Top stories: Clovis’ new pancake joint; healthcare layoffs; 2 dead in fatal crash.

Catch up on Monday’s top stories from The Fresno Bee.

From a healthcare company cutting jobs in Fresno County to newly revealed text messages in a former football coach’s defamation case, and more.

Here are The Fresno Bee’s top stories from Monday to catch you up.

• Healthcare provider in Fresno County to lay off 48 employees — Centria Autism, a Michigan-based company that provides Applied Behavior Analysis therapy for autistic children across 11 states, will lay off 48 employees in Fresno County effective July 31. The cuts were disclosed in a WARN notice. A company spokesperson said the Fresno office is not closing and will remain operational. Read more on the layoffs and the company’s response in The Fresno Bee.
• What did Don Arax call Keshia Thomas in a text message? It’s not polite — New court documents in former Bullard High football coach Don Arax’s 2022 defamation lawsuit reveal text messages in which he used profane, derogatory language to describe Fresno Unified Trustee Keshia Thomas after she alleged on a podcast that he used a racial slur toward her son. Thomas is seeking summary judgment, arguing she spoke as a trustee and that Arax must meet the “actual malice” standard as a public figure. A judge postponed the hearing to July 21. The full exchange and case background are detailed in The Fresno Bee.
• Two killed in head-on collision on Highway 43 in Kings County, CHP says — Two people died Friday after a pickup truck crossed into oncoming traffic on State Route 43 south of Lansing Avenue and struck a motorcycle, the California Highway Patrol said. The motorcycle’s driver died at the scene and his passenger died later at a Hanford hospital. The pickup driver suffered major injuries. More on the investigation is in The Fresno Bee.
• Popular breakfast restaurant plans a new Clovis location. Why it’s different — Batter Up Pancakes is opening a third Fresno-area location this fall at Shaw and Leonard avenues in Clovis, but this one will be its first franchised store. Co-founder Cristina Colla said the family designed the franchise system so operators keep a larger share of the profits. The original Cedar and Nees location, open since 2009, goes through 5,400 eggs a week. Read more about the expansion in The Fresno Bee.

Original stories by Robert Kuwada, David Taub, Anthony Galaviz and Bethany Clough

This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence based on our own originally reported, written and published content. Before publishing, journalists reviewed this content in compliance with McClatchy Media’s AI policy.