When the Merced County Courthouse was built and opened in 1875, things looked pretty different in Merced. There wasn't much near the courthouse at that time, but it bustled with activity since it was home to the courthouse, a jail, and county administration offices. Residents got around in horse-drawn carriages,...
Fresno Sheriff’s Office Hunts for Two Sex Offenders. Can You Help?
The Fresno County Sheriff's Office wants residents to help find two registered sex offenders residing at unknown addresses. The last known address of Vincent Michael Garcia, 31, was in Fresno's Mayfair District. Garcia is 5-foot-7, 155 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He has a "93" tattoo under his...
American Who Says He Crossed Into Syria on Foot Is Free After 7 Months in Detention
DAMASCUS, Syria — An American who turned up in Syria on Thursday says he was detained after crossing into the country on foot seven months ago on a Christian pilgrimage. Travis Timmerman appears to have been among thousands of people released from the country's notorious prisons after rebels reached Damascus...
Wired Wednesday: Holding up a Fresno Council Meeting to Host a Fundraiser
GV Wire’s Edward Smith talks with KMPH Fox 26 “Great Day” anchor Jim De La Vega about the 45-minute delay following lunch at last week's Fresno City Council meeting. With the chamber packed with residents interested in two important items, 5 of the 7 councilmembers returned late from the lunch...
Only About 2 in 10 Americans Approve of Biden’s Pardon of Son Hunter: AP-NORC Poll
WASHINGTON — Only about 2 in 10 Americans approve of President Joe Biden's decision to pardon his son Hunter after earlier promising he would do no such thing, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That displeasure tracks with the bipartisan uproar in Washington...
Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to Resign, Allowing Trump to Pick His Successor
WASHINGTON - The head of the Federal Aviation Administration, who has led a tougher enforcement policy against Boeing since a panel blew off a jetliner in January, said Thursday that he will step down next month, clearing the way for President-elect Donald Trump to name his choice to lead the...
Recount for Fresno County Irrigation District Race to Restart Friday
A recount of votes in the hotly contested race for a board seat on the Laguna Irrigation District will restart Friday morning after it was abruptly halted with one ballot outstanding on Tuesday. Friday's recommenced recount will begin at 9 a.m. in the Fresno County Election Warehouse at 4525 E....
Trump Is Named Time’s Person of the Year and Rings the New York Stock Exchange’s Opening Bell
NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump rang the opening bell Thursday at the New York Stock Exchange after being recognized for the second time by Time magazine as its person of the year. The honors for the businessman-turned-politician are a measure of Trump's remarkable comeback from an ostracized former president...
California Can Fix Its School Crisis by Ditching Gimmicks
When the state Department of Education released academic test scores of California's public school students in October, it cast them in positive terms. "Overall," the department said, "the percentages of California students meeting or exceeding standards (demonstrating proficient or advanced grade-level knowledge and skills) in (English language arts), mathematics, and...
Southern California Forecast of Cool Temps, Calm Winds to Help Firefighters Battle Malibu Blaze
MALIBU — Cooler temperatures, calmer winds and a chance of rainfall in Southern California this week are forecast to help firefighters as they battle a wind-driven blaze in steep, rugged terrain that's driven thousands, including celebrities, from their homes in Malibu. The weather improved so much Wednesday that meteorologists said...