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FRESNO, Calif. — It was the sound of a wailing cat that first caught the neighbor’s attention. When she looked toward the sound she told authorities that she saw her next-door neighbor cutting off the crying feline’s head with a knife. The call she subsequently made to deputies started a bizarre animal cruelty investigation that has focused attention from around the country on a working-class neighborhood in a Bakersfield suburb where a man allegedly was fileting cats and cooking them on his backyard barbecue. “I’ve been getting calls on this from around the country,” Kern County Sheriff’s spokesman Ray Pruitt...

Bishop Armando X. Ochoa Fresno, Calif., Dec 1, 2011 / 01:58 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Bishop Armando X. Ochoa of El Paso, Texas was named today as the new bishop of Fresno, Calif. by Pope Benedict XVI.“I am humbled and deeply honored that the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, would offer me this new challenge at my age,” said Bishop Ochoa, who will fill a position left vacant by the death of Bishop John Steinbock in December 2010. Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the Vatican's recently appointed representative to the U.S., made the announcement in Washington D.C. on Dec. 1.Bishop Ochoa...

<p>A Fresno Pacific University basketball player went on a naked rampage Monday night near campus after being told that he had been kicked off the team, Fresno police said Tuesday.</p> <p>Leonard Tyrell Young, 21, ran naked through a convenience store parking lot, tried to steal a police car, beat a police officer and police dog and withstood three Taser strikes before finally being subdued, police said.</p>

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno County is getting armed as the number of concealed weapons permits is rising drastically. "I hear it's the number one issue of importance to people in Fresno County -- to be able to legally carry a concealed weapon," said Sheriff Margaret Mims. The numbers show the increase has been dramatic. Last year, the Mims's office issued about 1500 concealed weapons permits. Through July of this year, the number was already about 1900. That puts the county on pace to issue more than 3000 permits in 2011. Fresno County is now second in the state in...

Sutter County jurors on Wednesday found a Fresno man not guilty on all counts in the March shooting of Obadiah Samuel Mitchell at the Yuba City IHOP restaurant. Jessie Hipolito Pena, 44, was charged with attempting to murder Mitchell after confronting him inside the restaurant for using profanity. Jurors could have found Pena guilty of the lesser charge of attempted voluntary manslaughter but also rejected that option. The jury forewoman declined comment as she left the courtroom, but another member of the panel, Ashley Yetter of Yuba City, said jurors felt evidence was insufficient to indicate whether Pena acted in...

Official Calls For Riverside, 12 Other Counties To Secede From California Link to Article and Poll New state would have no term limits, part-time legislature July 1, 2011 10:24 AM RIVERSIDE (CBS) — Is the state of California about to go “South”? Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone apparently thinks so, after proposing that the county lead a campaign for as many as 13 Southern California counties to secede from the state. Stone said in a statement late Thursday that Riverside, Imperial, San Diego, Orange, San Bernardino, Kings, Kern, Fresno, Tulare, Inyo, Madera, Mariposa and Mono counties should form the new...

Public outrage over lavish government employee compensation and pensions is becoming more heated as new revelations about excesses seem to crop up every week. The latest: Newport Beach, California, where some lifeguards have compensation packages that exceed $200,000 and where these "civil servants" can retire with lucrative government pensions at age 50. Newport Beach has two groups of lifeguards. Seasonal tower lifeguards cover Newport’s seven miles of beach during the busy summer months. Part-time seasonal guards make $16 to $22 per hour with no benefits. They are the young people who man the towers and do the lion’s share of...

Gus Zernial, the former major league slugger who settled in Clovis after his 11-year career ended and became a sports broadcaster and one of the Fresno Grizzlies' biggest advocates, died Thursday after a long illness. He was 87.

Gov. Jerry Brown announced this afternoon that he is closing three field offices, including Fresno's, and will not have a cabinet secretary or deputy cabinet secretaries. Brown ... is reducing his press and communications staff and closing field offices in San Diego, Fresno and Riverside.

Environmentalism: Fresno, Calif., stands as the de facto capital of California's mighty Central Valley, the breadbasket of America. So why is that city preoccupied with winning a $1 million prize to stave off hunger? Local newspapers and Fresno County officials are trying to rally Facebook users to vote for Fresno in a corporate contest sponsored by Wal-Mart for $1 million in charity food donations for the hungry. Fresno, a city of 505,000, has taken the national lead because 24.1% of Fresno's families are going hungry. Civic spirit is good, but something big is wrong here. Fresno is the agricultural capital...

