The petition for a K-8 charter school that would be linked to Fresno Chaffee Zoo and proposed by former NFL player Robert Golden has numerous flaws and should be denied by the Fresno Unified School Board, according to an analysis by In The Public Interest, a research and policy nonprofit....
New York Aquarium Director Will Be Fresno Chaffee Zoo’s New CEO
Fresno Chaffee Zoo has named a new chief executive officer to replace Scott Barton, the longtime CEO who is retiring. Jon Forrest Dohlin is coming to Fresno from his job as director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium, where he's worked for the past 12 years. He is...
Historic Christmas Tree Lane Opens Tuesday, but Walk Nights Canceled
It's been a Fresno tradition since 1922 — just a few years after the last pandemic that roiled the nation and the Valley. Christmas Tree Lane is not letting COVID-19 dampen the holiday spirit. The venerable Van Ness Avenue light display is set to open December 1. In a post...
Former NFL Player Returns Home to Open ‘Disneyland of Schools’ in Fresno
Robert Golden knows what it's like to be an inner-city kid in Fresno who lives only an hour or two from mountains and ocean but has never seen Yosemite Falls or swum in the Pacific. Like many of them, Golden dreamed as a child of playing professional sports when he...
Fresno Chaffee Zoo Opens Friday, CEO Delays Retirement
The Fresno Chaffee Zoo will reopen at 9 a.m. Friday, zoo executive Scott Barton said in a late morning Zoom teleconference on Wednesday. Dr. Rais Vohra, interim health officer for Fresno County, joined Barton at the zoo for the announcement. "I really want to give you kudos for the very hard...
Dr. Vohra: Chaffee Zoo Should Open ‘Sooner Rather than Later’
It's been anything but "Zootopia" for Fresno's Chaffee Zoo during the COVID-19 pandemic. The last visitor passed through the turnstiles in mid-March. The only thing on display now is a donation website for supporters to help ensure the zoo's future. But a glimmer of hope has emerged from an unlikely...
RIP, Sara, the Nurturing Orangutan Beloved by Fresno Zoo Visitors
Sara, a Sumatran orangutan loved by many thousands of Fresno Chaffee Zoo visitors, died four months short of her 50th birthday. Zoo officials announced Friday that Sara was euthanized following the discovery of metastatic cancer in her liver, intestines, and lymph nodes. She lived an extraordinary life, given that the...
COVID-19 Forces Closing of Fresno Chaffee Zoo
Fresno City Manager Wilma Quan said Sunday morning that the Fresno Chaffee Zoo will close until the end of March to comply with state guidelines aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Gov. Gavin Newsom issued guidelines last week that included a recommendation to cancel or postpone all gatherings...
Fresno Zoo's Longtime Leader Announces Retirement
After 11 years of having elephants and giraffes as coworkers, Scott Barton is hanging up his safari hat as CEO of the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. Barton announced his retirement this week. "I am very proud of our accomplishments over the past 11 years and am always impressed by the remarkable...
RIP, David McDonald: A Giant in Local Business and Philanthropy
David McDonald, who had a giant impact on the Fresno area as a businessman and philanthropist, died Wednesday morning at his Prather home. Fresno County deputies responded to a call for medical assistance at about 9 a.m. McDonald, 69, later passed away, apparently of natural causes, according to the sheriff's office....