This story is part of a series called In Recovery , about opioid addiction and treatment in the San Joaquin Valley. It was reported with the support of a 2018 Data Fellowship from the USC Center For Health Journalism . Charlie Huddleson has always been a religious man, but it …

The 35th class to participate in a yearly program to boost community leaders in Fresno is about to graduate. But before that, they must finish a group project that benefits the city. Here to tell us more about the Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Fresno program is Sara Frauenheim, a coordinator …

Kern County has long been California’s epicenter for the fungal disease valley fever, and new data released Wednesday shows more people are contracting it. The county’s valley fever caseload in 2018 was its second highest ever recorded, said Kern County Public Health Services Director Matt Constantine during a press conference …

San Joaquin Valley air still ranks the worst in the country, according to the American Lung Association’s annual State of the Air report released on Wednesday . Bakersfield and the Fresno-Madera-Hanford region ranked worst in the country for particle pollution — despite the fact that many of these cities experienced …

Step inside the Fresno City Council Chambers and you’ll likely find residents making public comments, rallying around issues of housing and health. In some cases, these residents are persuading council members to change their minds about projects and policies. One possible reason for the boost in civic engagement? Social justice …

When it comes to fulfilling the needs of a neighborhood, the neighborhood grocery store fills a big role. In Fresno’s Chinatown, that store has been Central Fish. It’s been in the community since 1950, carrying the usual kitchen staples one might expect. But the place also has some unexpected treasures. …

One popular stop in Fresno’s Chinatown is Kogetsu-Do, a Japanese shop with a long history over on F Street. Lynn Ikeda-Yada owns the shop, whose name means “lake moon,” and she’s the third generation to do so. Her grandparents migrated to Chinatown from Hiroshima, Japan. There’s even a blown-up photo …

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, …

After the birth of her daughter four years ago, Angelina Spicer fell into a depression so severe she was eventually admitted to a psychiatric facility. At the time she says she struggled to find friends who’d shared her experience, even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate as …

Educators in Madera voted overwhelmingly this week to accept a new contract offer from Madera Unified School District. Teachers there were on the verge of striking, but with this agreement, they have a short term fix. The deal comes after teachers signaled they favored a strike in an unofficial vote …

It’s November 27, 2017 at about 3 p.m. when Hanford Police Officer Jeff Davis first hears a dispatch about a deadly shooting in the small Central Valley town of Lemoore. Minutes later, he notices a blue Dodge Charger at a traffic stop. He checks the license plate numbers against those …

Congressman Devin Nunes is at the center of another social media fray, after filing a lawsuit that inspired the trending hashtag #yachtcocaineprostitutes. On Monday night, Nunes sued publishing company McClatchy for $ 150 million in damages, over an article published in the Fresno Bee last May that he claims was …

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. …