Mayor Jerry Dyer released his three-year strategic housing plan last week and it will be presented to the city council in a special meeting Wednesday on Fresno's housing crisis. With input from a handful of community organizations and City Hall staff, the mayor's report focuses on the top priorities...
Fired Fresno Police Officer’s Lawsuit Allowed to Continue
Was a tweet by Mayor Jerry Dyer against a fired Fresno police officer libelous? A jury could make that decision after a federal judge denied the city of Fresno's motion to dismiss the count. The city fired Richard Fitzgerald in April 2021 after a video surfaced of him attending...
Musk Reaches $44 Billion Deal to Buy Twitter
Billionaire Elon Musk has reached an agreement to acquire Twitter for approximately $44 billion, the company said Monday afternoon. The outspoken Tesla CEO, the world’s wealthiest person, has said he wants to buy Twitter because he thinks it’s not living up to its potential as a platform for “free...
Armenian Genocide Addressed by Biden, Fresno Leaders
President Joe Biden on Sunday commemorated the 107th anniversary of the start of the Armenian genocide, issuing a statement in memory of the 1.5 million Armenians “who were deported, massacred or marched to their deaths in a campaign of extermination” by Ottoman Empire forces. Biden's statement did not reference...
New City College Science Building Will Launch Fresno Success Stories
Gray skies and rain sprinkles didn’t dampen the celebration Thursday at the official groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of construction of the long-awaited Science Building at Fresno City College. The $87 million building at the corner of Blackstone and Weldon Avenues represents different things to different people. For chemistry...
Listen to Audio of Kevin McCarthy Saying He’d Urge Trump to Resign
WASHINGTON — House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield told fellow GOP lawmakers shortly after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot that he would urge then-President Donald Trump to resign, according to audio posted by The New York Times and aired on Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC show. Listen: McCarthy Says He Will Urge Trump to...
City Votes to Buy Tower Theatre, Thwarting Purchase by Church
In a debate that mirrored a courtroom hearing — which it may eventually lead to — the Fresno City Council voted 4-3 on Thursday to buy the Tower Theatre. The deal has a nominal price of $6.5 million to be paid to the theater’s owners for the iconic Tower...
McCarthy Says All’s ‘Good’ With Trump Despite Reported Rift
A recent New York Times story implied there was a battle for the soul of the Republican Party — who is the kingmaker? House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy or former President Donald Trump? McCarthy, in Fresno Monday night for a county party fundraiser, says there is no rift. He...
At What Cost? Tower Purchase Could Exceed $20 Million
The price of $6.5 million offered by the city of Fresno to buy the Tower Theatre could more than triple to over $20 million, critics of the deal say. In a proposal introduced this week by city councilmembers Miguel Arias and Esmeralda Soria, the city would buy the theater...
Fresno Photographer Captures Images of Ukrainians Fleeing to Safety
A few months ago, 21-year-old John Kasaian was working at a coffee shop in Fresno and freelancing as a photographer. Then he felt a calling to capture the images of the Russia-Ukraine war. After a few conversations with his mom and support from his parents, Kasaian made the 15-hour...