Good morning! It’s Wednesday, April 1. This is Rob.
Good Day Sunshine: Sunny skies and highs in the 70s today. NOAA
Fresnoland is hiring: That’s right, we’re hiring for our first-ever Senior Revenue Officer to help lead and execute our fundraising strategy with local donors and sponsors. Share with your fundraising friends! Fresnoland
Racial Equity Townhall: California’s Racial Equity Commission with the Governor’s Office will host a town hall in Fresno on Wednesday, April 1 about “addressing racial equity and inequities affecting underserved and marginalized communities.” United Way
Opening Day looms! Kick off the Grizzlies season at the Beer Garden at 5:30 p.m. April 7, with live music from The Stereo Hopeful. Grab a beer and a game voucher for $15, at the Beer Garden, and stick around for fireworks after the game. Tioga Beer Garden
1. ‘It’s just an opportunity to love people.’
Throughout Fresno and Clovis, faith-based coffee houses are becoming more than handy commuter stops for cheap lattes and morning bagels — they’re also community hubs for fellowship, connection and a helping hand.
On any given morning, Fresnoland’s Gisselle Medina notes, the spiritual coffee shops are packed with a mix of paying customers, biblical study groups, prayer meetings and mentorship programs.
While most coffee shops work to maximum profits, many faithful coffee houses focus more on service and outreach while simply trying to break even.
Gisselle spoke with workers and store managers dedicated almost universally to the idea of providing something like a “clean, well-lit place” for anyone who needs to find a quiet moment over a hot beverage. Maybe you need some extra groceries that week. Or help kicking a hard addiction.
EZ-47 Coffee Shop’s Steve Martinez: “It goes back to the community, for people who are trying to get sober, people who need meals. If somebody comes in and they only have part of what it costs, we’ll take care of it. We’re a heart ministry, we do the best we can to provide something for them.”
2. Going up?
With only a handful of public meetings left on the table, the City of Clovis is moving closer to hiking city water rates for the first time in more than 15 years, ABC30 reports.
Residents still have the opportunity to speak up with meetings at City Hall on April 8 and the last meeting on April 20.
City officials have cited runaway inflation and said more money is needed to maintain the city’s infrastructure.
The city’s last water rake hike came in 2009.
If approved, the city would stagger the price hikes over a three-year span, with rates increasing by around 20% each year through 2029.
You can check out the city’s full proposal at its website here.
3. Fresno Unified retirees sue the district
A new class action lawsuit accuses Fresno Unified administrators of failing to adequately include thousands of retirees in the 2023 decision-making process that switched coverage from traditional Medicare-plus benefits to an Aetna Medicare Advantage plan, The Fresno Bee reports.
The district has been clashing with retirees since January when a contract dispute between Community Regional Medical Center and insurance company Aetna forced the temporary disruption of medical coverage for more than 6,000 for FUSD employees who had been promised lifetime benefits.
The district has shifted blame for the issue onto the hospital and insurance company, but teachers and other district workers have said FUSD dropped the ball and have described the service disruption as a form of elder abuse.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad.
