Good morning! It’s Thursday, Jan. 22. This is Rob.
Same weather and the usual dense fog warnings today. NOAA
The community of Allensworth celebrated the upcoming construction of a new well, along with a 500,000-gallon storage tank and an arsenic treatment system that the community’s 500 or so residents will help their town grow. SJV Water
If you love the hit Netflix show “Stranger Things” and have around $300 for the night — you can stay in this fun AirBnB operated by two local filmmakers in Clovis. The Fresno Bee
Adventist Health Physician Network will end its contract with Santé Community Physicians on Feb. 15, affecting health insurance coverage for patients in Fresno and Kings counties. The Business Journal
1. ICE agents capture Clovis gardener
Federal authorities seized an unidentified Clovis man, described only as “a gardner,” on Monday morning, The Fresno Bee reports.
Clovis police told The Bee that ICE agents notified the city early Monday that immigration agents would be in town. They did not request the assistance of the Clovis Police Department.
Fresno-based community group Faith in the Valley, which operated an ICE-watch network, said the man was stopped in the area of Shepherd and Willow in Clovis. They also reported two other immigration-related detentions in Fresno this week.
Monday’s operation, which The Bee said also included DEA agents, marked the first federal-immigration action in Clovis since Donald Trump returned to the White House a year ago.
Dozens gathered earlier this week, marking the one-year anniversary of Trump’s return to power with a protest condemning his immigration crackdown that promised to focus on the “worst of the worst.”
2. Fresno Unified’s declining enrollment problem
Since the early 2000s, Fresno Unified has lost some 13,000 students, part of a yearslong trend that is now forcing California’s third-largest school district to make deep cuts, KVPR reports.
As Fresnoland first reported back in December, more than 500 district teachers and staff recently accepted an early retirement deal.
Superintendent Misty Her said such retirement incentives hadn’t been offered in more than two decades.
A total of 573 employees accepted the offer, with an estimated savings of roughly $56 million over the next five years.
Currently, the student enrollment at Fresno Unified is around 67,000 students.
In December, Trustee Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas pointed out that though the potential for savings can help in the long run, the departure of hundreds of senior employees saddles the district with a major “brain drain.”
3. Popular restaurant, venue returns
A popular Fresno restaurant is officially back in business after going dark for more than a year.
Starving Artist Bistro, a popular Fresno restaurant that closed in September of 2024, is officially back in business under new management, YourCentralValley reports.
Starving Artist Bistro’s closure was hard on the local arts and performance scene and Fresno-area artists and performers are excited to return to their favorite venue. Customers and local musicians have been seeking updates for months.
Bob Sullivan said: “I’m excited to see the new owners keep the legacy alive, keep the music going in this community, because it was such a large part of this community. It’s what everyone came here for. It was more the camaraderie than it was anything else.”
Today’s newsletter was edited by Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad.
