Good morning! It’s Friday, March 6. This is Rob.
Play it again: More clear, sunny skies and highs in the 60s, with repeat performances expected over the weekend and early next week. NOAA
Raisin run: The ‘Heard it through the Grapevine’ 5K run is set for 9 a.m. March 21 at Kearney Park. Highway City Community Development
Photo walk: The Central Valley Camera Club invites the public to join them from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, March 8 for the Chinatown Fresno Photo Walk. The free event is open to all ages and experience levels. All cameras, including phones, are encouraged. Central Valley Camera Club
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 County is bucking the wrong trend
While tuberculosis cases decline across California, Fresno and Merced counties report significant jumps in the number of local TB cases, KVPR reports.
The new report, analyzing data from 2024, shows a 34.2% climb in infection reports — 52 cases in 2024 versus 39 one year prior.
And while the 2025 report remains months away from release, local health officials are bracing for another uptick across the central San Joaquin Valley. A county health official told the radio station that Fresno County reported six TB-related deaths last year.
Symptoms range from persistent coughing and weight loss, to prolonged fevers, fatigue and chest pain. But not everybody who contracts TB will even know they’re infected, making spreading the airborne infection more likely.
2. Panel construction to bring more affordable housing near downtown
A groundbreaking ceremony earlier this week celebrated the development of nearly 30 new affordable housing apartments that will be built using an innovative “panelized construction system,” Fresno City Hall shared Thursday.
Built by WCG Development in partnership with Starland Group, the Vernal Group, and Skye’s the Limit Production Wellness Institute, the project places 28 affordable apartments at 510 E. Divisadero St., currently a vacant lot bordering downtown next to the future high-speed rail tracks.
The project comes as Fresno battles both an affordable housing crisis and a homelessness crisis.
Mayor Jerry Dyer attended Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony.
Mayor Dyer: “The project supports the City of Fresno’s housing goals and is intended to contribute to the region’s affordable housing pipeline.”
3. ‘A chapter closing’
Mi Cafesito, the popular Manchester Center coffee shop, says its closing due to a major electrical issue the business wasn’t able to overcome, YourCentralValley reports.
Store owners announced the Manchester closure earlier this week on social media. The shop has been open for more than four years.
The Mi Cafesito location on North Van Ness will remain open.
Mi Cafesito: “Writing this breaks our hearts – Manchester wasn’t just a location. It was where we grew, where we struggled, where we celebrated wins, and where so many of you became family,” the post says in part. “To our amazing regulars, thank you for choosing us over and over again.”
Today’s newsletter was edited by Danielle Bergstrom.
