California Attorney General Xavier Becerra says he intervened in a Fresno land use case in June because he wants to make sure the law is followed. “Our obligation as the department of justice is to make sure we are protecting all people in the state of California and all laws...
Amazon Is 2nd US Company to Reach $1 Trillion Market Value
NEW YORK — Amazon on Tuesday became the second publicly traded company to be worth $1 trillion, hot on the heels of iPhone maker Apple. Launched as an online bookstore in 1995, Amazon.com has changed the way people shop for toilet paper, TVs and just about anything else. In its...
'We Are Totally Happy,' Say Amazon Workers Paid to Be on Twitter
NEW YORK — Amazon is taking an out-of-the box approach to answering its critics — paying Amazon workers to be "ambassadors" and tweet full-time about how satisfied they are at their jobs. One worker who Amazon says used to pack boxes at its warehouse in Jacksonville, Florida, tweeted about air...
Amazon Wants To Set You Up in Delivery Business For $10K
SEATTLE — Your Amazon packages, which usually show up in a UPS truck, an unmarked vehicle or in the hands of a mail carrier, may soon be delivered from an Amazon van. The online retailer has been looking for a while to find a way to have more control over...
Donations and Volunteers Surge at Border Rest Center
MCALLEN, Texas — One by one, around Father's Day, the surge of Amazon boxes containing shirts, pants, underwear and many other items began arriving at an asylum-seeker rest center in the border town of McAllen, Texas. Included in the packages were notes of support. One read: "As someone who has...
$91 Million Loss to Fresno From Online Tax Plan, Brand Testifies
Mayor Lee Brand is hoping to convince the state legislature not to move forward with a plan to change California's laws on taxing online retailers. He testified before a state Senate committee in Sacramento on Tuesday (May 22). A proposal by Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda), SCA 20 would alter the...
Clovis Won't 'Sell Soul' to Lure Big Companies, Mayor Says
Health and education continue to lead Clovis' growth. “That is an area which we’ve seen some new job creation,” Mayor Bob Whalen said. That will be one of the messages delivered by Whalen at the annual Mayor’s Breakfast Thursday (May 10). Education, Health Provide Growth Model “We continue to have...
Big Tech Isn’t a Monopoly. Here’s Why.
Public concern about Facebook’s power in society – and in politics – has skyrocketed in the wake of revelations that users’ data was analyzed by a U.K.-based marketing firm and used to construct highly targeted political propaganda in advance of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Other technology giants have also...
"Poverty Pimps" Redux: Brandau Unapologetic Over Criticism
For a 7-0 unanimous vote, the Fresno city council decision to approve a two-million square foot project in south Fresno brought out acrimonious debate usually unseen in chambers. Environmental activists representing neighbors near the proposed Caglia business park chafed at the potential health effects that construction and a 24/7 industrial...
Would Delivery Drones Spare the Valley's Dirty Air?
There are more than 1 million drones registered in the U.S. Most of them belong to people flying them for fun, but a growing number are used commercially. Companies including Amazon, UPS, Google and DHL are already exploring ways to deliver packages with drones instead of trucks. Our new research...