OAKHURST – Oakhurst Community Park will be filled with scores of booths offering everything from collectibles to local wine samplings and more at the 21st annual Oakhurst Fall Festival, taking place Oct. 12 and 13. The festival, formerly known as the Wine and Chocolate Festival, has grown to encompass so much more than those two, [...]

FRESNO – Toreador Research and Trading, a Fresno based global finance firm, recently had its Large Capitalization Core Fund, ticker TORLX, recognized by Kiplinger as one of the top 10 mutual funds for 2013. Kiplinger, is one of the most respected sources for investment advice and generating financial discussion among individuals. Rafael Resendes, portfolio manager [...]

FRESNO – After a year as a volunteer for Susan G. Komen Central Valley, Kim Kaiser has accepted the top leadership role in the local nonprofit. In her position as board president, Kaiser wants to extend Susan G. Komen Central Valley’s footprint, and increase their presence in surrounding areas.  She said that required substantial fundraising [...]

DALLAS, September 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – HomeVestors, also known as the “We Buy Ugly Houses®”company, and Local Market Monitor , the national real estate forecaster, today released a ranking of U.S. markets for the third quarter of 2013 that projects that investing in single family homes as rental properties remains a good bet, even as home prices continue [...]

CENTRAL VALLEY – To improve patients’ engagement in their health, Adventist Health / Central Valley Network has launched an online patient portal, called MyAdventistHealth, for patients to easily access their health records and manage their health. Through MyAdventistHealth, all patients can enjoy quick access to their lab results, use a link to the online bill [...]

FRESNO – Kevin Meikle, a 24-year City of Fresno employee and long-time leader in the City’s Airports Department, has been named the City of Fresno’s director of aviation. Meikle, 55, has been serving as interim director of aviation since 2012.  Meikle has worked in the Airports Department since 2002, serving as assistant director of aviation from [...]

FRESNO – The Big Fresno Fair has announced the recipients of the 2013 Big Fresno Fair Community Champions Awards, which were established in 2008 to formally recognize individuals who have demonstrated an extraordinary passion for the betterment of Fresno County. The 2012 award-winners represent the following four categories: Volunteer, Humanitarian, Educator and Special Award. The [...]

CLOVIS – Fewer than 2,000 tickets have been sold for the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway.  This year’s house will be located in the De Young CountryCourt community in Clovis. Individuals who reserve tickets by Friday, September 20th will also be eligible to win the Early Bird prize, gas for a year, valued at $3,000, courtesy [...]

FRESNO – Emmy and Oscar Award winning actress Helen Hunt, this year’s luncheon keynote speaker for the Central California Women’s Conference, gave many of the conference attendees a chance to find out about her life in front of and behind the cameras. Hunt took questions during a VIP event this morning inside the Diamond Room [...]

NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — The Deloitte Consumer Spending Index (Index) moved down slightly in August. The Index tracks consumer cash flow as an indicator of future consumer spending. “While the Index fell in August, it continues to indicate that overall conditions are positive for consumer spending,” said Daniel Bachman, Deloitte’s senior U.S. economist.  “Americans may [...]

FRESNO – Philanthropy Inspired by the Needs of our Community (PINC), a unique Fresno nonprofit founded in 2008 to benefit other local nonprofits in the community, has announced that they are now accepting applications from Fresno County nonprofit organizations that have services and programs targeting women and children to serve as the beneficiary for their 2014 fundraising [...]

ST. LOUIS, Sept. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – Bud Light, the official beer sponsor of the National Football League, is once again pairing the nation’s most popular beer and most popular sport for a fan-centric campaign that will include new TV creative and NFL- and team-specific packaging. Bud Light’s new TV campaign, “Dilemmas,” is an evolution of last year’s [...]

VISALIA - A total of 18 talented future leaders have been chosen to represent the 2013–2014 Visalia Chamber of Commerce in its flagship program, Leadership Visalia.  Members of the 28th Leadership Visalia class are as follows: Sandi Bennett, Artis & Co. CPA’s Rodney Blaco, Tulare County District Attoney’s Office Leslie Blair, City of Visalia, Community Development Engineering Mary [...]

VISALIA – The first U.S. archer to win a Paralympic Games gold medal since 1984 will headline the Kaweah Delta Community Health & Fitness Expo and 5th Annual Rehab Reunion on Saturday, Oct. 5, in Visalia. Jeff Fabry, who took the gold last year in London and become the first gold medalist for USA Archery [...]

YONKERS, N.Y., Sept. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Consumer Reports Index , an overall measure of Americans’ personal financial health, found that Americans reported a sharp rise in financial difficulties and a weaker view of their overall financial health in the past 30 days. The Consumer Reports Index’s trouble tracker climbed to 46.0 in August from 34.7 the prior month. [...]

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — On average, Americans have more than $225,000 in debt and less than $500 in emergency savings, according to a new GoBankingRates.com investigation. GoBankingRates.com examined the average American — coined ‘Mary Smith’ — in terms of earnings, savings, and credit card, student loan, auto loan, and mortgage debt. “While every individual is unique, Mary Smith is our ‘prototype’ of [...]

FRESNO – Fresno County Farm Bureau and ValleyPBS have announced the debut of ‘Valley’s Gold,’ a weekly series that will present a behind-the-scenes look at the economic engine that drives our region, agriculture. The show will premiere Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. only on ValleyPBS. The program will re-broadcast each weekend on Saturday at 6:30 [...]

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Consumers are more pessimistic about the economy than they have been all year – and gas prices may not be the primary cause. For the first time this year, consumer pessimism increased over a 30-day period when gas prices fell. More than three in five consumers (61%) say that they [...]

TULARE – The International Agri-Center will host its annual golf tournament on Friday, September 27, at the Tulare Golf Course. The event benefits AgVentures!, an agricultural learning center which hosts thousands of visitors each year-including many local schools and community groups. “AgVentures! is an important part of the International Agri-Center, and we ask for the [...]

FRESNO – Fresno City Council President Blong Xiong has officially announced the launch of his campaign for Fresno County Supervisor, District 1, and will file papers at noon today as he launches his June 2014 campaign. District 1 includes Fresno’s West Side and the towns of Kerman. Firebaugh, Mendota and San Joaquin.  Xiong was first [...]