YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK — Federal health officials are inspecting Yosemite National Park's food service areas after at least a dozen people have fallen ill with stomach issues. The National Park Service and the U.S. Public Health Service told the San Francisco Chronicle they launched an investigation after employees and visitors reported the...
Got a Beef With Code Enforcement? A New 'Sheriff' Is in Charge.
Cars parked in the front yard, broken-down RVs seemingly anchored to the street, and junk stockpiled by hoarders have driven residents and Fresno City Council members bonkers for years. On Thursday, the council finally decided to do something about code enforcement's apparent inability to get such complaints — and many...
Catholic Bishops Approve New Sex-Abuse Reporting Hotline
BALTIMORE — U.S. Catholic bishops voted Wednesday to create a new national sex-abuse hotline run by an independent entity, a decision that represents one of the church's most tangible steps yet in confronting its sex-abuse crisis. The hotline, which would field allegations that bishops committed abuse or covered it up,...
City Council OKs Moratorium on Fresno Water Fines
The Fresno City Council unanimously approved a moratorium on fines for excessive water usage at special meeting Thursday. The moratorium is retroactive to Oct. 1. The council will convene again on the subject in January. Council members additionally instructed city staff to inform the public about the moratorium. Water violation...
California Wildfire Victims Say Cleanup Crews Added to Woes
SANTA ROSA — One year after wildfires devastated Northern California's wine country and destroyed thousands of homes, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' first experience cleaning up after a wildfire has turned into an expensive bureaucratic mess. The state's top emergency official suspects fraud played a role. In October 2017,...