Top stories from the Fresno region: 5 stories from Tuesday to catch you up
Unexpected tornado weather. The story behind a missing taco restaurant owner, an armed bank robbery and potential leadership changes at the Fresno State Foundation. These Central Valley stories shaped the day.
Here are the top stories from The Fresno Bee on April 21, 2026.
- Fresno-area tornado warning results in brief school shutdown: A tornado warning in California’s Central Valley on Tuesday sent cellphone alerts buzzing and prompted Clovis Unified to issue a shelter-in-place order for about 30 minutes. A funnel cloud was spotted near Highway 99 and Herndon but dissipated before touching down. The Central Valley typically sees one or two tornado reports a year, with the most recent Fresno County tornado occurring in Clovis in 2019.
- What happened to Fresno’s Tacos El Cabezon? Evictions, $500k ruling: Tacos El Cabezon owner Armando Arias Jr. has been found safe after going missing, but his restaurant empire has unraveled. His downtown Fresno location is closed, he faces a $507,058.48 court judgment from an Ohio case and an eviction notice at his original Maroa and Shaw location demanding $8,500 in unpaid rent. A second location at McKinley and Fruit avenues never opened, and one of his food trucks is listed for rent online.
- Superior Dairy closes for renovations, promises dine-in return: Hanford’s Superior Dairy, a Central Valley ice cream landmark since 1929, temporarily closed April 13 for major renovations under new local owners, the Zonneveld family. Plans include restoring indoor dining, reopening the dining room closed since COVID, and preserving the shop’s nostalgic pink seating and on-site ice cream. A pink trailer serves ice cream across the street.
- Armed man robs Fresno bank, flees on foot with unknown sum of cash, police say: An armed man robbed the PNC Bank at Shaw and Palm avenues around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday after producing a firearm and demanding money from tellers, Fresno police said. The suspect fled on foot wearing a black hoodie, dark pants and a surgical-type mask with an undisclosed amount of cash. The bank was expected to remain closed for the rest of the day as detectives canvassed for evidence.
- As term limits return, Fresno State Foundation’s top leadership ranks could see major change: The Fresno State Foundation, which manages more than $315 million in university endowments, could see major leadership changes this summer as term limits are set to return by June. Foundation chair Vinci Ricchiuti, who has served for 31 years, is among five long-term board members whose four-year terms could expire. The reform plan follows a critical review from the Cal State chancellor’s office that found weaknesses left the foundation “vulnerable to financial and reputational risk.”
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.
Original stories by Fresno Bee reporters Nick Fenley, Bethany Clough, Maria G. Ortiz-Briones and Robert Kuwada.
This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 7:06 PM.
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Christopher Kirkpatrick
The Fresno Bee