Currents in rivers, streams, and creeks are still moving too quickly to be safe for water recreation in most places. Drowning is one of the most common causes of death in the Sierra Nevada. https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/news/water07.htm
Read More »What to expect as state water officials weigh in on local groundwater sustainability plans
In 2014, California’s state legislature passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), a sweeping law with the goal of balancing the amount of water pumped out of underground aquifers with the amount returned through recharge. How that balancing act would actually work was left up to hundreds of locally governed …
Read More »Health Officials Warn Of Dwindling ICU Beds, Overcrowded Hospitals: COVID-19 Update For Dec. 11
Five days into a regional stay-at-home order, COVID-19 infections in the San Joaquin Valley are soaring and hospitals are scrambling to make space on floors already crowded with flu patients. On Thursday of this week, the California Department of Public Health estimated that intensive care units in the San Joaquin …
Read More »Kern County Parks Still Open, But Local Officials Say ‘Stay Home’ Easter Weekend
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, …
Read More »Health Officials In The Valley Monitor At-Risk Individuals To Prevent Spread Of COVID-19
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 …
Read More »California Air Officials Dispute EPA Letter Threatening Sanctions Due To Air Pollution
The Environmental Protection Agency has accused the state of failing to comply with federal clean air policy. In a letter sent last Tuesday to Mary Nichols, Chair of the Air Resources Board (CARB), EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler claimed that “since the 1970s, California has failed to carry out its most …
Read More »Sheriff Mims One Of Two Valley Officials To Address Trump At Border
For the second time in a year, Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims has appeared alongside President Trump at a press event. The two spoke today from the border city of Calexico. The press conference primarily served to reinforce the president’s desire for a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. …
Read More »State Air Officials Approve Much-Anticipated Plan To Improve Valley Air Quality
After years of delays, the state has approved a plan to improve air quality in the San Joaquin Valley. Air officials and clean air advocates celebrated Thursday as state Air Resources Board chair Mary Nichols announced a unanimous vote to approve a valley-wide plan to control PM2.5. That’s the harmful …
Read More »State Officials, Valley Air Advocates Warn Against Proposed EPA Rule
You know how newer cars are rated to drive a certain number of miles per gallon of fuel? That number is regulated by the federal government. Since 1978, the U.S. has required that cars achieve steadily better fuel economy. Earlier this year, however, the Trump Administration announced a new rule …
Read More »Officials release name of bicyclist struck in deadly hit-and-run in Ceres
Stanislaus County coroner officials on Monday released the name of Aaron Bryant, a 27-year-old man who was riding a bicycle in Ceres on Friday evening when he was struck by … Click to Continue »
Read More »Inmate assaulted by two others at Atwater federal prison, officials say
An inmate at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atwater received medical treatment recently after being assaulted by two other inmates, prison officials announced Saturday. The attack happened around 7:30 p.m. Friday, … Click to Continue »
Read More »Illegal pot grows found in Yosemite, forests. Officials crack down, citing ‘catastrophic’ poisons
Citing new scientific evidence of “catastrophic” impacts on California’s forests and wildlife, law enforcement officials in Sacramento announced a new crackdown Tuesday on illegal marijuana growing sites statewide that they … Click to Continue »
Read More »Destructive Mariposa storm likely killed 2, officials say. These factors didn’t help
Mariposa County Sheriff Doug Binnewies on Tuesday told the Board of Supervisors the March 22 storm caused significant destruction countywide. “This weather affected a larger population, a greater geographical area, … Click to Continue »
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