Good morning! It’s Monday, Feb. 2. This is Rob.
New month, same weather. Dense fog in the morning, followed by highs in the 60s. NOAA
Highway 99 reopens following a 59-vehicle crash near Earlimart on another foggy weekend morning. YourCentralValley
Parts of the Fresno City College campus will be closed on Monday following a reported car crash that damaged water lines in Parking Lot K. ABC30
The FBI served a search warrant at a shutter lab in Reedley early Sunday, following a raid on a suspected Las Vegas biolab. KMPH
El Premio Mayor will celebrate the grand opening of a new location for the restaurant at 3110 E. McKinley Ave. on Tuesday, Feb. 3. El Premio
The Fresno Grizzlies invite interested applicants to a job fair at the ballpark on Feb. 7. Instagram
1. First-of-its-kind study examines Fresno’s Southeast Asian businesses
Alongside several partners, Access Plus Capital is launching the first-ever study of Southeast Asian businesses in Fresno County.
The new study of Fresno County’s Southeast Asian businesses will be the first of its kind in both the county and the state, assessing needs and, hopefully, unlocking resources for the businesses owned by members of Fresno’s large Southeast Asian population, Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano reported.
Advocates, business owners and residents welcomed the news and urged their peers to participate.
Pao Yang, president of the Fresno Center: “It’s long overdue in the county of Fresno, long overdue probably in the state of California, long overdue in this country to gather data that is so vital to the success of our economy. I didn’t say ‘Southeast Asian economy,’ but our economy as a whole.”
2. Protests continue in Fresno
Protests in Fresno continued over the weekend, and in many places across the U.S., as anger grows against the Trump Administration’s anti-immigrant crackdown that has resulted in record-high immigration custody deaths and the killing of at least two U.S. citizens.
Protests kicked off above Highway 41 on Friday afternoon and continued into the evening where more than 200 people marched in downtown Fresno protesting ICE and its tactics, Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad observed.
That followed a mass walkout Friday afternoon at Fresno Unified high schools.
Fresno has seen a large and growing number of protests over the last year against Trump Administration policies and executive orders that have triggered widespread anger and fear.
But Fresno, like the rest of the country, also remains divided in the Rorschach test reality of 2026. Members of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, led by Board Chair Garry Bredefeld, have made a special point to stand behind ICE and the Border Patrol.
3. New troubles at Starving Artists Bistro
Just weeks after reopening, a popular Fresno live music venue may have to shut down permanently, the Business Journal reports.
Starving Artists Bistro owner Tony Gomez told the Journal he remains hopeful for a solution but acknowledges the tough setback and uncertain future ahead.
Gomez said he learned that week that the liquor licenses transferred from the previous owner don’t permit a live music venue.
Owner Tony Gomez: “It’s huge for us because we’re disappointing people that were already booked for us. This could change at any time.”
Today newsletter was edited by Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad.
