Pastor Jim Franklin will open Cornerstone Church this Sunday. That's not the only door he'll open. Franklin says Gov. Gavin Newsom and other leaders have opened the door for a lawsuit. "Our theater seats 1,400 people but we are only allowed to have 100 people. That is approximately 7%," says...
Worker Shortage Concerns Loom in Immigrant-Heavy Meatpacking
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — When Martha Kebede’s adult sons immigrated from Ethiopia and reunited with her in South Dakota this year, they had few work opportunities. Lacking English skills, the brothers took jobs at Smithfield Foods' Sioux Falls pork plant, grueling and increasingly risky work as the coronavirus sickened thousands...
Derek Carr to 2020 Grads: Don’t Miss Out on Alternative Ceremonies
COVID-19 has put the kibosh on traditional large-scale graduation ceremonies in May and June for the Class of 2020, but graduates are being celebrated in new and different ways. The celebrations are virtual for now, but districts and colleges are vowing still to have the real deal, either later this...
Need a Haircut? Barbershops and Hair Salons Get OK to Reopen in Fresno, Other Counties
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday that barbershops and hair salons can reopen immediately in counties, including Fresno, that have been cleared to move faster on lifting coronavirus restrictions. The governor’s announcement is part of an ongoing relaxation of orders intended to help prevent spread of COVID-19. Face Masks Required for...
Over 300 Free COVID-19 Tests Done at NW Fresno Site
This COVID-19 test takes just over five minutes. Results come back in two or three days. Since opening May 13, the drive-up testing site at United Health Centers‘ Fresno location near Herndon and Milburn avenues has performed more than 300 COVID-19 tests. The cost of the test is covered by insurance. If...
Need $5K or $10K Grant for Small Business to Survive COVID? Apply Now.
The city of Fresno is taking applications for the second round of Save Our Small Businesses Act funding. Small businesses — defined as 25 or fewer employees — are eligible for grants of either $5,000 (for businesses with 1-5 employees) or $10,000 (between 6-25 employees). Because the second round of...
City Has 14,000 Free Masks for Fresno Small Businesses
Small businesses in the city of Fresno needing masks for employees and customers can get them free, Fresno Mayor Lee Brand said Tuesday morning. The city is providing 10,000 disposable surgical masks for small businesses to give to customers to help stop the spread of COVID-19. In addition, 4,000 free...
Opinion: COVID-19’s Fifth Column — American Health Choices
COVID-19 is real, and it is vicious. It has killed tens of thousands of Americans. More will follow. But the disease isn’t acting alone. It has some unlikely co-conspirators. Millions, in fact. Dig into the grim statistics documenting deaths linked to the novel coronavirus and you’ll quickly grasp the significant contribution...
Fresno Jobless Rate Doubles as Economy Reopening Accelerates
Unemployment in the city of Fresno more than doubled to 15.5% in April as the full force of COVID-19 business shutdowns took hold around the Valley and across the state. Fresno's unemployment rate exactly matched the statewide rate, while the Clovis unemployment rate to 13.0%. Over 37,000 city of Fresno...
Aircraft Carrier Returns to Sea After Coronavirus Outbreak
WASHINGTON — After nearly two months sidelined in Guam with a coronavirus outbreak, the USS Theodore Roosevelt has gone out to sea for training, in preparation to return to duty in the Pacific. Nearly 800 fighter squadron personnel from the Central Valley are aboard the carrier. The ship has been...