How are Fresno City councilmembers spending public taxpayer money? Some of it is going to pay for questionable items that might surprise city residents, says Fresno City Councilmember Garry Bredefeld. Topping the list of questionable expenditures: extravagant meals, parking tickets, promotional brochures highlighting councilmembers' good deeds, and iPhone equipment,...
This Cal State Almost Lost Millions. Bank Stopped the Fraud.
An attempt to scam Sonoma State University out of millions of dollars was thwarted last summer when a bank caught on to the fraud. "Sonoma State University did not lose any money. Wells Fargo Bank’s fraud prevention team flagged the payment as possible fraud and was able to return...
Governor Appoints Two Women as Fresno County Judges
A local immigration attorney and a public defender are joining the Fresno County Superior Court bench. Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Virna Santos and Stephanie Negin as judges, his office announced Monday. Both women are Democrats. This is Newsom's eighth Fresno County Superior Court appointment in his first term. Fresno...
Fresno Black Chamber Bets Big on Helping Start-up Businesses
Betting Big is a program that puts Fresno's small Black-owned businesses on the path to success. Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) seeking entrepreneurship opportunities learn how to develop a business plan that helps with budgeting, marketing, and other business tools and tips through the Fresno Metro Black...
These 6 Want to Replace Devin Nunes in Congress. Where Do They Stand?
Voters are already receiving ballots to choose a new congressmember for the vacant 22nd Congressional District. Six candidates are running for the seat formerly held by Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, who resigned on Jan. 1. Voters will cast ballots through April 5. If no candidate receives more than 50% of...
The Valley Loves Raising Cane’s Recipe of Fresh Fried Chicken Sprinkled With Fun
On its opening day, the staff at Raising Cane's are whooping and hollering. It is part of the work culture at Fresno's latest quick-serve chicken location. The national chicken chain has rapidly expanded in the Valley. Tuesday's opening in north Fresno (7507 N. Blackstone Ave. at the southwest corner...
Who’s Running in Bullard Trustee Race? One In, One Out, One Maybe
Fresno School Board candidate Kurt Madden told GV Wire on Thursday that he's dropping his campaign for the Bullard High Area 7 Trustee seat in November's election. But there's still three candidates in the race, at least for now: educator Terri L. Edwards, who filed her candidate intention statement...
Dyer Says Revelation of $600K Fraud Against City Could “Compromise” FBI Investigation
Fresno was one of several U.S. cities that fell victim to wire fraud and whose cases are being investigated by the FBI, Mayor Jerry Dyer told the media on Thursday. Dyer said that an alleged leak about the investigation, which had been kept quiet by the city for two...
Elderly, Poor, and Disabled Cling to Life in Ukraine: Mercy Corps
A leading humanitarian group, Mercy Corps, said Thursday that its biggest challenge in Ukraine is helping the elderly, poor, and disabled. The organization has aid workers in Ukraine, and in neighboring countries Romania and Poland. More than 2.3 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded the country. “We...
Fresno Soldier Helped Liberate Nazi Concentration Camp. Now, He is Being Honored.
A Fresno World War II veteran who helped liberate a Holocaust concentration camp in eastern Germany near the border of what was then Czechoslovakia will be honored in Clovis on Thursday. Vernon Schmidt will receive the Honorary Commemorative Medal by the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic. Schmidt,...