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  • I. smiley G. Calderon is a Gen X Southern California Chicano lifelong educator now living in California's Central Valley. He believes in building community, which includes developing dynamic individual and collective human capital through the accessible application of education. He also loves world peace and tacos. You can contact him at smileycalderon@gmail.com.

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“Hated Just for Being Homeless”

In the early morning of Aug. 26, while he was sound asleep in front of Cuca’s Mexican Restaurant on Olive Avenue in the Tower District, an unhoused 47-year-old Latino, Fred “Freddy” F. De La Rosa, was [...] Continue Reading

Bitwise: A Dream Dies Hard

Irma Olguin Jr. wore a black top with a white dress jacket and gray slacks. Her co-defendant, Jake Soberal, wore a dark blue suit. In federal court in Fresno on July 17 they looked calm and confident, [...] Continue Reading

Bitwise: Fact versus Fantasy

Fresno’s infamous Bitwise Industries saga continues as court proceedings are scheduled this summer, and chatter persists about the embroiled company and its scheming co-CEOs, Jake Soberal and Irma [...] Continue Reading

Fresno’s Cannabis Condition

It’s April and everyone knows how cannabis, aka marijuana, aficionados love their unofficial “4/20” holiday, which happens to fall on the 111th day of 2024, a “holy” day for cannabis consumers. Tokers [...] Continue Reading

The One and Only Rogue

You might know a thing or two about typical fringe festivals, but do you know Rogue? To those who don’t know, there are fringe festivals worldwide, but there is only one Rogue Festival—an [...] Continue Reading

Resurrecting a Library

The Fresno County Public Library is a special place with 34 branches throughout Fresno County. The library’s motto? “A place to grow.” The library is a place for anyone with something for everyone [...] Continue Reading

Hate Is to Be Stopped

On Jan. 25, the Community Alliance newspaper and the San Joaquin Valley Media Alliance held their second “stop the hate” town hall at Central East High School in Fresno. Expert panelists and [...] Continue Reading

Letter to the Editor

A Rude and Insolent Restaurant Owner I need to share an incident that happened to me here in January that really bothered me. To be honest, it was shocking, but maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. [...] Continue Reading

Hate Is in the Heart

Each month—no, each day—it seems the ugly face of hate forces itself upon us. Senseless violence, heartless killings, stone-cold murders. Last year, we had 647 mass shootings in the United States. [...] Continue Reading

Hate Is in the Air

In mid-October, two young Latino males enjoying a Friday night together in the Tower District in Fresno were brutally assaulted by a man who apparently did not like the fact that they were holding [...] Continue Reading