Morning! It’s Wednesday, April 22. Omar here!
No more rain: We’ve got a high of 69 degrees today, as part of a slight warming trend in Fresno that will keep clouds in our skies, but no rain. NOAA
Tornado touchdown? In Fresno? According to KMPH, two tornadoes touched down in Fresno and Madera counties yesterday. KMPH
1. Fresno County extends partnership with Arts Council
In the wake of a $1.8 million embezzlement scandal, the Fresno Arts Council, now with new leadership and half the staff it had a year ago, is trying to move on and continue its mission of supporting the local arts scene.
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved extending a partnership with the Fresno Arts Council on Tuesday, Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela reports. This allows the Arts Council to still apply for state grants, which could bring $45,000 to $90,000 to the arts nonprofit, according to a county staff report.
At the Tuesday supervisors meeting, Andrea Mele, the arts council’s interim executive director, said the arts nonprofit now has an outside accounting firm that will oversee the organization’s funding and manage transactions for it.
The vote happened to take place just one day after the Fresno Arts Council’s former bookkeeper pleaded guilty to one felony count of wire fraud for embezzling $1.82 million from the organization over the span of more than three years.
2. Fresno olive oils, ranked
Ever tried local olive oils before? Yeah! Local Fresno County farms make that.
It’s not just an imported product you hope is on sale at Costco — so Fresnoland’s Vince Mancini tested five different olive oils and compared them to fancier imported brands.
The verdict? Local Fresno olive oils can hang with the fancy brands.
The brand with the highest marks in our olive oil guide is Bari Traditional’s extra virgin olive oil from the local Simonian Farms. Check out our olive oil rankings to see how the others compared.
3. Downtown restaurant tries to stay afloat amid street closures
Trying to stay afloat amid street closures may be the greatest test of resilience for Fresno restaurant Libelula, The Fresno Bee reports.
As if opening up in 2019 only to have to navigate an economic downturn during the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t enough for the downtown Fresno restaurant, high speed rail construction is now the latest challenge for the business.
Road closures over the next year will close Broadway right in front of Libelula and decrease foot traffic for the restaurant. Chef Ian Cookson said that could put his establishment out of business.
Cookson took to Instagram to share the gravity of the situation for Libelula, and it’s led to an outpouring of supportive messages and resurging patronage.
Chef Ian Cookson: “As heartbreaking as this is, it was really heartwarming to see everybody come here and show support.”
Today’s newsletter was edited by Danielle Bergstrom.
