Mark Arax was the Fresno kid who wanted to become a writer. William Saroyan was our city's most famous native son, an accomplished and revered man of letters — a world traveler who owned adjacent houses at 2729 and 2739 W. Griffith Way near Marks and Dakota avenues the last 17...
In a Small Space, Saroyan Is Reborn Thanks to Technology
It was well above 100 degrees the afternoon I visited the William Saroyan House Museum a couple blocks from where I grew up. Sweat poured from electricians and carpenters racing against a tight deadline to transform the 1,228 square-foot home built by Oscar Spano in 1964 into a suitable tribute to...
Mollie Tibbetts Found Dead. Father & Step-Mom Live in Fresno.
The daughter of a Fresno couple, whose disappearance five weeks ago in Iowa attracted national attention, has been found dead. And police say the suspect, in custody, confessed to the crime. A man from Mexico living in the U.S. illegally has confessed to kidnapping college student Mollie Tibbetts while she...
Valadao Challenges Cox to Congressional TV Debates
In political circles, the underdog usually issues the challenge to debate. But in California's 21st congressional district the incumbent is calling out his rival. Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford) challenged Democrat TJ Cox to two televised debates Monday. "I am very excited to discuss the issues that matter most to our community,...
Tax Vote Should've Been 50/50 For Parks & Police: Ashjian
It has been said, "Two men look through the same jail cell walls, one sees mud and one sees stars." Certainly, this is the way that I see the Fresno parks sales tax initiative. First, I think some background is in order. At the ultimate fallout of the Great Recession, Fresno's...
Fresno Pastor, a Cambodian Refugee, Pardoned for 1990s Gang Killing
California Gov. Jerry Brown has pardoned three former prisoners facing the threat of deportation to Cambodia, including a Fresno man, Vanna In, who became a youth pastor after serving six years in the 1990s for murdering a rival gang member. "I feel like these things don't happen to guys like...
Silver & Blackout TV: Why Fresno Can't See Derek Carr in Preseason
For the second year in a row, Derek Carr and the Oakland Raiders will be mostly invisible to Fresno viewers. That is because no TV station in the Fresno market carries Oakland’s preseason games. Unlike the regular season when games are solely produced and broadcast by one of five national...
City Pays $2.8 Million in Shooting Death of Dylan Noble
More than two years after Fresno police shot and killed Dylan Noble, the Fresno City Council voted to settle the case with his family. A memorial remains at the location where the 19-year old died in an incident captured by police body cameras and a bystander cellphone video camera. His...
National Spotlight Helps Heng. Will She Flip Blue Congressional Seat?
Getting banned on Facebook may have been the best thing to happen to Fresno congressional candidate Elizabeth Heng's campaign. In the least, it has elevated a second Valley congressional race into the national spotlight. Heng, a Republican, hopes to unseat seven-term Democrat Jim Costa of Fresno in the 16th District...
Parks Sales Tax Measure Is on Ballot. Earning Voter Support is Next.
And now the next challenge begins. After months of fundraising, signature gathering and verifying by Fresno for Parks, voters will have the opportunity to vote on a sales tax benefiting parks, trails, and related programs. In the City Hall lobby, supporters of the sales tax celebrated. Central Valley Community Foundation...