Presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. chose Oakland to announce his vice presidential pick on Tuesday, so it wasn’t too much of a shocker that his pick was Nicole Shanahan, a Bay Area tech attorney and philanthropist. Like Kennedy, she’s a “disillusioned Democrat” (party leaders have “lost their way”) who has never held...
Trump Media Group CEO Nunes Headlines Fresno GOP Event
Devin Nunes returns to Fresno as the keynote speaker for the Fresno GOP's Lincoln Reagan Dinner on Wednesday, April 17. Nunes represented the Fresno and Visalia areas in Congress from 20o3 until he quit in early 2022 to work for Trump Media & Technology Group. He is the group's CEO....
Mad Duck Sets Mid-April Opening for Big Brewpub at Copper River
A popular brewpub hatching across Fresno and Clovis over the past 14 years will debut its northeast location in mid-April. Alex Costa, co-owner of Mad Duck Brewing Co., said the newest restaurant at Maple and Copper avenues will open Monday, April 15. This marks the fourth location for the brand...
While Valley Children’s Executives Earn Millions, Community Benefits Lag
As news comes out about Valley Children's Hospital's high rate of executive pay, an examination of public records reveals the hospital's community benefit fund lags other children's hospitals. The IRS and hospitals have an understanding. In 2020, an estimated $28 billion in taxes were exempted from nonprofit hospitals, according to...
Fresno’s Hatfields & McCoys: City Sues County Over General Plan
The latest chapter of angst between the city and county of Fresno will play out in a local courthouse. Thursday, the Fresno City Council announced it is suing Fresno County over the latter's general plan. Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz told Politics 101 that the city "was forced to file...
Is Fresno Superintendent Hire an Inside Job? Trustees to Look Only at In-House Candidates
Fresno Unified School Board will consider only current employees initially in their search for a new superintendent, despite calls from the teachers union president, city councilmembers, and a local developer for a wider and more transparent search to make sure that trustees hire the best-qualified person to lead the state's...
Fresno MAGA Activist Jason Phillips Dies in Solo Car Crash
Broken glass and bits of car parts remain on Copper Avenue near north Fresno. Memorials, with candles and beer cans, honor the lives of two men killed in a one-car traffic collision early Monday morning. Law enforcement said 24-year-old Jason Phillips and 32-year-old Chase McCutcheon died after a Tesla Model...
Valley Children’s Sends Third Party to KMJ to Explain Suntrapak’s Salary, Benefits
After stories came out about executive pay rates far above most other children's or local hospitals, Valley Children's felt the need to respond on air. But it wasn't CEO Todd Suntrapak who provided context for the large bonuses that elevated his IRS-reported salary to $5.2 million in 2021. Instead, the...
Boomtown Clovis: 600 Homes Win Partial Approval, More Land Annexed
Clovis is a step closer growing to the north. The city council Monday night gave partial approval to a new home development that will eventually add more than 600 moderate-to-above-moderate rate homes — some in a gated community — developed by Wilson Homes. The project was first proposed in 2016....
Records Show That Valley Children’s Leader Suntrapak’s Pay Exceeds $5 Million
■Valley Children's paid CEO Todd Suntrapak $5.2 million in 2021. The hospital also gave him a $5 million forgivable home loan. ■The Valley Children's board wants executives to be in the top 90% of hospitals in the country. ■The Valley Children's executive team earned $5.1 million in bonuses. In 2021,...