Good morning! It’s Friday, Sept. 4. This is Rob.
Editor’s note: Toplines will take a day off Monday in honor of the Labor Day holiday and return Tuesday, Sept. 8.
Council takes next steps on data center ban: At Thursday’s Fresno City Council meeting, councilmembers took up the data center ban and discussed the South SEDA finance study for several hours. Check back later this morning for the full story from Fresnoland.
“How we gonna pay?” Fluctuations in the Fresno-Clovis rental market are falling along income lines, with pricier leases climbing and lower-income apartment rates slacking. The Business Journal
Stutter steppin: United Skates of America in Clovis is renovating and will be closed for at least the month of September as the work gets underway. ABC30
OnlyFresnoFans? Fresno-area residents spent nearly $12 million on OnlyFans, according to a global analysis. The Business Journal
Cheers! Oktoberfest is just around the corner so, mark your calendars for Saturday, Sept. 19 for a day of “ice-cold beer, live music, delicious food, and unforgettable Good Times” at Barrel House Brewing at the River Park Shopping Center. Barrel House
Folklife: The Alliance for California Traditional Arts brings a three-day folklife festival to downtown Fresno next month. YourCentralValley
‘Horrible sanity’: A Night of Poe is a “hauntingly immersive evening where Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous tales come alive through immersive theater, live music, theatrical storytelling, and expertly crafted cocktails,” over the course of a 90-minute journey, where actors, musicians, and performers weave together reimagined stories, atmospheric soundscapes, and immersive theatrical moments.” The event is set for Sept. 25 and 26. Tickets are on sale now.
1. Restored
Fresno Unified tried to snuff out a brewing field trip controversy this week when the superintendent reversed course on the decision to cut $2 million in spending on student field trips.
Speaking with reporters during Thursday’s news conference, Superintendent Misty Her said she wanted to dispel “misinformation” in connection with the cuts, stressing that the district still has numerous enrichment programs apart from the trips where students can have experiences during school breaks and summer and winter camps.
The Foundation for Fresno Unified Students stepped up to shell out the additional cash. The Foundation caught national attention in 2022 when it received a $20 million donation in 2022 from McKenzie Scott, a philanthropist and ex-wife of Jeff Bezos.
Her: “I understand that many of you learned about the change to our centralized field trip program in August, just as the school year was beginning and this is not how you should have heard it, when something affects your child, you should hear it directly and promptly from Fresno Unified and I realize that it did not happen in this way, and so for that I take full responsibility.”
Read the full story from Fresnoland here.
2. Treat yourself?
Friday is a pretty good day for a treat.
Treating yourself is exactly that; you don’t need to share your treat with anyone. It’s your treat, on your time, at your pace. There’s no wrong way to treat yourself — something small, personal and feels like a reward.
The ‘Little Treat Culture’ trend emerged several years ago but remains a solid spontaneous remuneration for enduring routine challenges.
Here’s Fresnoland’s staff guide to some of the treats we reserve for the moments we are able to step out of the circulation of information.
3. ICYMI: Fresno’s childcare commission gets to work
Wednesday’s inaugural meeting of the City of Fresno’s Commission on Family Affordability and Childcare Access formally introduced an 11-person panel that will spend the next year looking for affordable child care solutions.
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said that the city typically doesn’t contribute to programs like these, choosing to instead focus on bettering the lives of local residents through investments in public safety, road infrastructure and public safety.
The commission is part of a plan by Councilmember Tyler Maxwell introduced in June ahead of the city’s budget hearings. He secured a one-time city contribution of $2 million toward a one-year pilot program between the City of Fresno and First 5 Fresno County aimed at addressing local childcare issues.
Maxwell: “Childcare is not simply a family issue. It is also an economic workforce and community issue as well.”
Read the full Fresnoland story here.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Danielle Bergstrom.
