SEATTLE, Aug. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — More than 100 forecasters said they expect the Zillow® Home Value Index [i] to end 2013 up an average of 6.7 percent year-over-year, according to the latest Zillow Home Price Expectations Survey, a significant jump from the 5.4 percent annual increase predicted the last time the survey was conducted. Additionally, while relatively few [...]

FRESNO – Tickets for the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway will be available beginning Thursday at all Fresno County Federal Credit Union branches, Fresno Coin Gallery and De Young Model Home Centers or by calling (800) 543-5887. For more information visit www.dreamhome.org. This year’s home will be located in the CountryCourt community in Clovis and [...]

FRESNO – The Big Fresno Fair will hold its third Annual Job Fair next Thursday, Aug. 15, during which time it will hire hundreds of people for different positions during the 2013 Big Fresno Fair. The event will take place at the Commerce Building on the Fresno Fairgrounds from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.  Department [...]

ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — It’s that time of year again already: back-to-school season is upon us and with it comes a list of items necessary to prepare and equip your children. According to Deloitte’s annual “Back-To-School” and “Back-To-College” surveys, parents expect to pay an average of $428 on items for children in K-12, and $907 on items [...]

TULARE – California Hospital Engagement Network (CalHEN) has announced that Tulare Regional Medical Center achieved project goals well ahead of schedule. 174 hospitals statewide have united in a federal initiative known as the Hospital Engagement Network.  As part of the Partnership for Patients program, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has established 26 [...]

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – The National Small Business Association (NSBA) today released the 2013 Mid-Year Economic Report which shows an improved overall economic outlook for America’s small-business owners.  When compared with five years ago, 40 percent of small-business owners said today’s economy is better off—the highest it’s been in five years. “Unfortunately, small-business owners didn’t express that same positive [...]

FRESNO – United Cerebral Palsy of Central California has started a movement known as UCP Day, an internal employee-based awareness and fundraising program for businesses, and is currently signing up businesses and organizations across the Central Valley to participate. About 25 of them have already made a commitment to be involved in the fundraiser.  The [...]

TULARE – Since its launch at World Ag Expo in February of 2012, the Ag Warriors program has assisted veterans in search of careers in the agriculture industry. The program, which has provided veterans with training and career building resources, will be continued by AgCareers.com, the leading online career site and human resource service provider for [...]

NEW YORK, Aug. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – The funded status of the typical U.S. corporate pension plan in July increased 1.6 percentage points to 88.2 percent, according to the BNY Mellon Investment Strategy & Solutions Group (ISSG). Year to date, the funded ratio is up 11.1 percentage points, ISSG said. The funded status for June 2013 and all [...]

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich., Aug. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – Current homeowners are optimistic about selling their home and are looking to move up their timeline to purchase a new home, according to the most recent survey by PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE: PHM), one of the nation’s largest homebuilders. In the latest PulteGroup Home Index Survey (PGHI), 43 percent of move-up [...]

WASHINGTON – The Obama Administration has launched http://business.usa.gov/healthcare> , a one-stop-shop Website which will provide employers of all sizes educational materials on how the Affordable Care Act may affect businesses and help them compete.  The site includes a wizard tool that is tailored based on size and location, so businesses can learn how the law [...]

CENTRAL VALLEY – Adventist Health / Community Care has welcomed Dr. John Zweifler, MPH, as chief medical officer of 38 rural health clinics in the central San Joaquin Valley. The clinics, located in Kings, Kern, Tulare and southern Fresno counties, experience over 400,000 patient interactions a year. Dr. Zweifler, a board-certified family physician who has [...]

WASHINGTON, August 2, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The majority of American teens today delay getting a driver’s license, according to new study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Less than half (44 percent) of teens obtain a driver’s license within 12 months of the minimum age for licensing in their state and just over half (54 percent) [...]

OAKHURST – Zip Yosemite is adding a new moonlight tour to their already popular mix as they continue to operate during their first full summer in the Sierra National Forest just outside of Yosemite National Park. “The Sierra night sky offers some amazing diversity, especially when zipping high in the trees,” said Wade Beane, of [...]

NEW YORK, August 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – When it comes to the economy, the American public is given a lot of different ways to “read” the tea leaves with indicators of how things are going. They can try and track the ups and downs and ups of the stock market. They can look at the housing stats or [...]

FRESNO – The Economic Development Corporation serving Fresno County (EDC) is pleased to announce the recent hire of William Eric McComas, who joins the agency to commence and manage the EDC’s Local High-Speed Rail Business Support Program (Program). The Program is the culmination of a joint effort of the EDC, the City and County of Fresno to [...]

FRESNO – Taco trucks from throughout the Central Valley will descend upon Chukchansi Park tonight for Taco Truck Throwdown 3, taking place along with this evening’s Fresno Grizzlies baseball game. During the second Taco Truck Throwdown last year, more than 11,000 excited Grizzlies fans packed the ballpark, and over 13 trucks sold over 14,500 tacos. [...]

FRESNO – A 178 square mile area in Tulare County has been put under quarantine after sightings of the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) pest at three sites around Porterville, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The ACP is a potential threat because it can carry the disease huanglongbing, also known as citrus greening.  [...]

CLOVIS – The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) this month awarded the Clovis Police Department a $35,500 GAP (Grant Assistance Program) grant as part of a yearlong agency partnership to curb alcohol-related crimes in the city and stop the sales of wine, beer and spirits to teenagers in Clovis. This grant will provide [...]

REEDLEY – With expanded course offerings available, Reedley College is making registration easy for its new students attending the fall semester. Extreme Registration will be held in the cafeteria Saturday, August 3 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.—last seating for assessment is at 9:30 a.m. Students are encouraged to complete an online orientation prior to [...]