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...
Will Fresno Ever Re-Open the Popular Airways Pool?
For decades, the Airways Pool offered a respite from Fresno's sizzling summer heat to families from across the city. And while the city has built partnerships with local high schools since Airways' closing in 2017, none of them comes close to offering the low-cost experience that Airways did. Fresno...
High Interest as Cannabis Store Sales Begin in Fresno
Thirty minutes before its scheduled 10 a.m. opening, the line at The Artist Tree was 50 customers deep. When the doors finally opened a few minutes ahead of time, staffers allowed 20 people in at a time to peruse and purchase the store's array of cannabis products. The boutique...
Heat Wave ‘Like a Pressure Cooker’ Descends on Fresno, Valley
As heat waves go, the one that's hitting Fresno this week is kind of boring — unless you don't have air-conditioning and/or you work outdoors, in which case you should prepare to break a sweat. Monday's forecast high is 105 degrees, the start of an eight-day stretch of triple-digit...