With COVID-19 deaths rising in the Valley, the Fresno Convention Center will house a 250-bed field hospital site to help alleviate the strain on local hospitals. According to a news release Friday from the Fresno County Health Department, the site is expected to include beds, medical equipment, and personal protective equipment for...
First Kern County Coronavirus Death, Virus Spreads in Fresno County
Kern County has suffered its first coronavirus death. “We offer our deepest condolences to the family and are saddened by this,” said Matt Constantine, director of Kern County Public Health Services, in a news release Friday. “This is a tragic reminder of how serious COVID-19 can be and we encourage...
Kern County Oil Drilling Rules Break Law, Fresno Court Rules
The Fresno-based 5th District Court of Appeal gave Kern County 30 days to stop issuing oil and gas drilling permits in a ruling Tuesday. The court invalidated the permitting ordinance that allows oil companies to start drilling under a blanket environmental impact report instead of performing an EIR for each...
When It Comes to Crazy Politics, Bakersfield Might Take the Cake
At times, Fresno politics can get a little wild and crazy — especially on social media. But Julie Solis, a progressive Democratic candidate challenging incumbent Republican Assemblyman Vince Fong in the 34th District, jumped the shark at Tuesday's Kern County Board of Supervisors meeting. Clean Energy, and What Did She...
Locals Gear Up to Keep Kings River Water
Just as they did more than two generations ago, Kern County farmers are looking to another Central Valley river to the north to refill their groundwater shortfall. But this time around, natives in the Kings River watershed are “sharpening their knives” to fight off what they say is a desperate...
California Halts Fracking Permits in Oil Producer Crackdown
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom cracked down on oil producers Tuesday, halting approval of hundreds of fracking permits until independent scientists can review them and temporarily banning another drilling method that regulators believe is linked to one of the largest spills in state history. Listen to this article: The state...
Opinion: Valley Should Not Be Held Captive to PG&E Failures
The residents of the Central Valley are faced with a utility service company that, in the past two decades, has become a tax collector forced to be under the protection of the federal bankruptcy court for the second time. In this situation, debtors and sophisticated investors seek to game the...
Fresno County Leads the USA in Farm Production
Fresno County is America's top ag-producing county for the first time since 2013. The county's No. 1 status was cemented this week when Tulare County released its report showing $7.21 billion in farm production last year. Listen to this article: Last month, the Fresno County ag report for 2018...
Chevron Fined $2.7M for Kern County Oil Leaks
BAKERSFIELD — California regulators have fined Chevron $2.7 million for violations at a facility in Kern County where there have been multiple oil leaks. The Department of Conservation’s Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources said Wednesday that Chevron illegally allowed uncontrolled oil releases at Cymric Oil Field. The seepage...
Chevron Ordered to Halt Oil Spill in Kern County
SAN FRANCISCO — California regulators say Chevron has not done enough to stop a massive oil spill that dumped about 800,000 gallons of crude oil and water into a Kern County canyon, and they want the company to take further action to halt the flow. The seep out of the...