Good morning! It’s Wednesday, Sept. 10. This is Rob. Happy National TV Dinner Day!
😎Nice: Fresno should get downright pleasant today with highs in the low 80s.
🙋♀️Hi! Dolly, the zoo’s Andean condor chick, has been venturing out of her nest box for the first time since hatching in May, Fresno Chaffee Zoo officials say. Fresno Bee
✈️Honor Flight: Monday was the 32nd time veterans were accompanied on a special trip to the nation’s capitol. KSEE
🎙️Listen up: On today’s episode of KVPR’s Central Valley Daily podcast, Fresnoland’s Omar S. Rashad broke down the ongoing lawsuit between the City of Fresno and the Trump administration over threats to pull federal funding. Click here to listen, or find Central Valley Daily wherever you get your podcasts.
🔥Fire update: The Garnet Fire swelled to more than 50,000 acres with containment listed at just 15% as of Wednesday morning. The fire, which has burned for nearly two weeks, triggered evacuations at Camp Fresno and other areas.
1. Who should pick up the bill?
As Fresno County continues its yearslong scramble to shore-up road and transportation project funding, a new Fresnoland story this morning raises new questions about who should shoulder the neverending burden of street and road maintenance.
The story from Fresnoland’s Julianna Morano and Gregory Weaver notes a 2023 analysis that concluded the U.S. trucking industry should pay about $50 in road maintenance for every dollar spent by non-commercial drivers or residents.
But a Fresnoland review of fees shows the industry actually pays only about 50-cents for every resident dollar, despite causing much greater damage to roads than residential vehicles.
The industry could pay higher fees, but, with surging gas, energy and food prices, the cost of transporting goods across the nation is also climbing.
Experts say that user fees for trucks should be explored — but whether the state, or county should take on that burden, is up for debate.
2. Fresno protesters speak out against Supreme Court ruling
A small group of protesters gathered outside the federal courthouse in Fresno on Tuesday, denouncing this week’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that critics say formalizes anti-Latino discrimination in federal immigration cases.
Several of the Fresno protesters called on all groups to stand with Latinos in the United States, and described the formal denial of race-based due process protections as a slippery slope that could lead to wider policy-based discrimination, Fresnoland’s Gisselle Medina reported.
Rev. Dr. Floyd Harris Jr: “It’s time for us, as a nation, as a people, to continue to stand up, fight back, resist. We know ICE is here. We smell them, we feel them, and we’re here to stand with our Latino community and let them know they’re not alone.”
3. ‘No way to represent all’
The summer-long effort to curb Fresno County government participation in celebrations and holidays ended Tuesday with a divided Board of Supervisors narrowly approving the contentious new rules.
Fresnoland’s Pablo Orihuela was on hand Tuesday at the county’s Hall of Records when the supervisors passed down the 3-2 vote formally recognizing the federal government’s holiday schedule, as well as Cesar Chavez Day, Columbus Day and the Friday after Thanksgiving.
But to formally participate in other events — like the Pride Day celebrations that sparked the issue earlier this summer — county staffers will need to seek board approval beforehand.
Supervisor Nathan Magsig voted in favor of the policy, saying in part: “I think we’ve just shown right now how we have different beliefs, and there’s no way to represent all.”
Today’s newsletter was edited by Danielle Bergstrom.
