President-elect Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson to meet at Army-Navy Game
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"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" To keep reading, please log in to your account, create a free account, or simply fill out the form below.NoneNEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge won't be bothered if free agent Juan Soto gets a bigger deal from the New York Yankees than the captain's $360 million , nine-year contract. “It ain’t my money. I really don’t care as long as we get the best players, we get the most that we can, I’m happy with whatever,” Judge said Friday, a day after he was a unanimous winner of his second AL MVP award. “That's never been something on my mind about who gets paid the most.” Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Jain and Becker have served on the council together since 2020.
Patrick Mahomes was pumped up when the NFL schedule was released and he saw his Kansas City Chiefs were playing on Christmas Day for the second straight season. His excitement lasted for only a short time. "Until I realized it was on Wednesday," Mahomes said Monday. Plenty of sore bodies will take the field Wednesday when the Chiefs (14-1) visit the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5) in what will be the third game in 11 days for both teams. Both squads just played on Saturday. The Chiefs posted a 27-19 home win over the Houston Texans and the Steelers fell 34-17 to the host Baltimore Ravens. "You're not going to feel great," Mahomes said of the short week. "That's kind of just what it is. You don't make excuses in this league. You go out and play football, and you fight until the very end, and you try to get a win at the end of the day. "You're motivated to play a great football team, to play in Pittsburgh in a great environment, a great stadium. It'll be rocking playing on Christmas, so everybody's going to be watching." If Kansas City wins Wednesday, it clinches the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. The Chiefs have 14 victories for the third time in the past five seasons. The franchise has never won 15 games in a season. Kansas City hasn't committed a single turnover during its five-game winning streak. Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson isn't fond of hearing "turnover" after he made two big mistakes in Saturday's loss to the Ravens. Wilson lost a fumble after a 19-yard gain to the Baltimore 4-yard line in the second quarter and later was intercepted by Marlon Humphrey, who returned it 37 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Wilson called it "unacceptable" and now has his focus on making amends against Kansas City. "I don't think there's enough time to really sulk or worry or fear," Wilson said. " ... The one thing I'm not going to do is keep my head down, though. I know for us we got so much great confidence in who we are and what we can do and how we're going to respond. "We can't let a tough game like this take us into a negative state of mind because there's a lot more to play for and a lot more we're searching for, and we can still win the (AFC) North." Wilson is correct. If the Steelers win their final two regular-season games, they will win their division. They would have clinched it last weekend if they had won in Baltimore. Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin is hardly concerned about Wilson's miscues. It was the veteran signal-caller's first time committing multiple turnovers in nine games with the team. "He's tough on himself because he's got a desire to be great," Tomlin said. "He wants to lead us to victory. He owns that. I don't expect that to be an issue in terms of his readiness or trajectory of this week." Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (knee) and receiver Ben Skowronek (hip) missed Pittsburgh's walkthrough on Monday. Standout receiver George Pickens (hamstring) was a full participant and may return after missing the past three games. Safety DeShon Elliott (hamstring), cornerback Donte Jackson (back) and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (groin) also could return to action. Jackson's return would be big if Porter can't play. Kansas City also held a walkthrough on Monday. Left tackle D.J. Humphries (hamstring), safety Chamarri Conner (concussion) and star defensive end Chris Jones (calf) missed the session. Jones was injured against Houston. Meanwhile, Mahomes said his sore ankle is feeling better than it did last week. The Chiefs lost 20-14 to the visiting Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Day last season. Kansas City has won the past three meetings with the Steelers, including a 42-21 rout in an AFC wild-card game on Jan. 16, 2022. --Field Level MediaBefore Texas and Georgia face off in the Southeastern Conference championship game, the Longhorns earned a surprising victory over the Bulldogs on the recruiting trail. Justus Terry, a defensive lineman from Manchester, Georgia, announced he would be leaving his home state to play for Texas next year. Terry, who also was considering Georgia and Auburn, had been the nation’s top remaining uncommitted 2025 prospect. The addition of Terry gives Texas the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports. “We’re super pumped about this recruiting class,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said, before Terry had announced his decision. “This is a very talented group of players that I think not only fit the physical characteristics of what we’re looking for by position in our program, but I think meet the character and are going to fit nicely into our culture.” Although there will be an additional signing period in February, 247Sports officials said Texas should maintain its No. 1 standing. The overwhelming majority of Power Four recruits already finalized their college plans this week. The top 11 classes include eight Southeastern Conference schools and three Big Ten programs. Alabama is second, with Georgia third, Oregon fourth and Ohio State fifth. Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M, Michigan and Tennessee round out the top 10. Florida is 11th. The highest-rated recruiting classes outside the SEC and Big Ten are Notre Dame at No. 12 and Miami at No. 14. Terry is the nation’s No. 2 defensive lineman and No. 10 overall prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite. His decision gives Texas nine of the 247Sports Composite’s top 66 prospects. Texas’ other recruits rated 66th or better include safety Jonah Williams (No. 8), wide receivers Kaliq Lockett (No. 22) and Jamie Ffrench (No. 32), defensive lineman Lance Jackson (No. 25), all-purpose athlete Michael Terry III (No. 43), cornerbacks Kade Phillips (No. 54) and Graceson Littleton (No. 65), and linebacker Elijah Barnes (No. 66). “I think it’s a really versatile class with a variety of positions, highlighted by high-level players,” Sarkisian said. “As always, we really pride ourselves on recruiting the high school ranks. We think when we can get players in here young, then immerse them into our culture, into our off-season conditioning program, develop them as we go throughout their career, that’s when we really reap the benefits of having these guys in our program. This class is no different.” With the early signing period concluding, the focus on college roster construction now turns to transfers. The transfer portal window officially opens, though numerous college players already went to social media this week to announce their intentions to transfer. The early signing period was moved up a few weeks this year so that high school seniors could get their decisions out of the way before the opening of the transfer portal window. This marked the first signing period since the demise of the national letters of intent that prospects had sent in the past after signing with their respective schools. Athletes now are signing their names to a financial aid agreement that can include name, image and likeness agreements along with the standard tuition and room and board details.
