The death of Victor Ma's brother sent him into a tailspin. Using alcohol to cope with his loss, Ma got in trouble with the law. "My oldest brother, he was my best friend. We were always around each other, working on cars and everything. So when I lost him,...
Fresno DA Says FBI Investigating Former Valley Congressman; No Charges in Council Probe.
Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp says former Valley congressman TJ Cox is being investigated by the FBI over business dealings related to the Granite Park sports complex. Smittcamp referenced the investigation in a Tuesday news release announcing her decision not to prosecute members of the Fresno City Council for...
Fabela’s Smokejumper Claim Is All Wet, Firefighters Say
A profile story of Fresno Unified School Board candidate Andrew Fabela published last week by GV Wire included his claim to having been a smokejumper during his firefighting career. But an active smokejumper and two smokejumper retirees told GV Wire on Friday that they can't find Fabela's name among...
Whalen’s Fresno Judge Election Canceled After Call from Governor’s Office
An election for a vacant Fresno County judicial seat sought by Clovis City Councilman Bob Whalen has been removed from the ballot. The county election clerk says the judgeship's initial placement on the ballot was an error and he removed it after a call from the governor's office last...
Salazar Enters Sheriff’s Race, Says He’ll Put Fresh Eyes on County Jail
Mark Salazar says he found his calling early in life while growing up on the tough streets of east Bakersfield. "Crime scene tape (was) everywhere. I was stopped probably 20 times when I was a kid in east Bakersfield. But I remember one sergeant that treated me with respect...
GV Wire Editorial: Ukraine Needs US Military Help. Can Taiwan Count on It if China Invades?
Vladimir Putin, whose goal is to bring the breakaway countries from the Soviet Union back under Russia's thumb, is solely responsible for the death and destruction mounting in Ukraine. However, if words and promises matter, President Biden and Congress should order our country's military to intervene. Not just to...
Ukraine Capital Under Threat as Russia Presses Invasion
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian troops bore down on Ukraine’s capital Friday, with gunfire and explosions resonating ever closer to the government quarter, in an invasion of a democratic country that has fueled fears of wider war in Europe and triggered worldwide efforts to make Russia stop. With reports of hundreds...
Fresno Deputy Police Chief Salazar Running for Sheriff
Fresno deputy chief of police Mark Salazar plans to run for sheriff, sources tell GV Wire. He will make the announcement at 2 p.m. today at the county election office. Salazar, a longtime veteran of the department, has worked his way up the ranks. His most recent promotion was...
Local Ukrainian Pastor: US ‘Betrayed’ Country by Allowing Russian Invasion
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has left local Ukrainians feeling angry, hurt, and with a sense of betrayal that the U.S. failed to uphold a nearly 30-year-old security agreement to protect the nation, the Rev. Dr. Gregory Zubacz told GV Wire on Thursday. Under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, Ukraine agreed...
McCarthy Backs McClintock in Congressional Race Against Magsig
Rep. Tom McClintock has received the endorsement of the entire California Republican congressional delegation — including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield — in his 2022 re-election bid. "He is a leader in the House when it comes to streamlining forest management in our National Forests, guaranteeing water deliveries...
