It's anyone's guess how many teens have reached "Sweet 16" since the state DMV stopped behind-the-wheel tests for new drivers in March because of COVID-19. According to kidsdata.org, in 2018 there were more than two million Californians ages 14 to 17. That offers an idea about how many teen driving...
‘Coffee With a Cop’ Goes Virtual at NE Fresno Starbucks
Mandi Abrams was in a line of cars in the drive-thru at the Starbucks on Nees Avenue in northeast Fresno when she noticed a white Suburban police vehicle ahead of her. Abrams, who wanted a caramel macchiato for her great-grandma who is in hospice, decided she wanted to treat the...
Going Online Due to COVID-19 This Fall Could Hurt Colleges’ Future
When the California State University system decided to conduct all of its classes online this coming fall, administrators said it was to avoid the health risks associated with COVID-19. Many other colleges are making similar decisions as they move online. Wayne State University and Michigan State University are likely to...
Am I Immune to COVID-19 If I Have Antibodies?
Perhaps the most important question now about COVID-19 is the degree to which a prior infection protects from a second infection by the new coronavirus. This affects vaccine development and herd immunity and is something for each of us to consider as antibody tests are now available. I am a...
With Reopening on Horizon, Fresno School Leaders Survey Students and Staff
Fresno Unified wants to know what's on the minds of its 74,000 students and 10,552 staffers as the district shapes its plans to reopen schools in August. Emails have been sent to students and staffs with links to short surveys, which for students include questions about barriers to education created...
You Have a ‘Moral Obligation’ to Wear a Facemask: Fresno County’s Top Doc
California health officials are bracing for a second COVID-19 wave as soon as July. The Fresno County Department of Health is also bracing for that possibility. It has seen cases and hospitalizations rise as more people are going outside and becoming more mobile. The county's rate of doubling cases has...
Winning Bid For PLA-Build of Herrera Elementary Is $3M Under Estimate
Fresno Unified trustees gave the green light this week to a $37.6 million construction bid for the new Juan Felipe Herrera Elementary School in southeast Fresno. Trustee Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas made a point of asking how the bid compared with prior estimates. Chief operations officer Karin Temple said the winning...
Central Unified Mulls a Second Shot at Bond Measure
There will be no survey of voters this time around for Central Unified School District if trustees decide to take another shot at a bond measure. The last survey, which was taken in the summer of 2019 long before the words "COVID-19" and "pandemic" were on everybody's lips, had predicted...
California Judicial Council Votes to End $0 Bail Enacted During COVID
The California Judicial Council voted 17-2 Wednesday to rescind, effective June 20, a temporary COVID-19 policy that set bail for lower-level crimes at $0. "The Judicial Council's action better reflects the current needs of our state, which has different health concerns and restrictions county-to-county based on the threat posed by COVID-19," said Justice Marsha...
Aug. 12 Opening for Central Unified’s K-12 Online School
Central Unified School District officials were thinking about creating an online school before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, closing schools and forcing students and teachers to shift to distance learning. Knowing that some families, concerned about the potential for infection after schools reopen in August, would be seeking an online school...