SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Leaders of California’s high-speed rail project are telling the Trump administration its plans to withhold or claw back $3.5 billion in federal money for the project is “legally indefensible” and “disastrous policy.” Project chief executive Brian Kelly responded Monday to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s threat last month to withhold a…… MORE
“Machete Murderer” Tied to 25 Farm Workers Slayings Has Died At 85
FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – A notorious serial killer tied to slayings of 25 farm workers, has died at age 85. Juan Corona had been held at California State Prison-Corcoran. He was convicted of the murders in 1971. Prosecutors say he met his victims through his farm-labor contracting business He stabbed them and then buried…… MORE
California Lawmakers Seek $100 Billion for Clean Energy
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – A group of California lawmakers want the state to invest $100 billion toward efforts to drastically reduce carbon emissions and the use of fossil fuels by 2030. The proposal Democratic lawmakers unveiled Monday would declare a climate emergency. It is a non-binding resolution. But there is a separate bill by state…… MORE
California’s Attorney General Sues Trump Administration Over Family Planning Funds
FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra says the state will file a federal lawsuit seeking to block the Health and Human Services Department’s new family planning rule. A coalition of 20 states and California’s Attorney General are attempting to block changes to the Title X Family Planning Program. Becerra says it…… MORE
Teenager Found Dead Near Tulare County Orchard Identified
TULARE (KMJ) — Detectives have released the name of the teenager found dead near a Tulare County orchard. The discovery of Dynasty Alexander, with injuries to the upper body, prompted a murder investigation. The call came in Sunday around 5.30pm. The 18-year-old was found just over the road from Elk Bayou Park, in the 19700…… MORE
Supreme Court: CA Pension Perks Can Be Taken Away
FRESNO, Calif. (KMJ) — The California Supreme Court has upheld former Gov. Jerry Brown’s rollback of a retirement benefit, that allowed public workers to pad their pensions. At issue in the decision was a provision of a 2012 pension reform law, which eliminated the ability of public workers to pay for more years of service, for…… MORE
WTO Decision Might Impact China-U.S. Negotiations
The World Trade Organization found that China exceeded its agreed-on limits for government subsidies on multiple crops. Politico notes that U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer says the case could indeed become part of the negotiations and hoped-for trade deal with China. Lighthizer says there’s another WTO challenge in process that targets how China administers…… MORE
Report: Firefighter/EMS Suicides On The Rise Nationwide
FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – A report is finding firefighter and EMS suicides are on the rise. At least 115 firefighters and emergency medical workers committed suicide across the nation in 2017, more than those who died in the line of duty, The Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, which tracks figures across the nation, has seen…… MORE
California Gun Seizure Program Backlog Remains
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – California seized a record nearly 11,000 guns last year from people no longer allowed to own them. Yet the underlying backlog in the state’s gun seizure program remains nearly the same as a year ago. The department has about 9,400 active cases now, about 800 fewer than it did a year…… MORE
NWS Hanford Warns Of Heavy Rainfall And Possible Flooding
FRESNO (KMJ) — The National Weather Service has issued a warning of intense weather over the coming days. Storm systems are predicted to hit areas across Central California into the weekend and most of next week, with the fiercest rain expected Saturday. Forecasters warn of possible flooding following “an abundance of tropical moisture,” according to…… MORE
