California Panel To Vote On Increasing Storage At Site Of Worst US Methane Leak Despite Risks

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California officials are expected to vote Thursday on a proposal to increase storage capacity at the site of the nation’s largest known methane leak that sickened thousands of families and forced them from their Los Angeles homes in 2015. The proposal for the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility has sparked…MORE

Newsom Plans To Transform San Quentin State Prison. Lawmakers And The Public Have Had Little Input

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has ambitious and expensive plans for a dilapidated factory at San Quentin State Prison where inmates of one of the nation’s most notorious lockups once built furniture, and lawmakers have given him the greenlight to start with little input or oversight. He wants to spend $360 million…MORE

Huge Pot Bust Leads To 700 Plants, Hundreds Of Pounds Of Marijuana In Merced County

MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (KMJ) — Hundreds of plants and illegally processed marijuana were recovered last week in Merced County. Merced County Sheriff’s Office issued multiple search warrants that led to a discovery of 702 marijuana plants. Deputies recovered a gun, about 300 pounds of processed marijuana, nearly 40 pounds of dried marijuana and hundreds of…MORE

Grape Growers Have New Insurance Program

The USDA is expanding crop insurance options with a new grapevine insurance program. It will provide coverage for the loss of grafted vines caused by natural perils like frost or fire. The new program will also complement the grape crop insurance program that covers the fruit growing on the vine. “We strive to offer the…MORE

Alleged ‘Coyote’ Smuggler From New Mexico Charged with Kidnapping Migrant Family

FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – A New Mexico man is arraigned Wednesday, accused of kidnapping members of a migrant family and holding them hostage. The Fresno County DA’s Office charging 31-year-old Christian Guadalupe Ortiz Coronado of Los Lunas, New Mexico for the kidnapping for ransom of five victims last week in Fresno. Ortiz Coronado is accused…MORE

Convicted Tulare Murderer Receives Life Sentence

Jacoby Jackson, 33, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for special circumstance murder on Wednesday. On April 9, 2023, Tulare firefighters and police officers responded to a massage business on K Street. Upon arrival, they found an adult female in one of the massage rooms with signs of strangulation and…MORE

Critical Fire Weather In Arrives Northern California’s Interior; PG&E Cuts Power To 8,400 Customers

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Gusty winds and low humidity brought high risk of wildfires to the interior of Northern California on Wednesday and a utility proactively cut electricity to approximately 8,400 customers to prevent potential ignitions in the blustery conditions. Red flag warnings for critical fire danger were to remain in effect until 8 p.m.…MORE