Edward Smith

3 weeks ago | gvwire.com | Edward Smith

As California water law forces more farmland out of production, a new bill would make it easier to convert it to solar fields. Among Valley lawmakers, there was a sharp partisan divide. Alexandra Macedo (R-Tulare), David Tangipa (R-Clovis), and Stan Ellis (R-Bakersfield) voted against the bill, but Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno), Esmeralda Soria (D-Merced), and Jasmeet Bains (D-Bakersfield) supported it.

3 weeks ago | gvwire.com | Edward Smith

Fresno City Council got its first look at the price tag behind a massive, decades-old plan to develop the southeast part of town. The city has finished its plan and environmental review of the 9,000-acre Southeast Development Area. A financial study shows it will cost $2.2 billion to construct the needed water, roads, and police and fire service for the first phase and $4.3 billion for the entire plan.

3 weeks ago | gvwire.com | Edward Smith

Fresno Unified Superintendent Misty Her recently said a Facebook post from the Fresno Teachers Association led to her being physically assaulted. “That post caused things to happen to me physically,” Her told ABC 30. “People were coming up to me and physically putting hands on me and referencing the post.”Despite the quotes being false, Superintendent Misty Her stood by the dossier. She also said that the teachers union’s criticisms of district policy have led to threats to her personal safety.

4 weeks ago | gvwire.com | Edward Smith

The Fresno Unified communications chief who produced a dossier containing alleged attacks by the teachers union against Superintendent Misty Her is now on leave, according to her automatic email reply. An email request to Chief Communications Officer Nikki Henry on Friday from GV Wire elicited an automatic response stating that she would be on leave until June 9 and had no access to phone or email.

4 weeks ago | gvwire.com | Edward Smith

New York Times bestselling author Monica Murphy is coming to the Barnes & Noble at Fashion Fair to sign her upcoming book. The Central Valley resident will celebrate the debut of “You Were Never Not Mine” on Tuesday, June 3 — the day it’s released nationwide. The romance novel is the third in Murphy’s “Lancaster Prep” series. The book surrounds character August Lancaster who runs into a former high school classmate and rival at college, according to Amazon.