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 »From Trash To Skate Park: Inside Fresno’s “Historic” Landfill
National Historic Landmarks are typically associated with our country’s history—sites like the infamous island Alcatraz or Manzanar, one of the camps where Japanese-Americans were imprisoned during World War II. But in Southwest Fresno, one landmark owes its historic status to trash. It’s a landfill—at least, it used to be. In …
Read More »‘Essential Employees’ At Fresno County Federal Prison Say Shutdown Affects Employee Safety
As of this week, the partial government shutdown means many federal employees are going without a paycheck, some of whom are right here in the San Joaquin Valley. Reporter Alexandra Jaffe with VICE News Tonight on HBO came out to Fresno to hold a roundtable discussion with workers from the …
Read More »Fresno IRS Workers Rally Against The Shutdown
Fresno is home to a lot of Internal Revenue Service employees affected by the shutdown, so on January 10, members of the Fresno chapter of the National Treasury Employees Union held a rally to show their opposition. It was one of many held around the country. We spoke to workers …
Read More »Community Engagement At Center Of New State Law On Air Protection
When it comes to monitoring air quality, we typically turn to air regulators, like the state and the local San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. But a recent state law is taking on a new strategy: Putting air quality in the hands of the community. And one person who’s …
Read More »Transparency In Hospital Pricing The Goal Of New Federal Law – But Will It Work?
When we talk about healthcare in this country, one of the most common complaints is the price tag—monthly prescriptions that chip away at retirement savings and emergency procedures that can cause bankruptcy. With a new law that just went into effect this month, the federal government is trying to tackle …
Read More »Despite Reports Of Trashed Parks, Most Yosemite Visitors Are Not Deterred
While the state is experiencing a transition of power and new laws for the new year, lawmakers in D.C. still haven’t made progress on how to reopen the federal government. That means some National Parks like Sequoia and Kings Canyon are currently closed, but the more popular park in our …
Read More »San Joaquin Valley Sheriffs Blame ‘Sanctuary State’ Laws For December Murders
Two murders were allegedly committed by immigrants in the San Joaquin Valley last December, and some county sheriffs are blaming California’s “sanctuary state” law for the crimes. The day after Christmas in Stanislaus County, Newman City police officer Ronil Singh was shot and killed after pulling someone over who was …
Read More »Despite Reports Of Trashed Parks, Yosemite Visitors Are Not Deterred
While the state is experiencing a transition of power and new laws for the new year, lawmakers in D.C. still haven’t made progress on how to reopen the federal government. That means some National Parks like Sequoia and Kings Canyon are currently closed, but the more popular park in our …
Read More »VA Struggles Unlock The Reasons Behind High Risk Of Suicide Among Older Veterans
Much of the focus by the Veterans Health Administration has been on the growing number of younger veterans who commit suicide, in fact statistics show that elderly veterans kill themselves in larger numbers than other people the same age. Robert Neilson was drafted in 1961. He spent two years in …
Read More »Ethan Chatagnier Issues “Warnings From The Future” In Stories About Moral Decisions
Ethan Chatagnier is a Fresno State graduate, and he’s just added to his Central Valley connections by making Fresno and Highway 99 the setting for two of the stories in his new book, “ Warnings from the Future . ” Across a total of ten short stories, Chatagnier writes about …
Read More »To Prevent Preterm Births, New Program Helps Black Women Be Their Own Advocates
In Fresno County, around 10 percent of all babies are born before 37 weeks of gestation. That’s higher than the national average, and among the highest of all California counties. For African-Americans, the numbers are even more concerning: From 2013 to 2015, black babies were 63 percent more likely to …
Read More »Too Much Stuff? This Thrifty Business Finds a Use for Almost Everything
Neighborhood Industries is a social enterprise. It takes a market-driven approach to business coupled with a non-profit mission to care for the environment and help people in need. It all starts with too much stuff. The company will pick up your used clothes, stained T-shirts, old rags, ripped jeans, electronics, …
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