The first death in Fresno County from the coronavirus was announced Friday afternoon by public health officials. The county now has 100 positive cases. Twenty-eight are travel-related, 24 are community-acquired, 18 resulted from close contact, and 30 are under investigation. The person who died was described as elderly with underlying...
Coarsegold Mail Carrier Positive for COVID-19, 12 Others Isolated
A mail carrier in Coarsegold is now in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, the Madera County Department of Health said Friday. The county's communicable disease investigators then identified 12 people who had contact with the mail carrier. All of them were immediately isolated, Madera officials said. The source of transmission...
Virtual COVID-19 Reality: City Council Meetings Now All Online
The people's house of local government is closed for the time being, the latest victim of the COVID-19 pandemic. All governmental meetings for the city of Fresno will be conducted online until the health crisis abates. Fresno City Council President Miguel Arias said meetings will take place on Zoom. There...
As Valley Deaths Rise, Convention Center Will Be COVID-19 Field Hospital
With COVID-19 deaths rising in the Valley, the Fresno Convention Center will house a 250-bed field hospital site to help alleviate the strain on local hospitals. According to a news release Friday from the Fresno County Health Department, the site is expected to include beds, medical equipment, and personal protective equipment for...
Another California Deputy Dies from COVID-19, Raising State’s Law Enforcement Toll to 3
Three California law enforcement officers have now succumbed to COVID-19 following the death of two Southern California sheriff's deputies on Thursday . Deputy David Werksman and Deputy Terrell Young were both members of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. Young died Thursday morning. Werksman's death was announced on Friday. Santa Rosa...
California Legislature Will Extend COVID-19 Recess, Leader Says
SACRAMENTO — Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins said the California Legislature extend its recess beyond April 13 because of the COVID-19 outbreak. “Given what the governor and our public health officials have stated, it has become increasingly clear that the April 13th return date the Legislature envisioned isn’t feasible,” Atkins...
59,500 COVID Test Results Pending in California. Fresno Official Frustrated.
We are doing the testing. That's the good news. On the flip side, many of the test results are pending. The COVID Tracking Project gives California a B grade for its efforts. 'Huge' Number of Pending Tests The COVID Tracking Project involves more than 100 volunteer data-grabbers, journalists, scientists, visualization...
Bay Area Limits Housing Construction to 'Affordable' Homes. What About Rest of California?
On Tuesday, San Francisco and five surrounding counties extended shelter-in-place orders until May 3 and added new restrictions. They included closing playgrounds, dog parks, public picnic areas, golf courses, tennis and basketball courts, pools, and rock climbing walls. The new order also prohibited most residential and commercial construction. Some Bay...
Fresno Business Is Cleaning Nurse and Doctor Scrubs for Free
Sandy Castillo wants to do her part for the front-line workers helping combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Castillo owns Chateau Cleaners and just announced she will clean the scrubs of area nurses and doctors for free. She says it's the least she can do to show appreciation through these hard times....
Fresno ‘Makers’ Have Joined the Battle Against the COVID-19 Virus
An innovative “maker space” in downtown Fresno is joining the fight against COVID-19. Members of The Pi Shop, a product incubator for local entrepreneurs, developed a high-quality face shield for medical personnel on the front lines of the battle. Now, they’re able to make hundreds of them a day to...