NoneHOUSTON (AP) — C.J. Stroud was far from the only Houston Texan who struggled Sunday in an embarrassing loss to the Tennessee Titans. But it was the second-year quarterback who was the most vocal in taking the blame . “It’s no secret, I haven’t been playing well personally, for my standard,” he said. “I have a couple good drives and plays here, but it’s up and down ... I’ve got to be hard on myself and realize that games can come down to me making plays.” Stroud threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions as the Texans lost for the third time in four games after a 5-1 start. “I’ve got to just be better, and I know that,” he said. Stroud has thrown five interceptions combined in the past three games to give him nine this season after he had just five in 15 games as a rookie. The Texans (7-5) got a touchdown on an interception return by Jimmie Ward in the third quarter Sunday, but the offense managed only a field goal after halftime as the unit’s second-half struggles continued. Houston’s offense scored 10 points after halftime in a 34-10 win over the Cowboys on Monday night, but has combined for just nine points in the second half of its past three losses. “We have to create positive plays,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Too many times, whether it’s run or pass, we have a negative play which kills our drive. First things first, how can we sustain positive plays and build drives? Too many drives were stalled out before we could even get started.” Despite the offensive struggles, the Texans still had a chance to tie the game with less than two minutes to go. But Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 28-yard field goal sailed wide left. What’s working The Texans tied a franchise record with eight sacks Sunday. Danielle Hunter had a season-high three to give him 10 1/2 this season, which leads the team. Will Anderson Jr. added two in his return after missing two games with an ankle injury and has a career-high 9 1/2 this season. Houston ranks second in the NFL with 42 sacks entering Monday. What needs help Houston had just 40 yards rushing Sunday in a game where Joe Mixon had his worst performance of the season. Mixon, who ran for 109 yards and three touchdowns against the Cowboys, had a season-low 22 yards on 14 carries. “They’re a really good front, we knew that going into the game,” Ryans said. “But it doesn’t matter. Every front is good. You have to own the line of scrimmage. You have to be able to control the line of scrimmage and run the ball. We didn’t. We had too many negative plays in the running game.” The performance was Houston’s second-worst rushing game of the season after the team had 38 yards rushing in a loss to Minnesota in Week 3 when Mixon was out with an injury. Stock up Dameon Pierce had three kick returns for 135 yards Sunday, highlighted by an 80-yard return on the opening kickoff that set up Houston’s first touchdown. Stock down There have only been four missed field goals from 28 yards or closer in the NFL this season and Fairbairn has two of them. Fairbairn’s miss Sunday came after he missed a 27-yard attempt in a loss to the Jets. Injuries S Jalen Pitre left Sunday’s game in the second quarter with a shoulder injury. ... CB Ka’dar Hollman left in the fourth quarter with a knee injury. ... OT Blake Fisher missed a second straight game in the concussion protocol. Key number 23% — Houston converted just 3 of 13 third down attempts or 23% of its chances Sunday. Next steps The Texans, who lead the AFC South, will look to regroup to avoid another letdown next week when they visit the Jaguars (2-9), who have lost four in a row. “We made a lot of mistakes,” Hunter said. “We weren’t as locked in as we should have been. The biggest thing is just learning from this and just moving on to the next game.” Houston has its bye after facing Jacksonville before playing the Dolphins, Chiefs and Ravens in a 10-day stretch from Dec. 15-25. ___ AP NFL:
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A top Romanian court on Friday annulled the first round of the country's presidential election, days after allegations emerged that Russia ran a coordinated online campaign to promote the far-right outsider who won the first round. The Constitutional Court’s unprecedented decision — which is final — came after President Klaus Iohannis declassified intelligence on Wednesday that alleged Russia organized thousands of social media accounts to promote Calin Georgescu across platforms such as TikTok and Telegram. The court, without naming Georgescu, said that one of the 13 candidates in the Nov. 24 first round had improperly received “preferential treatment” on social media, distorting the outcome of the vote. Georgescu denounced the verdict as an “officialized coup” and an attack on democracy, as did the second-place finisher, reformist Elena Lasconi of the center-right Save Romania Union party. Despite being an outsider who declared zero campaign spending, Georgescu emerged as the frontrunner who was to face Lasconi in a runoff on Sunday. Some 951 voting stations had already opened abroad on Friday for the runoff for Romania’s large diaspora, but had to be halted. Iohannis said he would remain in office until a new presidential election could be rerun from scratch. On Dec. 1, one week after the first round of the presidential race, Romania also held a parliamentary election , which saw pro-Western parties win the most votes but also gains for far-right nationalists. Iohannis said that once the new government is formed, the date of the new presidential vote would be set. On Wednesday the president had released intelligence files from the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Foreign Intelligence Service, the Special Telecommunication Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In a televised statement Friday, Iohannis said he was “deeply concerned” by the contents of the intelligence reports. “Intelligence reports revealed that this candidate’s campaign was supported by a foreign state with interests contrary to Romania’s. These are serious issues," he said. The Constitutional Court in its published decision cited the illegal use of digital technologies including artificial intelligence, as well as the use of “undeclared sources of funding.” It said one candidate received “preferential treatment on social media platforms, which resulted in the distortion of voters’ expressed will." Georgescu slammed the verdict as putting “democracy is under attack.” “I have only one pact ... with the Romanian people and God,” he said in a video statement. “We are no longer talking about fairness but rather about a mockery that betrays the principles of democracy ... It is time to show that we are a courageous people who know that the destiny and rights of the Romanian nation are in our hands.” Lasconi also strongly condemned the court's decision, saying it was “illegal, immoral, and crushes the very essence of democracy" and that the second round should have gone forward. “Whether we like it or not, from a legal and legitimate standpoint, 9 million Romanian citizens, both in the country and the diaspora, expressed their preference for a particular candidate through their votes," she said. “I know I would have won. And I will win because the Romanian people know I will fight for them, that I will unite them for a better Romania,” she added. Some 9.4 million people — about 52.5% of eligible voters — had cast ballots in the first round in this European Union and NATO member country. The president serves a five-year term and has significant decision-making powers in national security, foreign policy and judicial appointments. Most surveys had predicted the top candidate would be Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu of the ruling center-left Social Democrats. They indicated that second place would be claimed by either Lasconi or the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, George Simion. As the surprising results came in with Georgescu on top, and Lasconi narrowly beating Ciolacu, it plunged the political establishment into turmoil. The same court last week ordered a recount of the first-round votes, which added to the myriad controversies that have engulfed a chaotic election cycle. Following a recount, the court then validated the first-round results on Monday. Many observers have expressed concerns that annulling the vote could trigger civil unrest. The court said Friday that its decision was meant “to restore citizens’ trust in the democratic legitimacy of public authorities, in the legality and fairness of elections.” Simion, of the far-right party, said the development was a “coup d’état in full swing” but urged people not to take to the streets. “We don’t let ourselves be provoked, this system has to fall democratically,” he said. Cristian Andrei, a political consultant based in Bucharest, said the court's decision amounts to a “crisis mode situation for Romanian democracy.” “In light of the information about the external interference, the massive interference in elections, I think this was not normal but predictable, because it’s not normal times at all, Romania is an uncharted territory,” he told The Associated Press. “The problem is here, do we have the institutions to manage such an interference in the future?” Georgescu’s surprising success left many political observers wondering how most local surveys were so far off, putting him behind at least five other candidates before the vote. Many observers attributed his success to his TikTok account, which now has 6 million likes and 541,000 followers. But some experts suspected Georgescu’s online following was artificially inflated while Romania’s top security body alleged he was given preferential treatment by TikTok over other candidates. In the intelligence release, the secret services alleged that one TikTok user paid more $381,000 (361,000 euros) to other users to promote Georgescu content. Intelligence authorities said information they obtained “revealed an aggressive promotion campaign” to increase and accelerate his popularity. Georgescu, when asked by the AP in an interview Wednesday whether he believes the Chinese-owned TikTok poses a threat to democracy, defended social media platforms. “The most important existing function for promoting free speech and freedom of expression is social media,” he said.