They called it "dozing for dollars." Pilots with the California Air National Guard 144th Fighter Wing based in Fresno had a lucrative arrangement: After their normal day jobs flying F-16 Fighting Falcon warplanes, they often grabbed shifts on alert at full pay. Alert duty is akin to what firefighters do at the station house, waiting for an alarm to sound. Pilots must be available to "scramble" – intercept enemy air attacks, or intervene in another emergency.

CLOVIS, Calif. (AP) — It has become a never-ending heartache within the hallways of Buchanan High School: news that another former student has died in Iraq or Afghanistan. Eight former students have been killed in the two wars, including a Marine sergeant who will be laid to rest Saturday after dying Dec. 2 of a head wound in Afghanistan. The community in the heart of California's farm country has become all-too-familiar with the rituals of grief that have followed each death — tearful remembrances, flag-draped coffins, candlelight vigils. The school even built a memorial garden where the names of the...

FRESNO (AP) — The trial has been pushed back for a Central California high school wrestler charged with the sexual battery of an opponent during a practice match. Defense lawyer Stephen Quade told the Fresno Bee that his 17-year-old client is now scheduled to go to trial on Jan. 13 in juvenile court. The trial had been set to start Thursday.

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that air quality regulators in California's smog-laden San Joaquin Valley have the right to charge home builders a fee to control their pollution emissions. A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco upheld the local air district's rule requiring developers to reduce emissions from new housing projects by building features like bicycle lanes and energy-efficient cooling systems. If they don't do enough to preserve air quality, they must pay fees that have averaged about $500 per house. The valley, stretching 240 miles from Stockton...

Pedro Ramirez, Fresno State's student body president, is an undocumented immigrant serving in the position without pay. Ramirez, 23, attends school on scholarships and pays in-state tuition. California is one of 10 states that permit undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition -- a position that was upheld by the state Supreme Court this week. After his election last June, he told the administration he would serve without pay -- a $9,000 stipend -- because he could not lie on employment papers. On Tuesday, an anonymous tip to the college newspaper forced Ramirez to go public.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Marilyn Roberts, Deputy Administrator for the Office of Justice Programs' (OJP) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), presented Victor Perez with the AMBER Alert Citizen Award at the National AMBER Alert Symposium in Phoenix, AZ. Victor Perez, of Fresno, CA, responded to an AMBER Alert for an 8-year-old girl who was abducted in a truck from her Fresno home. When Perez saw the truck, he drove his own vehicle in front of it, stopping the driver. The perpetrator pushed the child out of his truck and sped away. The California Highway Patrol...

California's Central Valley To Be First Section Of California's High Speed Rail System The first section will be Merced-to-Fresno or Fresno-to-Bakersfield The bill for the first section will be $4.3 Billion (with "B") and will be a dollar for dollar match with state funds. Trains will travel at speeds of 220 miles per hour, meaning you will get from Merced to Fresno or Fresno to Bakersfield really faaaaast! The trip from Merced to Fresno by car takes 59 minutes. With the new high speed rail system you will be able to make the trip in about 15 minutes - once...

FRESNO, Calif. -- Elections officials in Fresno County say hundreds of thousands of voters are getting ballots that incorrectly describe the ballot measure that would suspend the state's greenhouse gas emissions law. The county's 380,000 voters are being issued ballots that characterize Proposition 23 as requiring "major polluters" to report and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A Sacramento judge threw out that wording earlier this year, and ordered the language to be changed from "major polluters" to "major sources of emissions."

A new SurveyUSA poll shows Democrat Jim Costa trailing Republican Andy Vidak by 10 points, 42% to 52%. Obama won the Fresno-based district with 60% of the vote in 2008, and Cook Political Report has the race rated "Leans Democrat." An interesting fact from Cook (subscription required): "This district is now 67 percent Hispanic, but it also has a serious cultural conservative streak. Proposition 8, the same-sex marriage ban passed statewide [in 2008], garnered 72 percent of the vote here." The provision to fund abortion coverage in Obamacare is probably hurting Costa in this district--SurveyUSA reports that 56% of likely...

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - An eight-year-old girl was playing with a friend in the driveway of the apartment complex where she lived with her family earlier this week. Molestation suspect 24-year-old Gregorio Gonzalez lured the older girl with the promise of gifts -- and then forced her into an older rust-colored Chevrolet pickup truck with white stripes.The girl's mother and a neighbor pursued the girl and her abductor in a vehicle chase, but quickly lost them.Authorities issued an Amber Alert, which quickly escalated to a statewide bulletin about a small girl last seen wearing a purple "Winnie the...

