FRESNO — Thousands of people gathered Thursday in Fresno to celebrate the Hmong new year amid heightened security in the wake of a neighborhood shooting that killed four people. The celebration, which runs through Jan. 1, features Hmong foods, dance, music and games along with sports tournaments, and it typically...
California Fire Kills 2 Girls and Dad Who Attempted Rescue
HEMET — A fire tore through a Southern California apartment early Friday, killing two girls and their father, who got out of the apartment but went back inside to try to rescue his children, police said. A boy rescued from the inferno was badly injured. Seven people were in the...
Should Therapists Be Mandatory Child Porn Reporters?
SACRAMENTO — The California Supreme Court revived a long-running debate Thursday when it reinstated a lawsuit over whether psychotherapists must tell authorities when patients report they are attracted to child pornography. Lower courts had tossed out the lawsuit by three therapists who argued that California's mandatory reporting law violates patient...
California Can Solve Water Shortage With Water It Has. Here’s How.
California is at a water crossroads. We can continue our costly, 100-year-old pattern of trying to find new water supplies, or we can choose instead to focus on smarter ways of using – and reusing – what we already have. With a population projected to top 50 million by mid-century,...
Study: California Law Lifts Vaccination in 'High-Risk' Areas
SACRAMENTO — A study released this week has found that a law aimed at boosting vaccination rates across California had the greatest effect in high-risk areas where the vaccination rates were the lowest. The peer-reviewed study published in the journal PLOS Medicine on Monday shows that the 2016 legislation contributed to a...
Calif Law Will Force Small Businesses to Rethink Staffing
A California law that makes it harder for companies to treat workers as independent contractors takes effect next week, forcing small businesses in and outside the state to rethink their staffing. The law puts tough restrictions on who can be independent contractors or freelancers rather than employees. Supporters say it...
Powerful Storm Pounds Southern California With Rain, Snow
LOS ANGELES — A powerful winter storm brought a deluge of rain and snow to Southern California, triggering tornado warnings and bringing post-Christmas travel to a halt on major routes early Thursday. Snow shut down vital Interstate 5 in Tejon Pass through the mountains north of Los Angeles and stopped...
Wildfires Cause Turmoil in CA Property Insurance Market
NEW YORK — Kent Michitsch seemed to be running out of traditional options to insure the home he’s lived in for more than 30 years northeast of San Diego as California’s massive property insurance market reels from three consecutive years of destructive wildfires. Michitsch, 57, has received three non-renewal notices...
4 California Correctional Officers Injured in Inmate Attack
DELANO — Four California correctional officers were injured while subduing an inmate who pulled a weapon on them at Kern Valley State Prison last weekend, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said. The incident Saturday is being investigated as attempted murder, the department said in a statement Monday. The inmate,...
Sierra Snowpack Off to a Great Start for Skiers and Farmers
As holiday shoppers ventured out for last-minute gifts over the weekend, the snow-dusted Sierra was visible throughout Fresno and Clovis. Those magnificent views are backed by the latest snowpack report from the California Department of Water Resources. The agency reports that the Sierra snowpack is off to its best start since...