Two straight stormy weekends have buried the Sierra in snow, brought needed rain, and begun fill to the state's parched reservoirs. The question is, how much more water is in Mother Nature's pipeline for drought-plagued California? The short-term answer is unclear, according to the National Weather Service in Hanford. The...
GOP State Senate Leaders Want to Block Hurtado Victory
Two Republican state Senate leaders are asking their colleagues not to seat Sen. Melissa Hurtado, a day after she locked up a victory by 20 votes. With all four counties in Senate District 16 certifying the election by the Thursday deadline, Hurtado defeated David Shepard, R-Porterville, by 0.007% — seven-thousandths...
Tearful Testimony Helps Spur New Fresno Focus on Student Safety
Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson says that district officials now hear about students being injured in pedestrian accidents "almost every day," and he says it seems as if the number of incidents have doubled compared to a year ago. Those incidents include the death in early October of Hoover High...
Final Vote Tally Propels Local College Board Challenger to Upset Win Over Incumbent
State Center Community College District Trustee Bobby Kahn has been defeated by challenger Destiny Rodriguez, a businesswoman and consultant to the California Air Resources Board, in the election for State Center's Area 1, which includes parts of Fresno and Madera counties. Rodriguez, who had steadily gained ground on Kahn after...
Get Ready for Heavy Rain on Valley Floor, Huge Sierra Snowfall
Fresno and other Valley cities can expect up to two inches of rain in a series of storms beginning Thursday night and ending as late as Monday morning. The forecast from the National Weather Service in Hanford also calls for significant snow in the Sierra over the weekend. So much...
What to Watch for as RSV, Flu Cases Overwhelm Valley Hospitals
A parent's worst nightmare is often having a sick child and not knowing what is wrong or how to help. With an increase in Respiratory Syncytial Virus cases, including circulating cases of COVID-19 and influenza, it can be hard to know what may be wrong with your baby. Every winter...
Great Wolf Lodge Resort, Waterpark to Break Ground Near Visalia Next Year
A new Great Wolf Lodge luxury resort planned for the south valley is expected to generate nearly $2 billion in economic output, Tulare County officials say. The nationwide family attraction is scheduled to break ground in late 2023 and open in the fall of 2025 at the southeast corner of...
Duarte’s Priorities are Water, Oil, and Inflation
Congressman-elect John Duarte of Modesto made it clear in an exclusive interview with GV Wire that his goal is to fight for water for the Valley and not waste time on Donald Trump's antics or those of far-right Republicans. Duarte, who squeezed out a narrow win over Merced Democrat Adam...
DA Drops Attempted Extortion Charges Against Fresno Council President Esparza
The Fresno County District Attorney's office dropped charges against Fresno City Council President Nelson Esparza during a pre-trial hearing on Monday morning. The unexpected move clears Esparza of two misdemeanor counts that he attempted to extort then-city attorney Douglas Sloan last April. Esparza was accused of threatening Sloan's job during...
Hurtado Has 12-Vote Lead Over Shepard for 16th Senate Seat
State Sen. Melissa Hurtado has clawed back a deficit of nearly 3,400 votes and now leads her Republican opponent by 12 votes in the 16th District race. The latest count from the Secretary of State shows Hurtado, a Bakersfield Democrat, with 68,302 votes to 68,290 for David Shepard of Porterville....