DSI Tyres, a leader in the tyre industry, along with its affiliated companies, has been recognized at several prestigious award ceremonies, including the SLIM Brand Excellence Awards by the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM), the Export Awards by the National Chamber of Exporters (NCE), and the Dragons of Asia Awards. At the SLIM Brand Excellence Awards 2024, regarded as Sri Lanka’s most prestigious and competitive brand recognition event, DSI Tyres received the ‘Agile Brand of the Year’ (Merit Award). This accolade was awarded for the company’s ability to adapt to rapidly changing market and social dynamics while adopting innovative and effective business strategies. DSI Tyres also achieved its first international recognition by winning the Black Dragon Award for the ‘Best Brand Building or Awareness Campaign’ at the 24th Dragons of Asia Awards, honouring their impactful marketing and communication initiatives.Key Takeaways What if the next wave of entrepreneurs didn't come from Silicon Valley — but from places you've never heard of? AI is tearing down the barriers that once limited innovation, creating a world where anyone, anywhere, can be the next big entrepreneur. I've seen it happening already — in cities, villages, and unexpected corners of the globe — and it's nothing short of extraordinary. This isn't about billion-dollar venture capital funds or tech giants; it's about the untapped potential of everyday people armed with powerful tools. We've talked about innovation being democratized for years, but now, it's finally real. The era of internet and computing democratized information, connected the world and gave rise to the digital-first economy. But I feel it's yesterday's news. AI is changing who gets to innovate and where the most exciting businesses of the future will come from. Related: The Next Startup to Become a Billion-Dollar Company Probably Isn't in Silicon Valley AI: The next chapter in the story of human innovation As I share in my innovation keynote presentations , every industrial revolution has reshaped entrepreneurship — and shifted the global geography of innovation. Now, we are at the dawn of the Fifth Industrial Revolution, driven by AI, and the shift is further global. What makes this revolution different is its ability to democratize intelligence and innovation itself. AI isn't just a tool for big corporations — it's empowering individuals in every corner of the world. I've seen entrepreneurs use AI to accomplish what would have been impossible even months ago. A single person can now design, prototype and market a product globally from their laptop, collaborating with virtual teams powered by AI to streamline processes with unprecedented speed. With AI breaking language barriers and predictive analytics enabling sharper pivots, entrepreneurs are no longer bound by their local contexts. The multiplier effect of AI amplifies every decision, making innovation scalable like never before. This isn't just another technological leap — it's a redefinition of how we build organizations, solve problems and create value. Agentic AI: The game-changer we need to pay attention to Agentic AI that is emerging now will take this change even further, and we'd better pay attention. Imagine entrepreneurs with entire virtual teams powered by agentic AI — working around the clock, across borders, breaking barriers of time and geography. I believe agentic AI isn't just about working faster or smarter; it's about something bigger. It will help entrepreneurs make decisions and scale in unprecedented ways, enabling them to compete with larger, more established players. Related: What You Need to Know About 'AI Agents' and Why We Are One Step Closer to The Jetsons The global shift: Where entrepreneurship is thriving Here's the most exciting part: The Fifth Industrial Revolution isn't just happening in historically dominant regions — it's emerging in Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia and other places once overlooked. These regions often face more pressing problems and resource constraints, which fuel creativity and lead to transformative solutions. I've seen it firsthand. Entrepreneurs in Mexico City are using AI to solve local healthcare challenges. Startups in Peru are innovating in logistics and ecommerce with AI tools that were once out of reach. In Morocco, founders are using generative AI to tackle education gaps. And the list goes on. But here's the thing: None of this happens on its own. AI is a powerful tool, but its impact depends on how we use it. The entrepreneurs who succeed in the Fifth Industrial Revolution will be those who take bold, strategic action to embrace this change. How to lead in the Fifth Industrial Revolution Related: 6 Ways AI Is Revolutionizing Startup Ecosystems The next wave of innovation won't be defined by geography, capital or connections; it'll be defined by ideas. AI is making the extraordinary accessible, the impossible achievable and the local global. The question isn't whether you're ready for this revolution — it's whether you're ready to lead it.
Salvation Army celebrates the holidays with 500 employees at Walmart in BurbankAn improvised line in 'Elf' almost got cut, and now it's gone viral
Two of the biggest challenges facing our city are domestic violence and the decades-long struggles to improve student achievement in Fresno Unified School District. Fortunately, we have Marjaree Mason Center CEO Nicole Linder leading the charge to educate the community about domestic violence and provide life-saving services for victims. We are equally fortunate to have School Board Trustee Susan Wittrup sticking her neck out and fighting the Fresno Unified bureaucracy to make the necessary changes so that all students graduate prepared to succeed in the workforce or in college. For these accomplishments, Linder and Wittrup are the GV Wire/Unfiltered Difference Makers of the Year. In 2024, Linder and her Marjaree Mason team capped off a $21 million fundraising drive to complete renovations and open a campus in northwest Fresno. The new center will house an around-the-clock drop-in center, programs supporting domestic violence survivors, and the nonprofit’s administrative offices. “It’s been, quite honestly, nothing short of a miracle. I’m definitely a person of faith, and I believe there’s been so much coordination to make all of this happen,” said Linder of the fundraising effort and praising her team. “The goal is to say this is a critical community investment, to say we’re not going to stand for this anymore.” We’re not going to stand for this anymore is Wittrup’s mantra, too. A majority of the School Board sent a message to the community that it would be business-as-usual after Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson announced his retirement. Those trustees wanted to limit the search for his successor to in-house candidates. Seeking the best for students and realizing that more of the same wouldn’t move the needle, Wittrup rallied the community in protest. And, in the face of the responding public outcry, she flipped the board majority to require a national search for Nelson’s replacement. In addition, interim Superintendent Misty Herr — a candidate to take over the top spot — appears focused on improving literacy, attendance, and learning. That might not seem like a big deal, but it is given that past superintendents spent more time excusing Fresno Unified’s woeful performance and cheerleading for the accomplishments of the districts’ top students than they did changing the system so that it works for those who need the most support. For that, we can thank Wittrup, who spent her professional career as a Fresno Unified psychologist. “We’re doing really important work now with transforming Fresno Unified,” says Wittrup. “My heart is in this work and I will continue to persist.” Many readers will recognize some of the names on our 2024 Difference Makers list. However, we hope that many will come as a surprise because I asked the GV Wire staff to go beyond the names that regularly appear in Fresno media. The list is by no means complete. While Fresno and the greater Valley have big challenges, we’re blessed with legions of residents who go out of their way to help others succeed