Last week the Fresno City Council approved a resolution kicking off the process of amending zoning laws to allow a variety of medical marijuana related businesses to operate in the city. The unanimous vote capped off a tense council meeting over the original proposal, which would have also allowed commercial …
Read More »Interview: Bakersfield City Councilmember Andrae Gonzales On Pot, Downtown & Parks
It’s been an eventful first year on the Bakersfield City Council for Andrae Gonzales, who represents downtown, Westchester and other Ward 2 neighborhoods. The 24 th Street widening project is moving forward despite a lengthy legal battle, plans for a high-speed rail station near Golden State and “F” Street are …
Read More »Interview: Mackenzie Mays On Fresno Bee Sex Ed Reporting Project
Fresno Bee reporter Mackenzie Mays is wrapping up a nine month long reporting project on the state of sex education in local schools. While the project has highlighted the many ways local districts haven’t been providing comprehensive sex education, it also sparked a controversy, and personal attacks against Mays from …
Read More »Interview: Lois Henry On Chevron, Oil Industry Job Cuts, BizFed
Last week oil industry giant Chevron announced it would cut around 26 percent of the workforce in its San Joaquin Valley Business Unit. That’s the part of the company that produces oil from fields in Kern and Fresno Counties. It’s not the first big job cut in the industry but …
Read More »Interview: Tom Steyer Talks Healthcare, President Trump, Political Ambitions
Tom Steyer may be one of the most influential Californians you’ve never heard of. But that may change. Speculation about a potential run for Governor, the U.S. Senate or even the Presidency has thrust his name into the headlines. But the Democrat and environmental activist is not a stranger to …
Read More »Interview: Garry Bredefeld On Fresno Pot Sales Ban, Concealed Weapons
The first eight months of Garry Bredefeld’s return to Fresno City Hall have been eventful. Some of his proposals, like adding a display of the nation’s motto “In God We Trust” to the city council chambers, and a ban on marijuana dispensaries have either become law, or are on their …
Read More »INTERVIEW: Yosemite Has A Trash Problem. What’s Being Done About It?
Yosemite National Park has a trash problem. The more than 4 million people who visit every year and those that live in Yosemite leave 2,200 tons of garbage there annually. The park service is working to decrease the amount of that trash that ends up in the Mariposa County Landfill. …
Read More »Author Interview: Climate Change, Forest Mismanagement Fuel ‘Megafire’ Epidemic
Wildfires have always been a part of the Central California landscape. But in recent years blazes like the Detwiler Fire (2017) and the Erskine Fire (2016) have been different. In each case, veteran firefighters who have been on wildland blazes for decades say they saw the fires demonstrating “extreme” behavior …
Read More »Interview: Questions Remain About Possible Groundwater Contamination From Oil Production
Oil companies in California produce more water than oil. In the San Joaquin Valley that also has created a problem: what to do with all of that unwanted water? In most cases that wastewater is injected back into the ground, deep below the aquifer. But in some cases, injections may …
Read More »Interview: Fresno Bee Reporter Mackenzie Mays’ New Sex Education Series
After Fresno Bee Reporter Mackenzie Mays launched her first story in her series on the lack of sex education in the region she had an interesting conversation. Her main source called in tears saying that over $ 4,000 had been raised through her GoFundMe account . At 14, Graciela Pacheco …
Read More »Interview: Bakersfield College President Sonya Christian On “Kern Promise”
A new collaboration between the Kern High School District, Bakersfield College and CSUB aims to get students on a speedy pathway from high school to community college, and eventually a four-year college degree. It’s called the “Kern Promise” but Bakersfield College President Sonya Christian calls it the key to revitalizing …
Read More »Interview: How Did Kevin McCarthy Become Trump’s “Man In Congress?”
It’s hard to imagine two Republican leaders with more dramatically different political styles than Bakersfield’s Kevin McCarthy and Donald Trump. While McCarthy rose to his position as House Majority Leader thanks to a warm and affable public personality, Trump’s style has been anything but. Yet the two have a remarkably …
Read More »Interview: Valadao Reflects On South Korea Trip, Tensions With North Korea
Tensions between the United States and North Korea have heightened in recent weeks. Hanford Republican Congressman David Valadao recently returned from a trip to South Korea and Japan. He spoke with Valley Public Radio about his trip and what he learned. Interview transcript highlights: Q: Why did you make the …
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