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California Headed Toward 3rd Straight Dry Year

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Water pouring out of California's dams could be sights and sounds of the past unless we get some rain.
 
In 2013, farmers on the Central Valley's west side only received a 5% water allocation.  Next year could be even worse.

"Unless this water year is definitely on the wetter side, they'd expect those folks to get an initial allocation of zero," said Jeanine Jones, Dept. of Water Resources. 

In response to this critical situation, Governor Jerry Brown has assembled a drought task force to make assessments. 

"It's good that he's doing this prep work to get all the state agencies in place because moving the state government can be a very slow process, said Assemblyman Henry T. Perea, (D) Fresno. 

Assemblyman, Henry T. Perea, says setting the stage now will make everything flow much smoother later on. 

"So that once the governor makes a declaration of emergency then all the resources are in place and we can move right away," said Assemblyman Perea. 

State Senator, Andy Vidak, disagrees with the governor's approach.  He believes the governor and president should declare an emergency right now. 

"That would give the federal and state bureaucrats a little wiggle room where they could turn up the pumps a little bit and get some water to our farms which desperately need it because it's such a big part of our economy here in California," said Senator Andy Vidak, (R) Hanford.

Water shortage is a topic on many minds.  So much so, a drought preparedness workshop was held at Fresno State on Tuesday to make sure growers are well informed of the conditions. 

"We're looking forward to what hope is a wetter late winter and spring.  But right now we should have close to 30% of our snow pack in the bank and it's not looking good through the end of December," said Bill Croyle, Dept. of Water Resources. 

The silver lining is that farmers have been down this road before so each year they are adapting more.  They are implementing conservation measures like drip irrigation to workaround the drought conditions. 

Local Animal Shelter Awarding Pets to Kids

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Is your kid on the "nice" list? The Valley Animal Center is holding a contest called "Home for the Holidays". The shelter is asking parents to nominate their children for a new puppy or kitten. Two winners will be chosen.

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

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During this holiday season, blood donations are needed more than ever because of illnesses keeping folks home from donation centers and because of the increase in car accidents as people take to the roads.

The Fresno County Sheriff's Office is hosting the Holiday Heroes Blood Drive in an effort to increase donations.

It's happening Thursday, December 19, through Monday, December 23 at the Sierra Vista Mall from noon-7pm.  

Donors will receive a free T-shirt and entries to win gift cards to shop at the mall and to go to the movies.

Fresno Co. Sheriff's "Holiday Heroes" Blood Drive Today

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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

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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

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It's being called one of the worst hacker attacks in history, and millions of consumers are at risk.  Scammers struck during the peak of the holiday shopping season.  At this time, it's unclear if any Valley stores were targeted.

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

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Fresno Police are not releasing the teacher's name, but we do know he serves as an athletic trainer and part time teacher for the ROP program at Edison High School.

Investigators say he was in his room by himself with the door open around 7 pm when 4 to 5 hispanic boys between the ages of 16 and 18 walked in with a gun.  One pointed it at the teacher and ordered him to give up his laptop computer.  Instead, the teacher fought back and tried taking the gun away.  During the struggle.  He wound up getting shot two or three times.  The suspects ran away and calls were made to 911.

"Officers began first aid and began talking to him he was alert, he was able to give a statement and right now he is at CRMC in stable condition," said Lt. Mike Doyle, Fresno Police Dept.

"I am just totally shocked.  I'm praying that the best comes out of this," said Joyce Pilgrim, a concerned Edison parent.

It's unknown if the suspects are students at Edison.  But it's believed they live nearby because they fled on foot.
     
Officers hope to speak with the teacher soon so he can maybe help fill them in on who they are.

Police did recover the gun used inside the classroom.

School is scheduled to operate like normal Friday morning.  Fresno Unified says additional support will be in place for students, which includes psychologists and safety personnel.

High Five: Five, Festive, Weekend Events in the Valley

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It's another festive holiday in the Valley. Here's a handful of fun happenings to do with your family in this Friday's High Five:

-It's snowing at River Park. While kids wait to see Santa in Santa's Village near the IMAX theater, snow will be falling at the top of each hour.
Santa's been listening to kids' wishes since the beginning of the month. He'll be there all weekend long til 10:00 pm.

-Santa will also be making visits to Tulare County libraries this weekend. Kids can take part in holiday craft making. They'll can also write a letter to ol' Saint Nick that will then be taken to Macy's for the Make A Wish letter writing campaign. Visit tularecountylibrary.org for locations and times.