and communities sparkle. Stan and Carrie Zulewski: Fresno’s Unforgettable Charity Christmas Light Show Have you heard of Fresno’s hidden gem during the holiday season? It is without a doubt the North Winchester Light Show in northwest Fresno. Stan Zulewski and his wife, Carrie, are the creators of the 15,000 LED Christmas light show at 6047 N. Winchester Ave. The rockin’ free lightshow has been open to the public for 17 years. What makes this 20-minute experience unique is that people can drive up to the house, tune into a radio frequency posted in the yard, and hear the accompanying music in the comfort of their car. The Zulewskis’ generosity extends to lifting up Fresno. There’s a donation box in the center of their yard and all the proceeds go to a local charity. The couple chooses a different nonprofit every year. This year, it’s Fresno Mission’s City Center. The light show runs nightly until Dec. 26. Hours are dark to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. To learn more about the show and its history, Related Story: Nick Richardson: Political Novice Shocks the Establishment A political novice, Nick Richardson ran for an open seat to represent northeast Fresno on the city council. In the primary, he battled against a prominent attorney, a banker who served on the planning commission, and nonprofit fundraiser. Richardson, a Marine reservist and safety consultant in his civilian life, finished a distant second — but that was enough to force a runoff against Roger Bonakdar, the attorney who represented Bitwise Industries employees owed money by the bankrupt company. Despite being outraised 8-to-1 and not having nearly the prominent endorsement list as Bonakdar, Richardson won the election and will take his seat on the dais next month. Election watchers call this one of the biggest upsets in Fresno election history. How did he do it? Hard work for one. Richardson established a reputation of walking and knocking, and holding decently-attended community meetings in parks. He was willing to communicate with groups that he may not politically agree with — like a pro-Palestinian group and LGBT advocates. Filling out an LGBT’s group survey may have cost Richardson the local Republican endorsement. Nevertheless, he is set to become the new District 6 councilmember. Kuma Family: Embracing One and All While Preserving Polynesian Culture When the Kuma family came to Fresno, they wanted a way to preserve their Polynesian roots. Despite their Tongan roots, they wanted a group for all Polynesians. And now, that has turned into an award-winning dance club with more than 300 members of all ages and backgrounds. All of the dances performed at the Polynesian Club of Fresno tell a story, says Linda Kuma, wife of the group’s founder. In fact, the group’s performance in 2023 earned them the top prize at a worldwide competition in San Jose. “They heard we were from Fresno and they’re trying to figure out what island was near Fresno,” Kuma said. “We had a great laugh about that.” The group has classes for every generation. One family has four generations dancing, from a great-granddaughter to a great-grandmother. Beyond dancing, the group also has drumming and fire knife classes. Kuma makes costumes for every dancer, representative of the different cultures within the Polynesian sphere. Samoan dress has subtle differences from that of Tahitian or Hawaiian, and vice versa. “I love this group, and that’s probably the reason that at 75, I still am here working because I love what I’m able to do and what’s able to happen for the people in this group,” Kuma said. “Not only the children, but the adults.” There’s not much that will compel most teenagers to get up before the crack of dawn, but Roosevelt High teacher Mike Spencer has found the key — and it’s fishing. Spencer, who has taught English at the southeast Fresno high school for 22 years, is the adviser for the school’s fishing club. Club members do more than fish — they volunteer for a variety of community service activities such as a Halloween trunk or treats event, clean-up opportunities with Beautify Fresno, and dropping old Christmas trees into lakes for fish habitats. But the main fun event is fishing, and that includes tournaments at Millerton Lake and overnight camping trips at places like San Luis Reservoir. Roosevelt’s fishing club members joins with other high schoolers in the region to participate in the Big Valley High School Anglers, a high school tournament bass fishing group that operates as part of the California High School Anglers Tournament Trail and hosts sanctioned tournaments. The core group of Roosevelt’s club is about 16 students, more juniors and seniors and more girls than boys this year, Spencer says. The fishing outings depend on an army of adult volunteers, including boat captains who take students out onto the water. “When I started, some people told me I was crazy, that bass fishermen would never let a kid on their boat like what I was asking for, which is basically, ‘Hey, I need two kids to be on your boat for seven hours. I don’t know how much experience they have. Would you do it?’ “Fresno Bass Club was my first call, a guy by the name of Ron Armstrong. And I’ll be honest, had he said no, it probably would have died right there. But he said yes. And he got his friends, the Fresno Bass Club guys, to be a part of it.” Members of other area fishing groups subsequently signed on, he says. “It’s almost humbling to be able to make one phone call and have five boats show up to take kids. But that’s sort of the beauty of what we’ve been able to do, is bring a lot of different people together, all for one purpose — to share the value of outdoor recreation with kids. The kids love it, and the adults love it. It’s been fantastic.” Fishing is in Spencer’s blood — like his father, he’s a longtime fly fisherman (ironically, neither of them cares much for eating fish). Before his teaching career began Spencer was a guide in Alaska and Montana after he graduated from Fresno State. Roosevelt had previously had a fishing club that had “fizzled out,” he says. While watching ESPN coverage of college fishing that included a Fresno State team, Spencer saw coverage of high school teams and realized that Roosevelt’s team could be reborn. It got off to a rocky start. About 80 students showed up at the first meeting. After he announced that members would have to pay a $25 fee to cover costs such as liability insurance, only a half dozen showed up for the next meeting. “And I realized immediately that, OK, I have to figure out ways to do this that doesn’t cost money. Or if the kids don’t have it, we can supplement. That’s been one of the biggest challenges, obviously, is how it gets funded.” The club’s community service requirement is a way for students to give back in appreciation of the support their club receives, Spencer says. “I don’t believe that you give people things for free. Like, there has to be some skin in the game, and it’s not the kids’ fault that they don’t have money. But if they can show up to fish, they can show up to do community service. And so that’s the price that most of them pay. If you want this, then you’ll show up for these things that we’re giving back. And that’s been really, I think, one of the best parts of the club, is getting the kids out there.” In addition to fishing at Millerton and Pine Lakes, the Roosevelt anglers get some out-of-town camping trips, including the central coast and San Luis Reservoir. Many have never set up tents or cooked on grills. But they soon get the hang of it, and they also learn from Spencer about the importance of cleaning up their campsite before they depart. “I don’t care if we didn’t put it there. It’s coming out, because you want to leave things better than you found it. I’m a ‘see a problem, solve a problem’ kind of person. And so I try to instill that in the kids. And I think it lands, for the most part.” The students also learn other lessons, such as the importance of expressing gratitude. After each expedition, the fishing club members write thank-you notes to their boat captains. Their appreciation is genuine, Spencer says: “The other great thing about my kids versus a lot of other kids who have access to boats and good fishing all the time