Now that most counties in the San Joaquin Valley have graduated out of the most restrictive “purple” tier of the governor’s reopening blueprint , many schools are preparing to bring students back to campus, and some already have. How are schools phasing in-person instruction back in, what’s the fate of …
Read More »Avenal’s Prison Labor Contract Allows Actions The CDC—And Kings County—Warned Could Spread COVID-19
Ed Welker is relatively new to Avenal State Prison. He’s been incarcerated there only since March. But when he was recently moved to a new dorm in a different yard, he saw a familiar face. “One of the officers that are working right now in the building that I’m in, …
Read More »Avenal Isn’t The Only Kings County Prison Facing Massive Outbreak – COVID-19 Update For Nov. 20
More than 3,300 inmates and staff have tested positive for COVID-19 at Avenal, which is the highest total of any prison in California and possibly in the entire country . So far, the virus has killed eight of the prison’s incarcerated men. However, Avenal isn’t the only prison in the …
Read More »In Many Small Towns, Everyone Seems To Know Someone With COVID-19 – Virus Update For Nov. 13
After many weeks of holding steady, COVID-19 cases are once again on the rise, not just in other parts of the country, but also statewide and here in the Valley. Daily new cases are at the highest they’ve been since early September, case rates and positivity rates are increasing, and …
Read More »No Second Surge Yet, But Local Hospitals Prepare Just In Case – COVID-19 Update For Nov. 6
Nearly eight months in, the COVID-19 pandemic is still looking grim: Nationwide, the virus has killed more than 230,000 people, and this week, for the first time, more than 100,000 cases were reported in a single day. Twice. Although California has so far avoided the surge afflicting other parts of …
Read More »COVID-19, Homelessness, The Election: What We Learned From Our Valley Votes Survey
With the election coming up next Tuesday, we wanted to delve into what brings voters to the polls. What do they want changed? What do they want candidates to address in their neighborhoods? We decided to ask residents using a survey we called “ Valley Votes 2020 .” We collected …
Read More »No, Halloween Isn’t Cancelled – COVID-19 Update For Oct. 30
It’s the end of October, which means we’re stuck with a pandemic holiday weekend. With health experts across the board discouraging trick-or-treating and gathering indoors, how can we celebrate safely? Rest assured that there are ways to minimize the risks of celebrating Halloween and Dia de los Muertos. We offer …
Read More »Fresno’s Reel Pride Film Fest Goes Virtual In Light Of COVID-19
Traditionally, the Reel Pride Film Festival draws thousands to Fresno’s Tower District for one of the nation’s biggest celebrations of LGBTQ cinema. But in response to COVID-19 restrictions, organizers have turned this year’s festival, which takes place this weekend, into an online event. To learn more about what audiences can …
Read More »Some Businesses Reopen Indoors, Others Get Special Designations – COVID-19 Update For Oct. 16
As local COVID-19 case numbers continue to improve, five counties in the San Joaquin Valley have now advanced beyond the purple “widespread” designation of the state’s reopening plan known as the Blueprint for a Safer Economy . Fresno, Kern, Kings and Merced are now designated red for “substantial” virus spread, …
Read More »As COVID-19 Cases Soar, Avenal Inmates Increasingly Concerned About Mental Health
On a bright afternoon in June, a group of protesters wearing masks gathered in a dusty parking lot outside a prison in rural Kings County. One of them held a megaphone up to a cell phone. “My name is Jacob Benitez, I’m an inmate calling from Facility F right here …
Read More »Whiplash As Fresno County Businesses Face Closures, Again – COVID-19 Update For Oct. 9
Last week, Fresno County businesses celebrated that the county had advanced into the red, less restrictive tier of the state’s COVID-19 reopening plan. Then, this past Tuesday, they learned that they may be forced to close back up again, as early as next week, if the county’s case rate doesn’t …
Read More »True COVID-19 Death Toll May Surpass Official Counts, Especially In San Joaquin Valley
Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 1,300 people have died of COVID-19 in the seven counties of the southern San Joaquin Valley and foothills, according to official counts by county health departments and the state. The tallies aggregated in those health department dashboards, which represent between one and …
Read More »COVID-19 Stats Continue To Improve, But Death Data Tell A Darker Story – Virus Update For Oct. 2
When we seek to quantify the toll that COVID-19 is taking on our communities, we typically turn to official statistics like confirmed cases, hospitalization rates and, of course, death counts. But what if that final tally is an undercount, and the death toll is really much higher? An FM89 analysis …
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