8 a.m., Fashion Fair mall: The Fresno mall, which opened at midnight, was still bustling eight hours later. Ofelia Muro of Kingsburg sat on a window sill at Victoria’s Secret, surrounded by nine shopping bags and too weary to shop any more. “I really feel tired,” said Muro, who woke up at 6:30 a.m. Thursday, [...]

Clovis police are investigating a robbery at the Check Into Cash store on Shaw Avenue near Sunnyside Avenue shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday, spokeswoman Janet Stoll-Lee said. A man wearing a Halloween mask and armed with a handgun walked into the store and demanded money from the tellers, Stoll-Lee said. He left with an undisclosed [...]

The San Joaquin Valley’s citrus crops dodged a bullet Wednesday night and Thursday morning when temperatures didn’t drop as low as expected. Kevin Severns, general manager at Orange Cove-Sanger Citrus, said he spent much of early Thursday morning visiting groves from Orange Cove to Clovis. “The coldest temperature I saw was 29,” Severns said. “It [...]

No Child Left Behind had a noble goal: Every American student would become proficient or better in English and math by 2014. But the federal law may already be outliving its usefulness, some educators say. The 2002 reform requires schools to meet test-performance goals or risk being labeled as “program improvement” campuses that must undertake [...]

ANAYA — Helen Anaya, 79, of Fresno died Sunday. She was a homemaker. Services: 10 a.m. today, Chapel of the Light Funeral Home. BORGES — Laurabell Borges, 83, of Visalia died Saturday. She was a homemaker. Visitation: 10 to 11 a.m. today, Smith Family Chapel in Exeter. Services: 11 a.m. today at the chapel. CARRANCO [...]

ADERHOLT — Ruth Aderholt, 81, of Clovis died Thursday. She was a retired cook. Memorial graveside: 11 a.m. Monday, Odd Fellows Cemetery in Fresno. Remembrances: American Cancer Society, 2222 W. Shaw Ave., Suite 201, Fresno, CA 93711. Arrangements: Chapel of the Light Funeral Home in Fresno. ARTEAGA — Mary J. Arteaga, 64, of Fresno died [...]