Valley Children’s Healthcare’s $10 million, 10-year deal for the naming rights to Fresno State’s football stadium has prompted a backlash on social media and across the community that some say will make them think twice before donating to support the children’s hospital. The deal, which was announced in August...
The 8 Local Leaders Set to Vote on How $7 Billion in Transportation Tax Funds Would Be Spent
Measure C faces another procedural step on its way to the November ballot. Voters could decide on the future of $7 billion on spending for transportation, including road maintenance and mass transit. Fresno County's current half-cent sales tax for transportation projects expires in 2027. The Fresno County Transportation Authority...
Fresno Council President Charged with Felony Over Alleged Extortion
Fresno City Council President Nelson Esparza has been charged with a felony count of attempted extortion, the Fresno County District Attorney's office announced Monday. Esparza, 31, is accused of threatening the employment of former City Attorney Douglas Sloan in April. In allegations made by fellow city councilman Garry Bredefeld...
Local Homeless Count Rises, but Leaders Say Better Days Are Coming
On a cold night on Feb. 23, nonprofits and government agencies from Fresno and Madera counties conducted a point-in-time count of homeless people. They found 2,338 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness, with 1,524 people using emergency shelters, and 336 people using transitional housing. That represents about a 16% increase in...
People Will Steal Anything in Fresno. Even a Biohazard Bin With Bloody Crime Scene Remnants
Sometime in the early morning hours Wednesday, a crime scene cleaner was left speechless after she realized a biohazard bin she had cleaned, sealed, and strapped to the back of her truck was stolen near Wishon and McKinley avenues in Fresno. "We had finished a job, and I had...
Margaret Mims Elementary? Radio Hosts Want Sheriff’s Name on Fresno School
Central Unified School District is looking for suggestions on what name should replace President James K. Polk on the district's Polk Avenue elementary school. KMJ Radio hosts on Monday afternoon proposed a local law enforcement figure: retiring Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims. The suggestion sparked backlash from the area's...
Local Artist Draws on Childhood Influences for New Mural Project
Early Wednesday morning, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer and a team of students from North Carolina Chapel Hill unveiled a mural project at Calwa Park designed by muralist Cynthia Velazques. City officials said they hope the artwork will spark a wave of new murals to help beautify neighborhood parks. "Part...
Notorious Fresno Murders Recounted in New Memoir by Ben Ewell
The uncle to one of Fresno's most notorious criminals has authored a new memoir that reflects back on the shocking Ewell murders, as well as observations on other significant experiences during his lifetime. In "Sunday Afternoons and Other Times Remembered," Ben Ewell recounts the Easter morning phone call in...
Clovis Secures $2M for Pedestrian Bridge. Where Will Other Funds Come From?
A planned pedestrian bridge over Highway 168 in Clovis got a boost this week when state Sen. Andreas Borgeas (R-Fresno) announced that he had secured $2 million in the state budget for the project. However, that funding is just a down payment on the bridge, which has seen projected...
Supervisors Move $7B Measure C Renewal One Step Closer to Ballot
A projected $7 billion transportation tax that could shape road building, mass transit, and maintenance for a generation is one step closer to the ballot. The Fresno County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 on Tuesday to advance a spending plan on the renewal of Measure C, the half-cent transportation sales...