FRESNO – City of Fresno officials today announced plans to clear a number of illegal structures as part of a collaborative, community-wide effort focused on strategies to prevent and end homelessness.  The City’s enforcement efforts will better allow existing service providers to care for Fresno’s most vulnerable individuals. The City today posted notices that clearing of [...]

OAKHURST – The Majestic Mountain Loop, an itinerary featuring three of California’s most popular National Parks in three days, now has a new way for travelers to document their journey. Showcasing Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Yosemite National Parks, the Majestic Mountain Loop was created through a partnership between the Visalia Convention and Visitors Bureau, Yosemite Sierra [...]

NEW YORK, July 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Consumers are giving the U.S. economy better grades this back-to-school season, but continue to hold tight to their purse strings and will rely heavily on online and mobile channels while they shop, according to Deloitte’s annual “Back-to-School” and “Back-to-College” surveys, released today. Shoppers are far more optimistic about the economy [...]

NEW YORK, July 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Mortgage rates posted only slight movement over the past week, with the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rate slipping to 4.54 percent, according to Bankrate.com’s weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.33 discount and origination points. The average 15-year fixed mortgage fell to 3.61 percent, [...]

FRESNO – The Big Fresno Fair is excited to announce that tickets for the Table Mountain Concert Series in the Paul Paul Theater will go on sale to the general public Monday, August 12 at 9 a.m. However, for those wanting to purchase their tickets early, the Fair is offering an exclusive pre-sale opportunity for members [...]

WASHINGTON, July 26, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The U.S. prison population declined 1.7 percent (or by 27,770 inmates) from 2011 to 2012, falling to an estimated 1,571,013 prisoners, the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today. Nine states had a decrease of over 1,000 prisoners in 2012: California, Texas, North Carolina, Colorado, Arkansas, New [...]

FRESNO — Fresno State Executive Chef Erik Debaude and his sous chef, alumnus  Bryan Kramer,square off this week against chefs from two other universities in a new garlic competition at the 35th Gilroy Garlic Festival‘s Cook-Off Theater. The Fresno State team competes in the inaugural Gilroy Garlic Festival Garlic Bowl 2-4 p.m. today against chefs from University of California, Berkeley and San [...]

FRESNO – Jason McDonough and Alysia Sofios already had a love of wine tasting when they met about a year ago, and when the couple discovered that The Tasting Room in Fresno was up for sale they felt they had to buy it. The Tasting Room is a comfortable and fashionable place where people from miles away come [...]

CHICAGO , July 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – Are the social dynamics in a typical U.S. workplace all that different from a U.S. high school? A new CareerBuilder survey found that 43 percent of workers say their office or workplace is populated by cliques. The nationwide survey—conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder from May 14 to June 5, 2013, [...]

LONDON, July 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are celebrating the birth of their baby boy, but have so far remained silent about possible baby names. According to Wealth-X, if they opt for Peter, Michael or David, the baby will automatically gain nearly 600 ultra wealthy namesakes, equivalent to 5.2 percent of Europe’s UHNW males. Over 2 percent or [...]

FRESNO – Fresno Pacific University President Pete C. Menjares, Ph.D., participated in two national conferences this summer. Menjares was part of the resource team for 2013 Multi-Ethnic Leadership Development Institute (MELDI) sponsored by the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities. He and wife Virginia co-presented a session on spouses and their experience with God’s leading. [...]

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – The ongoing housing recovery coupled with improvement in both consumer confidence and the labor market are expected to boost economic growth in the second half of the year, according to Fannie Mae’s (OTC Bulletin Board: FNMA) Economic & Strategic Research Group. The latest jobs report showed steady year-to-date job creation and measures [...]

FRESNO – The Principal Financial Group will make a stop at Fresno’s Chukchansi Park during its 2013 Principal Financial Dreams Tour, celebrating the company’s decade of support for minor league baseball. Over the past 10 years, The Principal has brought more than 400 events to minor league ballparks, attracting nearly two million fans. Past tours [...]

WASHINGTON, July 22, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – To help battle climate change, 65 percent of Americans endorse setting limits on dangerous carbon pollution from the nation’s power plants, according to new national poll conducted for the Natural Resources Defense Council. The poll finds that even 49 percent of Republicans favor the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency establishing standards to curb [...]

FRESNO – Passenger volume at Fresno Yosemite International Airport continues to increase at a record-breaking pace, positioning the Airport to outperform prior record years.  This upward trend is the result of strong bookings occurring on each of the ten major airline operators based at Fresno Yosemite. Passenger levels have shown significant increases in the first [...]

FRESNO – The Fresno Chaffee Zoo Dining Garden was the site of the Economic Development Corporation serving Fresno County’s BEAR Breakfast, where healthcare was the topic of discussion. Presenters included Dr. David Hawkins, provost and dean of pharmacy with California Health Sciences University, as well as Lynne Ashbeck, regional vice president of the Hospital Council [...]

CHICAGO, July 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – More than a third (35 percent) of hiring managers currently have positions that have remained open for 12 weeks or longer, according to new research by CareerBuilder.  Which jobs are the hardest to fill and in need of workers now?  Which professions are experiencing strong job growth and present good opportunities for [...]

FRESNO – The nomination process is almost ended, and the final nominations are being cast for the “40 Under 40″ Class of 2013, presented by Business Street Online. The deadline is next Friday, July 26.  Throughout the years, the “40 Under 40″ classes have consisted of business owners, chief executives of companies, politicians and other [...]

FRESNO – Last night in Fresno was referred to as “Ladies’ Night Out,” as Susan G. Komen Central Valley presented its first-ever Pink Bag Social. Roughly 100 women (and a small number of men) filled the Skyroom Lounge in the Holiday Inn Fresno Downtown for an evening of socialization, hors d’oeuvres, and perhaps more importantly, [...]

FRESNO – Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin has announced that the City of Fresno has been awarded a $150,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) “Our Town” program to work with local arts organizations and downtown stakeholders to invigorate Mariposa Plaza as the central destination and gathering place in downtown Fresno. The “Mariposa Plaza Activation Project” [...]