Prather
Prather, CA · Municipal
yourcentralvalley.com
YourCentralValley.com
Fresno tables SEDA indefinitely, citing election results: ‘Just about every single candidate said no’
The City of Fresno announced on Thursday that it is tabling the South East Development Area (SEDA) plan following election results that indicated strong voter opposition to the project.
The Fresno Bee
Celebrating Diwali in Fresno County? Find events, fireworks and shopping deals
From temples and gurdwaras to local grocery stores, the Fresno area is gearing up for Diwali, the South Asian festival of lights . Worldwide, nearly 1 billion people across Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Buddhist communities celebrate Diwali , which falls on Sunday, Nov. 8. For the nearly 24,000 Indian residents living In the Fresno metropolitan area , the holiday holds deep religious and cultural significance. Celebrations across California and the county will feature traditional prayers, festive shopping deals and public firework displays. How is Hindu temple observing Diwali in Fresno? During Diwali, worshipers gather at local temples and gurdwaras to offer prayers and share meals, many of them dressed in traditional attire. A representative for BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Fresno, said the Hindu temple will remain open all day Sunday for devotees and visitors. For Hindus, Diwali symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. “The holiday commemorates the return of Lord Rama and his wife Sita to their kingdom of Ayodhya after defeating the demon king Ravana, leading townspeople to light clay lamps (known as diyas) to guide their path home,” The Washington Post reported. How does Sikh community celebrate holiday? In the Sikh community,
YourCentralValley.com
‘Declining enrollment’: What Happens to Fresno Unified if SEDA Passes?
Opponents of the SEDA project argued that the planned annexation and development of 9,000 acres in southeast Fresno could lead to school closures and funding losses due to declining enrollment in local school districts.
KMPH.com
Porch pirate season in full swing as holidays approach, Clovis PD says
CLOVIS, Calif. (FOX26) — As folks begin to shop for the holidays, the time of year that more packages arrive at the doorsteps of Fresno County residents rolls around --- and thieves are on the prowl. For Fresno local Joanna Arzate, porch pirate season came early. On Sept. 17,...
The Fresno Bee
Flock will be out of Fresno, mayor says. But leaders plan to look for new company
The city of Fresno will not renew its contract for controversial Flock Safety cameras , though it will seek another company to manage the city’s license-plate readers, Fresno leaders announced Friday. The contract with Flock Safety sunsets in February, and city and law enforcement leaders said the company has proven to be too susceptible to misuse to be renewed to run Fresno’s automated license-plate readers, also called ALPRs. “It is very apparent that the safeguards that they have put in place have not proven to be effective,” Mayor Jerry Dyer said Friday at a news conference. “Although Flock has made modifications to prevent unauthorized access in the future, the reliability of these safeguards are a real question for us as a city, and so as a result, the city of Fresno will not be renewing its contract with Flock when it expires.” The city owns the camera equipment and pays Flock for the service that runs the ALPRs. Fresno officials announced earlier that the city has been considering adding a feature that could link private cameras to the police network on a volunteer basis. While defending ALPRs as a useful crime-fighting tool , leaders said Friday that recent and older
The Fresno Bee
City Council looking to hike utility rates in Fresno. How much extra, and how to protest
Fresno’s residential ratepayers could soon face utility rate hikes for the first time in nearly a decade. The City Council voted 5-2 Thursday to begin the public hearing process for water and sewer rate increases that would take effect on Jan. 1, 2027, and run through 2031. Under the current water rate structure, the average monthly water bill for most Fresno households is $47.48, and for wastewater, $25.75. The city’s water rates have not been raised in over eight years, and wastewater rates have not increased in 16 years. Water rates would rise by 27% in small annual increases over five years under the proposal, and wastewater rates would increase by 22% over the same timeframe. In 2027, water rates would begin to rise by $1.77. By 2031, the total increase would be $12.83. For wastewater, rates would dip by $0.95 to begin with, and then climb by $5.55 in 2031. Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer’s administration has been preparing to bring forward rate hikes for a while. In a February interview with The Bee, Dyer said the city had begun to see a significant water and wastewater deficit and was going to be “in the red” within the next 12