It seems that most people at Fresno High School know that a certain stairwell at the school is a locus for bad behavior, including the recent explosion of a "large firecracker" that injured a teacher and several students and frightened others. The explosion came only days after a phoned bomb...
San Joaquin River Conservancy Leader Is Fired by Board
John Shelton is out as executive director of the San Joaquin River Conservancy Board. Board members for the regional public agency voted 11-1 in a closed session vote Wednesday to look for a new leader. "The San Joaquin River Conservancy Board thanks John Shelton for his service as executive officer...
Will Clovis Ask for a Tax to Keep Pace With Public Safety?
Clovis residents want public safety. But, are they willing to pay extra for it? The Clovis City Council weighed options Monday on how to pay for more police and firefighters. At previous meetings, both the police department and the Citizens' Advisory Committee said staffing levels need to increase in the...
After Record Rains and Snow, Could Californians Face Record Quakes?
One of the biggest Sierra snowpacks ever — Mammoth Mountain has more than 72 feet of snow, setting a new record —is already producing some scary flooding in the foothills and Valley as some of that snowpack melts and flows downhill. But flooding isn't the only hazard that Californians could...
Clovis Group Home: Legally Operated or Danger to the Neighborhood?
When a sex offender allegedly prowled the backyard of Nathan Inan's Clovis home, he had enough. Inan said the man lived behind his house. That home is leased by Praise Transitional Housing, which operates assisted living care facilities. Neighbors in the quiet area near Locan and Ashlan avenues call it...
What a Difference a Year Makes: Huge Snowpack Raises Flooding Alarms
The state Department of Water Resources said Monday that readings from 130 snow sensors across California show the snowpack is a record-tying 237% of average for the date. DWR conducted its fourth snow survey of the season Monday at Phillips Station near Lake Tahoe. The manual survey recorded 126.5 inches...
Strong Winds Today. How Soon Before Fresno Has 80 Degree Temps?
While Fresno and other San Joaquin Valley communities dry out from heavy rains, this spring is continuing its unusual weather patterns. Strong winds and cold temperatures are in store Monday, with a National Weather Service wind advisory in effect until 11 p.m. Wind gusts up to 45 mph are expected...
Boswell Holds Floodwater off Tulare Lakebed While Planting Tomatoes
The rumors were so rampant, that Kings County sent agricultural inspectors into the old Tulare Lake bed to see if the powerful J.G. Boswell Company was holding back flood waters in order to plant tomatoes. “They could not find anything,” Kings County Supervisor Doug Verboon said in a text to...
This Man Has 39 Felony Convictions Since 2014. DAs Point Finger at CA’s ‘Soft-on-Crime’ Policies
Timothy Bethell is 31 years old and has 39 felony convictions in California. His criminal career began nine years ago with a felony drug conviction in Fresno County. Since then, he has been a one-man wrecking crew for theft, burglary, and vandalism — a crime spree greased by the state's...
Valley Dem Pays the Price for Opposing Newsom’s ‘Beat Big Oil’ Law
Assemblymember Dr. Jasmeet Bains (D–Delano) was punished by the chamber's leadership for being the lone Democrat to oppose Gov. Gavin Newsom’s legislation forcing oil companies to turn over earnings data and exposing them to penalties. On Thursday, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D–Paramount) told Baines that he was removing her from...