HANFORD, Calif. – The California-based company Global Stack LLC is proposing to build what it calls "emergency-resilience systems" at county fairgrounds.

The company says the systems would help local emergency services — such as fire, police, and medical — stay better connected if communications fail.

Global Stack LLC wants to build these centers at more than 50 fairground sites in the state – a feat that would cost roughly $20 million per site, according to one presentation by the company.

The proposal, according to the company, includes using between two and five acres on fairground sites to build out the system – which would “process critical information locally.”

The fairground would retain full ownership of its property. Due to this, Global Stack describes it as a "fairground win.”

But a flood of questions and concerns have arisen among residents in Tulare and Kings counties amid revelations that the company has inquired about their local fairground sites for its plans.

The backlash is not isolated. Despite Global Stack LLC stating they do not intend to build traditional data centers, across the nation, frustration is growing over the increasing construction of data centers by tech firms.

The primary concern for communities has been the use of local resources like energy and water to power the centers.

In recent weeks, residents have shown up in the dozens to public meetings in Tulare and Kings counties, urging officials to push back on any plans to build data centers locally.

At a city council meeting in Hanford in June, a man who identified himself as the father of a 6 year old with autism, spoke out about concerns he has for her health.

"She can't speak for herself," he said. "I don't want my little girl to be breathing in those toxic airs."

Others had issues with the use of local resources, such as water.

The company describes its units as “compact, self-contained appliances” roughly the size of a shipping container. It says every unit uses “a closed-loop cooling system in which coolant recirculates continuously inside the enclosure.”

The company says the system would consume very little water and would connect to an existing utility for electricity.

Residents also showed up last week at public meetings such as the Tulare and Kings county fair boards to voice their questions and concerns.

Public officials in Hanford said they did not have a lot of information readily available about the proposals. They also told residents the city does not have oversight of the fairgrounds. Any action by the city would be limited.

"We as a city have not been consulted . . . on this potential or proposed data center," Mark Kairis, mayor of Hanford, said.

But some residents who spoke to city council members from the podium told city officials the city should be creative.

"You pay for lobbyists in the city . . . Put it to work for you," one Hanford resident said.

Other residents asked for a local ordinance to keep data centers away from city limits, and proposed the city of Hanford join other cities to form a coalition against data centers.

Francisco Ramirez, the former mayor of Hanford, says lobbyists are feasible in order to take any action.

“They can represent us [Hanford residents] at the same time they’re representing other cities,” he said.

But even if the city hires a lobbyist or not, Ramirez said the city council should find a solution based on the residents' concerns.

"I hope they do this within a month or two because then we can see if [the city] really trying to be transparent or just trying to give people a thing to basically go away," Ramirez said.

This story was originally published by CalMatters.

In 2025, a single lawyer in Kings County represented almost 600 poor people accused of crimes. That figure, which rivals some of the worst public defense caseloads in the nation, does not include the attorney’s private personal injury clients.

The high caseloads in Kings are part of a new report on California’s privatized public defender systems, which leave criminal defendants in many rural counties without access to appropriate representation. Two dozen California counties use flat-fee contracts to pay for indigent defense, meaning they pay private lawyers a fixed amount, regardless of how much work they do on a case. The arrangements disincentivize litigating and investigating cases and have been banned in other parts of the country.

“Flat fees place a financial conflict of interest in between the lawyer and the client,” said Josh Schwartz of The Wren Collective, a nonprofit organization that authored the report. “The fee is always going to be less profitable the more time and attention is spent on each case.”

Even the most permissive caseload standards recommend no more than 150 felonies or 400 misdemeanors per year. The report, which includes data from nine counties, shows that some lawyers working under flat-fee contracts in California have more than three times as many cases.

A CalMatters investigation last year highlighted the problems with flat-free systems, focusing on a law firm that provides public defense in five of these counties. The firm, Fitzgerald, Alvarez and Ciummo, has gained a reputation as the WalMart of public defense. Our reporting found that its lawyers were less likely than other defense attorneys to investigate cases, challenge law enforcement’s evidence in legal motions and push their cases to trial. Defendants in these counties said they were pressured to accept plea deals and felt their lawyers were unwilling to fight for them in court.

