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,...
Did California’s Massive COVID Homeless Shelter Program Work? A New Evaluation Probes the Results
California’s massive effort to shelter homeless residents during the COVID-19 pandemic was a success, according to a new report that says the effort changed the state’s homeless services system for the better. But at the same time, the researchers pointed out a troubling dearth of available data on the program....
Fresno Charter School Wants to Increase Enrollment. But Are Its Students Lagging Their Peers?
Golden Charter Academy is asking the Fresno Unified School Board to authorize the school to expand its enrollment capacity and to move its location to a new site just south of Roeding Regional Park and the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. Superintendent Bob Nelson has recommended approval of the charter revision, which...
Three Arrested for Trespassing, Posting Flyers at Fresno Synagogue and Church
Fresno police arrested three men after they were caught attaching religious flyers at a synagogue and a Catholic church on Thursday. There was a third site hit the flyers, but police would not reveal where. The messages were posted with painters tape at Temple Beth Israel, and at nearby St....
Today’s Campus Protests Aren’t Nearly as Big or Violent as Those of the Vietnam Era
In a way, the black-and-white Palestinian scarf draped over Hannah Sattler’s shoulders this week and the tie-dyed T-shirts of 1968 are woven from a common thread. Like so many college students across the country protesting the Israel-Hamas war, Sattler feels the historic weight of the anti-Vietnam war demonstrations of the...
Fresno State Shows the Nation How a Peaceful Palestinian Protest is Done
A peaceful pro-Palestinian sit-in at Fresno State on Wednesday lived up to its billing. There was no violence or barricades. And, a majority of the speeches and chants — including "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" — didn't start until more than an hour after the...
Why Wheels on $10M Worth of Fresno Buses Don’t Go Round and Round
Ten million dollars worth of Fresno city buses are out of service. And, it may take another 60 days before they return to the road. Trying to get ahead of state mandates for zero-emission vehicles, two fully electric buses went into service in 2021, and another seven in 2022. City...
Enough With the Excuses. Are You Part of the Problem With Fresno’s Public Education?
A quality public education shouldn’t be reserved for deadweight political talk — it's a civil rights matter that is everyone’s business. If you don't see that, you are part of the problem. Look at the statistics: our Black and Hispanic children in Fresno Unified are lagging far behind their peers....
Will Fresno Unified Voters Agree to Raise Their Taxes in November?
Fresno Unified voters may be asked to hike their property tax bills if the district puts a $500 million bond measure on the November ballot. If approved, it would be the district's biggest bond measure ever and would raise the tax rate to $238.86, which would be the highest in...
Is the ‘Scholasticide’ in Gaza Spreading to the United States?
What can one of the most formidable military powers in the Middle East do in just over 200 days? Kill over 14,500 children – that’s what the Israel Defense Forces has done in that timeframe. Unfortunately, the carnage doesn’t stop there and neither do the cries for help. Famine is...