In the final days of California's legislative session, some Democratic lawmakers are pushing controversial bills that could put their colleagues in a tough spot during an election year. It's not that California lawmakers shouldn't aim high, but in an election year, they might avoid taking on bills that could upset...
How Much Will Interest Rates Drop? Wells Fargo Expert Predicts a Sharp Decline by December
Wells Fargo experts predicted this month that the country's top bankers would not just pump the gas a little on interest rates following a worrisome July jobs report but push the pedal to the metal. Fears at the Federal Reserve have quickly shifted from record-high inflation to slowing labor market...
Fresno Wants to Arm Businesses With a Trespassing Law. How Would It Affect Homelessness?
The Fresno City Council will decide Thursday whether to beef up trespassing ordinances as part of its renewed push to clear homeless people from encampments. Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz said at a Tuesday morning news conference that the city doesn't have a law on the books against trespassing on...
Unions Aren’t Just Bankrolling Local Campaigns. They’ve Got a Candidate This Year.
Unions have always played a role in financing local Board of Education elections, with hefty contributions from the construction trades, teachers, and service workers unions. But one race in particular on November’s ballot is a clear indication of unions flexing their political muscle and turning their back on a candidate...
Retired Bee Editor George Gruner, Who Went to Jail for Refusing to Reveal a Source, Dies at 99
George F. Gruner, who led The Fresno Bee newsroom at a time when the newspaper dominated the Valley's media, died Sunday at the age of 99, family members said. He capped a 44-year career in journalism with 33 years at The Bee, retiring in 1988. Mr. Gruner, a Battle of...
Is Your PG&E Bill Painfully High This Summer? You’re Not Alone
Anger over sky-high Pacific Gas & Electric bills and the company's record profits is sparking a grassroots movement in Northern and Central California as well as a possible effort by Gov. Gavin Newsom to find temporary relief for customers facing big bills. The group Stop PG$E has scheduled a rally...
Explore Clovis Unified’s New Satoshi Hirayama Elementary and Its Namesake’s Legacy
Clovis Unified School District marked a significant milestone in its history with the grand opening of its latest educational facility, Satoshi Hirayama Elementary School, on Thursday. The event brought together educators, students, and community members to celebrate and honor the legacy of Satoshi "Fibber" Hirayama. “This is an exciting day...
10 Ex-Fresno Courthouse Workers Have Rare Cancers. Lawsuit Points to Underground Gas Station.
Many may not know, but there's a gas station beneath the Fresno County Courthouse. Now, the safety of that gas station and its underground storage tanks is under question. Fresno attorney Warren Paboojian has sued the county, saying his 10 clients —all of whom once worked at the courthouse —...
CART Is the Local School World Famous for Preparing Students to Succeed
One of the Fresno area’s biggest educational success stories is tucked away in a former pump factory just south of Sierra Vista Mall in Clovis. The Center for Advanced Research and Technology sounds like it’s something out of Silicon Valley rather than a career technical education option that has introduced...
Unions Try to Protect Jobs in CA With a Bill to Limit Self-Service Checkouts
When the industrial revolution erupted in 18th century Britain — replacing handwork with machinery in the manufacture of goods — many of the affected textile workers responded by attacking and disabling the machines. The rebels became known as Luddites, so named for "General Ned Ludd" or "King Ludd," a mythical...