Multiple independent sources say former city councilmember Luis Chavez made a deal to get Fresno Unified administrator Misty Her selected as the district's next superintendent in exchange for support from the Hmong community in his bid to become a Fresno County supervisor. Chavez's wife, Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas, is a Fresno...
Fresno City Attorney Janz Launches Probe Into Attack Campaign Mailer
Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz is investigating whether a campaign mailer for an upcoming city council election violated the law. Last week, a group called Fresno Future Forward sent a mailer to residents in Fresno City Council District 5, which covers much of southeast Fresno. The mailer claimed candidate Brandon...
Capitol Rioter Ben Martin of Madera to Be Released From Federal Prison
A Central Valley man convicted of Jan. 6-related crimes and pardoned by President Donald Trump but also found guilty on a separate gun charge is expected to be a free man later today. A three-judge panel from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Benjamin Martin of Madera County released...
Trump Wants to Fix US Lumber Industry. Home Prices Hang in the Balance.
Beyond tariffs from President Donald Trump on Tuesday, he also ordered the U.S. Commerce Department to investigate Canada's lumber market — an industry integral to the U.S. housing market. Industry advocates praise the move, saying Canada has subsidized their cheap exports that make up 30% of the U.S. market. They...
Trump Tariffs Have Valley Farmers on Edge With Billions of Dollars at Stake
With countries issuing retaliatory tariffs in response to President Donald Trump's protective orders Tuesday morning, actions from import destinations may soon hit close to home for Central Valley farmers. China made it clear that it would impose tariffs up 15% on chicken, pork, soy, and beef products from the U.S....
California Beat Big Tobacco. Can It Now Make Big Oil Pay for Climate Damage?
Big Oil faces mounting lawsuits as extreme weather worsens, with California leading efforts to make fossil fuel giants pay billions of dollars for the climate damage they have long denied. Across the country, states, cities, tribes and environmental groups have filed dozens of lawsuits against oil companies alleging that they misled the...
DACA Reform Gains Momentum. Valadao Says Program Fix Needed.
About 200 Democratic representatives have signed onto a bill granting pathways for citizenship to immigrants who came to the country as children. Now, the American Dream and Promise Act from Reps. Jim Costa (D-Fresno) and Sylvia Garcia (D-Houston) has gained the support of a Republican representative. Another Central Valley representative...
NPR’s Tamara Keith: Trump Shouldn’t Pick the White House Press Corps
Valley Public Radio and a host of nonprofits brought National Public Radio's Tamara Keith — a Hanford native — to talk about her experience as the senior White House correspondent and former president of the White House Correspondents' Association. Keith served as president of the association in 2022 and 2023....
Lawsuit Claims FUSD’s African American Academic Support Program Discriminates
A federal lawsuit says Fresno Unified's program to fix educational gaps among African American students discriminates against non-Black children. Of the district's roughly 5,200 African American students, 23% participated in the program in the 2023-24 school year. The Office of African American Academic Acceleration (A4) served 7,950 students, with Black...
Fresno Police Officer: City Retaliates After I Blew Whistle on Balderrama
The Fresno police officer at the center of former Police Chief Paco Balderrama's fall from grace is making a new claim of retaliation by the city. Attorneys for Jordan Wamhoff, who is also an elected Madera County Supervisor, said the city is conducting an investigation into their client. "This is...