Local News

Selma Fire Department & the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation Bring Burn Prevention Education to Schools

SELMA - In May 2018, the Selma Health Care District granted the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation $16,142.00 to bring the Fire Firefighters in Safety Education (F.I.S.E.) Program, a program that teaches fire safety and burn prevention to preschool and elementary school students, to the City of Selma.

In partnership with the Selma Fire Department, the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation has reached more than 12,000 studentsenrolled in the eight elementary schools in the Selma School District with vital fire and burn prevention messages like “Stop, Drop and Roll,” Cool-A-Burn, Crawl Low and Go in Smoke, Importance of Smoke Alarms, Toys vs. Tools and How to Dial 911 since beginning the program since 2014.

Former Bookkeeper and Associate Sentenced to Prison for Embezzling More Than $1 Million from Fresno Business

FRESNO - U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd sentenced Brandi Marshall, 41, of Fresno to four years and three months in prison, and Daniel Barrios Jr., 37, of Fresno to two years and seven months in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud and conspiracy to launder money in connection with their embezzlement of money from a Fresno business, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, Marshall was employed as the company’s bookkeeper between October 2014 and March 2016 and was responsible for, among other things, receiving and depositing checks from customers to pay their invoices. During that time, she and Barrios misappropriated more than 100 checks and fraudulently deposited them into Barrios’ personal bank account.

Cool Hand Luke's Shuts Doors in Madera & Turlock

MADERA – Around one o’clock this afternoon with customers eating their lunch the owner of Madera’s Cool Hand Luke’s Steak House and locked the doors. While employees knew that today would be the last day the restaurant would be open, none of them knew at what time they would be out of a job.

According to employees that contacted Big Valley News the restaurant, owned by Tom Pilloud of Fresno, was having issues with vendors and employees. One former employee said she would try to cash her payroll checks but she wasn’t sure if it would bounce or not.

PETA Calls for Investigation of Local Slaughterhouse

MADERA - Armed with a damning U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report, PETA sent s letter today calling on the Madera County District Attorney's Office to investigate and, as appropriate, file criminal charges against JJ Meat Company and the worker or workers responsible for the botched stunning of a calf.

The letter follows a second report released just yesterday revealing that on April 25, workers at the slaughterhouse dragged a conscious goat by the back legs into the blood pit. According to the first USDA report, on April 3, an inspector discovered a calf who'd been improperly shot in the head crying out in the blood pit and attempting to stand up.

President Of Health Care Company Based In Fresno And Visalia Pleads Guilty To Illegal Use Of Client Funds

FRESNO - Mark Merrill Reynolds, 62, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to unlawfully converting to his own use client funds held by his company, Ben-E-Lect, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to court documents, Reynolds was the president and sole shareholder of Ben‑E-Lect and Ben-E-Lect of Visalia.

These companies operated in Fresno and Tulare Counties. Ben-E-Lect’s clients were small to medium sized businesses that purchased high‑deductible, fully insured group medical plans from independent insurance carriers, and then self‑insured beneficiaries for amounts up to the amount of the high deductible. Ben-E-Lect processed the claims using funds that its clients paid into an account known as the Ben-E-Lect Employer Elect account.