The few remaining campers in Yosemite Valley packed up their gear Wednesday and cleared the area for firefighters battling a huge wildfire near Yosemite National Park. The sun rose in a smoke-filled sky over the scenic valley, which normally bustles with summer tourists but has largely emptied out after authorities...
State Auditor Nabs Fresno State Groundskeepers for $111,000
You'd think by now that California state employees who sleep on the job, leave their posts early or buy unauthorized stuff would realize that State Auditor Elaine M. Howle and her staff are watching. But state employees keep thinking they can fleece taxpayers. And they keep getting caught. Howle issued...
Yosemite Park Boss: 'Get Yourself Out of Here If You Can'
An iconic section of Yosemite National Park will be closed for several days at the height of summer tourist season as crews try to stop the stubborn Ferguson Fire from spreading, authorities said at a community meeting Tuesday morning. Park Superintendent Michael Reynolds told a crowd of about 60 people...
ABC30: Ferguson Fire Smoke Will Force Yosemite Valley Closure
The more than 3,300 personnel battling the deadly Ferguson Fire west of Yosemite National Park in Mariposa County are starting to get a bigger handle on the 37,000-acre blaze, which is in its 12th day. The fire's commanders reported 25% containment Tuesday morning. The fire is burning in very rough...
California Judge Cracks Down on Smuggled Inmate Cellphones
SACRAMENTO — Judges in California and South Carolina have ordered cellphone carriers to disable nearly 200 contraband cellphones used by inmates to orchestrate crimes behind and outside prison walls, the most sweeping order of its kind ever won by corrections officials. It's an important victory for prison officials who have...
NFL Star J.J. Watt’s Generous Heart Stretches to Fresno
Students at Fresno’s Tehipite Middle School have a special reason to cheer Houston Texans’ star defensive end J.J. Watt this coming football season. The J.J. Watt Foundation donated nearly $20,000 to the school in southeast Fresno for new uniforms, protective gear and other essential equipment for six of its sports...
Ferguson Fire Grows To 53 Square Miles, Is 13% Contained
MARIPOSA — Firefighters battling the huge Ferguson Fire in the Sierra Nevada will face increasingly difficult conditions this week as a heat wave sets in. Officials say the wildfire has scorched nearly 53 square miles of timber and brush west of Yosemite National Park, and 13 percent of its perimeter...
Fresno's No. 1 Food? It's Tacos. No Ifs, Ands or Buts.
A common theme emerged when talking with the operators of the 30-plus taco trucks at Chukchansi Park: They are uber passionate about what they do. Nearly 10,000 fans showed up for the food, taco-eating contest, and yes, an 8-7 victory by the Grizzlies — oops, I mean Tacos — over...
2,700 Firefighters Battle Growing Ferguson Fire Near Yosemite
MARIPOSA — A wildfire in the Sierra Nevada just west of Yosemite National Park expanded to nearly 36 square miles Friday. More than 2,700 firefighters aided by a fleet of helicopters were battling the Ferguson Fire but only 7 percent of its perimeter was contained. Ground crews dealt with high...
Prosecutors: Bottled Water Co. Illegally Dumped Toxic Waste
LOS ANGELES — The California company that sells Crystal Geyser bottled water has been charged with illegally disposing of arsenic-tainted wastewater, federal prosecutors said Thursday. The charges don't allege that CG Roxane LLC sold tainted water, but that it illegally shipped and disposed of the toxic waste filtered from well...