3/17/20 Update: Club One cardroom casino in downtown Fresno and Eagle Mountain Casino in Porterville have also announced temporary closures. Table Mountain Casino will close its casino starting at 6 p.m. tonight through the end of the month as a precaution against spreading the COVID-19 coronavirus. "Our prayers go out...
What Now? Facing Life Without the Entertainment World
NEW YORK — Overheard as the entertainment world stalled in response to the coronavirus outbreak: “What are we gonna do now, read books? That's exactly what Pamela Milam will be doing, and lots of them. Milam is a selection reader for the Women's National Book Association, a nonprofit established in...
Price Gouging Ordinance on Tap for Emergency Fresno Council Meeting Today
The Fresno City Council has a tentative emergency meeting today at 1:30 p.m. to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a news release from Council President Miguel Arias, the council will discuss declaring a state of emergency and an anti-price gouging ordiance. As of time of publication, no agenda has...
Virus Toll in Iran Climbs as Lockdowns Deepen Across Mideast
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran reported another 129 fatalities from the new coronavirus on Monday, the largest one-day rise in deaths since it began battling the Middle East's worst outbreak, which has claimed more than 850 lives and infected a number of senior officials in the country. Businesses in Iran's capital...
Schools Are Closed, But Boards Are Meeting To Keep Districts Running
Update: Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson announced at a Monday afternoon news conference on coronavirus updates that Wednesday's board meeting has been canceled. ________ The boards of Fresno's three largest school districts are scheduled to meet this week, as the first of at least four weeks of local school closures...
Fake Coronavirus Testing Kits Seized at Los Angeles Airport
LOS ANGELES — Federal authorities warned consumers Saturday about fake home-testing kits for the coronavirus after customs agents intercepted a package at Los Angeles International Airport filled with vials labeled as COVID-19 test kits. The parcel arriving from the United Kingdom this week was declared as purified water vials valued...
Coronavirus: Ten Reasons Why You Ought Not to Panic
Regardless of whether we classify the new coronavirus as a pandemic, it is a serious issue. In less than two months, it has spread over several continents. Pandemic means sustained and continuous transmission of the disease, simultaneously in more than three different geographical regions. Pandemic does not refer to the...
County Health Officer Explains the Why of Emergency Declaration
With Fresno County declaring a state of emergency to handle the COVID-19 outbreak, the county's top public health official has this advice: Engage in basic hygiene (like washing hands), stay home if you are sick, and practice social distancing — spreading out in public areas. County health officials announced Saturday...
'Confused and Frustrated': Virus Screenings Jam US Airports
Long lines and hourslong waits for required medical screenings greeted weary travelers returning to some U.S. airports amid coronavirus-related travel restrictions. The dense crowds Saturday at some of the 13 airports where travelers from Europe are being funneled — among the busiest across the country — formed even as public...
COVID-19 Forces Closing of Fresno Chaffee Zoo
Fresno City Manager Wilma Quan said Sunday morning that the Fresno Chaffee Zoo will close until the end of March to comply with state guidelines aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Gov. Gavin Newsom issued guidelines last week that included a recommendation to cancel or postpone all gatherings...