The Fresno Bee

Updates: Mendota teen's arraignment delayed

11/10/09 10:39:49

The arraignment of a 14-year-old Mendota boy in connection with the slaying of a 4-year-old neighbor has been delayed until this afternoon.

Raul Renato Castro, wearing handcuffs and leg shackles, made a brief appearance this morning before Fresno County Superior Court Judge Jon Nick Kapetan.

Updates: Couple with kids in car crash while fighting

11/10/09 08:30:08

A man and woman who crashed into a tree while fighting in a moving car were booked on suspicion of domestic violence and child endangerment, the Tulare County Sheriff's Department said.

The couple, both 32, were driving Monday on Spruce Road north of Highway 198 with two small children in the back seat when they began to argue and fight. The car slammed into a tree.

Updates: Briefs: Paintball attack near Porterville

11/10/09 08:10:37

An unknown assailant peppered two men walking near Porterville with paint-gun balls, the Tulare County Sheriff's Department reported.

The men told officers they were in the 1700 block of South Plano Street about 4 p.m. Monday when they were hit by the paintballs. Both sustained minor injuries.

Updates: Erratic Fresno driver faces stiffer charges

11/10/09 07:56:08

A driver seen Monday night swerving between lanes in west-central Fresno faces gun-possession and drug charges, police said.

Sgt. Bob Reynolds said officers saw the 35-year-old man make an illegal U-turn on Golden State Boulevard about 10:30 p.m., then drive erratically east on McKinley Avenue.

Updates: Fresno drug-sale search leads to 3 arrests

11/10/09 07:22:15

Officers arrested three people Monday night while checking a report that drugs were being sold from an apartment in east-central Fresno.

Sgt. Bob Reynolds said went to the apartment in the 1100 block of North Eighth Street about 9 p.m. The officers noticed the odor of marijuana in the apartment, then found a sawed-off rifle in a bedroom as well as methamphetamine packaged for sale, Reynolds said.

Local: Family, friends say goodbye to slain boy

11/09/09 22:13:00

With his head barely visible above a church pulpit, 13-year-old James Betancourt stood in front of 300 friends, relatives and church members Monday to talk about his younger brother, Alex.

"You can never forget him," said James, sniffling and resting his head in one hand. "When we went to the beach, he would jump over the waves and we would knock him over a bit, but he would get up with a big smile."

Local: Millerton Lake a backdrop for water-bond signing

11/09/09 21:05:07

With Millerton Lake as a backdrop, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an $11.1 billion water bond Monday that proponents acknowledged will be a tough sell with voters.

Schwarzenegger was flanked by legislators, local elected officials, farmers, and members of the California Latino Water Coalition during the afternoon ceremony.

Local: Navy sub vets share a model experience

11/09/09 22:51:47

Three local Navy veterans who crafted a 16-foot scale model of the USS Seawolf said the work was tougher than spending months submerged in a real submarine.

They didn't have many model-building skills -- or even know one another -- when they began, but that soon changed.

Local: Fresno mayor hopeful despite budget cuts

11/09/09 23:06:57

Fresno's future is bright even if 2009 is going down in history as the year City Hall had to prune $55 million from a general fund budget that wasn't all that fat to begin with, Mayor Ashley Swearengin said Monday night.

Speaking to about 100 residents at Woodward Park Library, Swearengin said Fresno's many assets -- not the least of which is the community's "heart" -- will carry the city through these tough financial times.

Local: Marathon steers clear of major disruptions

11/09/09 23:06:58

Despite a few traffic bottlenecks, organizers of Sunday's Eye-Q Two Cities Marathon & Half managed to move 5,000 runners through northeast Fresno and Clovis without major disruptions, city officials and police said Monday.

Several roads were closed 5 a.m.-2 p.m. in Fresno and 7-11 a.m. in Clovis during the second annual event.

Sports: Containing Colin is Bulldogs' challenge

11/09/09 22:51:46

Fresno State coach Pat Hill showered praises upon Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick during his Monday news conference.

He didn't have a single criticism of the junior quarterback the Bulldogs will face Saturday in Reno.

Sports: Clovis' Ly wins section title

11/09/09 22:51:47

BAKERSFIELD -- Madchen Ly is 5 feet tall with braces, a strong driver, dependable approach game, uncertain putter and hope.

She needed a lot of the latter Monday.

Sports: Washington's McCurley waiting

11/09/09 23:00:37

All Adam McCurley has done in 21 games as Washington High's quarterback is pass for 5,127 yards and 51 touchdowns after a 306-yard, four-touchdown effort in Friday's 42-14 North Sequoia League title-clinching victory over Dos Palos.

And the strong-armed right-hander, who's passed for 2,469 yards and 27 touchdowns this season, has at least two more games to play -- if not as many as four -- with the Panthers' season finale at home against Kerman on Friday and the Central Section Division IV playoffs starting Nov. 20.

Sports: Bulldogs briefs: Fresno State falls at home in volleyball

11/09/09 23:07:53

Kelli Parker recorded her first career double-double with 16 kills and 11 digs, but it wasn't enough to keep Fresno State from falling to Nevada 14-25, 25-20, 25-21, 26-24 in a Western Athletic Conference volleyball match Monday at the Save Mart Center.

Needing a win to extend the match, the Bulldogs wasted a 24-23 lead in the fourth set.

Sports: Porterville sets tone in pool

11/09/09 22:54:04

Porterville High's girls water polo team showed it had the potential to produce a special season right off the bat.

The Panthers reached the final of the season's first big tournament -- the Clovis West Tournament -- beating reigning Central Section Division I runner-up Buchanan along the way before losing 8-5 to defending D-I champion Clovis West.

Business: Dairies wrestle with animal-welfare standards

11/09/09 12:48:22

Fresno County dairy operator Jamie Bledsoe says he's proud of how he cares for his animals. But his word may no longer be enough to satisfy the buyers of his milk.

Bledsoe, like many livestock farmers, operates in a new environment where animal rights groups, consumers and retailers are increasingly demanding assurances that farmers treat their animals humanely.

Business: Granite Park developer Barbis files bankruptcy

11/09/09 23:19:55

Former Granite Park developer Milt Barbis has filed for bankruptcy protection, stating in court documents that he faces more than $8 million in debts.

Barbis on Oct. 30 filed a Chapter 7 petition in downtown Fresno's U.S. District Court. Chapter 7 essentially is a going-out-of-business filing.

Business: Valley home prices remain at risk

11/09/09 19:59:40

Home prices appear to have stabilized in Fresno and Clovis, but officials at Zillow.com say declines could resume if a feared flood of foreclosures materializes.

"You are not out of the woods," said Amy Bohutinsky, vice president of communications for the online company that tracks real estate trends. "The next six months will be critical."