-Christmas Fest is back and snow has once again been forecasted in downtown Sanger. This Saturday children and adults of all ages are encouraged to dress warm and prepare for a day of fun in the snow.  It's from 10-4. There will also be a menudo contest.

-You can also have some holiday fun in the Tower this weekend. High school carolers will serenade diners at Tower restaurants on both Friday and Saturday nights. Santa will also be there Saturday greeting patrons and Pedicab Jeff will give free Tower District tours from 6-8pm. It's also a great opportunity to shop local and cross those last minute gifts off your list.

-Finally, a Christmas Candlelight Benefit Concert is being held this weekend to help valley veterans. It's happening at Rancho del Sueno in Madera from 4-7pm. Reserve a seat to enjoy an elegant, festive holiday evening with your family surrounded by beautiful Spanish horses. It's $15 per seat, veterans get in free. Proceeds will go to the Horses and Heroes program that uses equine therapy to help vets suffering from PTSD and other psychological conditions.

Carr Ready for "Battle of Bakersfield"

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The two starting quarterbacks in the Las Vegas Bowl, Fresno State's Derek Carr and USC's Cody Kessler, are both from Bakersfield and have tons of mutual respect for each other.

Police, FUSD: Edison HS Teacher who was Shot is a 'Hero'

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The Edison High School teacher who was shot during an attempted robbery on campus Thursday night has been identified as Steve Guerrero, 30, according to Lt. Mike Doyle with the Fresno Police Department. 

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

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Valley residents are preparing for one of the busiest travel periods of the entire year.

School Shooting History in Fresno

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Fresno Unified says Thursday night's incident at Edison High School is the first time a teacher has ever been shot on campus.  Gun violence, however, has taken place on local school campuses in the past. 
     
There are several more police cars in Edison's parking lot Friday after a teacher was shot and injured Thursday night inside his classroom.  With extra school resource officers on campus, and beefed up patrols in the area, Fresno Unified's superintendent believes students, parents and teachers have no reason to worry.

"I think you're looking at an anomaly rather than a pattern.  And our teachers are safe," said Superintendent Mike Hanson.

Hanson says this is the first time a teacher has been shot on campus in recent memory.  Unfortunately, gun violence has happened before in Fresno schools.

In January, shots were fired in Bullard High School's parking lot after a basketball game against Edison.  No one was injured.  It's the second time in four years violence broke out when the two schools met for games. 

Back in 2008 a Fresno Police officer shot and killed a Roosevelt student who attacked him from behind.  The student had a history of mental illness.  

In 2005, a Birney Elementary School parent was shot and killed in the parking lot.  Police believe it was gang violence.

Hanson says security has been updated in recent years and he doesn't think there's anything that could have been done to prevent what happened Thursday night.

"Folks come out of nowhere, armed with guns, intent on mayhem, it's pretty difficult to combat that with anything you would put up," said Hanson.

Police are reviewing security footage from outside the classroom.  If you know anything, call Crime Stoppers at 498-STOP.

Injured Fresno PG&E Worker Testifies in McBride Trial

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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

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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

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CBS47 Eyewitness News rode along with Fresno Police Friday night.  Officers Cory Hastings and Ruben Ramos have the responsibility patrolling all of northeast and northwest Fresno.

The so-called impact teams they are part of have one main objective and that's to put pressure on the Bulldog gang.
     
This operation began December 3rd, one day after Bulldogs shot up an off duty officer's personal car as he was driving to the police station in southeast Fresno.  Amazingly, the officer was not hurt.

Officers are now saturating neighborhoods and contacting anyone who appears suspicious and is wandering the streets.  Word of their efforts seems to be traveling fast.

"We stop Bulldogs and they won't be wearing red, they'll cover up their tattoos and they'll deny having a gang affiliation.  They tell us they've simply dropped out just so we won't focus our attention towards them," said Cory Hastings, Fresno Police Dept. 


Bulldogs Fans Show Support After Tough Las Vegas Loss

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It wasn't the outcome they'd hoped for, but the Fresno State Bulldogs return home from las vegas with their heads held high.

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

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A man is hospitalized and his nephew is under arrest after a stabbing at a 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

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A boon for shoppers this weekend after problems for Target.

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

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Investigators are trying to determine the cause of a mobile home fire in Merced County.

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.
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