Good morning! It’s Oct. 24. This is Rob. Happy Friday!
🌞Mostly sunny skies throughout the weekend with daytime highs in the 70s. NOAA
🌼 You are invited to a Celebration of the Cycle of Life hosted by the Central California Environmental Justice Network from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26 at La Milpa de Fresno, 2750 S. MLK Jr Blvd. CCEJN
🎭 More live shows at Warnors Theater: a new partnership between the historic theater and Ineffable Music Group — who manages several other historic theaters across California — promises to bring more live shows downtown. The Fresno Bee
🎁The new Fresno ‘holiday giving machines’ can help families in need. The Business Journal
🛣️ Help Fresno County design safer streets: County officials are inviting residents to participate in a Virtual Community Workshop as part of the County’s Safe Streets and Roads for All Action Plan. The workshop will take place from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29 and will offer simultaneous Spanish translation. Instagram
1. Fresno investigates homeless shelter closure
A day after a Fresnoland investigation raised questions about whether recent layoffs at a Fresno homeless shelter may have violated workers’ rights, the City Attorney’s Office has opened an investigation.
Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz confirmed the investigation in a text message to Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela on Thursday, but declined to elaborate on specifics, citing a need to protect a new investigation.
The Soul Housing shelter abruptly laid off “90%” of its staff with only about 12 hours notice. The law requires at least 60 days notice for mass layoffs and officials have confirmed to Fresnoland that there are no records of the company obtaining or even seeking an exemption from the law.
Fresno’s RH Community Builders scrambled to take over management of the facility, saving the about 150 residents from the possibility of homelessness.
2. California offers college savings accounts
Established in 2019, the CalKIDS program provides all newborns in California with a savings account for college and/or career training later in life.
Fresnoland’s Diego Vargas outlines how parents can claim the accounts assigned to their newborns and how to get the state to add small cash deposits.
The CalKIDS program is available to all children in California born on or after July 1, 2022 and for eligible English learners or low-income students.
Stanley Zeto, with the ScholarShare Investment Board: “It’s the nation’s largest child development account program in the country, we have over 5 million children already enrolled and it represents a public investment of over $2 billion statewide.”
3. Fancher Creek gets a really big Target
A new Target opened in southeast Fresno over the weekend, making it the fifth one in the city, The Fresno Bee reports.
The store is part of the Fancher Creek Town Center development, which is planned to include a new Sprouts, In-N-Out, Michaels and PetSmart down the road, too.
But for now, residents can take a stroll through the completed Target, located along Clovis Avenue. You can’t miss it, along with its massive parking lot.
Mayor Jerry Dyer: “For too long, residents have had to travel 15 to 20 minutes just to do their everyday shopping. Now, with this brand-new store, families finally have convenient access to a full-service retail and grocery experience, right here in their own neighborhood.”
–Omar Rashad, Fresnoland Accountability Reporter
Today’s newsletter was edited by Danielle Bergstrom.
