U.S. tractor and combine monthly unit sales in May 2022 fell below the five-year average for the first time since March 2020. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers released the monthly data last week, which shows U.S. total farm tractor sales fell 14.5% for the month of May compared to 2021, and U.S. combine sales for…… MORE
Right-Wing Extremists Amp Up Anti-LGBTQ Rhetoric Online
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A few weeks before 31 members of a white supremacist group were arrested for allegedly planning to riot at a northern Idaho LGBTQ pride event, a fundamentalist Idaho pastor told his Boise congregation that gay, lesbian and transgender people should be executed by the government. Around the same time, a lawmaker…… MORE
Bear Market Hits Wall Street as Stocks, Bonds, Crypto Dive
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street tumbled into what’s called a bear market Monday after fears about a fragile economy and rising interest rates sent the S&P 500 more than 20% below its record set early this year. The index sank 3.9% in the first chance for investors to trade after getting the weekend to reflect on…… MORE
HHS Secretary Becerra Tests Positive for COVID-19 Again
(AP NEWS) – President Joe Biden’s top health official has again tested positive for COVID-19, less than a month after he came down with virus symptoms while on a trip to Germany. U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra woke up with symptoms again Monday morning and tested positive afterward, spokeswoman Sarah Lovenheim said. His symptoms are…… MORE
Smithfield Foods Closing Plant in California
Smithfield Foods says it will stop all harvest and processing operations in Vernon, which is in the Los Angeles area. The closure is expected to happen in early 2023 due to the rising cost of doing business in the state. At the same time, the company will align its hog production system by reducing its…… MORE
Citizen Calls Help Officers Rescue Kitten From Madera Gutter
(KMJ) – Several calls made to the Madera Police Department help save the life of a kitten after it falls into a city gutter. Sunday, the Department writes on its Facebook page: We received multiple reports of a kitten that fell into a street gutter. Officers quickly responded and observed the kitten stuck at the…… MORE
Central California Food Bank Receives $400K for New Santé Health System Volunteer Center
FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – Central California Food Bank receives more than $400,000 from Santé Health System on Thursday. The funds will pay for a new volunteer center, and further the food bank’s mission of fighting hunger. Central California Food Bank serves over 280,000 hungry people every month in Fresno, Kings, Madera, Kern & Tulare counties.…… MORE
Gov. Newsom Announces $156 Million in Grants to Proactively Prevent Gun Violence
SACRAMENTO – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a record $156 million in gun violence prevention grants provided as part of the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program (CalVIP). The funding announced today will support 79 cities and nonprofit organizations that are implementing anti-violence programs suited to the unique needs of their local communities. “While…… MORE
Man Caught In The Act Stealing Catalytic Converters In Madera
MADERA, Calif. (KMJ) — Madera police arrested a man they say was in the process of stealing catalytic converters from multiple vehicles at the Madera Irrigation District (MID) facility Wednesday night. Around 10:45 p.m., a MID employee monitoring the surveillance cameras noticed the suspects park a white van in a nearby orchard, cut the chain…… MORE
Military Aircraft Crashes in Imperial County, CA, Killing at Least 4
BRAWLEY, Calif. (AP) — A Marine Corps aircraft crashed Wednesday in the Southern California desert and civilian and military emergency crews were responding, but there were no immediate details about those on board, the military said. Naval Air Facility El Centro said in a Facebook post that the aircraft was from the 3rd Marine Aircraft…… MORE
