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Good morning, Fresno!
It’s Friday, May 30. Happy National Creativity Day, to those who celebrate!
Checking outside this morning — it’s hot. A National Weather Service heat advisory kicks in at 11 a.m. today, ending early Sunday. Expect a high today of 102 and 105 on Saturday, with the extreme heat triggering health and safety warnings and cooling centers in Fresno and Clovis.
Yesterday, the Trump Administration released a lengthy list of California cities and counties it claims are so-called “sanctuary” communities that could lose funding if they refuse to cooperate with federal immigration agents — and Fresno made the list.
The problem is that Fresno isn’t a sanctuary city — and neither are a lot of the other ruby red cities and counties scattered across the Central Valley and the North State that somehow landed on President Donald Trump’s list.
Interestingly, while the City of Fresno made the list, Fresno County was one of just 10 California counties to be excluded.
Not surprisingly, Clovis — which recently flirted with declaring itself an anti-sanctuary city — did not make the list, but Huntington Beach, which actually went ahead and declared itself a “non-sanctuary city” in January somehow made Trump’s list.
For more on this developing story, check back later today with Fresnoland.
New this morning, in a split vote late Thursday, the Fresno Council of Governments’ policy board agreed to continue working to reach a compromise on how the county should go about handling its final bid to rescue Measure C — a crucial county-wide transportation tax that has funded local projects for nearly 40 years, that is set to expire in 2027. Check out the full story below from Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela.
And things are getting weird at Fresno Unified where, this week, newly-minted Superintendent Misty Her acknowledged that the district’s main spokesperson, Nikki Henry, used artificial intelligence to fabricate or gin up bogus quotes and comments attributed to the Fresno Teachers’ Association. It’s the latest bizarre chapter in a growing feud between the new superintendent and the teacher’s union that opposed her appointment vehemently. ABC30
Tensions continue to mount over this weekend’s 2025 CIF Track and Field Championships set to take place at Buchanan High School in Clovis over the participation of a transgender female high school athlete from the Inland Empire. On Thursday, local elected officials called for the high school student to be excluded from the championship, framing it as an issue of fairness. KVPR
A 15-page Grand Jury report released last week “details several flaws in the current system – including antiquated software and a deficient website” and calls for more transparency for property and homeowners. The Fresno Bee
Later today, the City of Fresno will announce the completion of two “full renovated tot lots” at Roeding Park. The $1.2 million-Measure P-funded project includes new amenities at the Maple Grove and Pine Grove Tot Lots. A news conference is set for 10 a.m. at the park.
OK for now,
Rob
Fresno County transportation board moves towards Measure C tax compromise
Following a contentious meeting last month, county leaders gathered Thursday to share news of thawed tensions in the ongoing political power struggle over the future of the region’s sales tax funding roads and transit. The Fresno Council of Governments’ policy board agreed via split vote to continue working with community […]
Triple-digit heat triggers health and safety warning, opens cooling centers in Fresno and Clovis
Fresno’s first triple-digit weekend lands with a big sweaty thud on Friday with temperatures climbing to around 102. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory through early Sunday. The weekend heat should peak on Saturday at around 105 degrees, an extreme threshold that triggers warnings from public health […]
