Fresno County workers went on strike for three days to protest pay cuts, Fresno's top car thief got probation, and The Bee reported on the impacts of Spain's high-speed rail on urban and rural areas.

FRIANT -- This foothill community with its old houses, sleepy shops and vintage diner hasn't seen much change over the decades, beyond a wider road through town and a new gas station.

Eager homebuyers once had to get on a waiting list for a chance at a house in Fresno's Vineyards neighborhood west of Highway 99. That was in 2006. In the five years since then, residents have seen what an imploding real estate market can do.

Several vacant buildings on Mooney Boulevard in Visalia finally are getting new tenants, continuing a trend from last year and the year before.

If you didn't get confused -- even once -- watching the TV series "Lost," then the latest goings-on involving the Chukchansi tribe should be up your alley.

Question: What is the history of the Golden Tee golf course on Tulare Street?

Many years of partisan wrangling over the state budget reached a climax in 2010 when public employee unions and Democratic politicians persuaded voters to pass Proposition 25, eliminating the two-thirds vote for budgets.