Fifty years after Hmong families fled war and rebuilt their lives in the Central Valley, a new chapter is taking shape – one of rising influence. After a special election in 2025, Brandon Vang emerged as the first Hmong American elected to represent District 5 on the Fresno City Council. That win...
‘False Hope’: Why Families Who Celebrated Newsom’s Mental Health Court Feel Let Down
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Boom. Ronda Deplazes had just gotten out of the shower and placed curlers in her long blond hair when she heard something slam against her front door. Boom. Outside, her son — a man who could fix...
3 to 5 Fresno Unified Schools May Shut Down, but Not Because of SEDA: Dyer
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer says he calmed Fresno Unified's worries about the city's southeast plan after saying he will recommend restrictions on how the plan will be rolled out. Three days before Fresno City Council was set to vote on the 9,000-acre Southeast Development Area specific plan and environmental study...
Fresno Area Districts Invest in CTE so Students Can Find Their Passion Sooner
On a 40-degree December day in the Central Valley, two dozen high school students in firefighter gear steady themselves before carrying and climbing a 24-foot, 100-pound ladder. They balance the ladders on their shoulders and place them against a two-story building. “Going up,” they yell. Next semester, students will extinguish...
Measure C Steering Committee Finishes Delayed Plan as County Officials Push Back
Three months behind schedule — and absorbing several bumps along the way — a Measure C advisory group finished its work Thursday. The group, which started meeting in April, was tasked with shaping the plan for Fresno County’s $7 billion transportation sales tax renewal. Fresno Council of Governments staff provided...
Same Product, Same Store, but on Instacart, Prices Might Differ
On a Thursday in early September, more than 40 strangers logged in to Instacart, the grocery-shopping app, to buy eggs and test a hypothesis. Connected by videoconference, they simultaneously selected the same store — a Safeway in Washington, D.C. — and the same brand of eggs. They all chose pickup...
Three Years After Dobbs, ‘the Reality Is People Are Getting Abortions’
In recent weeks, the North Dakota Supreme Court reinstated a near-total ban on abortions. Texas enacted a law that lets private citizens sue out-of-state doctors who mail abortion medications into the state. And California approved legislation to protect those very same doctors, allowing abortion pills to be sent into Texas...
Fresno’s New Money Grab?
Home price inflation is the engine of wealth inequality in America. Nowhere is this more evident than in California, where roughly 30% of household income goes toward housing. When adjusted for cost of living, California holds the highest poverty rate in the nation. Nearly one in five Fresno County households...
Fresno Leaders Rally Around State Center Chancellor. How Did Trustees Respond?
The heat is being turned up on the State Center Community College District Board of Trustees, who are feeling pressure to dismiss Chancellor Carole Goldsmith immediately because of last month's no-confidence vote by 250 faculty members. However, trustees faced pressure from the other side Tuesday evening at a hastily scheduled...
Madera Unified Teachers Say They Are Ready To Strike
Madera Unified teachers, who are contemplating a strike, gathered Wednesday morning to demand competitive wages amidst what they label a “growing retention crisis.” A crowd of Madera Unified Teacher Association members marched in front of Desmond Middle School and Matilda Torres High School, carrying pickets and issuing choice words for...