SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers on Tuesday voted to outlaw discrimination based on caste, adding protections for people of South Asian descent who say they have been left out of traditional American safeguards for fairness in employment and housing. The bill — the first of its kind in the U.S. — now heads to…… MORE
Friant Man Sentenced for Trafficking Fentanyl in Deadly Overdose
FRESNO, Calif. — Bobby Hood, 65, of Friant, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. According to court documents, in the summer of 2020 law enforcement learned that Mr. Hood was trafficking fentanyl and heroin. Just a few months later, on Christmas Day, a small…… MORE
West Coast Port Workers Ratify Contract
Dock workers at West Coast ports ratified a six-year contract that improved pay and benefits for 22,000 employees at 29 ports from California to Washington state. Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union voted 75% in favor of approving the West Coast port worker agreement that runs until 2028. Reuters says longshore workers covered…… MORE
SB14 to Increase Child Sex Trafficking Penalty is Moving Forward
SACRAMENTO, CA (KMJ) – SB14, a bill to increase the penalty for child sex trafficking is moving forward after a vote Friday in Sacramento. The amended version of Senate Bill 14, made it through the Assembly Appropriations Committee. SB14 would lengthen prison terms for people convicted of child sex trafficking, and shield victims from prosecution.…… MORE
Billionaires Want To Build A New City In Rural California. They Must Convince Voters First
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Silicon Valley billionaires behind a secretive $800 million land-buying spree in Northern California have finally released some details about their plans for a new green city, but they still must win over skeptical voters and local leaders. After years of ducking scrutiny, Jan Sramek, the former Goldman Sachs trader spearheading the…… MORE
After Maui’s Wildfires, Thousands Brace For Long Process Of Restoring Safe Water Service
Maggie T. Sutrov showered, drank treated tap water and watered her garden before she learned that she shouldn’t be using the water in her home on Maui after wildfires devastated the island. Concerned about others making the same mistake, she quickly created a flier on water contamination from guidance she’d found on the county’s website…… MORE
Brazil Now the World’s Biggest Corn Exporter
For more than 50 years, U.S. farmers were dominant in the international corn market, far and away shipping more corn than anyone else to help feed the world’s stockpiles and manufacture food. A Bloomberg article says that’s no longer the case. In the agricultural year that ended on August 31st, the U.S. gave up that…… MORE
Badge Pinning Ceremony Held For New Fresno Fire Chief
FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – A badge pinning ceremony was held Thursday to honor the 16th Fresno Fire Chief, Billy Alcorn. Alcorn was appointed to the position last month after serving as interim fire chief for five months. Alcorn was recruited to Fresno Fire in January of 2021 after serving as the Merced Fire Chief for…… MORE
Deadly Double Stabbing at Exeter Mobile Home Park
EXETER, CA (KMJ) – Exeter Police respond to a disturbance at a home in that city on Thursday morning that became deadly. Exeter Police got the call around 7:00 a.m. requesting medical aid after a disturbance. When officers arrived at the Rancho Exeter Mobile Home Park at 314 North Albert Avenue, they found a 72-year-old…… MORE
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
