The first thing you notice in the livestock pavilion at the Big Fresno Fair is the sound. There are the animals, of course: The cows and goats being steered to their enclosures, the squeals of hogs less than excited about being bathed, and the blow dryers fluffing up freshly shorn …
Read More »Wildfire Smoke In 2020 Led To More Valley COVID Cases, Deaths, Says New Study
Last year, the western states were hit with a double-whammy of natural disasters: Not just the COVID-19 pandemic, but also a historically long and intense wildfire season that blanketed the region with plume after plume of noxious smoke. The confluence of those two was deadly: A study published recently in …
Read More »Fresno County Nonprofits Provide COVID Support Through Disability Equity Project
This week the Fresno County Board of Supervisors voted to extend funding for the Disability Equity Project, a coalition of six local organizations that serve individuals and families living with a wide-range of disabilities. For the past year, these organizations have worked in partnership to help their clients through the …
Read More »From New York To Tehachapi: A Traveling Nurse On The Trauma Of Treating COVID
Throughout the pandemic, we’ve relied not just on the medical providers based at our local hospitals, but also traveling nurses who move from place to place, filling in wherever help is needed. One such nurse, Grover Nicodemus Street, is a military veteran based in Colorado. So far during the pandemic, …
Read More »With COVID Cases On The Rise, A Fresno Doctor Worries The ER Will Get Overwhelmed Yet Again
Dr. Sukhjit Dhillon, an emergency medicine physician at UCSF Fresno, says she is concerned that the recent increase in COVID-19 cases will once again overwhelm hospital emergency rooms. New hospital admissions due to COVID-19 have increased in Fresno County by 71 percent in the past week, according to the U.S. …
Read More »Temples To Clinics: Why COVID Vaccine Events Are Popping Up At Valley’s Sikh Gurdwaras
Now that most pandemic restrictions on houses of worship have been lifted, the Sikh Institute of Fresno looks much like it did pre-COVID. On a recent Sunday at this 3-story, salmon-colored temple known as a gurdwara, people stream in and out of the main worship hall, some wearing traditional saris …
Read More »COVID Puts Pregnant Women At Risk Of Childbirth Complications – Virus Update For May 14
More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, many basic questions about the virus have been answered, including how it spreads, how it responds to treatment, and how it affects the body. But even those lessons learned apply mostly to generally healthy people and those with the most common pre-existing …
Read More »Punjabi Truckers Are Essential, But Little COVID Information Is Available In Their Native Language
The cab of Sunny Grewal’s 18-wheeler is neat and tidy. He’s got bunk beds with red checkered sheets and gray interior cabinets that hide a fridge, microwave, paper plates and spices for long days on the road. One plastic container holds bite-sized sweets from his native India. “We call it …
Read More »Black-Owned Businesses Find Strength Through Community During COVID
Restrictions on businesses designed to slow the spread of COVID-19 have been devastating for some entrepreneurs. But some Black-owned businesses say the power of community has helped them to adapt, and even thrive, in these uncertain times. To learn more, Valley Edition Host Kathleen Schock spoke to Nick Hill, president …
Read More »Vaccine Supply Whiplash, Plus The Latest On COVID In Valley Prisons – Virus Update For Feb. 26
Ever since the COVID-19 vaccine rollout began, every week has brought news of extremes, with success stories followed by supply problems and other hiccups in access and distribution. This week was no different, and included supply disruptions due to winter storms as well as an unexpected boost from the governor. …
Read More »Fresno ICU Nurse Reflects On Nine Months Of Treating COVID Patients
Amy Arlund, a registered nurse who works in the ICU at Kaiser Fresno Medical Center, spoke with Valley Edition Host Kathleen Schock in May about the loss of one of her colleagues to COVID-19. With ICU capacities in the Valley now at the breaking point, Schock checked back in with …
Read More »What The End Of CARES Act Funding Means For Fresno Nonprofits Providing COVID Assistance
The clock is ticking for CARES Act grants, which are set to run out at the end of the month. In Fresno, these funds helped to finance the COVID-19 Equity Project, a network of community based organizations providing COVID assistance to vulnerable communities. To find out what will happen to …
Read More »