California Headed Toward 3rd Straight Dry Year
Local Animal Shelter Awarding Pets to Kids
The deadline to apply is Monday, December 23rd, at 5 p.m. Please click on the related links to submit your application.
Come to the Rescue at the Holiday Heroes Blood Drive
Fresno Co. Sheriff's "Holiday Heroes" Blood Drive Today
From the Fresno. Co. Sheriff's Office:
Sheriff Margaret Mims, along with Central California Blood Center CEO Dean Eller, would like to invite the community to help give the greatest gift of all this holiday season... life... by donating blood at the Fresno County Sheriff's Holiday Heroes Blood Drive.
As a thank you, donors will receive a Sheriff's Holiday Heroes T-shirt, and will be automatically entered to win a Sierra Vista Mall Holiday package which includes: a $100 gift card to Sierra Vista Mall, four movie passes to Sierra Vista Mall Cinema 16, and other great surprises!
The drive will take place from Wednesday, Dec. 19 through Sunday, Dec. 23 at the Sierra Vista Mall, 1050 Shaw Ave. in Clovis. It will be held at the east end of the mall near Kohls, across from Payless Shoes. The drive runs 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Donors may also donate on behalf of the Sheriff's Holiday Drive at any of the three Central California Blood Centers at 4343 W Herndon Ave, 3445 N. First Ave., and 1010 E. Perrin Ave.
Health Care Uncertain for Fresno County's Poor, Uninsured
Changes in health care are having big implications for Fresno County's uninsured.
In the County, there are close to 200,000 people who are uninsured, according to Kevin Hamilton, deputy chief of programs with the Clinica Sierra Vista, a federally qualified health center.
Many who weren't previously eligible for Medi-Cal now are through Covered California.
"The folks we can't enroll are those undocumented adults and children who are being covered now by the MISP program," Hamilton said.
The MISP stands for the Medically Indigent Services Program-- a $20 million per year contract that Fresno County has with Community Regional Medical Center to serve the very poor and uninsured population.
The Fresno County Department of Public Health normally receives $42 million dollars per year from the state, half of which is used to fund the MISP, according to David Pomaville, interim director for the Dept. of Public Health.
Now, that funding has been slashed to $28 million, Pomaville said the money won't be there to fund the MISP.
State funding has been reduced because Medi-Cal coverage has expanded.
"The county won't have the resources to continue the Community hospital contract," Pomaville said.
This change could leave a portion of the population to seek health care through federally qualified clinics, like Clinica Sierra Vista. But care in clinics is limited, as they doesn't provide specialty care.
"So if that happens, the undocumented will no longer have an insurance program of any kind. So they'll have to get all of their care virtually through the ER, which is hideously expensive," Hamilton said.
Fresno County will continue its contract with CRMC for the first few months of next year, Pomaville said.
Valley Shoppers on Edge Following Target Security Breach
Along with the rush to finish up holiday shopping, local Target shoppers now have an unexpected item on there to do lists.
Diana Antranikian says, "I did this morning write down to call the credit bureau anl8d report it."
"I called my daughter when I was inside because she had shopped here the day after Thanksgiving and I told her to cancel her debit card," says Carolina Villascuesa.
Steve Hall says, "When I got up this morning, I went online to my bank account and everything is looking okay so far."
Steve Hall is one of 40 million shoppers whose personal information may have been exposed between Thanksgiving Eve and December 15th. With just a swipe a card, hackers gained access to names, expiration dates, and security codes from both debit and credit cards.
Hall says, "It's difficult to understand how it can happen to a place this big, but hackers are good at what they do."
Rather than panic, Cindy Dudley, with the Better Business Bureau, says you should be proactive.
"The fraudulent activity that may or may not come can be reversed and a new card can be issued on either account, says Dudley.
If your personal information has been stolen, you should request a new card, get a copy of your credit report and sign up for free fraud alerts.
Hall says his shopping won't stop, but neither will his watchful eye.
"For the next couple of weeks I will monitor it regularly; at least once a day, to make sure nothing weird is happening."
If you want to report any suspicious activity, you an call the Target Corporate Office at (866) 852-8680.