FRESNO -- Authorities have issued an Amber Alert for an 8-year-old Fresno girl who was apparently abducted from her front yard while playing with a friend. The California Highway Patrol says Elisa Cardenas was taken around 8:30 p.m. Monday... ...She was last seen wearing blue jeans and a light purple Winnie the Pooh sweat shirt. Fresno police say the suspect is described as a male around 6-feet tall and in his 20s with a shaved head. He was wearing a white tank top and blue jean shorts and driving an older model, reddish brown Ford two-door pickup truck. The vehicle...

Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman on Tuesday told the San Jose Mercury News editorial board that "Fresno looks like Detroit. It's awful." According to the Mercury News website, Whitman was commenting on Fresno's economic state and the effect of recession on the region, and the former eBay CEO's campaign said as much in a statement released this morning. "It was clear in the interview that Meg was talking about the economic duress in Fresno and the awful pain that results from record high unemployment," Whitman spokesman Andrea Jones Rivera said in an e-mail. "Meg knows that Fresno cannot be left...

Six people are dead and four are in critical condition after an early morning crash of a Greyhound bus Thursday on northbound Highway 99 at McKinley Avenue in Fresno. Two of those dead were men and four were women. The four women were bus passengers and one of the men was the bus driver. The crash occurred just after 2 a.m. California Highway Patrol officer Axel Reyes said the collision was triggered when a Chevrolet Trailblazer overturned in the highway's fast lane and was struck by the bus. The bus, carrying 48 people, then hit a Honda CRV. All three...

Big Mac "The Knife" Foster of Fresno, the son of Mississippi sharecroppers, rose to No. 1 heavyweight contender in 1970 when Americans still ruled boxing and Fresno was a hotbed for the sport. The 6-foot-2 Vietnam veteran with a devastating left hook at one point won 24 straight bouts by knockout and punched it out with Muhammad Ali for 15 rounds in a non-title setback in Tokyo in 1972. On Monday, Mr. Foster died from congestive heart failure. He was 68.

Has Sarah Palin's California visit caused a stir in the Golden State? You betcha! The 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee will take the stage tonight at a fundraiser at California State University, Stanislaus. The university was dogged with questions over how much former Alaska governor is being paid to speak at the gala. Officials said that because the event is being put on by a nonprofit foundation associated with the university, the speaking contract is not subject to disclosure under the state public records laws. The push to release the payment details (and the push-back from the university) involved Dumpster...

Fresno, Calif. (AP) -- A struggling public university in California's farm country is preparing to receive Sarah Palin amid fanfare, protests and months of legal wrangling over the former Alaska governor's appearance.

NOTE The following text is a quote: 2 Fresno-area residents indicted for producing fraudulent identity documents FRESNO, Calif. - Two Fresno-area residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury for producing and selling counterfeit immigration and identity documents as a result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Maria Ines Rangel-Lemus, 55, of Strathmore, Calif., and Cesar Perez Sanchez, 38, of Earlimart, Calif., are named in a multiple count indictment charging them with conspiracy, possession, transfer, production, and sale of fraudulent United States immigration and Social Security identification documents. The two, who face a maximum sentence...

Law: A federal judge has struck a blow for California's water-deprived Central Valley, ruling that draconian federal water cutbacks violate human rights because — surprise! — people also belong in the ecosystem. Next time a concept like, say "death panels" from the federal government seems far-fetched, consider the ordeal California's Central Valley has endured for the past two years. Based on a judicial ruling, some of the most prized and productive agricultural land in the country was turned into a wasteland after its water was shut off. The ruling was derived from an 800-page "biological opinion" put out by regulators...

A federal judge ruled Tuesday in favor of Central Valley farmers and urban water agencies seeking to loosen restrictions on pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a major source of irrigation and drinking water for much of California. U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger in Fresno said the federal government did not properly develop a management plan that restricted water exports to protect endangered salmon, steelhead and other fish. The judge scheduled a hearing Wednesday to determine how much water can be exported without harming threatened fish that migrate through the delta to the Pacific Ocean. Groups representing San Joaquin Valley...

Mayor Swearengin Declares Fiscal Emergency, Delivers Plan to Deal with Budget Shortfall 05/03/2010Mayor Ashley Swearengin today declared a fiscal emergency for the City of Fresno and released a proposed fiscal year 2011 budget that offers a three-pronged plan to address the City’s Fresno’s $30.6 million revenue shortfall. Mayor Swearengin said the fiscal emergency declaration, which will be presented to City Council Thursday for approval, is necessary to allow the City to use its emergency reserves to help meet the daunting budget challenges by paying for one-time expenses related to budget cuts. The proposed $213.2 million general fund budget takes...

