The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to make its way across the world with new waves of subvariants emerging. Currently, many Americans are battling BA.5, the latest Omicron subvariant said to be one of the most contagious. And, while attitudes about the virus have slowly changed with many Americans foregoing...
Valley Pastor Reflects on His Life or Death Battle With COVID
On the second anniversary of the COVID-19 global pandemic, a Dinuba pastor is giving thanks for the medical efforts that saved his life. Mark Wallace is one of the lucky ones. In the U.S. alone, nearly 1 million people have died from the virus. “I arrived at Kaiser on...
COVID variant spreads to more countries as world on alert
LONDON (AP) — The new potentially more contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus popped up in more European countries on Saturday, just days after being identified in South Africa, leaving governments around the world scrambling to stop the spread. The U.K. on Saturday tightened its rules on mask-wearing and on...
All Chaffee Zoo Attractions Open Again, Free Tickets for Kids
Visitors to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo can again soak in all the sights and sounds of the city's most popular attraction. With the state's lifting of many COVID restrictions on Tuesday, CEO Jon Forrest Dohlin said, the Wilderness Falls water play, Dino Dig features, and indoor exhibits are open. Those...
Valley Colleges, Universities Will Get $285M in Federal American Rescue Plan Funding
More than $285 million in federal funding through the American Rescue Plan will benefit students at colleges and universities across the Valley, U.S. Rep. Jim Costa announced Thursday. At least half the funding will be distributed as emergency cash assistance grants to students facing hunger, homelessness, or other hardships. “The...
Walters: California’s Experiment in One-Man Governance by Newsom
The three-branch system of government is not unique to the United States, but most of the world’s democracies are governed by the parliamentary system. In Great Britain, Canada, Japan, and other nations with parliamentary governments, the party or coalition that holds a majority of legislative seats automatically wields executive authority,...
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...
Opinion: Legislative Staff Right to Unionize: What Could Go Wrong?
After handing unions a brightly wrapped gift in 2019 with Assembly Bill 5, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez is putting the bow on another present, Assembly Bill 314, which would allow legislative staffers to organize. Had she first asked a legendary labor leader what he thought about it, she would have likely...
Will Fresno, Central Districts Change School Reopening Plans After State Offer?
Fresno's three largest school districts will be in for a share of the $6.6 billion school reopening spending package that state leaders have agreed to, including $4.6 billion for academic interventions, wellness programs, or other needs that the pandemic has created. The spending packages comes nearly a year after the...
Opinion: California Vaccine Rollout and the Failure of Government
A pundit could almost make a career out of pointing out how California routinely lands in last place or just a few spots from the bottom on various lists. From the state’s miserable business climate to its worst-in-the-country tax and regulation policies to poverty, low rankings have come to be...