Jeff Rose, a 55-year-old grandfather in Georgetown, Kentucky, contracted a lethal lung disease doing a job he loves: carving kitchen countertops from slabs of quartz, a human-made product that has surged in popularity as an alternative to marble and granite. Rose’s 30-year-old son, Skyler, followed his father into the stone-fabrication...
US Says It May Be Forced to Shut Down Some Airports Over Funding Standoff
A senior Trump administration official said Tuesday that if a government funding standoff continues, it may force the shutdown of some smaller airports in the coming weeks over a lack of security personnel. The partial government shutdown has forced 50,000 Transportation Security Administration airport security officers to work without pay...
Lil Wayne to Perform at Fresno’s Save Mart Center in August
Hip-hop icon Lil Wayne announced a new tour that will include a stop at the Save Mart Center on Aug. 28 billed as “20+ Years of Carter Classics.” Lil Wayne, regarded as one of the most influential artists of his generation, rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early...
Israel Says It Has Killed Iran’s De Facto Leader
The Israeli military said Tuesday that it had killed one of Iran’s highest-ranking leaders, Ali Larijani, in an overnight airstrike near Tehran, dealing another severe blow to a power structure already decimated by three weeks of U.S.-Israeli strikes. The killing of Larijani — who became Iran’s de facto leader after...
First Amendment Advocates Oppose Fresno Council’s Facial Recognition Idea
First Amendment groups say that a proposed Fresno City Council resolution to explore keeping sex offenders from attending City Hall meetings in person using facial recognition technology would, if implemented, violate California law. David Loy, legal director for the First Amendment Coalition, said that while he understands the councilmembers' concerns,...
Some Kings County Farmers Call ‘BS’ on State Proposal to Let Small Pumpers Off Hook
A proposal for the state Water Resources Control Board to exclude “small pumpers” in the Tule and Tulare Lake subbasins from the groundwater reporting and fee requirements required under probation, elicited strong reactions from some Kings County farmers. “It’s just a divide and conquer BS strategy, that’s all they’re trying to...
Los Angeles Chef’s Fall Sends Shockwaves Through Restaurant Industry
One morning last week, the staff of pop-up restaurant Noma Los Angeles gathered just before opening for a meeting with the chef, René Redzepi. Redzepi was there, teary-eyed, to announce that after 20 years at the peak of the world’s culinary scene, he was stepping down from Noma — the...
Judge Leans Toward Trial In Fresno’s Bid To Evict Granite Park Operator
A Fresno County Superior Court judge appears to be leaning toward a trial in the city of Fresno's effort to evict a nonprofit from operating the Granite Park Sports Complex. The city is seeking to remove the nonprofit Central Valley Community Sports Foundation over failing to pay rent and violating...
US Average Diesel Prices Cross $5 a Gallon as Middle East War Tests Global Economy
U.S. average retail diesel prices crossed $5 a gallon for only the second time ever on Monday as the war in the Middle East squeezes supplies of the industrial fuel, according to fuel markets tracker GasBuddy. Economists have warned that surging diesel prices could slow global economic activity as the...
Kennedy Center Board Votes to Close for 2-Year Renovation Project
The board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted Monday to shutter the institution for a two-year renovation project after President Donald Trump warned them that the building was in “very bad shape” and had been on “the verge of collapse” before he took over. Shortly...