Following the story’s publication, residents and community organizations in Madera County, where the firm has provided indigent defense for close to 40 years, began advocating for changes in local public defender services. In June, the Madera supervisors decided to extend the firm’s contract for just six months – rather than renew it for an additional four years – while they determine how to improve the system.

Linette Lomeli, executive director of the Madera Coalition for Community Justice, spearheaded some of the recent advocacy efforts in Madera County alongside the local chapter of the NAACP.

“I was in complete shock,” she said of learning about the caseloads and practices of Madera’s public defense contractor. “It’s super hard to ignore once you see the data.”

California is one of just two states that provide no funding for poor people’s basic criminal defense, allowing its counties to structure local public defender systems however they see fit. Flat-fee systems, which are cheaper than operating a public defender office with government lawyers, appeal to local politicians with tight budgets.

But the model has long-term financial implications. Seven of the eight counties with the highest jail and prison incarceration rates have flat-fee contracts. Kings County, which has the highest known caseloads in California, also has the highest incarceration rate in the state.

This story was originally published by Fresnoland.

She called herself the “abogada de los milagros.”

The miracle lawyer.

Her Washington-based firm, with offices up and down the west coast, including in Fresno, claimed it could win immigration cases that no other attorneys could. She promised miracles. Thousands of desperate immigrants believed her.

“I don’t think that the establishment understands the damage that this case has done to the reputation of lawyers,” said Vicente Omar Barraza, a Seattle-based co-counsel on The Lozano Civil Action. “Latinos already don’t trust lawyers because lawyers in the third world often are the handlers for the corruption, and most of my clients from Mexico and Central America don’t trust lawyers, and now they trust us even less.”

But, according to a federal class action lawsuit, attorney Alexandra Lozano defrauded thousands of immigrants she was claiming to help.

And while the exact size and scope of the alleged deception remains unclear, attorneys now charged with sorting through the massive, multi-state case files, tens of thousands of cases appear to have been deliberately mishandled.

The Washington State Bar Association says her signature appears on more than 53,000 pending federal immigration cases.

Fresnoland reached out to multiple former clients of Lozano’s, including clients in Fresno, but all declined to comment, citing a fear of further complicating their already daunting federal cases.

In Fresno, over two dozen people have registered from the 559 area code for the civil mass action lawsuit, according to Barraza. The legal team has received more than 5,000 inquiries from potential plaintiffs since filing the case.

According to multiple lawsuits and a Washington state bar investigation, Lozano filed humanitarian visa applications built on fabricated claims of domestic abuse and human trafficking, often without her clients’ knowledge.

The Washington state lawsuit accuses the law firm of focusing on high-fee humanitarian cases, including Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) petitions and T visas.

Plaintiffs say she charged clients roughly $10,000 to $15,000 while outsourcing much of the work overseas. They also allege she exploited immigrants’ desperation, leaving many in debt and at risk of deportation.

Her firm, Luz del Camino Legal, closed in May. The office in Fresno, located near the Fresno Yosemite Airport, is also permanently closed. Fresnoland located the office and found that signage has been removed, but the inside isn’t empty.

Hints of Lozano’s marketing, such as religious glass candles and the words “proteccion, permiso, papeles” on the wall, which translates to “protection, permission, paperwork,” can be seen inside.

Fresnoland also attempted to contact Luz del Camino Legal and did not received a response.

Barraza said he was unaware that an office was located in Fresno. However, he described many of Lozano’s California offices as document collection centers rather than traditional law offices, alleging that much of the substantive case preparation was performed in Colombia.

Lozano permanently surrendered her law license rather than face disciplinary proceedings, Barraza said, though she denies wrongdoing. She also accepted service of the federal lawsuit without requiring attorneys to locate her, allowing the case to move forward despite uncertainty about her whereabouts.

Beyond its immediate immigration consequences, Fresno immigration attorneys say the case has deepened mistrust between immigrant communities and the legal system. Many immigrants from Latin America already approach attorneys with skepticism because of corruption in their home countries, they say, and the Lozano case has further undermined that trust.

