Alina Iriarte wants to be a singer-actress. Yosef Aklilu isn't sure yet about his future career, but filmmaking is one of his interests. They may not be famous now, but these two Fresno teens soon could see their names in the credits of a Hollywood film. Alina, 17, who graduated...
Fresno County Spelling Champ Exits in Early Rounds of National Spelling Bee
Fresno County's spelling champ Achuth Vinay will have to wait another year to try to bring home a national trophy like his sister's. Achuth was knocked out of Saturday's preliminary rounds of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which were held virtually. The word "aggroup" got the better of Achuth, a...
Forkner Legacy Questioned as Tatarian Family Rejects FUSD Naming Offer
The latest chapter in Fresno Unified's highly politicized and somewhat chaotic efforts to honor prominent people by naming pieces of real estate after them took a new turn Wednesday night when the School Board voted not to name one of the buildings on the new campus at Ventura Avenue and...
Fresno Armenians Get a Building, Not an Entire School; Former Trustee Calls It a ‘Consolation Prize’
The Fresno Unified School Board on Wednesday rejected the community's overwhelming support to name the new campus at Ventura Avenue and 10th Street for veteran newsman and Fresno native Roger Tatarian. After an hourlong discussion, the board voted 5-2 to name the campus that will house alternative education programs after...
Tatarian Name for New Fresno School Is Runaway Community Choice
Veteran newsman and Fresno native Roger Tatarian is the overwhelming community favorite to be the namesake of Fresno Unified's new alternative education campus at Ventura Avenue and 10th street. The question now is whether the seven trustees will follow the community's will when voting Wednesday to name the southeast Fresno...
What’s In a Name? Fresno Trustees Weigh Options for New School
When Fresno Unified asked the community for help in naming the new alternative education campus at Ventura Avenue and 10th Street, the community responded enthusiastically with 1,672 suggestions honoring 149 individuals or geographical places. The list of nominated names includes a notable newsman, philanthropists, educators as well as sports figures,...
Fresno Teachers to Trustees: Clovis Teachers Got $4K, Pay Us $3,200
After years of rocky relations, Fresno Unified's management and teachers union have enjoyed a few years of what both describe as a collegial partnership. But a rift has formed over how to allocate $8 million for healthcare funding — leaving observers to wonder if the two sides are preparing to...
Chavez, Jonasson Rosas Investigated Over FUSD Votes
Fresno City Councilman Luis Chavez and his wife, Fresno Unified trustee Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas, are being investigated for alleged improper votes while on the school board. An anonymous complaint on Oct. 17, 2019, to the state Fair Political Practices Commission, alleges that Chavez and Jonasson Rosas, by approving improvements for...
Should New Fresno Campus Honor Venerated Newsman Tatarian?
H. Roger Tatarian got his start in journalism at Fresno State, rose through the ranks at United Press International to become its top editor, and returned to his hometown to teach at Fresno State. Now the late Fresno native is being nominated by community members to be the namesake for...
Thousands of ‘Roomsters’ Return to Fresno Campuses After a Year of Online Learning
Although classes have been in session for nearly eight months, for thousands of Fresno Unified students Tuesday was a lot like the first day of school. Little girls at Eaton and Williams elementary schools had big pink bows in their hair and carried "Frozen"-themed backpacks. Boys had their shirts tucked...