By Michael Hogan One of the least-known stories of the Irish who came to America in the 1840s is that of the Irish battalion that fought on the Mexican side in the U.S.-Mexico War of 1846–1848. [...] Continue Reading
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Friendcore: A Vibrant Music Scene in Fresno
By Simone Whalen-Rhodes Having lived in Santa Cruz and the Bay Area I am well aware, as many are, of the bad rap that Fresno gets. On top of the many social and economic problems that our city [...] Continue Reading
Fresnans Say No to Trash Privatization
By Michael D. Evans At the time of our press deadline, opponents of Mayor Ashley Swearengin’s plan to privatize the City of Fresno’s residential sanitation service had just delivered about 40,000 [...] Continue Reading
It’s the Only Job I Know How to Do
By David Bacon Lorena Hernandez is a young farmworker and single mother from Oaxaca. Today, she lives in Madera with her daughter and aunt. She told me her story. To go pick blueberries, I have to [...] Continue Reading
The Road Forward
By Pam Whalen Voting pattern in the City of Fresno Blue = Precincts voting for Barack Obama Red = Precincts voting for Mitt Romney Many people believe that Fresno is a conservative community. To [...] Continue Reading
Letters to the Editor – February 2013
Thanks, Fresno, for a Real Christmas Miracle [The] Inmate Family Council and collaborating churches knew it was time to get the Goodie Bags ready for the ladies in Chowchilla Prison. The warden told [...] Continue Reading
Guest Editorial for Black History Month: Black-Latino Unity Key to Working-Class Unity
By Salvador Sandoval With the start of a new year, it is fitting to look back at history to see where we have been to get our bearings as to where we are headed. U.S. history is permeated by the [...] Continue Reading
From the Editor – February 2013
I spent several fascinating days last month observing a trial at the Fresno County Courthouse. On trial were Angelo Fernandez and his two brothers (David and Robert). You may recall that Angelo was [...] Continue Reading
The Prison Press: Three Strikes: After Proposition 36
By Boston Woodard For four decades, politicians and the public have expanded prisons and toughened laws such as Three Strikes, but now many analysts say the pendulum appears to be swinging in a new [...] Continue Reading
Clearing the Air: The Valley Mind-set / Air, Water and Land
By Kevin Hall The Valley Mind-set “Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.”—Albert Einstein Each January, the Valley Air Board—that tea-guzzling bunch of local [...] Continue Reading
Last of the Wild West, Part 2: Madera County Planning
By Gary Lasky Last month, we compared the reasonable land-use planning policies of the City of Fresno with the contrasting situation in Tulare County, just 45 minutes to the south, where the Board [...] Continue Reading