A veteran Fresno police sergeant was shot and wounded in a dramatic confrontation with a homicide suspect on the 3700 block of East Platt Avenue on Saturday, authorities said. At approximately 5:23 p.m., officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert indicating gunfire in the area. About an hour into the investigation,...
How Big a Punch Do Social Justice Groups Pack on Fresno Business, Housing, and Roads?
In a 2023 video celebrating its 10th anniversary, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability spoke about the need to protect neglected communities. "There is a really deeply entrenched culture of decision-making that absolutely does not believe that advocates, that residents, that communities of color deserve a seat at the table,...
California Dominates Bad Air Rankings. But Numbers Bear Good News for Fresno.
If you're looking for clean air, California may not be the place. Of the top 30 most polluted counties in the U.S., 20 are in the Golden State, according to a 20-year analysis from Healthnews. That means more than a third of the state is among the worst places to...
Voting in Fresno County: How Secure Is Your Ballot? How Accurate Is the Final Tally?
From registration to tabulation, election officials track the voting process electronically and with human eyes. Fresno County Election Clerk James Kus and his staff are busy at work at the office's warehouse at 4525 E. Hamilton Avenue. Ballots are coming in, verified, and eventually tabulated. However, Kus will not press...
Rampant California Cargo Thefts Spur Valadao-Led Bipartisan Response
Central Valley ag products have long been targets of criminals. But in the last year, theft of all kinds of cargo has reached levels never before seen. And, as thieves' operations become increasingly sophisticated, one Valley congressman wants to stop them. From November 2022 to March 2023, cargo theft incidents...
Fresno, Westboro Baptist Church Is Coming for Your Kids
Fresno, love thy neighbor as thyself. The Westboro Baptist Church, infamous for its extreme anti-LGBTQ+ views and hateful rhetoric against Jews, Muslims, various Christian denominations, and other religious groups, has announced plans to visit Fresno and Reedley. But can we turn a blind eye when their actions are too vile to...
Does City Stand a Chance in NW Fresno Apartment Lawsuit? Losing Could Cost Millions
A California attorney specializing in housing law says that unless the city of Fresno can overwhelmingly demonstrate a proposed luxury apartment complex violates city code, it will be hard-pressed to defeat the developer's lawsuit. The Fresno City Council in July rejected developer James Huelskamp's plan to build a 4-story luxury...
Fresno Unified Taxpayers Are Paying for 5 Bond Measures Already. When Will Those Taxes Expire?
Fresno Unified taxpayers are now paying taxes on five separate bond measures that were approved starting in 1995 and totaled more than $1.2 billion in bonds sold to pay for school improvements. But the cost to taxpayers has been considerably higher because of debt service costs, which includes interest and...
Will Newsom Block a Merced Killer’s Parole? Officials, Victim’s Family Hope Governor Will Hear Their Pleas
Joseph Romero was barely a teenager when his mother Diane Lynn Reid Romero was murdered on Sept. 16, 2010. A beloved teacher at Peterson Elementary School, Diane was stabbed to death by her husband Rodolfo Romero at the family's Tioga Court home in north Merced. Rodolfo Romero was eventually sentenced...
Notoriously Slow: Lengthy Investigations Into California Politicians Leave Voters in the Dark
A $1,044 outing at a glitzy Hollywood nightclub. A $1,316 meal at a Los Angeles steak and seafood restaurant. A $4,500 experience to see the L.A. Dodgers. Isaac Galvan paid for them all — with campaign cash, a state probe found. In his nine years on the Compton City Council,...