The issue of how to determine whether a person died from COVID-19 or some other underlying health condition has turned political in parts of the country. Some politicians believe the numbers are inflated and have called for changes to how they are calculated. In Florida, state officials have been accused of...
Defiant Restaurant Owner Hires Top Attorney to Challenge Closure Orders
Dave Fansler says he's called the dining space at his Pismo's Coastal Grill restaurant a patio for well over a decade now. The Fresno County Health Department says it falls under the definition of indoor dining, which is prohibited under the state's COVID-19 emergency order. Fansler has continued to serve...
Mobile Home Inspections Need Improvement, Auditor Finds
The state agency in charge of inspecting mobile home parks isn't doing an adequate job, according to a state audit released Thursday. Over the last decade, the Department of Housing and Community Development has not conducted inspections at more than half of the 3,640 parks under its watch, nor has...
New COVID-19 Test Site Opening at West Fresno Regional Center
The West Fresno Regional Center will join Fresno City College and the Sanger Community Center as OptumServe's third free COVID-19 test site in Fresno County. The site is expected to begin testing this week. The goal is to do 135 free nasal-swab tests a day. Tests are by-appointment-only and can be...
Why I (Almost) Put a BLM Bumper Sticker on My Car Even Though I Don’t Agree with the BLM Movement as a Whole
I was one of those people who said “Well of course black lives matter, but….” The problems I had (and still have) with several of the more radical organizations under the Black Lives Manner banner are substantial, and I think there are many parts of the movement that have destructive...
Devastated by COVID, Small Businesses Thankful for $5,000 County Grants
For vending machine owner William Jurkovich, a $5,000 small business grant from Fresno County was a lifeline. "Thank God!" Jurkovich said at a news conference Friday to introduce recipients in the $5 million Helping Underserved Business program. The county announced two HUB grantees on Friday. The remaining 998 will be identified...
You Have a ‘Moral Obligation’ to Wear a Facemask: Fresno County’s Top Doc
California health officials are bracing for a second COVID-19 wave as soon as July. The Fresno County Department of Health is also bracing for that possibility. It has seen cases and hospitalizations rise as more people are going outside and becoming more mobile. The county's rate of doubling cases has...
Fresno County Pushes Pause on Reopening Nail Salons, Tattoo Parlors
Nail salons, body waxing salons, and tattoo parlors can open soon in California, but in Fresno County, they'll have to wait two weeks. Late Thursday night, the state issued this guidance to county health directors: "Counties that are approved to progress further into the Resilience Roadmap can decide to open the...
In Suing California, Group Says Law Will Keep Grandparents From Seeing Grandchildren
A group suing the State of California says the high cost of living in California will only get worse if a new law takes effect. High-tech workers are already fleeing for remote setups in lower-cost areas like Austin, Pittsburgh, and New Mexico says The Two Hundred cofounder Robert J. Apodaca. The...
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...