It’s Thursday, Aug. 28. Omar here, again! Wishing you A/C wherever you are today!
😩 More August sun: We’ve got a high of 97 degrees today, again. The brunt of that heat will be between 2 and 6 p.m., just when school’s over and people get off of work. Grrr!!
📚 More library news, but this time in Reedley: County leaders will break ground on a new library in Reedley in a ceremony today at 1813 11th St. at 11 a.m.
1. Fresno Unified falls short on literacy goals
Fresno Unified fell short on kindergarten and first grade literacy goals, according to a districtwide review, Fresnoland’s Diego Vargas reports.
FUSD Superintendent Misty Her told the school district’s trustees in a meeting last evening that she’s learning a lot, and has been working with a first grade teacher to figure out effective strategies in the classroom.
For schools that fell short of literacy goals, Her said the district is rolling out a step-by-step improvement plan to emphasize foundational skills and increase staff training.
FUSD Superintendent Misty Her: “We have strategically paired leaders from high performing schools with those in need of support, with the goal of replicating and adapting successful approaches to improve outcomes across our district.”
2. Garnet Fire billows near Yokuts Valley
Firefighters are still trying to get a handle on the Garnet Fire in the Sierra National Forest, now burning through 13,394 acres with 0% containment as of Thursday morning, according to fire officials.
The Garnet Fire grew a considerable amount in the last 24 hours — it was sized up at just over 9,000 acres yesterday, according to CalFire. The fire is about 10 miles away from Yokuts Valley.
Evacuation orders have been issued for parts of the Sierra National Forest east, west and north of the fire, according to Fresno County’s Garnet Fire evacuation map.
On Friday, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors are set to approve a proclamation declaring a state of emergency during a special meeting.
3. Bigger debates on Measure C renewal ahead
The Measure C renewal process continues to chug along, with the steering committee mostly concluding its debate Thursday over what broad categories should receive funding under the regional transportation sales tax plan for Fresno County.
Most categories will look fairly similar to the 2022 version of the measure that failed to receive voters’ approval. In no particular order, they include: existing neighborhood roads, public transportation, active transportation, regional connectivity, administration and “other.”
Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano tuned into the 38-member committee’s meeting Wednesday, where participants voted on potential subcategories within those bigger buckets — anything from light rail under public transportation to sidewalk and pedestrian safety under existing neighborhood roads.
But now comes the even harder part: deciding what percentage of the multibillion-dollar measure each of those categories should get. That is supposed to be discussed at the committee’s September meetings, according to a revised timeline.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Danielle Bergstrom.