Frustrated with our government, 4,000 people joined together at Chukchansi Park in downtown Fresno to say enough is enough. "The biggest problem by far is the federal government is too powerful in our lives. They're bossing us around, telling us what we can and can't do. This country was never setup to be like that," said Steve Brandau of the Central Valley Tea Party. "I'm just disgusted with what's happening to our country. Overspending, overtaxing, it's becoming a socialist country," said Saundra Hawkins. Republican Steve Poizner, who is running for governor, believes he's on the same page as everyone who...

Tomorrow - Saturday - April 10, 2010 Chukchansi Park (stadium) 1800 Tulare St., Fresno FREE ADMISSION Bring a Sign - Bring a Friend - Activities for Kids Speakers: Tom McClintock, Congressman CA 4th Dist John Dennis, running against Nancy Pelosi Brad Roltgen, Tea Party Chuck Devore, running against Barbara Boxer Damon Dunn, running for secretary of state Steve Poizner, running for governor Danny Tarkanian, running against Harry Reid Steve Brandau, America at the Crossroads Sheriff Mack, States' rights Stewart Rhodes, Oath Keepers Ken Miller, running for governor Tim Cox, GOOOH (Get out of our house) G. Edward Griffin, Creature from...

A neighbor can't believe his eyes, so he calls Fresno police. Saturday morning's homicide in southeast Fresno is bizarre to say the least. Just before 8a.m. police responded to an unusual sighting near Jackson and Olive. Fresno Police Lt. John Papaleo told reporters in the field, "when our officers arrived they did locate two individuals or an individual was wheeling a cart that had a deceased person within the cart." Officers immediately held the suspect for questioning. Detectives were there in minutes and began preserving the crime scene close to the shopping cart. The body was removed by the Coroner....

Fresno home-care providers tell how SEIU staff threatened them and changed their ballots to secure a razor-thin advantage in a controversial union election this June. Isn't it ironic that Fresno now has a 45%+ Unemployment rate? We all know Unions pull this type of stuff. I am glad to see more citizens speaking up. I bet they didn't know the farmers in their town would have their water turned off within weeks of this Administration taking office. SEIU bullies these people to voting for Democrats and then used their votes to cripple their town. Video at link.

The likelihood of outrage seems inevitable this year in college football: The BCS controversy, which even President Obama has issued proclamations about, seems ready to explode, since six undefeated teams - two from minor conferences - survive with only three games left in the season. Two conferences, Mountain West and Western Athletic (WAC) are excluded from automatic participation in the BCS, and must compete for one of two wildcard teams, and both still have undefeated teams. But should a team which has gone undefeated and unchallenged take a slot from Alabama or Florida, which are likely to also go undefeated......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvg2chZBEXo Video: “Tea Party Express II - Fresno - Diana Nagy” October 28, 2009 New Song - Take Our Country Back Category: People & Blogs Tags: Tea Party Express II Fresno Diana Nagy New Song Take Our Country Back

The Fresno sheriff's office reported on Monday the arrest of a man who they say broke into a house in broad daylight.

Kickoff Rally a Huge Success!Hi everyone!  We've now launched the Tea Party Express II: Countdown to Judgment Day with a giant rally in San Diego.  It was incredible!!  The crowd was huge - numbering in the thousands!  The sun was shining on this naval town with our rally on the water and the U.S.S. Midway serving as the backdrop.  Sorry Keith Olbermann and any critics of the Tea Party Express - but "We The People" came together in San Diego today and our voice was heard!I can't begin to tell you how exciting the event was and how meaningful...

Boot Camp Oct 24th – www.centralvalleyteaparty.com Saturday - October 24th 2009 8:30 am - 2:00 pm Fresno Fairgrounds A Training Event HOW TO TRANSFORM YOURSELF INTO A GOVERNMENT BUTT KICKING ACTIVIST Four Training Sessions Session One - Activism 1. Street Activism - Scott & Saundra Hawkins 2. Boots on the Ground Activism - Julie Griffiths 3. Precinct Level Activism - Lonny Leitner from American Majority Session Two - Using the New Media Lonny Leitner from American Majority explains how to use Facebook, Twitter and Blogs to advance the Tea Party Movement. From beginner to online activist in one hour. Session...

