Virginia’s governor has managed to step in it big time with spasmodic apologies, denials, retractions, and pin-balling responses to a photo on his medical school yearbook page. The photo depicts someone in blackface standing next to someone in a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood. In any day and time,...
You Won't Believe How Much Snow Is Falling in the Sierra
Snow continues to blanket the Sierra Nevada and the foothills, shutting down schools Tuesday, making travel treacherous, and offering the promise of irrigation water for Valley farmers. The National Weather Service in Hanford says this latest series of winter storms had produced 5 to 6 feet of Sierra snow in...
What Randa Jarrar Thinks of Ben Bergquam Arrest
Ben Bergquam, a Fresno based right-wing activist known for heckling at political events, was arrested earlier this week for trespassing at Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mansion. He calls it his latest political stunt. “The whole idea is to expose the hypocrite Democrats. We went to test to see if everyone is...
Did Fresno Parks Tax Pass? Courts Asked to Decide.
The Fresno City Council wants clarity on whether or not Measure P was approved by voters. Despite a 52% favorable vote for the proposed parks tax last November, city attorney Douglas Sloan interpreted state law as requiring a two-thirds majority for passage. By a 4-3 vote in closed session on Thursday...
Can Brand Forge Unity for Parks/Public Safety Tax?
Lee Brand is still optimistic about proposing a combined parks and public safety tax to voters in 2020. He reiterated his plan during remarks at a Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation breakfast Wednesday (Jan. 30). Fresno’s mayor also talked about industrial development in south Fresno and uses for legalized marijuana revenues. “There’s...
7 Indicted in Fresno for Helping Alleged Killer of Police Cpl. Singh
FRESNO — Seven friends and relatives of a Mexican national charged with the shooting death of a Northern California police officer have been indicted on federal charges for allegedly helping him evade capture, federal officials said Friday. U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott said a federal grand jury on Thursday indicted the...
Slatic Controversy Stirs the Anonymous Dregs of Twitter
Perhaps the most naive people in the world are those who believe Twitter is the bastion of intelligent opinion. Case in point: new Twitter handles popping up in the wake of the Terry Slatic controversy. Investigations continue over the physical confrontation involving a Bullard High School student and Slatic, a...
Royal Rumble 2019 Preview: A Case for the Honky Tonk Man
The 32nd annual Royal Rumble takes place this Sunday (Jan. 27) at Chase Field in Phoenix. The Royal Rumble is the yearly WWE event, where 30 wrestlers compete in a battle royal-style match. The winner receives a title shot at WrestleMania. Two men start, and every 90 seconds later, a...
Robots Will Wipe Out Fresno Jobs. Here's What We Can Do.
The robots are here. And many more are coming, as artificial intelligence enables the automation of repetitive tasks in the manufacturing, transportation, distribution, and hospitality industries. What will the impact be on Fresno? According to a report published Thursday by the Brookings Institution, about 1 in 4 Fresno jobs is at "high...
Audra McDonald Heads Back to Broadway to Star in Romance
NEW YORK — Six-time Tony Award-winner Audra McDonald is heading back to Broadway to be a waitress — but not in "Waitress." McDonald, along with Michael Shannon, will star in a revival of the Terrence McNally romance "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune," starting in May. The play...