Target says the problem has been fixed.
In-N-Out Opens in Hanford
Edison High School Teacher Shot & Injured
High Five: Five, Festive, Weekend Events in the Valley
Carr Ready for "Battle of Bakersfield"
Police, FUSD: Edison HS Teacher who was Shot is a 'Hero'
Friday afternoon, Guerrero was listed in fair condition at CRMC.
Meanwhile, Fresno police continue to search for the four armed suspects who entered Guerrero's classroom attempting to steal a laptop.
Fresno police and the school district are calling Guerreo a hero.
"What our hero is doing is finishing up his work, getting ready to get to his family, and criminals enter intent on robbing and potentially killing somebody," said FUSD Superintendent Mike Hanson.
Guerrero was in his classroom with a custodian around 7 p.m. when four Hispanic males ages 16-20 entered the room, said Fresno Deputy Police Chief Pat Farmer.
One of the armed suspects walked up to Guerrero and asked him if he wanted to get shot.
The suspect took the laptop, while another pointed a sawed off shotgun.
Another suspect then hit Guerrero in the head with a 25 pound weight.
By this point, the custodian had left for safety, and Guerrero and a suspect struggled over the gun.
"At that point, the handgun was discharged six times, two of those rounds struck the victim in the stomach and knee," Farmer said.
Police are now reviewing school surveillance to try to identify the suspects.
Meanwhile, Hanson ensured the schools are safe.
"We regularly review what we do and how we do it and go through a review of procedures that we have in place. We think we have some of the best going," Hanson said.
Police said they are stepping up patrol around the school.
Classes went on as normal Friday and counselors were on hand to talk to students.
Edison High continued with a school dance that was already planned for Friday night.
Meanwhile, police are offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of these suspects.
Holiday Travel
School Shooting History in Fresno
Injured Fresno PG&E Worker Testifies in McBride Trial
Testimony continued in the case of a man accused of driving his car into a PG&E worker. Jett McBride has been charged with attempted murder, and Friday, the man he's accused of trying to kill took the stand.
It was a bizarre case from the start. The prosecution saying McBride intentionally smashed his car into Rayshawn Neely. The defense though claims he suffers from mental health problems and never meant to hurt anyone. But, whatever the case is, what's certain is that Neely is left with possibly life long injuries.
The last time Rayshawn Neely was in court, he was in a wheelchair, but Friday the more healed PG&E worker walked to the stand, once again recounting the day that changed his life.
Rayshawn Neel says, "My lower body was pinned underneath; basically I'm sitting on the hood of the car because that front end was underneath the truck."
It was February 1st, a normal Friday workday for Neely and the rest of his PG&E crew. Neely was standing behind his work truck, when all of a sudden, Jett McBride's car smashed into him.
Neely says, "Kind of like a quick blackout. you know you got this disbelief that something like that happened."
It didn't take long for Neely to realize the nightmare was actually a reality. He was pinned; both of his legs underneath the truck, and then he was face to face with the man accused of plowing into him.
"He was reaching his hand out or something like that and he was asking me do you believe in the lord and savior Jesus Christ or something like that," says Neely.
Among the commotion, Neely recalls two women at the scene trying to help and "Kai the hitchhiker" attacking McBride with a hatchet. Tonya Baker was one of those women, who Friday told the jury McBride attacked her.
Baker says, "He kept hitting on me. He kept saying he was Jesus Christ."
Kai will be absent from the trial, as he now awaits his own trial for the murder of a New Jersey man. Meanwhile, Neely is still in recovery. Two bones in his right leg were shattered and four of five foot bones were broken. The damage could be permanent.
Neely is back at work, but says because of his injuries he can no longer do the work of a lineman, which requires climbing power poles. As for, McBride. He faces up to 17 years in prison and has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
The Grinch Strikes in Fresno: Steals Family's Christmas Gifts
A parent's worst Christmas Nightmare comes true.
Thieves steal their children's Christmas gifts while they left the house to
run a quick errand.
The burglary happened Thursday, near Clinton and West Avenues in Northwest
Fresno.
