In June, 17 people in Fresno County died by suicide, a number that the Fresno County Behavioral Health Department revealed is the highest of any month since at least 2017. It’s made all the more stark by the fact that early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, suicides had dropped significantly. …
Read More »Zoom User Drops ‘N-Word’ After NAACP Presentation To Fresno City Council
An inflammatory phrase using the n-word was one of many disruptions to a Fresno City Council meeting on June 11, held online via the videoconferencing platform Zoom. The man said “kill all n-words,” twice, before his audio was muted by city councilmembers. Another attendee used an explicit phrase including the …
Read More »After Getting The Coronavirus, This Visalia Medical Resident Hopes Her Plasma Helps Others Recover
A couple weeks ago, we told you about how the Central California Blood Center is collecting plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients . Since then, a number of people have stepped forward to donate, including Benfie Liu. Liu is 29 years old and a medical resident at Kaweah Delta Medical Center …
Read More »How Fresno State Transitioned to Virtual Education After COVID-19 Campus Closure
Nearly two weeks after the coronavirus forced Fresno State to transition to virtual instruction, FM 89’s Kathleen Schock spoke to Bryan Berrett, Fresno State’s director of the Center for Faculty Excellence, about how students and faculty are adapting. https://www.kvpr.org/sites/kvpr/files/styles/big_story/public/202004/bryan_berrett.jpg
Read More »Fresno County Declares A Local Emergency After Confirming Second COVID-19 Case
Fresno County confirmed a second case of COVID-19 Saturday evening. Both cases identified so far have been travel-related. In a press conference Sunday, a county health official said the department is also monitoring up to 70 individuals, to track symptoms. While the risk of community transmission is still low, the …
Read More »Taft Area Evacuation Still In Effect After Chemical Leak At Taft Manufacturing Co.
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office recommended evacuation Wednesday afternoon for those within a 6-mile radius of Taft Manufacturing Co. at 19705 South Lake Road in Taft after reports of a chemical leak. Members of the Kern County Fire Department were able to stop the leak early in the afternoon, a …
Read More »After A Million Solar Roofs, Former State Governors Call For A Million Solar Batteries
Two former governors were in Clovis today to celebrate renewable energy milestones. At Clovis Unified’s Buchanan High School, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown were presented with the one-millionth solar panel to go on a roof in California. The panel in question was about the height of a door, and double …
Read More »In The Studio: Making College Work After Foster Care
Many students struggle to transition from high school to college, but that challenge is intensified for students coming out of the foster care system. At UC Merced, the Guardian Scholars program provides resources for these students that allow them to reach graduation at rates approaching the general student body. FM89’s …
Read More »Hanford’s Carnegie Museum May Be On The Line After City Issues List Of Repairs
Steel tycoon and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie built libraries all over the U.S. with at least 14 of them in the Central Valley. Today, only a handful of those original buildings remain. One of them is in Hanford. There’s now a museum inside, but its future may be at risk. Last …
Read More »NFL Players Help Make Bail For Bakersfield Activist Detained After Reading Poem Critical Of ICE
A Bakersfield College student and farmworker who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after publicly reading a poem critical of the agency was released Monday afternoon after two NFL players and immigration advocacy organizations posted his bail. After ICE arrested Jose Bello on May 15, his bond was set …
Read More »After Horrific Losses, Bakersfield Moms May Push For Public Safety Tax
Now we move to Bakersfield, where police believe the unsolved cases of three young people who are either missing or dead are connected. In the spring of 2018 James Kulstad was killed in a drive-by shooting within weeks of the disappearance of Baylee Despot and Micha Holsonbake. While the search …
Read More »Lemoore Naval Pilot Confirmed Dead After A Fighter Jet Crash In Death Valley
The Navy confirmed in a statement Thursday that the pilot who went down in Death Valley Wednesday morning died in the crash. The pilot’s identity has not yet been released, and the cause of the crash is still under investigation. The single-seat fighter jet originating from Lemoore Naval Air Station …
Read More »After Realistic Active Shooter Drill, Raisin City School Board Considers Fallout
The Raisin City School Board is meeting today to discuss the consequences of a surprise active shooter drill that terrified students and involved a staff member going around campus with a mask and fake gun. The board is considering whether to discipline or remove the school’s superintendent. Raisin City Elementary …
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