A 4-story apartment complex overlooking a northwest Fresno neighborhood will go before the city of Fresno Planning Commission on Wednesday after several neighbors appealed the project. A neighbor of the complex at Herndon and Prospect avenues is organizing residents to oppose the project, saying the 82-unit development will clog traffic...
What Drove Fowler City Manager to Surprise Resignation?
Wilma Tucker surprised Fowler City Hall when she turned in her resignation as city manager at the May 7 city council meeting. Tucker served for three years after holding the same role in Fresno from 2017 to 2021 when she was known as Wilma Quan-Schecter and Wilma Schecter. "The joy...
Bitwise CEOs Criminal Hearing Delayed Again. Plea Deal Near?
A change in plea could be coming for the two former CEOs of Bitwise Industries, but it will not happen on Thursday as planned. Jake Soberal and Irma Olguin Jr. face one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The company they founded and led went bankrupt last year,...
Should California Be Able to Require Sobriety in Homeless Housing?
Desperate for a way to help the tens of thousands of people living in tents, cars and RVs on California’s streets, lawmakers are attempting to upend a key tenet of the state’s homelessness policy. Two new bills would allow state funding to support sober housing — a significant departure from...
Former NFL Player Led Demo for Charter School Near Fresno Chaffee Zoo
(Story was originally posted November 3, 2023) During his NFL playing days, Robert Golden's job was to demolish his opponent's offense. Golden put his demolition skills to a different use: He climbed into the cab of a giant excavator and then started to claw down the front of an abandoned...
Armenian President Tours Fresno, Visits William Saroyan Gravesite and Museum
Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan visited Fresno on Wednesday, part of a six-day tour in California. Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer escorted Khachaturyan to the Ararat Cemetery to lay flowers at the William Saroyan gravesite, then they went to the William Saroyan House Museum. The visit concluded with lunch at The Palms....
Merced County Leaders Vote to Close Two Fire Stations: ‘We’re Moving into Hard Times’
The Merced County Board of Supervisors took a series of actions Tuesday that will cut the number of full-time Cal Fire stations from 19 down to 15. The board voted 4-1 to close Station 96 in the City of Livingston, with District 1 Supervisor Rodrigo Espinosa giving the sole vote...
Will Californians Get Any Relief From Nation’s Highest Gas Prices?
Californians pay more at the pump than residents of any other state — an average of $5.34 a gallon for regular unleaded, compared to the national average of $3.64, according to AAA. And in some counties, the sticker shock is even worse — $6.80 in Alpine, $6.29 in Mono and...
Planned Fresno Probation Gun Buyback Program Runs Afoul of State Law and SEIU
A Fresno County Probation Department plan to sell surplus handguns and shotguns to its officers was stopped in its tracks after complaints from union members. Selling the firearms is legal under state law within certain parameters. At the very least, only peace officers may buy surplus government agency weapons. In...
Special Report: How a 1965 Law Makes It Hard for the Poor to Get Mental Health Treatment
In 1955, the U.S. had more than 550,000 inpatient psychiatric beds. When legislators created Medicaid in 1965, they didn't want the nation's vast mental health network — along with its negative perception created by books and movies — to gobble up the new federal insurance dollars, says Alice Feller, psychiatrist,...