The knee-high grasses growing between the rows at Blossom Bluff Orchards in Reedley might be reminiscent of a bad neighbor letting their yard become an eyesore. But the grasses and vegetation are all part of farmer Bryce Loewen's approach to organic farming. He says letting nature take its course has...
California Promised Insurance Relief But Delivered Loopholes
LOS ANGELES — Even before the devastating wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles this year, companies that insure the ever-growing number of homes perched in California’s fire-prone foothills were threatening to abandon the state, declaring that the risks were becoming unsupportable. The prospect of uninsurable homes was an existential threat for...
Fresno Is Nation’s Top Ag County at $9 Billion. But What Does Future Hold?
Fresno County reclaimed the title of top ag-producing county in the nation with reported 2024 values exceeding $9 billion for the first time. The record amount comes as Kern County, which held the top spot in 2023, fell to $7.96 billion while Tulare County recovered last year, climbing to $8.3...
How Do Some Bills Become Law in California? By Leaving Pages Blank
Lawmakers had only a few days to review one of California's most consequential housing bills in recent years. And, with almost no deliberation, lawmakers approved Assembly Bill 130 despite the fact that housing advocates and environmental attorneys say two important sections of the law could greatly increase the cost of...
Under Trump, Becoming a US Citizen Gets Harder
WASHINGTON — A harder civics test. Stricter social media vetting. Neighborhood investigations into people’s “moral character.” The Trump administration is erecting new hurdles for lawful permanent residents applying for U.S. citizenship, part of a broader effort to tighten an immigration system that federal officials say has become too lax. Officials...
Clovis Botanical Garden Harvests Its Newest Feature: the Evert Family Visitors Center
A project that was years in the making was unveiled this week at the Clovis Botanical Garden, and this one needed a lot of green to grow. About $2 million dollars' worth of green, that is. The new 2,460-square-foot Evert Family Visitors Center will give the volunteer-led Clovis Botanical Garden,...
Fresno City Clerk Stermer Leaving for Sacramento County Post
Fresno's city clerk for the past four years is leaving for a new job. Todd Stermer tells Politics 101 he is leaving to become the clerk of Sacramento County. His last day is Nov. 30. "Fresno's really all I've ever known, so I'm excited to experience something different. I can...
A Fresno Immigrant’s American Dream: Simply Pita, Simply Heart
Walking into Simply Pita in Fresno feels like stepping into someone’s home — a warm, cozy space where families chat over meals, the scent of fresh pita drifts through the air, and the grill in the back hums with the rhythmic chopping of vegetables. A TikTok went big in Fresno...
Big Tech Makes Cal State Campuses Its AI Training Ground
On the first day of AI Camp, a new summer program at California State University, Savannah Bosley got a hands-on introduction to Amazon Bedrock, a system for building artificial intelligence apps. “I figured it wouldn’t hurt to put it on the résumé, to learn a new tool that’s maybe marketable,”...
Why Are Federal Election Monitors Heading to Fresno?
Why are federal election monitors heading to Fresno County? It stems from a sticky deadline in the 2022 election. Last Friday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it was sending monitors to six locations in California and New Jersey “to ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law.” California...