Fresno acting police chief Andy Hall praised his officers for their restraint when arresting a suspect armed with a knife Monday in downtown Fresno. "I could be standing up here talking about an officer-involved shooting," Hall told the media at a Tuesday news conference. "The bravery, the professionalism, the restraint...
Meth-Dealing Bulldog Gang Member Gets 21 Years in Prison
Filiberto “Beto” Chavez, a member of the Bulldogs street gang, was sentenced to 20 years, 10 months in prison Monday for conspiring to traffic in methamphetamine and prostitution. U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill issued the sentence in a Fresno courtroom Monday morning. Listen to this article: The Evidence According...
Edison High Art Students Showcase Talent with 'I am Resilient'
Michele Mazzei, an art teacher at Edison High School, is showcasing an exhibit at the M Street Arts Complex in downtown Fresno. The exhibit features art created by Edison High students and focuses on the theme of "I am Resilient." Kane Sjoberg, a junior at Edison High School, says he...
Hot Cheetos the 'In' Food at Big Fresno Fair
Chicken Charlie's Tony Boghosian had a simple explanation for his stand's Hot Cheetos inspired dish: "You see it everywhere, and why not? It's awesome. It's delicious." The food purveyor, best known for deep-fried anything, now sells a Buffalo Chicken Chimichanga, which includes buffalo chicken, mac and cheese, bacon, wrapped in...
Muslim Youth Have a Place to Call Their Own at My Deen
Eighteen-year-old Salman Khan is outside shooting hoops with a handful of friends, some of them his buddies since elementary school. Like Khan, the other players are Muslim young men; their basketball "court" is in a parking lot behind My Deen (it's Arabic for "My Faith"), a nonprofit organization founded over a...
Local Artist Mac Mechem Offers His Take on 'Trumpocracy'
It's hard to imagine ArtHop goers having a neutral reaction Thursday evening to Mac Mechem's solo exhibit at Fig Tree Gallery in downtown Fresno. Mechem's subject is President Donald Trump, who doesn't engender neutrality. Neither does Mechem. Listen to this article: "I am a figurative painter who comments on the...
Sunnyside High Changes Lives With Restorative Practices Done Right
Samantha "Sam" Bridgeforth could be the poster child for Sunnyside High School's restorative practices program. As a sophomore, her grade-point average was 1.0 — a D. She was often angry, rude to school staffers, quick to start swinging her fists in fights. After numerous suspensions, she was inches away from...
Feds Say They Caught Fresno Felon With a Machine Gun
A federal grand jury has indicted Walter Ryan Keith, 41, of Fresno, charging him with being a felon in possession of firearms and possession of a machine gun. According to court documents, after execution of a search warrant at his home on June 5, Keith was found in possession of 14...
Bulldogs Gang Confounds State Prison Peacemaking Effort
SACRAMENTO — California prison officials have halted an experiment aimed at forcing warring prison gangs to get along with each other after the inmates wound up brawling and even rioting when allowed to mingle together in prison recreation yards, officials told The Associated Press. Members of Fresno's notorious Bulldogs gang...
Can You Handle Some Good News About Fresno Freeways?
Mark my words, Fresno's trash-littered freeways will get cleaned up. But, to what degree they are restored in a manner that reflects well on our city depends, in part, on the state Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom. Listen to this article: That's what I learned Monday morning at a...