As State Center Community College District negotiates a project labor agreement with the Building Trades Council, two trustees — including Fresno City Council candidate Rob Fuentes — have insisted on inserting themselves in union negotiations. Their actions defied legal advice from the district's attorneys and are jeopardizing accreditation that allows...
With Millions at Stake, Fresno Unified Trustees Take No Action on Arax Case
After an extended closed door meeting among Fresno Unified trustees, including a discussion about a defamation lawsuit filed by former Bullard High football coach Don Arax against trustee Keshia Thomas, district leaders still have made no decision about how to proceed with Thomas or the lawsuit that could cost the...
How Massive Planned Clovis Unified Land Purchase Foreshadows Future Growth
As the city of Clovis eyes new development areas beyond Loma Vista and Heritage Grove, the city's school system plans its own corollary growth, with a massive site eclipsing its more recent venture in the south end of town. Discussions are underway to purchase a 250-acre site near Herndon and...
She Entered on a Whim. Then She Won Verizon’s Trip to Meet Olivia Rodrigo at Daisy Chain Fields
Cassidy Spencer did not think she had any real chance of winning when she entered Verizon Wireless' sweepstakes for a VIP trip to Olivia Rodrigo’s sold-out Daisy Chain Fields festival. The Columbus, Ohio, resident almost missed the prize entirely. Spencer was sitting on her living room couch with her husband,...
CA Lawmakers Approve Farmland-to-Solar Conversion Bill
A bill making it easier for water-starved California farmers to convert their land to solar has passed the state Legislature, the Los Angeles Times reports. The legislation "gives farmers and local communities in our most water-constrained regions another option for land that can no longer be productively farmed: use it...
Fresno Is Ranked One of America’s Worst Places to Retire. Will We Even Get the Chance?
I always imagined retirement as the point in my life when there would not be a damn thing on my schedule. Retirement to me when I was younger was when alarms, meetings, and deadlines would disappear, leaving me free to wake up on a random Tuesday morning, decide I wanted...
Can Fresno Unified Get Out of Arax Case? Bob Nelson Deposition Will Likely Not Help
After a Monday settlement conference involving Fresno Unified, trustee Keshia Thomas, and former Bullard football coach Don Arax failed, the district said it is not liable in the defamation case between Arax and Thomas. In a statement to GV Wire, a district spokesperson said it took part in the Monday...
Fresno Unified Expanded Free Swim Lessons. Here’s Why Many Went Unfilled
Soledad Macias never learned to swim. Her family couldn’t afford lessons, and even now, as a mother of five, she didn’t feel safe around water. She didn’t want that for her children. “I always see this tragic news when kids drown,” Macias said. “I’m like ‘No, I want my kids...
Road Tax Proponents Pay Fresno Unified Trustee $15 Grand a Month
As the legal battle over whether the half-cent Measure S transportation tax lands on the November ballot or is delayed until 2028 heads toward a conclusion, an important fact has been largely overlooked. Most of the trauma and drama on this road paved with good intentions easily could have been...
Ag Minimum Wage Bill on Newsom’s Desk. How Did Fresno Politicians Vote?
With California legislators approaching minimum wage hikes industry by industry, Sacramento this year turned its eyes to agriculture. Now, Assembly Bill 2646, which raises the minimum wage of non-U.S. residents authorized to work in the state to $19.75, awaits Gov. Gavin Newsom's signature. Bill author Maggy Krell, D-Sacramento, told assemblymembers...
