In the midst of the nation’s worst soot problem this season, air authorities are issuing stronger warnings when pollution is at a much lower level than before — a new protective measure. The San Joaquin Valley has been caught in a seven-week dry spell that shows no sign of relief. The lack of cleansing storms [...]

California health regulators on Friday released infection rates for hundreds of hospitals statewide in what it called a major push to inform residents about the infections that can sicken patients during hospital stays. They vowed to make the state a national leader in disclosing those reports, saying that the publicity can prompt reforms and potentially [...]

Soaring unemployment has pushed California’s poverty rate up for three straight years — but nowhere higher than in Fresno County, according to new Census data. The nearly 250,000 county residents living in poverty in 2010 gives Fresno County claim to the state’s highest poverty rate, at 26.8%. Almost 70,000 more people lived in poverty last [...]

Sweet-tasting, golden and loaded with possibilities, locally made honey is abundant in the Valley. And whether you use it as a sugar substitute or a quick energy boost, there is no shortage of flavors and types to try. In the Valley, the region’s honey is made from many different flowering plants and trees, including citrus, [...]

Fresno County mothers who have just experienced the joy of a newborn’s arrival now get a sobering lesson on how fragile their child is before they leave the hospital. The Fresno Council on Child Abuse Prevention rolled out a new educational program on shaken baby syndrome this month at the county’s six birthing hospitals with [...]

School officials are calling parents, pulling students out of class and even going to students’ homes in a last-ditch effort to get thousands of Valley students vaccinated for whooping cough by the end of this week. The districts hope the push will motivate the families of nearly 13,000 students to get their teens vaccinated before [...]