FRESNO – Dr. Joseph I. Castro will make his first visit to the World Ag Expo as Fresno State president when the largest annual agricultural exposition of its kind unfolds Feb. 11-13 in Tulare. An estimated 100,000 visitors from 70 countries visit the World Ag Expo each year to learn about agriculture and the latest technologies. [...]

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2014  /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The U.S. Postal Service ended the first quarter of its 2014 fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2013 – Dec. 31, 2013) with a net loss of $354 million. This marks the 19th of the last 21 quarters that it has sustained a loss. Though the Postal Service has been able to grow revenue by capitalizing [...]

VISALIA – Kaweah Delta Health Care District refinanced its 2004 general obligation bonds last week, saving District property owners approximately $6.3 million over the next 20 years. The move followed unanimous support of a resolution approved by the Kaweah Delta Health Care District board of directors during its Jan. 6 board meeting. By leveraging Kaweah [...]

CHICAGO, Feb. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – The U.S. has an estimated 10 million self-employed jobs as of 2013. That’s 6.6 percent of all reported jobs, but down from a high of 7.2 percent in 2006. This is according to a new report from CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists Intl. (EMSI). Self-employment grew rapidly from 2001-2006, adding close to [...]

NEW YORK, Feb. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — As buzz about Bitcoin, a five-year-old cryptocurrency, continues to build, the question is often asked – will consumers embrace this alternative currency? A new nationwide survey conducted for TheStreet (NASDAQ: TST) by GfK1 answers that question with a resounding “no,” showing that consumers do not understand Bitcoin and have little interest in [...]

TULARE – The Tulare County board of supervisors has unanimously proclaimed a local emergency due to the statewide drought, called for state legislators to place a water bond on a future ballot, and formed an ad hoc committee to address future water advocacy strategy. Chairman of the board of supervisors Phil Cox said the proclamation [...]

FRESNO – The board of directors of Central Valley Community Bancorp have announced that separate positions for chief executive officer and president have been established at the bank, and that veteran banker James M. Ford has been named president of the bank effective Feb. 1, 2014. Daniel J. Doyle will continue to serve as president [...]

CHICAGO, Feb. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – Cars.com, the leading online resource for buying and selling new and used cars, today released a list of the top 10 most iconic cars of the past 25 years. The site’s experts compiled the list based on cars that set trends, have unusually expressive styling, performance under the hood and other factors [...]

FRESNO – The board of directors at The Big Fresno Fair recently welcomed newly appointed board members, Dora Westerlund and Linda Mae Balakian Hunsucker, to the 21st District Agricultural Association board of directors. The appointments were made in December and January respectively by California Gov. Jerry Brown. Additionally, the governor also re-appointed Larry Serpa and [...]

NEW YORK, Feb. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Labrador Retriever lovers have spoken!  The American Kennel Club (AKC®) announced today that the intelligent, family friendly breed has taken the #1 spot on the most popular list for the 23rd consecutive year, the longest reign at the top in AKC history. “Owning bigger breeds – an economic indicator of [...]

FRESNO – Community Medical Centers provided nearly $152 million in uncompensated services and programs in fiscal year 2012/2013, equivalent to 12% of its total expenses, according to the nonprofit hospital system’s annual community benefits report filed with the State of California. Community has historically spent more on uncompensated community benefits than all other Fresno-area hospitals [...]

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — As a result of softer same-store sales and customer traffic levels, the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) registered a moderate decline in December.  The RPI – a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry – stood at 100.5 in December, down [...]

FRESNO — Philanthropic support of Fresno State was strong during the 2012-13 fiscal year with the university reporting more than $24.8 million in charitable gift commitments to support scholarships, research, facilities and programs. Gifts to Fresno State also contributed to a record-breaking year of philanthropic support for the California State University system. The CSU received [...]

NEW YORK, Jan. 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – Economic news is plentiful, and depending on who one listens to the economy is getting better, the economy may be sliding backwards or things are stagnant. But, regardless of what the experts think, how do Americans think the economy is going this month? On the whole, their thinking is that it’s [...]

TULARE – The Tulare County Board of Supervisors has announced that Marilyn Kinoshita has been reappointed to an additional four-year term as Tulare County agricultural commissioner/sealer. This will be Kinoshita’s second four-year term. Kinoshita was first appointed to the ag commissioner position in December 2009. Board of supervisors Chairman Phil Cox said Kinoshita’s proven track [...]

NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – More technology professionals in the U.S. enjoyed merit raises over the last year, driving average salaries up in 2013. Average U.S. tech salaries increased nearly three percent to $87,811 in 2013, up from $85,619 the previous year, according to the 2014-2013 Salary Survey from Dice, the leading career site for technology and engineering professionals. Technology [...]

NEW YORK, Jan. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – Data through November 2013, released today by S&P Dow Jones Indices for its S&P/Case-Shiller1 Home Price Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices, showed that the 10-City and 20-City Composites increased 13.8% and 13.7% year-over-year. Dallasposted its highest annual return of 9.9% since its inception in 2000. Chicago also stood out with an annual rate [...]

FRESNO – The number of arriving and departing passengers that used Fresno Yosemite International Airport in 2013 was the highest ever at 1,401,582. This exceeded the previous record of 1,318,493 set in 2007 by 6.3%. This unprecedented growth is a result of the addition of new destinations, the introduction of larger aircraft, and a sustained [...]

FRESNO - Amidst the vast warehouse of Fowler Packing’s busy production line of Halos branded mandarins, City of Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin flanked by members of the Fresno Food Expo Advisory Committee, Union Bank, export advisors and San Joaquin Valley-based food producers announced open registration for the 2014 Fresno Food Expo presented by Union Bank, which [...]

NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — As economic growth strengthens, PwC US anticipates continued momentum in travel activity to boost revenue per available room (“RevPAR”) in 2014. An updated lodging forecast released today by PwC US shows the lodging cycle in a favorable stage, with above average occupancy levels and demand growth that continues to outpace hotel openings. [...]