Steven Ertelt of LifeNews.com reported on Friday that a pro-life activist was assaulted on October 15 by a supporter of abortion in front of the Planned Parenthood in Fresno, California, during a vigil for the nationwide 40 Days for Life campaign. Ertelt also noted that local TV news outlets ignored the story of the assault in their evening broadcasts, brushing it aside either because the victim’s injury wasn’t serious enough, or because they thought a story on “chocolate-covered bacon” was more important. Victor Fierro, director of Latinos4Life, a pro-life organization, was physically attacked by a “pro-choice woman,” according to the...

Tea Party Boot Camp Saturday - October 24th 8:30 am - 2:00 pm Fresno Fairgrounds A Training Event How to transform yourself into a Government Butt Kicking Activist Four Training Sessions Session One - Activism 1. Street Activism - Scott & Saundra Hawkins 2. Boots on the Ground Activism - Julie Griffiths 3. Precinct Level Activism - Lonny Leitner from American Majority Session Two - Using the New Media Lonny Leitner from American Majority explains how to use Facebook, Twitter and Blogs to advance the Tea Party Movement. From beginner to online activist in one hour. Session Three - Health...

The Fresno County Republican Party is under the microscope for campaign contributions to a Southern California Assembly member that a leading political watchdog said look "suspicious." In the spring of this year, the party's Central Committee received $30,000 from members of a San Diego County family, according to the committee's campaign filings. In the same time period, the committee gave a similar amount -- $28,500 -- to Joel Anderson, R-Alpine. Stuart Weil, a member of the Fresno County Republican Central Committee, said the committee took the money from the San Diego County family with no strings attached."Everything is legal," he...

Sorry for the poor quality of the water rally. I didn’t bring a tripod and it’s off VHS tape on a handheld camera. These clips show things you didn’t see on YouTube or on FOX. Everyone’s seen their footang and the crowd. This is how the event was set up and shows the work that went into it. Clip 1 http://www.rhyner.com/video/hannity.avi Clip 2 http://www.rhyner.com/video/hannity2.avi

A farmer in Missouri used a mule to plow his garden every spring. This spring the mule just stopped plowing and stood there defiantly. The farmer begged the mule, asked the mule even pleaded and finally demanded the mule get back to work. In frustration, the farmer called his father and asked for his help. Twenty minutes later his father drives up. When he got out of his pickup truck he retrieved a 3 foot 2x4 from the truck box and walked over to the mule. First he whispered something into the mules ear but the mule didn’t budge. All...

If you plan to attend the protest with Sean Hannity tomorrow and don't know what to wear, print this reversed on a t-shirt iron-on.

Sep 14, 2009 ... Sean Hannity on Thursday will broadcast his national FOX TV show life from the west side of Fresno for a program on California's water that ...

Below is a video of what looks to be a squadron of UFOs in the night sky of Fresno California. Though the UFOs seem to be emulating a conventional aircraft, with flashing lights, look close and you will see that they pass in front of a star or bright object that is literally seen during the pass. There are no breaks in the bright single object which would indicate the formation to be that of a single large aircraft. Additionally, the sighting is absent of any commonly know aircraft sounds that you would here from planes, jets or helicopters in...

Welcome to Mendota, Calif. Its population is 10,000. Most of its families work in farming; the town used to be called the "cantaloupe capital of the world." Today, unemployment hovers around 41 percent. The town is now known as "the food-line capital," says Mendota's mayor, Robert Silva. This is the Dust Bowl, circa 2009. Mendota is located in Fresno County, where July unemployment stood at 15 percent. And even that staggering number is artificially low because of all the temporary employees hired to pick the seasonal vegetables like squash, carrots, tomatoes and peppers. Why are the communities of Fresno County...

Tea Party Night of Action You Wanted Some Action... Right?!? Tuesday Aug 4th 6:30-8:30 pm At: 83 E Shaw Ave Ste. 203 Fresno, Ca 93710 (Right behind Golden One Credit Union on Shaw, between Blackstone and Freeway 41) On the Agenda: 1. Money Stamp... Everyone bring at least $100 in $1 bills (even more if you want) and have fun stamping "Taxed Enough Already" and "End the Fed" on your money... then lets get this money circulating in the community! (Stamps will be sold at end of event) 2. Putting together informational packets for Neighborhood Distribution. We will be stapling...

Sources told KMJ News that Sandra and Gary DeBartolo were stabbed to death, and that their throats had been slashed. That directly contradicts Kerman's police chief, who told reporters last week that the couple had been shot to death.