Good morning! It’s Thursday, March 12. This is Rob & Omar.
In like a lamb? Sunny, clear and almost 80 degrees today! NOAA
New ride: Fresno police get a new helicopter. YourCentralValley
Taco Thursday! Tacos El Cabezon unveils its new downtown location today beginning at 1130 am — and the first 100 customers get a free taco! The wildly popular taco truck opens its first brick-and-mortar spot today at 1234 Fulton St. Tacos El Cabezon
That’s Fair: The first round of shows have been announced for the Big Fresno Fair. ABC30
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
1. Fresno Unified adds more to the chopping block
A lot of numbers have been tossed around since Fresno Unified announced major layoffs this year amid declining enrollment, Fresnoland’s Diego Vargas reports.
At the district’s school board meeting Wednesday night, Fresno Unified Chief Financial Officer Patrick Jensen said about 500 positions at Fresno Unified will be impacted by cuts.
About 200 of those positions, Jensen said, are filled, and the district plans to offer alternative jobs or hours to them moving forward. The rest are either vacant, or soon to be vacant due to forthcoming retirements.
At the board meeting, students from Roosevelt High School’s fashion design program spoke in front of the Fresno Unified school board, urging them to not cut their program. They told the board they heard the program could “sunset” by the end of the year.
2. Fresno jurors award $15 million in discrimination lawsuit
A Fresno jury came down hard on City Hall this week, awarding more than $15 million to two former workers who sued over racial discrimination in the city’s code enforcement division, The Fresno Bee reports.
La-Kebbia “Kiki” Wilson received $15 million and Charles Smith received $400,000 in connection with the workplace discrimination lawsuit, which included allegations that Smith witnessed a supervisor – Howard Lacy – use the “N word” in a conversation about Wilson, who is Black.
Both former workers said they faced harassment and retaliation in connection with the complaint.
City Hall is expected to appeal the award.
3. Central Valley high school students train as 911 dispatchers
California’s first-ever mobile dispatch center could soon be coming to a high school near you, KVPR reports.
The Fresno County Superintendent of Schools recently unveiled the trailer for students in a career technical education program. The trailer travels to high school campuses across the Valley that offer criminal justice courses. Stops are planned in Clovis, Caruthers, Mendota, and other towns in Fresno and Madera counties.
Students receive training early, and prepare them for careers in public safety and students earn college credit after completing 20 hours in the AI-based call simulator.
An AI program fabricates an emergency call, students answer the phone, ask questions, and gather details, just like professional dispatchers.
This kind of training is becoming increasingly important, KVPR says, with a national shortage of emergency dispatchers.
Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad edited today’s newsletter.