is, my kids are used to fishing from the bank when they go fishing, which means they’re used to not catching anything because that’s usually what happens when you fish from the bank. So you put them in a boat, they catch a couple of fish, they think it was a fantastic day, while everybody else is complaining that they only got a couple of fish.” Demetrius Porter: Basketball Star Turned Mentor and Vintner In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Demetrius “Dee” Porter was making three-pointers and dishing assists for the Fresno State men’s basketball team. Now, he’s in the wine game while also mentoring Valley youth. Porter owns Center Cork Wine, where his goal is to “bring a representation of success, resilience, courage, and prestige to the Valley” via the wine brand. He was inspired to pursue wine while playing pro basketball in France. Fittingly, his wine line includes “Corkside,” ‘‘Pre-Game,” “Crossover,” “Tip-Off,” and “One and Done.” It wasn’t an easy road for the Washington Union graduate. Less than 1% of the 11,000 U.S. wineries are Black owned. In the industry “typicity” means the degree in which a wine tastes like the region where it was grown. He wants the world to know about local wine. Profits from the business support the nonprofit Exposure Sports, which puts on basketball scrimmages, camps and clinics for local boys and girls. “I focus on teaching high-level game skills and instilling the mindset of an elite athlete, emphasizing how hard work on the court can translate to success off the court,” said Porter. He hosts the annual The Heart of California Basketball Classic where the best players from the Central Valley scrimmage against top talent from across the country at the Save Mart Center. His organization has helped send 70 athletes to Division 1 schools. Four players have made it to the NBA: Jalen Green (San Joaquin Memorial, Houston Rockets), Jaime Jaquez and Keshad Johnson (Miami Heat), and AJ Johnson (Fresno native/2024 Milwaukee Bucks first-round draft pick). He has a pipeline to the UNLV women’s program as four of them have either played, are playing, or will play for the Rebels: Meadow Roland and Macie James (SJM), Rodjane Wade (Edison), and Alexis Willis (Clovis West). Savannah Tucker from Clovis North is playing at Long Beach State. Whether if it’s sending talent to college and the pros or becoming the first local wine company to be featured in Safeway, Porter does it by “thinking outside the box, defying naysayers, and inspiring youth to believe that anything is possible.” Related Story: Marie Slater: 40 Years as a Fresno Chaffee Zoo Docent Most Sunday mornings you’ll find Marie Slater hanging round the flamingo habitat at Fresno Chaffee Zoo. She loves the birds, and she also loves talking to visitors about them and other birds who live at the zoo. And she’s been doing it for a long time. Slater has been a docent for 40 years, the zoo’s longest-serving docent. She’s also served on the zoo board, twice as president. “My class of docents was the first one, in 1984,” she said. “They evidently had a group of docents in the early’ 70s, but they somehow disbanded. So my class was the first class after that. And it just has grown from there, obviously.” When she first started volunteering, the zoo was mostly small enclosures and a lot of concrete, Slater recalls. “It was still a nice little zoo, but probably not attractive,” she says. ”And now it’s a wonderful place for animals.” The passage of Measure Z by Fresno County voters, first in 2004 and then again in 2014 and 2023, has enabled the zoo inside Roeding Park to convert the concrete and small enclosures into habitats, including Sea Lion Cove, African Adventure, and Kingdoms of Asia. Slater has a hard time when she’s asked about her favorite animals, but she confesses that the big cats and elephants — and their babies — are at the top of her list. She “inherited” the bird cart after another longtime docent passed away. “She was always the bird person. So I sort of ventured out and thought, ‘Well, I can’t let her down. Let’s see what I can do here.’ So that’s when I started working at the bird cart.” Slater makes sure that there will be plenty of future generations of docents by helping to run the annual docent-training class each January. Why did she decide to become a docent 40 years ago? “I was a retired teacher and had time. My kids no longer wanted to come to the zoo, but I wanted to come to the zoo,” she says. “I love the zoo. It’s a peaceful place. It just worked for me.” Rodney Casillas: Guiding Youth and Fathers to Better Futures Rodney Casillas, an Easton resident, has dedicated the past 20 years of his life to guiding at-risk youth and young adults as they navigate challenges in entering the workforce. His journey began when he was hired at Workforce Connection, located at Shaw and Marks avenues, where he discovered his true passion for helping others. Casillas faced similar struggles during his youth, experiencing difficulties with no one to turn to for guidance. This personal connection fuels his drive to support others who find themselves in similar situations. As a special grants supervisor, Casillas, along with his team, works to secure grants and run workshops aimed at providing essential resources to those in need. What keeps Casillas motivated is the impact he has on people’s lives, helping them achieve success. One particular moment stands out for Casillas: During a workshop he facilitated, a couple participated and benefited from the tools and resources provided. Eighteen years later, they returned to the center with their child, specifically requesting Casillas. “I’ve been blessed in that way to help others and to see my own participants over the years and their successes that they’ve had and the families they’ve created and how well they are doing,” Casillas said. “That’s my thanks, and I’m grateful and thankful to be connected to that.” Last year, Casillas and his team secured a grant with a five-year lifespan, resulting in $1.1 million being distributed and impacting 397 young adults. Judge Raj Singh Badhesha has a heavy caseload, burning through more than 100 misdemeanor cases on a day following a holiday break. For one case, he orders a petty theft suspect to write a one- page essay on why crime does not pay. The new jurist is working his way up at the Fresno County Superior Court. Literally. His courtroom is two floors below the main entrance. “It’s kind of cool to be in Department 1 and to be able to someday be in a different department and to literally say I worked my way up,” Badhesha joked. Badhesha is a trailblazer as the first Sikh in the county to be named and the first turban-wearing judge ever in the state after Gov. Gavin Newsom nominated him to the bench earlier this year. The community celebrated his enrobing ceremony this past July at Fresno City Hall. “Members of (the Sikh) community are also very happy to see somebody that looks like them on the bench. But regardless of what I look like, I try to do a good job,” Badhesha said. “I do get a lot of smiles from people who look like me, who sometimes appear in court. They’re not always here for the best reasons. But I think that part of the benefit of having such a diverse judicial structure is that the judiciary doesn’t look like any single person,” Badhesha said. Diversity also comes from having previously worked in the Fresno City Attorney’s Office. He believes he is the first city attorney office worker to join the bench in four decades. “In my prior role at the city of Fresno, we were in a very fast-paced environment. And so I think from from that perspective, having that experience, I definitely was able to have benefited from that, coming into a misdemeanor department,” Badhesha said. Moving from City Hall contracts and public meetings to criminal law meant more learning and training. Badhesha said he also seeks help from fellow judges and the attorneys he interacts with. Stephen Vogt: From Player to AL Manger of the Year in Two Seasons Few gave the Cleveland Guardians and their new manager, Stephen Vogt, a chance. the 20th best team in Spring Training. had them as a fourth-place team. That didn’t matter to Visalia-native Vogt. Defying expectations, Vogt led the Guardians to a American