CBS47's Lemor Abrams has the family's story.
Rachel Azua played a card game around the Christmas tree with her sister,
twin brothers, and babysitter.
But when they got back from school that afternoon, she was sure they were
playing a joke on her.
I was like, stop fooling around...and then I'm like-no really where's the
presents? And then I was like oh my God," said 9-year old Rachel Azua.
The Christmas tree gifts she eagerly stared at every morning for the last
couple months...were gone.
"It's kind of sad. I know they want gifts but it's not theirs. You're not
supposed to take on Christmas... You're just like the Grinch," she said.
She thinks the "Grinch" had help breaking into their house.
It happened from 1-2pm when no one was home.
Mom and dad left to run a quick errand, and asked the babysitter to walk the
kids home from school.
It's really scary actually. Just knowing that someone just came in
here...right before you did," said Emelia Pilgrim, the family babysitter.
When mom and dad returned home, they realized the "Grinch" wasn't just after
gifts.
Dads boxes of comic books...empty.
Mom's bridal gown...also stolen.
"The main thing is that nobody was here and none of the kids got hurt," said
Dad Roberto Azua.
Christmas will be different for the Azua family.
Before replacing gifts, dad must find a way to pay for the gate lock and back
door lock the thieves broke.
And Rachel is still in the spirit of giving.
"Please [bring] my presents back and maybe I'll buy you something," she
said.
If you have any information on this case, you're urged to call Crime Stoppers at 498-STOP.
Bulldog Gang Operation Succeeds
Bulldogs Fans Show Support After Tough Las Vegas Loss
It was a tough way to end a season that got the Bulldogs close to a BCS bowl game bid.
But loyal fans are putting the season into perspective.
"It's not that hard of a hit because from where we came from and for us to be where we're at, I think it's something worth acknowledging. So it's still a victory in my book," said Mario Nunez, a Bulldogs fan.
Fans who couldn't make the trip out to Las Vegas almost 400 miles away showed support from home by packing local businesses to watch the Bulldogs on a national stage.
For Fresno State senior Nikita Fox, the football team's success has made her last year as a Bulldog that much more memorable.
"It's been pretty epic. Definitely a great way to spend my senior year. I've been to a lot of games and it's been quite exciting," Fox said.
It was a season with its highs and lows. This game was a heartbreaker for fans.
Francisco Ibal and his friends spent the afternoon hoping for a win.
"I'm sad, it would've been nice to be there," Ibal said.
"I was excited about the whole season because I watched every single game," Gurjant Singh said. "It was good, but at the last, I'm kind of sad right now the way it ended."
'There's always next year'--it's not just a saying for Bulldog fans.
"No matter what. They could lose every game every year and we'd still remain fans," said Bobby Mora.
Man Stabbed at Family Party
The 47 year-old victim was at the party being held at a home on Shelly near Balch in Southeast Fresno.
His nephew reportedly grabbed the victim by the jacket and stabbed him in the neck with a long knife.
Other family members pulled the suspect off the victim and held him until police arrived.
The victim is hospitalized in critical condition.
Police arrested 35 year-old Kong Meng Vang for the stabbing.
Target Offers Discount After Security Breach
Earlier in the week, Target announced that computer hacking thieves had stolen payment card data from as many as 40 million Target shoppers.
So this weekend, Target offered shoppers ten percent off of their purchases for being loyal shoppers.
"I think it's good idea to get ten percent off. Because they don't really give coupons here or anything," said Brenda Reyes, Target shopper.
"It made me think twice about using my debit card, but I'm not one to carry cash. My thought was if it already happened then I am sure they instituted measures to take care of it. But it did cause me to pause for a moment," said Laura Moreno, Target shopper.
Target's CEO posted a statement on the company's website reassuring customers.
The statement said there was no indication that pin numbers on bank cards had been compromised but urged shoppers to watch for suspicious charges.
Fire Destroys Mobile Home
The fire started just before 10a.m. in the city of Gustine, North of Merced.
Flames shot through the roof of the home.
There were no injures reported.
Cal Fire says the home is a total loss.