The documents included driver's licenses, Social Security cards and U.S. residence cards. 02/09/12 14:23:51 http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/02/09/2716220/couple-loses-suit-against-fresno.html A Fresno County jury rejected a couple's claim that they were forced to resign from the Fresno Police Department for taking too much time off from work because of illnesses, recovery from a stab wound and to care for a special-needs son.

Jurors also said officials did not discriminate or retaliate against Richard Gaines or his wife Jamy. They resigned from the department in August 2005. 02/09/12 15:28:14 http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/02/09/2716089/bizarre-twist-in-fresno-murder.html A Fresno murder-for-hire case took another bizarre twist today when it emerged in court that the key witness in the case photographed himself wearing a Fresno police uniform and riding in a police helicopter.

The photographs sparked an Internal Affairs investigation by the Fresno Police Department. Now the lawyer for Daljit Singh, who is accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill a former business partner, wants to know what the informant, Joe Luis Yzaguirre Jr, told Internal Affairs investigators. 02/09/12 13:47:30 http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/02/09/2716045/collision-near-los-banos-kills.html A 46-year-old Modesto man was killed this morning in a motorcycle collision near Los Banos.

The incident occurred on Highway 33 and Cottonwood Road, the California Highway Patrol said. 02/09/12 13:05:03 http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/02/09/2715984/investigation-okd-on-rdas-59-million.html The Fresno City Council this morning authorized its Finance and Audit Committee to investigate a $59 million debt owed to City Hall.

The vote was 6-0. Council Member Larry Westerlund, who said he could not support the investigation, left the dais before the vote. 02/09/12 12:16:30 http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/02/08/2714540/accused-teacher-neng-yang-fears.html An attorney defending Clovis teacher Neng Yang, accused of molesting one of his second-grade students, wants him be to tried by federal prosecutors first in hopes of ensuring his safety.

Yang is facing both state and federal charges involving the alleged molestation and the video he is accused of shooting on his cell phone. He has pleaded not guilty in both Fresno County and federal court. 02/09/12 00:12:33 http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/02/09/2716054/farmers-still-fighting-for-immigrant.html WASHINGTON — California and Southern farmers renewed their case Thursday for some kind of an agricultural guest-worker program, but they're sailing against the wind.

Make that a hurricane. 02/09/12 13:55:19 http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/02/08/2714784/fresno-unified-2012-13-budget.html Fresno Unified plans to avoid layoffs next school year and expand transitional kindergarten to all elementary schools over the next two years, district officials said Wednesday.

Superintendent Michael Hanson and Trustee Janet Ryan said they were optimistic about Fresno Unified's future because the district has maintained a healthy cash reserve even in the face of state budget cutbacks for education. 02/09/12 00:04:47 http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/02/08/2714654/transportation-sec-lahood-talks.html America's top transportation official offered a spirited defense of high-speed rail plans Wednesday in Fresno but said that he and other supporters are aware of "serious concerns that people may have."

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood talked to reporters after a downtown Fresno meeting with business owners, including some whose buildings would be displaced by California's plans for high-speed trains through the Valley connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles. Later in the day, he planned to meet with farmers and ranchers before heading to Sacramento to talk with state legislators. 02/09/12 00:02:14 http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/02/08/2715311/fresno-to-move-on-tricky-monterey.html A bridge to nowhere that has been part of downtown Fresno's skyline for more than 60 years is on the verge of coming down.

The demolition of the Monterey Street bridge should be quite a show and engineering feat. It could also could spark another battle over what has become downtown's most controversial issue -- homelessness. 02/08/12 23:58:37 http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/02/07/2713540/clovis-tour-of-california-route.html Amgen Tour of California organizers unveiled course details about the 2012 race Wednesday, and Stage 4 between Sonora and Clovis has a familiar look.

That's because the 130.2-mile stage, longest in this year's event, traces much of the same route into Old Town Clovis as when the Tour of California last visited the Fresno area in 2009. 02/07/12 17:24:20 http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/02/08/2715276/scouting-foes-key-to-fresno-state.html In its first five conference games, Fresno State allowed opponents to hit 49.8% of their shots and average 71.2 points.

The Bulldogs tumbled to a 1-4 start in the Western Athletic Conference men's basketball race. 02/08/12 23:00:17 http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/02/08/2715260/alabama-rigs-are-taking-the-angling.html Like the fish they target, bass anglers are a predictable species.

Put something in front of them they haven't seen before, something new and innovative, and they can't help but bite. 02/09/12 07:04:57 http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/02/08/2715283/bullard-high-girls-soccer-adds.html With the Central Section soccer playoff seedings slated for Saturday, defending Division I girls champion Bullard High added another highlight to its résumé in its bid for a No. 1 spot.

Cassi Fasi scored one goal and helped produce another when her long throw-in pinballed off a defender for an own goal as the No. 4 Knights captured a 10th straight County/Metro Athletic Conference title with a 2-0 victory against host Memorial on Wednesday. 02/08/12 23:09:45 http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/02/08/2715270/fresno-state-softball-coach-has.html A day before Fresno State's softball season opener, coach Margie Wright still hadn't decided who will start in the circle.

Michelle Moses or Mackenzie Oakes? 02/08/12 22:44:59 http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/02/09/2716054/farmers-still-fighting-for-immigrant.html WASHINGTON — California and Southern farmers renewed their case Thursday for some kind of an agricultural guest-worker program, but they're sailing against the wind.

Make that a hurricane. 02/09/12 14:03:26 http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/02/08/2714798/diamond-foods-names-new-ceo-on.html Diamond Foods Inc. is replacing its CEO and chief financial officer after an internal investigation found that the company improperly accounted for payments to walnut growers and it needs to restate two years of financial results.

The news, announced late Wednesday, sent shares of the San Francisco-based company plummeting more than 43 percent in after-hours trading. 02/08/12 23:26:14 http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/02/08/2715289/business-briefs-california-florida.html New York and California have agreed to sign the proposed settlement between U.S. states and the nation's biggest mortgage lenders over foreclosure abuses, according to a source close to the negotiations.

Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citibank and Ally Financial agreed to the settlement -- for an estimated $37 billion. 02/08/12 23:23:48