COALINGA – The West Hills Community College District (WHCCD), in partnership with numerous agencies, is launching Essential Elements for the Future of the San Joaquin Valley, a premier three-part public affairs series that will gather California’s public policy and private sector leaders to confront the crises and challenges in the Valley. The first action session [...]

CHICAGO, March 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – One in six (17 percent) hiring managers spend 30 seconds or less, on average, reviewing resumes, according to a new CareerBuilder survey. A majority (68 percent) spend less than two minutes. With so little time to capture interest, even a candidate’s word choice can make a difference. The nationwide sample of employers [...]

NEW YORK, March 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – Brands associated with delivering the entertainment content we want, when we want, are rapidly increasing their brand equity, according to findings from the 2014 Harris Poll EquiTrend® (EQ). An examination of the 100 highest rated brands for 2014 shows brands that enable consumers to personalize their entertainment content and scheduling are growing [...]

FRESNO – Recognized as the healthcare leader performing the highest level cardiac procedures in the region, Community Regional Medical Center was recently awarded a 3-star rating for coronary artery bypass graft from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). STS enhances the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest quality patient care through education, research, [...]

FRESNO – The 27th annual Kids Day benefiting Children’s Hospital Central California hit its fundraising goal of $485,000, which is a new record for the event. Kids Day is sponsored by The Fresno Bee and ABC30. Nearly five thousand volunteers in 20 communities throughout the valley sold Kids Day special edition newspapers, which featured compelling stories [...]

NEW YORK, March 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – Planning for retirement is something that weighs heavily on the minds of many Americans, according to a new nationwide survey conducted for TheStreet (NASDAQ: TST) by GfK1. Despite the fact that the majority of those surveyed (85%) think that they need to make sacrifices in the short term in order to save [...]

VISALIA - The Visalia Chamber of Commerce is now accepting nominations for its first annual Emerging Leaders of the Year Award. This award focuses on the contributions young professionals make to the local community through volunteerism and community activities, strides they are making to better themselves via professional development activities and their professional accomplishments. Nominations can [...]

WASHINGTON, March 11, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — With the help of the Small Business Administration’s Surety Bond Guarantee program small construction firms were awarded in fiscal year 2013 more than $1.2 billion in contracts. This number represents a 61 percent increase over fiscal year 2012.  SBA also guaranteed bonds for public and private contract bids valued at $4.9 billion, resulting in [...]

LONDON, March 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — The trading session on Thursday, March 06, 2014, ended on a mixed as the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished at 16,421.89, up 0.38% and the NASDAQ Composite closed at 4,352.13, down 0.13%. The S&P 500 finished the session 0.17% higher at 1,877.03. The gains were broad based with seven of ten sectors [...]

TULARE – The Tulare County Board of Supervisors announced today Lisa Bertolino has been appointed to permanently fill the public defender position. Bertolino was appointed interim public defender in December 2013 following Michael Sheltzer’s appointment by Gov. Jerry Brown to serve a judgeship in Tulare County Superior Court. “Based on her experience within the department, [...]

IRVINE, Calif., March 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — New-car shoppers in the market for a cool and fun-to-drive car that won’t put a hole in their pocket will be happy to know the expert editors at Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the [...]

HANFORD/REEDLEY/SELMA – Adventist Health is launching an innovative program focusing on volunteer service and career development for high school and college age youth this summer. Discover Health Care Volunteers, which will run from June through August, is designed to expose youths to health care careers. Registration for the program is now open, and the deadline [...]

    Over 50 Valley companies filled the ballroom of the Veterans Memorial Building to showcase their products and services as they gain new leads and customers and network with other businesses.

FRESNO – Applications are now being accepted for a new fund established by Fresno State President Joseph I. Castro to help students facing unexpected financial setbacks. The “Good Samaritan Fund” offers monetary assistance to enrolled students dealing with hardships like robbery, fire or a crashed computer.  “When a student’s finances are low, these kinds of [...]

MENLO PARK, Calif., March 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – During the NCAA basketball tournament, companies that allow employees to celebrate March Madness at work may emerge as the real winners, a new OfficeTeam survey suggests. Nearly one-third (32 percent) of senior managers interviewed said activities tied to the college basketball playoffs boost employee morale, and more than one-quarter (27 [...]

Irvine, Calif., March 5, 2014 / PRNewswire / — CoreLogic® (NYSE: CLGX), a leading residential property information, analytics and services provider, today released its January CoreLogic Home Price Index (HPI®) report. Home prices nationwide, including distressed sales, increased 12 percent in January 2014 compared to January 2013. This change represents 23 months of consecutive year-over-year increases in home [...]

FRESNO – The American Red Cross Central Valley Region has launched The Pillowcase Project, a pilot in school and after-school programs to teach third through fifth graders and their families how to prepare for disasters. The Central Valley Region is one of 60 Red Cross chapters that will pilot the program. The program will launch nationwide [...]

HANFORD – Two Hanford volunteer groups have pledged to give $200,000 to the Kings Regional Health Foundation to benefit the new Adventist Health / Family Birth Center. Adventist Health Vice President of Mission and Community Development Charles Sandefur and Foundation Director Jill Caviezel-Hoots accepted a gift of $50,000 from the Adventist Medical Center – Hanford Volunteer [...]

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Although sleep problems persist among many American children, parents can make a difference by setting boundaries around electronics use, enforcing rules and setting a good example. These are the latest findings from the National Sleep Foundation’s (NSF) Sleep in America poll, an annual study that began in 1991. The 2014 poll [...]

FRESNO – This Thursday, the Fresno Chamber of Commerce will host the 2014 Valley Business Awards Luncheon to honor community leaders and local entrepreneurs making their mark.  This event serves as a platform to celebrate the best Fresno has to offer through the presentation of several of the Chamber’s most prestigious awards. The luncheon will [...]