Good morning! It’s Friday, Sept. 19. This is Rob. It’s National Talk Like a Pirate Day!
🌧 Just a little more rain: 40% chance of rain through the morning, and the flood watch is still on until 5:00 p.m. — but the sun should return this afternoon.
🔥Garnet Fire nearing full containment: Containment on the fire was listed at 89% on Thursday and its size was 60,263 acres. The U.S. Forest Service-Sierra National Forest reported that no giant Sequoias were destroyed. Avocado Lake Park reopened to the public on Thursday, according to Fresno County officials.
🚞 One week left! Join Fresnoland in conversation with former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former Santa Monica Mayor Denny Zane, and Fresno City Councilmember Tyler Maxwell to talk LA’s transit expansion. Reserve tickets here.
Museum Day! Celebrate local history and museums from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 20, with several local museums offering free admission, including the Fresno County Historical Museum and the Fresno Art Museum.
Shellfish party: Kingsburg will be throwing a crayfish party with its annual Crayfish Festival on Saturday. KSEE
Some very sad food news: B&K Asian Kitchen, a beloved central Fresno Thai fusion restaurant, plans to close its doors forever on Oct. 4, after nearly four decades. The announcement came Wednesday in a social media post and just months after the family confirmed to The Fresno Bee that the restaurant was for sale. More information here
1. Golden Charter nears completion
Four years after first opening its doors, Fresno’s Golden Charter Academy is set to move into its new permanent campus, Fresnoland’s Diego Vargas reports.
Construction on the new $26 million Golden Charter Academy campus is expected to be completed by next summer, opening across the street from the zoo on Belmont Avenue.
Founded in 2021 by former NFL player and Edison High alum Robert Golden, Golden Charter Academy is a K-8 charter school with an emphasis on environmental conservation.
The school works directly with the Fresno Chaffee Zoo and utilizes the zoo as an extension of the classroom.
Dean David Watson: “Let’s be real, these kids earned this. We want them to go out and let everyone know what this small school in southwest Fresno can do.”
2. Making high-speed rail happen in the Central Valley
As state and federal authorities continue to fight over billions in funding for California’s slow-building high-speed rail, The Fresno Bee has taken a look at the five things the California high-speed rail authority says need to happen for the project to move forward.
The authority plans to start laying down tracks soon in the Central Valley, where construction began more than a decade ago. “The state also will need to move up its plans to connect the Central Valley with the Bay Area and other major urban centers, so high-speed rail might turn a profit and attract private investment,” The Bee says.
The project’s plans have been dramatically overhauled since voters first approved a multi-billion bond to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco in 2008.
3. New industrial complex in west central Fresno secures first tenant
The 833,000 square foot Westgate Industrial Center, under construction now in west central Fresno, has landed its first tenant, reported The Business Journal.
The developer, Scannell Properties, did not share the name of the tenant. They’ll be leasing nearly 250,000 square feet of industrial and warehouse space.
The industrial project initially faced concerns from residents and environmental justice groups over pollution resulting from truck traffic. A lawsuit against the project was ultimately dropped.
Fresno County Economic Development Commission CEO Will Oliver: “Once projects like Scannell’s are entitled and built, interest quickly follows and companies commit. This is further proof of the region’s momentum in attracting investment and jobs.”
This newsletter was edited by Danielle Bergstrom.
