Stephen Frank over at California Political News and Views says it's time for Fresno Mayor Alan Autry to go. Frank was reacting to my blog post about Autry saying he won't pay his income taxes until the San Joaquin Valley gets more water for agriculture. Here's Frank's post: Alan Autry was a very mediocre actor. He is even more mediocre as a Mayor. In a couple of years folks will laugh at the memory...

Cuts in Medi-Cal reimbursements could have terrible consequences for rural health care in the Valley and other parts of the state. That's our conclusion in an editorial today. We've already seen the impact of hospital and emergency room closures in several small Valley towns. The services go away, but not the patients. In a short time, they begin showing up at the emergency rooms of urban hospitals...

If you need a lift of the spirit this week -- whew, who doesn't?-- set aside a few minutes Thursday evening at 6 p.m. to take a look at La Querencia, Fresno's first co-housing neighborhood. Even if you're not in the mood to move at the moment, it's inspiring just to know people are creating such a walk-the-talk lifestyle. This residential development represents all we say we want in our community -...

Fresno Mayor Alan Autry told The Fresno Bee's editorial board this afternoon that it's time for a revolt in the San Joaquin Valley over a lack of water for farms. He said communities on the Valley's west side are shriveling because farmworkers can't find work due to the drought, and long-standing water policies that are anti-agriculture. In addition, Autry said, the federal and state governments ar...

According to this update on The Fresno Bee's Web site, Christine Arbuckle, who lives near Woodward Park, asked the Fresno City Council today to consider moving a planned mixed-martial arts event to a different location. There's a lively debate on the issue over on the Beehive. Reading through the 18 comments so far, it seems like most people don't have a problem with the planned event. We've also t...