The Fresno Bee

Updates: Yosemite trails, roads closed temporarily by fires

07/05/09 13:22:15

Two lightning-caused fires in Yosemite National Park have forced temporary closures of trails and roads, park authorities said today.

Travelers can expect temporary road delays and closures due to smoke and firefighters working along Wawona and Glacier Point roads, according to the National Park Service. Fire and smoke are visible along the roads, and drivers should use caution.

Updates: 2,900 marijuana plants destroyed

07/04/09 19:03:23

More than 2,900 marijuana plants with an estimated street value of more than $11.6 million were eradicated Friday east of Orosi, according to the Tulare County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies arrested two men at the site of a marijuana field near Badger, east of Orosi on Friday. Officers of the sheriff's tactical enforcement personnel team said they came upon two men tending the marijuana plants. The men ran, but detectives caught both.

Updates: Fowler family escapes home fire

07/04/09 18:59:47

A Fowler family of nine escaped injury Saturday afternoon when a fire that began in the garage spread into the attic, the kitchen, living room and a bedroom.

Four adults and five children were outside the home at Sixth and Fresno streets when fire crews arrived, said Manuel Lopez, fire lieutenant with the Fowler Fire Department.

Updates: Wildfire burning northeast of Porterville

07/03/09 18:25:27

A wildfire continues to burn in the Golden Trout Wilderness, 25 miles northeast of Porterville.

The Shotgun fire has burned 412 acres and is expected to grow to 800 acres by Monday. The fire is burning where Shotgun Creek flows into the Little Kern River.

Local: Fresno business offered for free

07/05/09 22:12:22

Take my tanning salon ... please.

That's what Brandon Liquori of Fresno hopes someone will do. He wants to walk away from his unsuccessful tanning business -- and he's doing it in an unorthodox way.

Local: Multimillion-dollar effort aims to stabilize Fresno Co. neighborhoods

07/05/09 22:12:21

The money is about to start flowing for a multimillion-dollar effort to stabilize neighborhoods in Fresno County.

Fresno city officials have awarded more than $7 million in contracts to four groups to buy and fix up bank-owned houses.

Local: Electricity project short-circuited in 3 Valley counties

07/05/09 22:12:21

An agency that planned to supply cheap electricity to 115,000 customers in three Valley counties has put the project on hold, saying it couldn't guarantee savings over the long term.

The San Joaquin Valley Power Authority said it also will halt plans to build a gas-fired power plant between Selma and Parlier that was opposed by nearby residents. The plant was part of the authority's plan to supply electricity.

Local: Valley officials seize fireworks and cite drunken drivers

07/05/09 20:47:05

Authorities seized hundreds of illegal fireworks and clamped down on drunken drivers as the Valley observed the Fourth of July.

Teams of Fresno police and fire officials wrote 20 citations -- fewer than last year -- and collected more than 700 illegal fireworks Saturday. Law enforcement officers also arrested dozens of drivers for drunken driving.

Local: Local briefs: Fresno police arrest felon with handgun

07/05/09 21:45:40

Fresno police officers on Saturday arrested a violent felon and recovered a loaded semiautomatic handgun that had been hidden in a fake dictionary.

The gun and ammunition were located during a traffic stop. Officers had pulled over the 30-year-old Fresno man for possible drunken driving near Shaw and Maple avenues.

Sports: Grizzlies pitcher not fazed in return to mound

07/05/09 22:51:45

When Joe Martinez takes the mound these days, what everyone wants to know and what everyone wants to watch is whether he will flinch.

Flinch at the mere sound of a baseball making contact with the bat. Flinch at the sight of a ball coming right back toward his head. Flinch from just pitching again.

Sports: Local briefs: Quezada, Estrada to headline card

07/05/09 22:51:45

Manuel Quezada defends his World Boxing Council Caribbean heavyweight title, and 2008 Olympian Shawn Estrada makes another appearance near his former hometown in the marquee bouts of a hybrid boxing/mixed martial arts card scheduled for July 16 at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore.

Quezada, the WBC's 11th-ranked contender at 27-4 with 17 knockouts, meets 17th-ranked contender and former North American Boxing Federation champion Travis Walker (31-2-1, 25 KOs) in a 12-round bout.

Sports: Grizzlies report 7/5

07/05/09 22:51:44

The game winner: Las Vegas 51s catcher Kyle Phillips hit a towering solo home run over the right-field wall in the top of the ninth inning for the go-ahead run. The very next batter, Las Vegas teammate Jason Lane nearly followed with a solo shot of his own to right but Grizzlies outfielder Ben Copeland made a jumping catch to prevent the home run.

Burriss injured: Second baseman Emmanuel Burriss, the Grizzlies leadoff hitter, was removed in the bottom of the first inning after suffering a lower-leg injury while running the bases. Burriss was taken to a local hospital during the game and his status remains unclear. Joe Borchard replaced Burriss in the lineup and was put in left field, Copeland moved from left to right, and Matt Downs moved from right field to second.

Sports: Rawhide report 7/5

07/05/09 22:51:43

Crucial moment: The Rawhide gave up three home runs in the bottom of the second inning and never recovered. Joseph Dunigan and Ian Bladergroen hit back-to-back home runs to highlight the inning for High Desert. Tyson Gillies later followed with a solo homer.

Arms race: Rawhide starter Christian Beltre surrendered six runs in four innings pitched. He allowed six hits and three walks for the loss. Mavericks starter Juan Ramirez pitched six scoreless innings on three hits for the win.

Sports: Sneak preview: High school water polo

07/05/09 23:00:40

VISALIA DOWNTOWN/EXETER KIWANIS ALL-STAR GAMES

What: All-Star boys and girls water polo games for graduated seniors from schools in Tulare and Kings counties

Business: Word on the street : My Girl opens second Fresno store at Fashion Fair

07/05/09 20:04:16

Little girls still have a place to get their hair braided and buy sparkly flip-flops now that local retailer My Girl has taken over the space a national retailer left behind in Fashion Fair mall.

My Girl opened its second Fresno location last month after Club Libby Lu closed in January. The first My Girl store opened four years ago at the Crossroads Shopping Center at Perrin and Sommerville drives. Club Libby Lu closed after owner Saks Inc. announced it was closing all 98 stores.

Business: Fresno air base goes solar

07/04/09 21:41:27

The new solar panels on rooftops at the California Air National Guard base in Fresno are a first for any air guard base nationwide, but they won't be the last.

Military and solar company representatives expect to see more solar projects on air guard bases -- and all types of military bases -- across the country.

Business: Rival states try to pick up California business

07/04/09 21:38:21

California's budget crisis is turning into a worldwide spectacle that could harm the state's business climate -- and chase companies away.

Rival states are revving up their economic-development efforts as global news outlets fixate on the $26.3 billion deficit and the IOUs the state started issuing last week.