League Central division title, and battled the Yankees for the AL pennant. Baseball writers rewarded Vogt, naming him the AL Manager of the Year. “I got way more excited when any one of our guys hit a home run then I ever did myself or a big play or a strikeout,” said Vogt, who starred in baseball at Central Valley Christian High School. “I think that’s the beauty of this role and this job — it’s not about you. It’s about your players and it’s about their successes.” During an interview at a Guardians game in August, Vogt told GV Wire his local roots still run deep. “Growing up in Visalia really gives you the perspective that you have to work hard for everything that you want. It’s a hard-working area. A lot of my friends grew up on dairy farms and going out and working the fields with them, working the cows and things like that, you just learn ... the dedication of hard work,” Vogt said. “And, to me, it’s a tough area. You have to be tough. I don’t really put my thumb on it, but I just feel like growing up where I did it really helped mold me into the competitor that I am.” Brett and Deborah Bayley were new transplants to Fresno looking for ways to get to know the community while helping to make it a better place. The Bayleys moved to Fresno from San Diego in 2017 to be closer to their son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. Their daughter later uprooted and moved north, and “we’re all right in the in the same ‘box,’ in the same block of houses here in Fresno. And it’s worked out perfectly. This will be where we spend the rest of our days,” Brett says. Soon after moving here, the Bayleys began looking for things to do. Brett, a retired real estate broker, and Deborah, a retired teacher, were drawn to the Beautify Fresno campaign that Mayor Jerry Dyer started as a community cleanup opportunity during his first campaign for mayor in 2020. “It was an opportunity for us to just give back. And we felt that we had the time, and we wanted to do it,” Brett says. The first event they signed up for was a litter removal project along the San Joaquin River. Picking up litter goes to Brett and Deborah’s roots. “We hate litter with a passion,” Brett says. “Deborah and I are in our 70s, and we go back to one of the first public relations campaigns that the country ever put on, which was ‘Don’t Be a Litter Bug’. And from our grade school years and on, our parents — both sets of parents really — drilled it in us that ‘hey, don’t be a litter bug.’ So we kind of grew up with that.” After that event, “we kind of got kind of got the bug and said, well, this will be a great opportunity for us to do a little something to give back. We call it doing our bit, you know, just doing our bit,” he says. They sign up often for Beautify Fresno events, which not only satisfies their desire to “do their bit” but also has introduced them to people they might not have met and neighborhoods they might not have visited otherwise. “I started keeping a list because I wanted to remember everybody’s names, so I’d carry around a piece of paper and, you know, just jot down, ‘starting a trucking company with his brothers,’ so I could remember the names and a little bit of background, and that paper’s grown into five sheets now on either side,” Deborah says. In addition to being steady Fresno beautifiers, the Bayleys also volunteer on Mondays to help out at the Fresno Animal Center, where they take care of behind-the-scenes chores like doing laundry and washing dishes. Brett says he and Deborah attended an open house at the center in its early days and after taking a tour, “it’s like a little light bulb going off where we want to do what we can to help you.” Volunteering gives them a chance to get to know the center’s staffers, most of whom are “considerably younger,” Brett says. “We think the relationship works both ways. They get to talk to some old dogs like us who’ve been around the block once or twice. And in turn, we keep in touch with younger people and some of the issues that they’re facing. And we’ve been able to help some of them over the couple of years. We’ve been there with just some advice and counsel and, you know, in a very small way more direct assistance. And so it’s been really, really good for us.” Ryan Indart: Keeping the Valley’s Sheep Industry Alive There was a time when there were more than 300,000 sheep in Fresno County, says rancher Ryan Indart. A majority of the 10,000 remaining sheep belong to him, a third-generation Basque sheep rancher. Making a living from selling lamb and wool can be difficult for many ranchers, he said. Several years of drought from 2009 to 2018 almost bankrupted him. But it was a phone call in 2018 from a solar developer that opened his eyes to a new market opportunity. The developer needed overgrown grass cleared out on his solar development in western Fresno County, Indart said. He wanted sheep to do the work. “My jaw dropped. That’s one of those quintessential light bulb moments and that has since been a really game changing moment for us,” Indart said. With the dramatic growth of solar throughout the San Joaquin Valley, Indart has likewise grown a list of clientele who need the same services. “We built our business and we went from like 2,000 acres to now we’re grazing almost 25,000 acres between two states,” Indart said. Overgrown vegetation can be a major fire hazard, threatening solar assets worth well into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Sheep present a more environmentally friendly way to clear out brush, often getting to areas a mower can’t reach. A good sheepherder can get 85% of the vegetation in an area, Indart said. Basque sheepherders were a critical piece of the sheep industry in the western U.S. Now, Australia and New Zealand have taken a significant portion of market share. In addition to trade imbalances, Indart says the association of lamb meat to the tough mutton U.S. soldiers got during World War II turned them off in the years following the war. But clearing out brush opens new opportunities for Indart’s business, and one he says can sustain them into the future. Lilia Chavez: Champion of Local Arts Fresno art lovers have 9.4 million new reasons to love Lilia Gonzales-Chávez. Long considered a leader in the Fresno art scene, Gonzales-Chávez took on a new role this year — dispensing millions of dollars in art grants. As the city of Fresno collected sales tax from Measure P — the sales tax dedicated to parks and arts — the Fresno Arts Council had the task of dispensing grant money. Chavez, president of the Fresno Arts Council, recommended which nonprofits should receive a share of $9.4 million. At a ceremony in September, Chavez proudly dispensed awards to 112 organizations — museums, artists, instructors and more. “We know that the arts are cathartic and just by participating in the arts we do improve our overall wellness. We know that with the arts we strengthen economic vitality,” Chavez was by the Munro Review — a grant recipient itself. Last year, in an interview for an article in , Gonzales-Chávez harkened back to the moment that the arts made a difference in her life. She was in third grade and her teacher announced that three in her third-grade class would be in the school’s talent show. Gonzales-Chávez did a quick calculation and deduced that a classmate who took ballet lessons and another who was taking piano lessons had been chosen. “But then the teacher said I was going to be in the talent show,” said Gonzales-Chávez. “And I didn’t know what talent I had!” Her teacher told her that voice was her talent and she would sing “Do-Re-Mi” from the Sound of Music. “We often don’t know what talents we have until someone points them out for us,” she said. In 1987, Gonzales-Chávez co-founded the Latino cultural arts center, , and served as executive director for 10 years. “When I looked around our community, there weren’t a lot of places for Latino children to see beautiful images of themselves. We had two major art institutions at that time: the Fresno Metropolitan Museum and the Fresno Art Museum. But they maybe did an annual exhibition that would touch on the Mexican community in Fresno County. “When I go to Arte Américas, I see people from all walks of life present.” Helen Attarian: Blood Bank