Good morning! It’s Friday, Oct. 2. This is Rob. (Hi!)
What’s with the name? Vince Mancini takes us inside one of Fresno’s oldest, most storied bars. Fresnoland Food
Pave more now: Shaw Avenue set for a massive repaving from Highway 99 all the way to the 41. Fresno Bee
Rebate: Fresno beefs up its Expanded Lawn to Garden program by increasing rebate funding to $4 per square foot. ABC30
Let’s get it started: The first annual Central Valley Blackeye Pea Festival and Cook-Off will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3. Blackeye Pea Fest
Smithsonian at Courthouse Park today: Mark your calendars for the Great Valley Gathering today through Sunday at Courthouse Park, bringing together people, traditions and stories that make the Central Valley unique through live music and dance.
Oh yeah! The California Wrestling Association is celebrating its 13th anniversary with an action-packed event at 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3 at the Iron Office Gym on Fowler Avenue in east-central Fresno. ABC30
Boo-Fest! A spooky 21-and-over horror festival, kicks off at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3 at the Warnors Theatre in downtown Fresno. The event includes local vendors, beer tasting and two feature films, including the 2015 flick “The Gallows,” that was filmed inside the theater, followed by the 2012 Ethan Hawke film “Sinister.” YourCentralValley
1. Fresno family cuts $10M settlement with Fresno police, deputies
More than nine years after Fresno police and sheriff’s deputies caused the death of a 41-year-old man who they detained for his own safety, the family of the late Joseph Perez secured more than $10 million in settlements.
According to Perez family attorneys, the City of Fresno agreed to pay $6 million, while Fresno County ponied up $4 million. The family also reached a confidential settlement with the ambulance company in a deal that didn’t identify the company by name.
In previous court filings, the company has been identified as American Ambulance.
In a statement late Thursday, Fresno police acknowledged that Perez’s 2017 death triggered changes inside the department.
“Following Mr. Perez’ death, the Fresno Police Department updated policy and provided additional training to officers regarding positional asphyxia.”
Read the full Fresnoland story here.
2. Retired Fresno Diocese employees are going back to work
Retired Fresno Diocese employees will no longer receive retirement benefits starting next year as the church tries to claw out from under more than 150 clergy sex abuse claims.
Dozens of Roman Catholic dioceses across the U.S. face tough choices and brutal cuts after finding out their employee retirement plans managed by Christian Brothers Services, a Catholic financial services firm stare down an $800 million shortfall, KVPR reports.
“Christian Brothers provides retirement services for approximately 40,000 employees and retirees, according to the company’s website,” KVPR reports. “The pension shortfall reportedly affects more than 180 church-based organizations.”
And now some retirees are already heading back to work to make ends meet.
3. Inside Fresno’s freeway history
Advocates from multiple communities joined Fresnoland reporter Julianna Morano to discuss how highway construction in Fresno forced out multiple communities, transforming both the city and the people.
Facing Fresno is an initiative by the Central Valley Community Foundation and Fresno DRIVE to engage with the community to explore racism and its history within Fresno. Julianna, who serves as Fresnoland’s labor and economy reporter, hosted Thursday evening’s event and was joined by panelists Gwendalynn Morris, Van Der Mugrdechian and Kathy Omachi.
Gwendalynn Morris: “They got rid of the housing and the businesses long before they put the freeways in, so, the blight happened before the freeways came, and then, the destruction of the communities.”
— Diego Vargas, education reporter
Read the full Fresnoland story here.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Danielle Bergstrom.
