Governor Gavin Newsom is set to approve an extra $ 500 million for wildfire prevention — a last-minute change that would more than double what’s in the current budget deal. https://www.kvpr.org/sites/kvpr/files/styles/big_story/public/202106/newsom_1.jpg
Read More »Valley Air District’s Emissions Bank Likely To Change Following Damaging State Review
Later this month, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is set to release a report detailing how well its clean air programs are meeting federal requirements for reducing emissions. It’s called an equivalency demonstration, and it’s released annually every November. This year’s equivalency demonstration, however, will be a …
Read More »Fresno ICU Nurse On Safety Concerns Following The Death Of A Colleague From COVID-19
This week the staff at Kaiser Fresno Medical Center said goodbye to Sandra “Sandy” Oldfield, a registered nurse at the hospital who died of COVID-19 after treating an infected patient. On Wednesday evening, hundreds gathered for a candlelight vigil to honor her memory. Valley Edition Host Kathleen Schock spoke with …
Read More »Single Cases Of Coronavirus Confirmed In Madera And Fresno Counties Following Cruise Ship Trips
Madera and Fresno County public health departments confirmed single cases of the coronavirus Saturday; both are isolated cases with a known source of transmission, officials said. A Madera County resident tested positive for the coronavirus following the resident’s return from a recent Princess Cruise trip, according to a statement from …
Read More »Following Mass Shooting, Fresno Police Explain Why New Task Force Targets ‘Asian Gangs’
At a press conference following the mass shooting that killed four and wounded six others in Southeast Fresno, Fresno Police Chief Andy Hall announced he had created an Asian gang task force, despite no definitive evidence the shooting was gang-related. Many members of Southeast Asian communities have since questioned why …
Read More »Following Horrific Tragedies, New Hotline Supports Victims Within Bakersfield’s Sikh Community
It can be a challenge for anyone dealing with family violence or substance abuse to access the resources they need, but imagine what it’s like for new immigrants to the United States. Advocates in Kern County are working to address these issues specifically in the Sikh community by providing a …
Read More »Following Scathing Report, Air District’s Emissions Banking Program Faces Scrutiny
Kevin Hamilton was surprised when he learned that, for decades, industries that pollute have been able to trade emissions reductions under a San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District program. It’s like a bank: If a company installs a new technology that reduces its pollution—and that’s the program’s goal—the company …
Read More »Following Horrific Shooting, District Attorney Reflects On Domestic Violence In Kern County
In the last 10 days, Bakersfield has been the site of two high-profile attacks: In one, a man and a woman were stabbed in a Starbucks; a few days later, another man gunned down his ex-wife and four other people in east Bakersfield before turning the gun on himself. On …
Read More »Valley Armenians Closely Following ‘April Revolution’ In Yerevan
Last week protests clogged the streets of Armenia’s capital Yerevan, in what some are now calling the “April Revolution.” The demonstrations resulted in the resignation of the republic’s prime minister Serzh Sargsyan. The change in power marks a turning point in Armenian affairs, and the end of the 20-year-long streak …
Read More »Latino Voting Rights Take Center Stage In Kern County Following Lawsuit
In February a U.S. District Court Judge ruled in favor of a Latino civil rights group in a suit challenging the way the county drew supervisorial district lines in 2011. In the suit, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund argued that by splitting eastern Kern County cities between …
Read More »Kern County Residents March For Gun Safety Following Florida School Shooting
Tuesday marks six days since a 19-year-old man walked onto a South Florida high school campus, opened fire, and murdered 17 people. Many students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have spoken out for stricter gun laws. Now students in Kern County are doing the same. On Monday afternoon, students …
Read More »Residents Learn The Fate Of Their Homes Following The Detwiler Fire
UPDATE: Evacuation orders remain in place for residents on Greeley Hill Road and Dogtown Road near Coulterville. Original post: Residents of Mariposa County are beginning to return home as the Detwiler Fire slowly dies down. Cal Fire is getting control of the blaze but not before it burned more than …
Read More »My Valley, My Story: Mental Health Needs Following The Erskine Fire
A little over a year ago, a worn out power line touched off the Erskine Fire, which razed nearly 50,000 acres near Lake Isabella east of Bakersfield. The fire devastated an area already in need of mental health care. As part of our first-person series My Valley, My Story, we …
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