"It's a strange thing to be taxed for being an employer." Mad Duck Craft Brewing Company owner Alexa Costa shared a copy of the bill he received from the state of California because he has more than 50 employees. "I thought that that was a good thing that we had employees,"...
Pandemic Permanently Shutters Hanford Movie Theater
The show won't go on in Hanford. Metro 4 Cinemas closed for good on Friday. In a Facebook post, the owners placed blame on the COVID-19 pandemic and the opening of a casino. Facebook Post "We are sad to announce that, as of today, Movie Heroes will no longer be...
Valley Recognizes Armenian Genocide: 'Never Forget'
Social distancing didn't stop commemorations of the 105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in the Valley. There were no crowds of people, but crowds of video messages instead. Video Messages and Tributes "We may not be able to stand together in memorial, but we can stand together in spirit," said...
Where Are Fresno COVID Antibody Tests? Health Officer: 'I Emailed the State.'
"We're not doing any antibody testing right now," answered interim Fresno County Health Officer Dr. Rais Vohra in response to a question Monday during a teleconference. "That's something that we're still waiting to start." His answer came on the heels of a large study by USC and the Los Angeles Department...
Fresno County Data in Facebook's New COVID-19 Symptoms Interactive Map
No, Facebook doesn't track your health, the social media behemoth says. No, Facebook doesn't store your data, it says. But, Facebook now aggregates data from an opt-in survey they're running with researchers at Carnegie Mellon. Today, Facebook released the first maps of the COVID-19 symptoms people have reported county-by-county across the United...
Forecast Model: California Can Relax Social Distancing in Mid-May
Californians can circle May 18th, but use a pencil. The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics says some states may be able to relax some aspects of social distancing measures so long as “robust containment strategies” are implemented to prevent a second wave of infections. Some states could start relaxing...
Is First FDA-Approved Saliva Test for COVID-19 Headed to California?
Testing for COVID-19 is now as easy as spitting into a tube. Rutgers University researchers have received U.S. government clearance for the first saliva test to help diagnose COVID-19. The new saliva collection method, which the Rutgers University Cell and DNA Repository developed in partnership with Spectrum Solutions and Accurate Diagnostic...
Will Today Be California’s COVID-19 Peak?
The University of Washington's coronavirus projection model indicates that California will experience peak demand for critical hospital resources today. The projection is based on the assumption that California keeps its social-distancing orders in place through May. California Has Enough Beds, ICU Units The university's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation project...
How’s the Weather? ‘Wet Indeed!’
The National Weather Service in Hanford customarily delivers its forecasts and wrap-ups in a just-the-facts manner. But its Twitter account shared much enthusiasm for this week's slow-moving storm that is strengthening the summer water outlook after February's dry skies. "Wet indeed!" trumpeted the NWS-Hanford tweet Thursday morning tallying the 48-hour...
Gov. Newsom Loans 500 Ventilators to National Stockpile
Five hundred ventilators from California are on the way to the Strategic National Stockpile inventory. Gov. Gavin Newsom's office made the announcement Monday morning. Newsom: California Is Stepping Up “California is stepping up to help our fellow Americans in New York and across the country who are being impacted the hardest...