SALEM, Ore. — The U.S. government is rushing protective equipment to states, packing dozens of flights and hundreds of trucks with supplies for medical workers who will be on the front lines of the coronavirus fight. But the pandemic has exposed some of the stockpile's shortcomings: The cache isn't designed...
Fresno Shelter-in-Place Ordinance Takes Effect at 12:01 AM Thursday
Citing a need to save lives and stay ahead of the curve on the worst-case COVID-19 scenarios, the city of Fresno imposed a shelter-in-place emergency ordinance Wednesday that goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. Under the extraordinary measure, Fresno residents will join at least eight million other Californians who...
One Urgent Care Closed. Hospitals Changing Visitor Policies.
At least one urgent medical care facility has closed down because of a shortage of protective medical gear. Other healthcare facilities are also limiting visitors in reaction to the COVID-19 outbreak. Fresno County Public Health has reported two cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel strain of the...
Trump Invokes Emergency Authority; Big 3 Automakers Shutting Down
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday moved to invoke a federal law that allows the government to marshal the private sector to deal with the coronavirus epidemic, as the economic damage mounted with word that Detroit's Big Three automakers agreed to shut down all their factories to protect...
Fresno Unified Adjusts Meal Times, Locations During COVID-19 Closures
Fresno Unified School District will distribute grab-and-go breakfast and lunch meals at all sites from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. today, the district announced Tuesday night. Beginning Thursday, the district will distribute meals at the following locations from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday through Friday: Addams Elementary School Ahwahnee...
Newsom Prepares for Worst-Case Scenarios as Virus Spreads
While urging Californians to stay united and promising “we will get back to the life that we have lived,” Gov. Gavin Newsom acknowledged on Tuesday that much is unknown and so the state is preparing for frightening worst-case scenarios. He put the California National Guard on alert for duties that...
Administration Announces 90-Day Delay for Many Tax Payments
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration says individuals and businesses will be allowed to delay paying their 2019 tax bills for 90 days past the usual April 15 deadline. The extension announced Tuesday is an effort to inject up to $300 billion into the economy at a time when the coronavirus...
Fresno County Wants Just 7 Courtrooms Open Amid COVID-19
Fresno County Superior Court is seeking approval to substantially cut operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the court said in a news release Tuesday night. If the emergency request is granted by state Chief Supreme Court Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, there would be a maximum of seven courtrooms used among the county's...
Madera Unified Teachers, Counselors Back To School Wednesday
Madera Unified School District has directed all classroom teachers, counselors, teachers on special assignment, and academic coaches to return to school Wednesday to work on a three-week curriculum for students. Meanwhile, on Wednesday the district will begin distributing same-day lunches and next-day breakfasts at all elementary and K-8 schools. The...
Is Fresno County Reaching Non-English Speakers With Coronavirus Warnings?
The head of a nonprofit social services organization for Hmong- and Spanish-speaking people said Tuesday that Fresno County health officials have not done enough to make COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak warnings and advisories more widely available to non-English speakers. Pao Yang, chief executive officer of the Fresno Center, said he was...