Quote of the Week
“Jesus’ parable does not ask whether those workers deserve a full wage. It does not ask where they came from or when they arrived. It asked only whether they needed to eat tonight. And the answer in God’s economy is always yes.”
Pastor Mike McKeever speaking at a May Day rally on Friday in downtown Fresno
This Week in Fresnoland
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Fresnoland’s contributing food editor, Vince Mancini, recently spoke with KVPR’s Central Valley Daily podcast about our new culinary efforts.
Launched late last month, Fresnoland Food is our effort to connect our neighbors and readers with the spots big and small that make Fresno unique or, if nothing else, spots that make Fresno delicious.
This week, Vince took readers to Jingle Bao and Dumpling U for a full-contact dumpling face-off. And Fresnoland’s staff put together our first-ever favorites guide; we look at just a few of the places we like to crash when money is tight and we mess up the whole bag-lunch thing.
Check out Vince’s interview with KVPR here.
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All four Fresno council candidates oppose major SEDA project
A massive and contentious development project took center stage Monday during a candidate’s forum for the Fresno City Council’s D1 district, which stretches from the center of the Tower District and continues west past the 99 freeway.
Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano attended the forum at the Teague Community Resource Center, along with more than three dozen community members, residents and voters.
In addition to the massive SEDA development — which all four candidates said they opposed — there were also minor clashes over which of the candidates was most representative or most-tied to the west Fresno neighborhoods they’re competing to represent.
Candidates are gearing up for the June 2 primary, when dozens of local seats are at stake in Fresno County.
May Day rally draws large crowd to downtown Fresno
Fresno workers and advocates gathered in downtown Fresno on Friday to commemorate May Day, Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano reported.
Fresno serves as the frontlines of labor battles, including for farmworkers and commercial truck drivers.
The May Day holiday traces its roots to the violent clash between protesters and police, culminating in a bombing at Haymarket Square in Chicago that took place 140 years ago. The violence erupted as workers protested to demand an eight-hour workday.
Mennonite Community Church Pastor Mike McKeever tied the organizers’ struggle to Jesus’ Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard.
“Jesus’ parable does not ask whether those workers deserve a full wage. It does not ask where they came from or when they arrived. It asked only whether they needed to eat tonight,” he said. “And the answer in God’s economy is always yes.”
Fresnoland’s Greg Weaver, Julianna Morano win top honors
Fresnoland’s in-depth investigation into California’s Williamson Act captured the prestigious public service award Thursday during the 38th-annual George F. Gruner Journalism Awards at California State University Fresno.
Environment reporter Gregory Weaver’s reporting from February of 2025, examined a decades-old tax break meant to protect the state’s precious farmland.
Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano took home an award for best writing for her July 2025 profile of the art and artists behind the city’s murals below the 180 freeway.
‘Absolutely about our district’
Fresno’s Central Unified school board voted unanimously this week to oppose a contentious mega-development miles from its district boundaries, GV Wire reports.
“SEDA isn’t in our district, but this vote is absolutely about our district,” said Trustee Harman Singh. “This isn’t to say we shouldn’t expand elsewhere, but this is saying where we are first, we should have completed neighborhoods.”
In the wake of political pressure from Mayor Jerry Dyer earlier this year, trustees for Fresno Unified — the area’s largest and most impacted district — refused to take a stand on the development, despite internal analysis suggesting the 9,000-acre new-town-sprawl development would likely exacerbate the struggling district’s already-bleak enrollment outlook.
Fresno Unified trustees have been sharply divided over whether to take a stand on SEDA, with most elected trustees refusing to answer questions about their non-positions on an issue fundamental to the district’s future.
Outside the Lines
The Fresno Discovery Center is hosting a Star Wars-themed celebration at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 2. Admission is $3. YourCentralValley
A pair of alleged copper-wire thieves face felony charges after police said they ripped several feet of wire from high-speed rail overpasses. YourCentralValley
A new law adding folic acid to corn tortillas is changing the way local tortilla makers work. KVPR
Residents of the tiny Tulare County town of East Orosi recently celebrated an event many thought might never happen – the official kickoff of construction on a new $13.5 million drinking-water system. SJVWater
The City of Fresno will host a paper-shredding event for residential solid waste customers at 8 a.m. Saturday, May 2 at the Public Utilities Operations & Maintenance Building, 1665 G St. Customers must present a state-issued ID, along with a City of Fresno Utility Bill indicating solid waste service or a Proof of Eligibility Form. Participants must be City of Fresno residential solid waste customers. No other utility bills will be accepted.
A new report says the High Speed Rail Authority’s business plan lacks transparency for omitting details about its intent to relocate future Central Valley stations. The Fresno Bee
A Huntington Beach Republican state senator renewed his long-standing criticism of California’s sluggish high-speed rail project this week after new cost estimates show the train’s price tag has grown to $231 billion. KMPH
A bill protecting distressed California hospitals seeks another $300 million in funding and new changes, if approved, would allow for-profit hospitals to also apply for funding, previously only available to public and nonprofit facilities. Business Journal
“A legal maneuver once reserved for death row inmates and suspected terrorists has become the only recourse for immigrant detainees, who have flooded federal courts in California with thousands of petitions for freedom.” The Los Angeles Times
Leticia Campos will take the reins at the Marjaree Mason Center after Nicole Linder stepped down as CEO in February. The Business Journal
Sumner Peck Ranch has a new name after the San Joaquin River Parkway got a cease-and-desist letter from the Peck family. KVPR
Block Beat
West Fresno: The Central Unified school board voted unanimously this week to oppose a contentious mega-development miles from its district boundaries. GV Wire
West Fresno: Authorities have confirmed a tuberculosis exposure at Fresno’s Justin Garza High School. ABC30
Downtown: “The partnership involving the Fresno Arts Council, Hella Fresno, the Bad Kids Club, Alley in the Valley, and Fresno Street Eats will spread out ArtHop’s different attractions on Thursday, May 7.” GVWire
Roosevelt: “The Big Fresno Fair has added five acts to its 2026 Table Mountain Concert Series, bringing the total announced lineup to nine shows at the Paul Paul Theater this fall.” Business Journal
Roosevelt: Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live is coming to the Fresno Fairgrounds for the first time ever with an outdoor show. More information here
Fresno State: Students won’t be able to move around campus on motorized scooter, bicycles or other mobile vehicles, YourCentralValley reports.
Clovis: 18-year-old Ryan Salazar graduated Clovis West High School with an Associates Degree, on top of his high school diploma. KMPH
Oakhurst: For the first time in seven years, Oakhurst is getting a new independent bookstore. ABC30
Tower District: Two parking lots now require payment. The Fresno Bee
