Nearly all of Fresno County's 208,000 students have been outfitted with internet access and laptops or tablets for their distance learning, Superintendent of Schools Jim Yovino said Wednesday. But there are rural pockets where students haven't been able to get online, which Yovino said "is a bigger concern to me."...
Now Playing at the Mall Parking Lot: Movies, Drag Shows
NEW YORK — Angel Dougherty went to the mall last month — not to shop, but to watch a drive-in drag show in the parking lot. “This year has been so anxiety filled and chaotic, I figured this experience would be something to lighten the mood,” says Dougherty, who paid...
Democrats Nominate Biden for Epic Challenge to Oust Trump
WILMINGTON, Del. — Democrats formally nominated Joe Biden as their presidential candidate, with party elders, a new generation of politicians and voters in every state joining in an extraordinary, pandemic-cramped virtual convention to send him into the general election campaign to oust President Donald Trump. For someone who has spent more than three decades...
Second Private Christian School Opens to Students, Sparking Fresno County Probe
Clovis Christian Schools, a private K-12 school on Locan Avenue, apparently is holding in-person classes and has drawn the attention of Fresno County Public Health officials. Dr. Rais Vohra, the county's interim health officer, said Tuesday that the department is having "conversations" with Clovis Christian and also Immanuel Schools of...
Newsom Declares Emergency Over Wildfires
SAN FRANCISCO — Gov. Gavin Newsom declared an emergency Tuesday over wildfires burning throughout California as the state’s power grid operator pleaded with residents and businesses to continue conserving energy to avoid rolling blackouts. Steve Berberich, president and CEO of the California Independent System Operator, praised customers for astonishing conservation...
S&P 500 Closes at a Record, Erasing Last of Pandemic Losses
Wall Street clawed back the last of the historic, frenzied losses unleashed by the new coronavirus, as the S&P 500 closed at an all-time high Tuesday. The day’s move was a relatively mild one, nudging the index up 7.79 points, or 0.2%, to 3,389.78. That eclipses the S&P 500′s previous...
Virus-Induced Spending Spurs Sales at Home Depot, Walmart
NEW YORK — Americans turned to Walmart and Home Depot for supplies and do-it-yourself projects as they stayed close to home at a time when new cases of virus surged, resulting in soaring sales for their fiscal second quarter. Walmart's online sales nearly doubled in the fiscal second quarter, helped...
Coin Shortage Hits Retailers, Laundromats, Tooth Fairy
A convenience store chain is offering a free beverage or sandwich in exchange for them. A laundromat owner drove 4 hours across state lines to get $8,000 worth. A young girl in Illinois wrote the tooth fairy saying she’ll gladly take dollars as a substitute if it helps. There is...
Dine Out Discount: UK Pays 50% of Tab to Lure Customers Back
Everyone, it seems, loves a discount especially when it's on the government's credit card. Early indications suggest that hungry, and often nervous, customers are being enticed back to restaurants in the U.K. as a result of a British government program that provides discounts from Monday to Wednesday this month. The...
Raiders’ Maxx Crosby Back to Work After Stint on COVID List
Maxx Crosby would rather focus on building on his impressive rookie season than his recent bout with the coronavirus. The Las Vegas Raiders defensive end spent nine days in quarantine on the reserve/COVID-19 list after testing positive for the virus, but returned to the practice field over the weekend and...