Valley News

Fresno , Kings and Tulare counties have closed their parks to keep people home during the coronavirus pandemic. But Kern County parks are still technically open and with Easter coming up, some residents are worried. A release from the Kern County Public Health Department states that park facilities and amenities, …

Pregnant women are especially impacted by COVID-19 as hospitals are allowing only one person in the birthing room with the mother. FM89’s News Director Alice Daniel spoke with 26-year-old Breyonna Gaines who is due today. Gains is a doula and recently graduated from Fresno State. Here’s her perspective. https://www.kvpr.org/sites/kvpr/files/styles/big_story/public/202004/breyonna.jpg

As California’s stay-at-home directive in response to the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the pace of life has slowed for many. FM 89’s Kathleen Schock spoke with journalist and author Mark Arax, who said that now is the perfect time to discover or revisit the work of the Valley’s most famous writer, …

Governor Gavin Newsom announced a program today to provide health care workers with low-cost hotel rooms . But ahead of the announcement, some valley hospitals were already working to provide employee housing. Dr. Lori Weichenthal, the assistant dean of graduate medical education at UCSF Fresno, said the school put out …

What do you do if your printing business is suffering because of COVID-19? Well for one Fresno business, employees are going with the times. Dumont Printing is still dealing in its usual trade: signage. But instead of company mailers and event announcements, it’s making “Keep Distance” decals. “Immediately we started …

The Fresno Convention Center is the new site for an emergency field hospital, the county announced Friday. The effort is to take pressure off of local hospitals by treating COVID-19 patients whose cases are less severe. “At the end of the day we need to make sure our hospitals are …

On Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom placed an executive order restricting water shutoffs retroactively from March 4th. That’s good news, community advocates say, but it doesn’t help those whose water was already shut off. Jonathan Nelson is the Policy Director for the Community Water Center. He says Newsom’s order will help …

The United Farm Workers movement immediately brings to mind Cesar Chavez and Mexican laborers. And if you know your history really well, then you might also think of Larry Itliong and Filipino farm workers. But there’s another community in the Central Valley that was deeply engaged in the movement. Writer …

The Fresno Fairgrounds will soon be the site of a makeshift hospital set up to treat potential COVID-19 patients whose cases are less severe. The effort is to take pressure off of local hospitals. “We want to prepare for the potential of this virus just having a tremendous impact on …

Only two COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the San Joaquin Valley: one each in Madera and Fresno counties. Both are related to travel on Princess Cruises. To prevent further spread, public health departments are monitoring at-risk folks daily. Not every county publishes the number of monitored individuals, but from …

Former Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer will be the city’s next mayor, according to Wednesday afternoon’s election results from Fresno County. In a press conference before City Hall Wednesday, Dyer reiterated his wish to unite the city, and create “One Fresno,” which was his campaign slogan. In his remarks, Dyer …

The Fresno Unified School District and all Fresno County Public Library branches are temporarily closed to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. But despite those closures, one Fresno librarian is still bringing story time to her students, via the web. On her new YouTube channel, “ Parker’s House of Stories …

Colleges across the state are going to online classes, and for many students, that means heading home to parents. But for some students, that’s not an option. Take the 69 students at Fresno State who are current or former foster care youth. They’re all part of an academic support program …