BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) – A judge has ordered trial for a man accused of leading Bakersfield police on a vehicle chase that ended with the death of an officer who crashed his patrol car into a wall. Thirty-two-year-old Julian Hernandez faces six felony charges, including second-degree murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. Kern County…… MORE
EPA Administrator Addresses Corn Congress
EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy spoke to the National Corn Growers Association’s Corn Congress this week in Washington D.C. on the agencies recent regulatory changes and proposals. More than 300 farmers and staffers were on hand to hear McCarthy’s explanation of the RFS and WOTUS decisions, as well as her broader commitment to work with the…… MORE
Merced Police Investigate Suspicious Death
The Merced Police Department seeks the public’s help in its investigation into a suspicious death. Just before 9 PM Thursday, officers responded to a residence in the 2000 Block of El Portal Drive for a suspicious circumstance report. There they found a male adult (49 years old) dead inside the residence. Officers say the man…… MORE
Fire Risk Still High In the Sierra
Because of the prolonged drought conditions, the Sierra National Forest is reminding all residents that fire danger remains above average across the Central Sierras and the chance of large or damaging fires exists. Recent wetting rains provided only temporary relief from the danger of wildfire. With the return of dry weather and increasing temperatures dangerous…… MORE
Dems Reintroduce Package of Anti-Tobacco Bills
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Democratic lawmakers in California reintroduced a package of tobacco regulation bills on Thursday after the same proposals stalled in the Legislature earlier this month. They want the six bills to be considered as part of the Legislature’s special session on health care financing when lawmakers return from a summer break in…… MORE
Santa Barbara Oil Spill Cleanup Nearly Complete
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — Nearly two months after an oil pipeline break fouled beaches near Santa Barbara, California, the costly cleanup is about finished, officials said Thursday. About 300 workers remained on the job, mostly focused on an area near the site where oil flowed into the ocean through a storm drain culvert. The…… MORE
Calif. Bars ‘Consent Defense’ in Child Sex Abuse Cases
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California defendants accused of sexually abusing children will no longer be able to use a consent defense in civil cases. Gov. Jerry Brown announced Thursday he signed legislation introduced after Los Angeles Unified School District avoided liability for a teacher having sex with a 14-year-old girl. The teacher was sentenced to…… MORE
Special Olympics Torch Arrives In Fresno
The Final Leg team with the Special Olympics 2015 World Games brought the “Flame of Hope” torch through Fresno arriving at City Hall before continuing on to Visalia. It was a spectacle to be seen as patrol cars lined up, a firetruck ladder bridged the street and a huge crowd gathered along the curb outside…… MORE
Calif. Water Board Issues First Cease-and-Desist Order
Aaron Abeytia Aaron Abeytia anchors afternoon newscasts on News/Talk 580 & 105.9 KMJ. Read More… Listen to the report as aired on News/Talk 580 AM & 105.9 FM KMJ FRESNO, Calif. (KMJ) — The California Water Resources Control Board has issued a cease-and-desist order to the West Side Irrigation District in Tracy. The…… MORE
Teens Accused of Arson at Hanford Medical Center
Two Hanford teens have been arrested for allegedly setting a fire at a Valley medical center. Hanford police say surveillance cameras caught the 13 and 16-year olds set a small fire in the intensive care unit of Adventist Medical Center in Hanford. This happened just after Nine o’clock Tuesday night. Fire crews contained the blaze…… MORE
