Local Fresno County News, Politics & Policy, Education, & More

22 hours ago · Utility shareholder returns add hundreds of millions of dollars to California power bills, sparking debate over fairness and necessity. (CalMatters/Rahul Lal) California utilities earn millions in shareholder returns, with rates hovering around 10%, double treasury bond rates. Critics argue these ...

2 days ago · GM faces China setback but beats expectations, offers generous profit-sharing to workers, and navigates U.S. regulations. (AP File) GM reports Q4 loss due to China challenges but exceeds Wall Street expectations on profit and revenue. CEO Mary Barra highlights EV market share growth and proactive ...

Jan 14, 2025 · Millions in Southern California brace for extreme fire conditions as strong winds threaten to spread existing blazes. (AP/Jae C. Hong) Southern California faces extreme fire weather as strong winds threaten to spread existing blazes and spark new ones. Nearly 90,000 households lost power as ...

Dec 20, 2024 · Police Chief Paco Balderrama speaks outside a Fresno City Council budget meeting, reaffirming his commitment to continue in his role. In June of 2024, Mayor Jerry Dyer’s administration announced it launched an investigation into Balderrama for “an inappropriate off-duty relationship he was involved in with a non-city employee.”

Prop. 5 (Lower vote threshold from two-thirds to 55% for local bond measures to fund housing and public infrastructure)

Jan 5, 2025 · In the fourth quarter of 2024, sales of EVs jumped about 12% to 356,000 vehicles, helped by lower interest rates and sweetened incentives and discount plans. (AP File) Automakers closed 2024 with strong U.S. sales in the final three months, helped by a surge in EV demand. Tesla was the top EV seller ...

5 days ago · California demonstrates renewable energy’s reliability through recent advancements, according to a new study. The research, published in the prominent peer-reviewed journal Renewable Energy, reveals that for 98 out of 116 days from late winter to early summer last year, renewable energy sources met 100% of the state’s electricity demand for up to 10 hours daily.

3 days ago · Big Tech stocks plummet as DeepSeek, a Chinese competitor, claims to offer a cost-effective AI model, shaking up the industry. Nvidia sees a 14.4% drop, and other AI-related stocks follow, as DeepSeek’s rise threatens established companies and …

Nov 17, 2024 · Kern County ag may suffer the most. Land valued at $15,000 an acre has fallen to less than $4,000 in areas outside of water districts. The amount of water that can be safely pulled out of the ground — a third-of-an-acre-foot — might reduce a 1,000-acre orchard to only 80 viable acres for the nut that needs upwards of four acre-feet of water a year.