Top stories: Viral Fresno smoothies; safety settlement benefits detainees; new eats
Here’s a rundown of The Bee’s top stories for Wednesday, including Erewhon-style smoothies in Fresno, a “landmark” safety settlement for detained immigrants and a list of new restaurants gracing the Central Valley this summer.
Top stories for Wednesday
- Influencers flock to Fresno deli for its version of trendy Erewhon smoothies: Smoothies available at Expressry Deli and Market are being promoted by local influencers as Fresno’s version of those sold at Erewhon, a high-end grocery store in Los Angeles. The local drinks, like “Berry Sweet,” “Smurfie Smoothie” and “Date Me Mango,” are said to closely resemble Erewhon’s viral offerings. The traffic boom prompted Expressry to ask customers to be patient about long wait times.
- Detainees at California ICE facility win ‘landmark’ safety settlement, protections: Geo Group, a Florida-based private prison operator, agreed to pay a $104,510 civil penalty to settle a Cal/OSHA complaint. The complaint was filed in June 2022 and alleged that immigrants held at the Golden State Annex ICE detention facility in McFarland worked in unsafe conditions during the coronavirus pandemic. The company also agreed to implement an “Aerosol Transmissible Diseases” exposure control plan and give detained workers necessary PPE.
- In the mood for something new? 15 restaurants coming to Fresno area this summer: Fifteen restaurants opened, added locations or announced plans to come to the Fresno area this summer. Some of the notable arrivals include Pijja Paradise — an Indian-American pizza and arcade concept on West Shaw Avenue that’s holding its grand opening Friday — and Masa Madre, a rebranding of the El Mariachi restaurant that offers tortilla-making classes.
Original stories by Hana Tilksew, Melissa Montalvo and Amber Hair.
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.