Volunteer and 15 Gallon Donor If you’ve spent any time at the Jenny Eller Blood Donation Center on Herndon Avenue, you’ve probably bumped into Helen Attarian, a longtime volunteer and an even longer-time blood donor. Helen, 83, has been giving up pints of her O+ blood for decades. She’s up to 122 pints, or more than 15 gallons. As much as she’s glad to roll up her sleeve for a blood donation, she’s equally happy to roll up her sleeves and help out the blood center as a volunteer on Wednesday and Friday afternoons, and some Saturdays, and anytime there is a big blood drive at an area high school or other location. Why does she do it? “I love people and watching over and taking care of the donors and making sure they’re well and healthy and helping them when they’re not. That’s my favorite part (of volunteering),” she says. Her duties include keeping the canteen stocked with snacks. It’s probably no surprise that Helen is a people person — before she retired she worked in sales, selling everything from cars to eyeglass frames. She finally retired during the COVID pandemic when her job doing food demos at stores was curtailed. By then she was already spending part of her week at the blood bank as a volunteer. Donating blood is a family thing: two of her daughters donate, and her grandson began when he turned 16 (he’s now in his late 20s and living in Georgia). Helen says she had thought for years while donating about volunteering. It looked like fun, and she’d get to spend time doing her favorite thing — talking with and helping people. But it wasn’t until one of her daughters started a job there that Helen agreed to come along and speak with the volunteer coordinator. Her tasks include the aforementioned canteen time, making sure that donors are doing well and getting a snack. But she takes on other tasks, such as stapling the coupon books that each donor received or helping out the marketing team with its work. Helen’s also a kind of walking billboard for the blood center. She wears the many T-shirts that donors receive while out in the community and frequently gets recognized by donors. “So I have that on all the time. I’m always advertising the blood bank, and when I talk to people they tell me ‘oh, I saw you at the blood bank.’ ” Allysun Walker: Advancing Homeownership in Southwest Fresno Advancing historically neglected southwest Fresno is a major goal for city officials, numerous nonprofits, and many concerned citizens. Allysunn Walker, CEO of the Southwest Fresno Development Corporation pushes for responsible home ownership. As the area gets developed with new homes and businesses, she wants residents to be a part of that growth. She and her organization do that through ongoing classes to help people understand finances, fix their credit, and in some cases, when they’re ready, helping them make the leap to homeownership. “After two years, we’ve served over 650 people, and we’ve repaired credit for a couple hundred families. We’ve gotten housing counseling for several hundred families, and we’ve got 10 people who are new homeowners. We just closed last week,” Walker said. “It takes that volume of people. Homeownership is a long process, especially for people who’ve never done it before.” The organization’s work is now expanding. With help from the Westside Church of God, Southwest Development Corp. is building 12 tiny homes behind the church’s property. Those homes will go to seniors who live below the poverty line. Walker is also negotiating with Mechanics Bank to secure financing to buy distressed homes in the area. The group can then rehabilitate those homes and sell them below market value, helping increase access to affordable housing. A similar program in Richmond from Mechanics Bank brought 30 homes onto the market over nine years. A couple million dollars can turn over two-to-three times, Walker said. The key to revitalization, Walker says, is slow, steady progress. “My hope is that (the community sees) a partner in southwest Frenso, that they see someone who is committed to the mission of building community wealth and power through homeownership, through supporting entrepreneurs, through creating affordable rental housing, and through community revitalization,” Walker said. Kelsie Igasan: Suicide Survivor to Mental Health Advocate In 2017, Kelsie Igasan attempted suicide. She survived and restarted her life with a newfound purpose. Through her advocacy and speaking service, “The Butterfly Inside,” she specializes in trauma and mental health education, addiction recovery, and suicide prevention. The mission: “There is a butterfly inside of us all waiting to emerge from the darkness trauma can leave us in. Your life is worth saving. You are worth it.” She also uses her platform to raise awareness on youth concussions in sports, including cheerleading. And, at Clovis Hills Church, she educates students (grades 9-12) on recovery through the power of faith. It’s a twelve-step program for those struggling with mental health, anxiety, low self-esteem, eating disorders, substance abuse, and depression. “Being in the church, working with the youth, them being the same age I was when I struggled, in the same community, has been life changing,” said Igasan. The wife and mother of four was a former cheerleader at Buchanan High School in the mid 2000s. The traumatic brain injuries and undiagnosed concussions she sustained in the sport kickstarted a downward spiral. Turning to drugs, becoming a juvenile delinquent, and a full addict. After a stint in rehab and juvenile hall, she got sober, became a mother, and sought therapy. In 2017 a concussion she suffered from a minor car accident amongst other events led to a relapse. That’s when she tried to take her life. After healing in the Trauma Facility Community Regional Medical Center, her recovery and career journey started when she was named the Ambassador for the Central Valley Concussion Consortium. As a trauma peer visitor, she conversed with patients to encourage them to pursue life. From that point, she became one of the leading go-to advocates in the Central Valley to do speaking engagements on those subjects. She’s shared her story on multiple media platforms even getting national attention on “Inside Edition.” Igasan credits her faith for recovering and her pursuit to help people. “That mentorship is the most special. When I was a teenager struggling, I didn’t have a young person in my life to help me,” said Igasan. “It was lonely for me, so it’s been a gift from God to be able to be one-on-one with an adolescent girl and provide encouragement to show they’re not alone.” Perry and Ree Coy have been familiar faces around the Clovis Botanical Garden for nearly 20 years and have played a large part in its present-day appearance. Ree is a retired teacher and Perry a retired state biologist who previously worked for the Department of Fish and Game, Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health Services and Vector Control, and finally Caltrans. Anne Clemons, president of the Botanical Garden nonprofit, jokes that Perry takes on those jobs that no one else wants to do. Perry says he’s used to it: “We have other people that are here earlier in the week and they say, ‘Uh-oh, the tree fell down.’ Great. Well, I know what I’ll be doing, tree-trimming, or I’ll have a massive irrigation leak that the contractor ran over. And then I usually make a tour of the garden when I get here (on Tuesdays).” Working with plants is in his blood — his grandparents owned a nursery in Ventura where Perry spent a fair amount of time as a kid growing up and where he learned all about landscaping and propagation. So his background gives him the perfect set of skills to make sure all the plants at the Botanical Garden— trees, grasses, cacti, etc. — are getting the loving care they need to stay healthy. Clovis Botanical Garden specializes in low-water vegetation, with a variety of garden scenarios that homeowners can use as inspiration for their own gardens as well as enjoying a stroll throughout all the garden’s habitats. The plants are chosen because they will grow well in the Valley’s climates — blazing hot in summer, cold in winter. On a recent tour, Perry points out some of the garden’s distinctions, including how the crape myrtles are not “stubbed,” as many crape myrtles are at Fresno and Clovis homes. “You won’t see many crape myrtles like this. These are all trimmed for their high wildlife value,” he says. “We’re a national wildlife-friendly garden.” Ree is a volunteer supervisor on Thursdays, working with a crew that works as hard as they socialize. Volunteer Kitty is in charge of the cookies — her specialty is the apricot almond bar. The couple started volunteering at the botanical garden after Ree retired as a Fresno Unified elementary school teacher. She clutches a handful of books as she heads to the little lending library, a colorful box on a post near the site of the new visitor center that’s now under construction. That’s one of her favorite spots in the Botanical Garden. Perry’s favorite is the Children’s Garden that the couple sponsors, with mosaic-tile hopscotch squares and other kid-friendly features like a large snail that kids can hop onto. Getting the snail and other critters in place took some effort, Perry recalls. “My grandfather had a degree in horticulture, but he also was a Swiss engineer. And he taught me how to move stuff for landscaping. So I got to move all these little rascals in place.” Ree says she’s gotten an education in horticulture and has passed along some key tips to her volunteers, such as, if you think it’s a weed but you’re not sure, don’t pull it up. Ree says she’s applied that rule at home as well. “I even had a plant that grew up in my backyard. And I went and looked at it and I went, ‘I don’t know what you are. You look kind of weedy,’ but it was about this big, it was tiny. ... It turned out to be a forget-me-not.” Dora Westerlund: Helping Small Businesses and Growing the Economy When a small business opens in the Central Valley, chances are that Dora Westerlund, president and CEO of the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation, had a hand in it. The organization is the most experienced small-business technical assistance provider for Hispanic and minority communities in the San Joaquin Valley. It provides one-on-one consulting, financial education workshops, and small-business financing. Those businesses include mom-and-pop shops, restaurants, food trucks, and street vendors. “I am passionate about fostering entrepreneurship to drive economic growth in our region, strengthening the ecosystem, and positioning the San Joaquin Valley as a beacon for small businesses across the state,” said Westerlund. This year alone, the foundation has served over 4,000 small businesses and delivered more than 5,000 hours of one-on-one technical assistance in business planning, licenses/permits, and procurement. They also hosted 119 workshops and webinars. FAHF also deployed over $1 million in capital to small businesses, supported 17 rural communities, and provided more than $3.1 million in grants to small businesses in Fresno County. All this was made possible through collaborations with the city and county of Fresno, and the involvement of corporate and nonprofit partners. They go above and beyond for their clients like facilitating ribbon cutting opening ceremonies for their businesses. One highlight: “The Night of Champions” gala at Table Mountain Casino with boxing superstar Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez as the guest speaker. “The most rewarding part of my work is witnessing how the entrepreneurs we serve are able to provide better opportunities for their families and build generational wealth,” said Westerlund. “Ultimately, we’re not just helping small businesses start or grow — we’re helping people achieve dreams of business ownership, create stability for their families, and give back to their communities.” Now in his 80s, Ephraim Hadjis still fights for the issues important to the Jewish community. Officially, Hadjis is 81. But, because his birth records were lost in World War II-torn Greece, he believes he is 84. A Holocaust survivor and Vietnam veteran, Hadjis of Madera serves as president of Congregation Beth Jacob. When the Kerman City Council debated about calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, Hadjis spoke up. Hamas held several Israeli and American hostages in Gaza, following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. Israel responded by bombing Gaza, killing more than 45,000 Palestinians and displacing 80% of the population. Kerman became the second Central Valley city to approve a proclamation supported by pro-Palestinian groups. Madera was the first. Several in the Jewish community, including Hadjis and Rabbi Rick Winer of Temple Beth Israel, opposed, calling the proclamation one-sided. “I am a veteran and my main concern is Americans are being held hostage. Before we could talk about anything about a release or a peace or anything, the veterans of the Americans have to come home. That’s all. We are taught a basic training that you leave no American behind,” Hadjis said on March 13. Andrew Zonneveld: His Rare Baseball Card Will Pay for College Andrew Zonneveld found a hobby he could enjoy with his father — collect sports cards. One particular card will help pay for his college education. Inspired by the Olympic basketball team, eight-year-old Andrew and his father Andy Zonneveld ordered custom-made cards from Topps. One of those cards included a “1 of 1” featuring legends Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. The sports card world buzzed at the rare find for the Zonnevelds, who farm in Laton. The $50 pack of cards yielded more than $50,000 at an auction. What does the Zonneveld family plan to do with the proceeds? Save for college for Andrew and his siblings for one. Buy more cards of course! How does finding a rare sports card qualify someone to be called a difference-maker? The Zonnevelds provide us all with a reminder that family activities provide a lifetime of good memories and lessons learned.Rams don't dominate, but they're rolling toward the playoffs with superb complementary football
Caps look to keep record road win streak going vs. Blue JacketsReport: Chargers expect WR Ladd McConkey, LB Khalil Mack to play vs. Ravens
By Hiran H.Senewiratne Trading at the Colombo Stock Exchange was bullish yesterday as investors were driven by the fact that Fitch Ratings had upgraded Sri Lanka out of the default rating and upgraded it to CCC+ level. This resulted in the All Share Price Index going beyond the 15,000 mark hitting a new record yesterday. According to CSE sources, the ASPI crossed the 15,000 mark for the first time in history and the market closed at 15,020.61 points with a turnover of Rs. 8.44 billion. Amid those developments both indices moved upwards. All Share Price Index up by 209.9 points while S and P SL20 up by 73.65 points. Turnover stood at Rs 8.4 billion with twelve crossings. Those crossings were reported in HNB which crossed 750,000 shares to the tune of Rs 212 million and its share price traded at Rs 284,50, CTC 160,000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 208 million and its share price traded at Rs 1300, JKH 8.1 million shares crossed to the tune of Rs 182 million and its share price traded at Rs 22.50, Sampath Bank one million shares crossed to the tune of Rs 110 million and its share price traded at Rs 110, NTB 250,000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 44 million and its share price traded at Rs 176, NHB (Non Voting) 200,000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 42.7 million and its share price traded at Rs 215, RIL Properties three million shares crossed to the tune of Rs 36.9 million and its share price traded at Rs 12.30, Access Engineering one million shares crossed to the tune of Rs 35 million and its share price traded at Rs 35, LOLC Holdings 50000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 28.5 million and its share price traded at Rs 570, People’s Insurance 150,000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 23.8 million and its share price traded at Rs 26.50, Commerical Bank 150,000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 20.6 million and its share price traded at Rs 137.50 and Marawila Resorts 3.3 million shares crossed to the tune of Rs 20.4 millions and its share price traded at Rs 6.20.
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