With two weeks to go, the polls of the presidential election are starting to run out of room to get any closer. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are essentially tied — with neither candidate ahead by even a single point — in The New York Times’...
Did Fresno-Area School Districts Spend All Their Federal COVID Recovery Money?
The three largest Fresno-area school districts received more than $750 million in federal pandemic recovery funding and faced a deadline of Sept. 30 to spend or commit funds from the third round of funding. According to the Edunonics Lab database maintained by Georgetown University, as of Aug. 28 two of...
The House Race Where Democrats Desperately Want the ‘Democrat’ to Lose
WOODSTOCK, Ga. — In a congressional race in the northern suburbs of Atlanta, Democrats have been spending the precious final days of the campaign making an urgent appeal: Do not vote for the “Democrat.” After a dizzying sequence of events, the party has disavowed the candidate listed as its nominee...
‘I’m With Elon,’ Says Newsom About SpaceX Controversy
Gov. Gavin Newsom expressed support for Elon Musk following the California Coastal Commission's rejection of a SpaceX launch expansion plan. In an interview with POLITICO, Newsom stated, "I'm with Elon" on this issue, despite criticizing Musk's political donations to former President Trump. The commission's 6-4 vote against the Air Force's...
Merced County’s Sees a High Volume of Early Votes. How Many Have Been Cast?
Election Day is a little more than two weeks away, but thousands of Merced County residents have already cast their ballots. Melvin Levey, Merced County's registrar of voters, told The Merced FOCUS that roughly 7,600 ballots had been counted as of Thursday evening, out of about 132,000 registered voters in...
Joey Logano Seizes Fresh Chance in NASCAR Playoffs to Take Spot in Championship Finale
LAS VEGAS — Knocked out of the playoffs this time last week, Joey Logano seized on his reversal of fortune to become the first driver locked into NASCAR's championship finale. Logano was below the cutline and eliminated from the eight-driver field when he left Charlotte Motor Speedway last Sunday. But...
Fresno County Traffic Stop Leads to $720,000 Cocaine Bust
A routine traffic stop on Interstate 5 turned into a major drug bust after California Highway Patrol officers seized 20 pounds of cocaine with a street value of $720,000, according to a CHP Central Division statement on Monday. The incident occurred on Oct. 11, when a CHP Central Division K-9...
Rampant California Cargo Thefts Spur Valadao-Led Bipartisan Response
Central Valley ag products have long been targets of criminals. But in the last year, theft of all kinds of cargo has reached levels never before seen. And, as thieves' operations become increasingly sophisticated, one Valley congressman wants to stop them. From November 2022 to March 2023, cargo theft incidents...
Yehuda Bauer, Prominent Israeli Holocaust Scholar, Dies at 98
TEL AVIV, Israel — Yehuda Bauer, one of Israel's foremost Holocaust scholars who shaped the way people around the world study and learn about the Holocaust, has died in Jerusalem. He was 98. No specific cause of death was given by the Yad Vashem, Israel's national Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem,...
Fresno Police Investigate Fatal Shooting in Southwest Fresno
A late-night shooting in southwest Fresno on Sunday left one man dead, prompting an investigation by local authorities, the Fresno Police Department said in a news release Monday. This incident marks 25th homicide in Fresno for 2024, mirroring the number of homicides reported at this time last year, according to...