EAST PORTERVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Residents of East Porterville and experts say not having running water and breathing increasingly dusty air because of the drought is worsening health issues. The town of 7,500 people has no central water system and families rely on shallow private wells, which have been drying out as the drought worsens.…… MORE
AVILA BEACH, Calif. (AP) — The Avila Beach pier, a popular whale-watching spot, has been closed indefinitely while structural engineers evaluate how much weight it can carry and what repairs need to be made. The San Luis Obispo Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/1SC99Jt ) that large crowds have been flocking to the pier in recently days as…… MORE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled Monday that a 66-year-old program that lets the government take raisins away from farmers to help reduce supply and boost market prices is unconstitutional. In an 8-1 ruling, the justices said forcing raisin growers to give up part of their annual crop without full payment is an illegal…… MORE
FRESNO (KMJ) — A Fresno attorney has announced his intention to file federal charges against Fresno Police, alleging city residents are being severely harmed by the lax enforcement of domestic violence laws. Attorney Kevin G. Little describes it as a “systematic problem” within the police department. Two women are listed as the first two names…… MORE
(KMJ) Fresno County’s jobs picture appears to be improving, albeit slightly. According to the California Employment Development Department, the unemployment rate in Fresno County dropped to 9.8% in May, down from 10.1% in April. As a whole, California’s unemployment rate increased slightly in May to 6.4 percent. It’s the first such bump in nearly five…… MORE
(KMJ) The wildfire burning near Oakhurst and Cedar Valley continues to burn and billow thick smoke into the air. As of Friday morning, the blaze, called the “Sky Fire”, had charred more than 500 acres. Containment is at 15%, according to fire officials. Iveth Hernandez of the U.S. Forest Service said Friday that no homes…… MORE
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — HBO’s “Veep” is leaving Maryland after four years after the series scored $6.5 million in California film tax credits. HBO announced Thursday that it will move production of the show starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus to southern California. HBO spokeswoman Cecile Cross-Plummer says Maryland has been home to many vital HBO projects, including…… MORE
Charleston, South Carolina (CNN) [Latest developments] • Charleston church shooting suspect Dylann Roof has been taken into custody in Shelby, North Carolina, law enforcement officers said. • Roof, 21, of Lexington, South Carolina, has been named as the suspect in Wednesday’s deadly shooting at the Emanuel AME Church, Charleston police said Thursday. • The gunman…… MORE
Police in Fresno are searching for suspects in a morning shooting in Central Fresno. On Thursday, June 18th, at 9:12 am, Northeast patrol officers were dispatched to the 2000 block of East Dakota Avenue regarding a man shot in the chest. Officers arrived to find a wounded 40 year old African American male. He was…… MORE
Fresno, CA (KMJ) Two Fresno Police officers have been cleared of any wrongdoing in a case of alleged excessive force. A Hoover High student, who was 15 years old at the time, claimed that she was forcefully yanked from the booth of a local restaurant and unlawfully arrested by officers Larry Hustedde and Jeffrey Kaiser.…… MORE
