More than six weeks into a war with Iran that has no clear off-ramp, President Donald Trump has reached for a familiar tool: an oil blockade. The goal is to cut Iran off from global trade, depriving the country of essential imports as well as oil-export revenue that its government...
‘It’s on the App’: A Police Chief’s $4.5 Million Gambling Secret
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Karl R. Jacobson had what seemed like a model law enforcement career. He rose through the ranks of the Police Department in New Haven, Connecticut, to become the police chief in 2022, around the same time he earned his master’s degree in criminal justice. As he...
Basgall Changes Mind, Sets Up Clovis Election Showdown With Pearce
Clovis City Councilmember Matt Basgall has had a change of heart and will run for re-election after all. This will pit Basgall against another sitting councilmember, Diane Pearce, as Clovis voters will decide their leaders by district for the first time in November. Basgall and Pearce live in District 4,...
Fresno Unified’s Edison High Is No. 2 in California for UC Berkeley Acceptance Rate
Fresno Unified’s Edison High School achieved the second-highest acceptance rate in the state for the UC Berkeley last year. “We are incredibly proud of our students for their perseverance and dedication to excelling academically and striving for their goals,” said Superintendent Misty Her. “Many of our students must overcome significant...
Fresno County’s Road Tax Proposal Submits Signatures. Where’s the Other One?
Six weeks after announcing the plan to replace Fresno County's Measure C, organizers behind a new transportation tax intended to fix urban and rural roads say they have the signatures to qualify for the November ballot. On Tuesday, the Better Roads, Safer Streets coalition submitted the necessary 32,000 petition signatures...
US Hosts Rare Israel-Lebanon Talks, Progress Unclear
WASHINGTON/BEIRUT/JERUSALEM — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in decades on Tuesday and both sides said they held positive discussions although it was not immediately clear if they agreed to a framework for peace. The meeting marked a rare encounter between...
Wall Street Rallies on Renewed Hopes for US-Iran Talks, Earnings Boost
Wall Street's main indexes and the S&P 500 neared its record closing high as investors were optimistic about prospects to resolve the Middle East conflict while they assessed the latest batch of bank earnings and U.S. inflation readings. Talks to end the Iran war could resume in Pakistan over the...
Funding Effort for ICE, Border Patrol Could Begin in Senate Next Week, Majority Leader Says
Partisan legislation to fund Donald Trump's immigration enforcement activities through the end of his presidency in January 2029 could begin moving through the U.S. Senate by the end of this month, according to Republican senators and aides. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, is pushing for quick action on...
Why Aren’t More Merced Faiths Represented in Prayers at Government Meetings?
Jimmy Singh stepped to the podium before the Merced County Board of Supervisors earlier this month, delivering a solemn prayer some in the audience may have never heard in a local government building. The invocation was Sikh – a faith that’s more than 500 years old, with roots in India and...
Oasis, Wu-Tang Clan, Phil Collins To Join Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation unveiled its list of inductees for 2026 on Monday, including 1990s Britpop icons Oasis and American hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, and adding Phil Collins as a solo performer 16 years after he was honored as part of progressive rock band Genesis. The...