurors took seven...
Retail Sales Rose at Healthy Pace Last Month in Latest Sign of US Economy’s Health
WASHINGTON — Consumers stepped up their spending at retail stores last month, providing a boost to the economy in the early phases of the winter holiday shopping season. Retail sales rose 0.7% in November, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, a solid increase and higher than October's 0.5% gain. Sales jumped...