Last week we heard from those working to solve homelessness in Fresno and Madera counties. This week in the studio, moderator Kathleen Schock looks at the politics of that issue, along with another topic trending in the news, high speed rail. Joining her are West Hills College political science instructor …
Read More »In Fresno’s Chinatown, Business Owners Conflicted About Promise Of High Speed Rail
Ofelia Hemme used to run Ofelia’s Cocina, a Mexican restaurant on Kern Street with red and yellow tablecloths and sunny wall murals of beaches and palm trees. Her specialty was chiles rellenos: Stuffed peppers. “Every other place, they have chiles rellenos in Mexican restaurants, but ours were different,” says Hemme, …
Read More »No, Gavin Newsom Didn’t Just Kill California’s High-Speed Rail Project
Governor Gavin Newsom’s remarks on California’s embattled high-speed rail project in his State of the State address Tuesday seemed to confuse just about everyone. Supporters and opponents alike questioned whether he’s scaling back the project, or even abandoning it. Turns out … he really isn’t changing all that much. Capital …
Read More »High-speed rail could transform Fresno’s poorest neighborhood. Will Trump get on the train?
The plan: cover one of the most destitute tracts of California’s poorest major city with a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course and watch dust turn to dollars. But soon, funding for the project known as Running Horse evaporated. Debt ballooned. Across the continent, Donald Trump smelled opportunity. He wooed city officials, …
Read More »Here’s why Merced’s mayor spoke with high-speed rail authority this week
With the shifting plans around the state’s high-speed rail and its rising costs, Merced’s mayor headed to Sacramento this week to speak with officials in an attempt reaffirm the bullet … Click to Continue »
Read More »New Business Plan Reveals A More Distant, Expensive High-Speed Rail Dream
Last week news broke that California’s High-Speed Rail Authority is facing another setback – increased costs and a delayed timeline as indicated in the authority’s new 2018 Draft Business Plan. The effort to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco with bullet train running through the Central Valley will now cost …
Read More »‘Come aboard’ high-speed rail project, Jerry Brown tells Donald Trump
Ahead of President Donald Trump’s first visit to California this week, Gov. Jerry Brown solicited his support for the state’s troubled high-speed rail project. “You have lamented that ‘we don’t … Click to Continue »
Read More »Asm. Jim Patterson Calls For High-Speed Rail Authority To Pursue “Plan B”
For the first time since 2012, the state legislature is giving the California High-Speed Rail Authority a thorough audit. This comes just weeks after the agency’s top consultant revealed that the project’s Central Valley section is now nearly $ 3 billion over budget due to delays and additional design expenses. …
Read More »Amid Questions, High-Speed Rail Examines New Bakersfield Route, Station Site
If the leaders of California’s High-Speed Rail Authority are to be believed, by 2029 Bakersfield residents will be able to hop on a bullet train bound for LA’s Union Station or San Francisco’s Transbay Terminal. That’s if all goes according to plan, for a project that still doesn’t have enough …
Read More »Initial Choices: High-Speed Rail To Pick Its Early Operator
The Board of the California High-Speed Rail Authority is expected to vote on an awarding a contract, likely to a European company, to be the line’s early train operator. The contract is a small fraction of the total cost of the rail line but represents a significant step toward making …
Read More »Trains stopped after rail bridge catches fire southeast of Merced
All trains on the Union Pacific rail line southeast of Merced have stopped after the Duck Slough Bridge caught fire Thursday afternoon, California Highway Patrol and fire officials said. CHP … Click to Continue »
Read More »Work is wrapping outside Madera on the Fresno River Viaduct for high speed rail
This May update from the California High Speed Rail Authority shows progress on various construction projects in and around Fresno including two viaducts and the Tuolumne Street bridge near downtown Fresno. … Click to Continue »
Read More »US approves $650M for train system, also helps high-speed rail
The Trump administration announced Monday that it will fully fund a $ 650 million federal grant for electrification of a San Francisco Bay Area train system that also would help California’s … Click to Continue »
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