Local News

California Food Expo Dissolves Operations as Financial and Organizational Constraints Prove Challenging

FRESNO - The Board of Directors of the California Food Expo (formerly the Fresno Food Expo) announced today that they have elected to dissolve the 501 (c) (6) organization and close its operations effective January 31, 2020, citing financial and organizational constraints.

In its nine-year lifetime, the Expo created a nucleus of businesses and individuals who have served as stewards of the San Joaquin Valley and California’s rich food industry. While the California Food Expo will itself no longer operate, the efforts it began will continue to serve as a catalyst for future collaborations, the sharing of resources, and new business opportunities.

Atwater Man Threatens His Own Life After Brandishing Handgun

ATWATER - Early Friday afternoon officers from the Atwater Police Department responded to the area of Ralston Park, on Third Street near Elm Avenue, to a report of a male who had just brandished a handgun at the reporting party.

Officers located the reporting party and his girlfriend who told them that a Hispanic male had just pointed a semiautomatic pistol at them at Ralston Park, threatened to shoot the female and then fled the area on foot. As other officers began searching the area, they called out over the police radio that he had located the subject running through an alley near Drakeley Avenue and Third Street and that the subject was carrying a handgun.

New Supermarket Sets Sights on Northeast Madera

MADERA - Vallarta Supermarkets, a well-known food retailer in the Central and Southern California Hispanic markets, has submitted plans to the City’s Planning Department for review as they plan to expand their 50-store chain empire to the City of Madera.

The new store will be located at 1467 Country Club Drive, most recently a Fallas Paredes Discount Store (previously Mervyn's). The company is working with development services staff to finalize plans that entail an $11+ million dollar remodel of the property. The remodel includes a Santa Barbara mission-style façade improvement with dual entrances to the west side of the building.

Bakersfield Resident Indicted for Illegal Possession of a Sawed-Off Shotgun

FRESNO - A federal indictment was unsealed today that charges Jesus “Shotgun” Paniagua, 37, of Bakersfield, with being a felon in possession of a firearm and failing to register a firearm in the National Firearms Registry, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

On Dec. 19, 2019, a federal grand jury returned the two-count indictment. According to court documents, on Oct. 4, Paniagua, a previously convicted felon, was found in possession of an unregistered 20 gauge shotgun that was less than 26 inches long in violation of federal law.

Nearly All Current DACA Recipients Able to Renew Protections Thanks to Court Order

SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today announced that more than 648,000 Dreamers have been able to renew their Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protections since California secured a preliminary injunction in January 2018. In the two years that have passed since the Trump Administration’s efforts to rescind DACA were blocked nationwide, nearly all current DACA recipients have been able to renew their protections. The data on DACA renewals is published as part of a quarterly report federal immigration authorities are required to file because of the preliminary injunction.

“DACA is an American success story; Dreamers are teachers, healthcare providers, neighbors, leaders, and so much more,” said Attorney General Becerra. “Their heart and tenacity in the face of a concerted effort to rip them from the only home they know is an inspiration. But, it will take all of us working together in our communities and our courts to win the day.”