How Lozano’s fraud scheme has led to repercussions in Fresno

Some immigrants first learned what was in their applications during immigration interviews, Barraza said, discovering inaccurate or false claims. Many of those cases are now being denied over signature irregularities and alleged misrepresentations, potentially placing clients in removal proceedings.

Investigators allege the firm routinely misrepresented workplace or family conflicts as abuse to qualify clients for those programs. They also accuse Lozano of relying on hundreds of employees in Colombia, Mexico and Argentina to advise clients and prepare applications, meaning many clients never consulted a U.S. licensed attorney.

Olga Grosh, a Fresno immigration attorney who has consulted with former Lozano clients, said the fallout is now extending well beyond the attorney’s former clients.

“There’s a presumption of fraud by every VAWA applicant, as well as huge repercussions of removal at the border without even a chance to see a judge or to have a trained immigration agent or officer review the actual application,” Grosh said. “So that’s been huge, and there’s been a lot more repercussions, such as people being put into deportation proceedings, because of all of this.”

Many former Lozano clients have been unable to determine what was actually filed on their behalf. While some never received their files after the firm closed, others were given files containing only blank or incomplete forms.

Attorneys across the U.S., including here in Fresno, cannot determine whether clients should withdraw, amend or continue their pending cases because they do not know what was submitted to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

To reconstruct their cases, many former clients are now filing Freedom of Information Act requests with the federal government to obtain copies of their immigration records—a process that can take months. In the meantime, Grosh said, many families remain in limbo after paying thousands of dollars for legal representation without knowing what was filed in their names.

Grosh said immigrants should be cautious of attorneys who promise relief after other lawyers have determined they are ineligible. She also urged clients never to sign documents they have not read or had translated and to always request copies of their case files.

“I’m very worried that people will now revert back to notarios, which have no license to practice law in the United States,” Grosh said. “People need to be careful, and why it is still very important that they do seek legal help from an attorney or an accredited Board of Immigration Appeals representative.”

Lazaro Salazar, a Fresno immigration attorney, said the consequences are particularly severe for immigrants with prior deportation orders, expedited removals or other immigration violations that could have made them ineligible for the relief Lozano sought on their behalf.

Salazar said it’s difficult to estimate how many Fresno-area families may have been affected.

Salazar said his office has consulted with roughly 25 to 30 former Lozano clients. Less than half, he said, appear to have cases that can move forward.

“If you have doubt, do your due diligence to get that second or third opinion,” Salazar said. “If you already know that you have a prior history with immigration, it’s critically important that we be honest with ourselves and not hope for the miracle.”

‘A system like an assembly line’

Barraza said one of the most troubling aspects of the case is that many clients never met the attorney they believed they had hired. He said effective immigration representation requires lawyers to know a client’s full story and personal circumstances, particularly in humanitarian cases such as VAWA petitions and T visa applications, where credibility and individualized narratives are essential.

“She created a system that was like an assembly line,” Barraza said. “And that way people would come in and she’d sign them up. I don’t think she ever said no to anybody.”

The lawsuit also alleges Lozano expanded the model beyond her own firm through multiple companies, training hundreds of immigration attorneys nationwide to use similar practices. Court filings claim she earned more than $1.7 million between 2019 and 2021 from teaching those methods.

According to Barraza, Lozano’s business model focused heavily on VAWA petitions and T visa applications because they are labor-intensive cases that command higher legal fees. He said the practice allowed the firm to dramatically increase the volume of cases it filed but also meant many clients never reviewed the applications submitted on their behalf.

Some clients, Barraza said, only learned what had been filed when they attended their green card interviews, where they discovered declarations containing inaccurate or fabricated claims. He said some clients felt pressured to repeat those claims during interviews out of fear their cases would otherwise be denied for fraud.

He urged people to meet directly with licensed attorneys before hiring them, verify attorneys’ state bar licenses, research their backgrounds and avoid paying large sums of money without first confirming the attorney’s credentials.

How a “lawyer of miracles” built trust with clients and attorneys

Lozano also posed with the Virgen de Guadalupe on social media with clients, and Fresno attorneys say that she deliberately incorporated religious imagery into her marketing to build trust with Catholic Latino communities. This includes providing legal services as a religious or charitable undertaking, rather than for personal profit.

Lozano built a significant presence in California through traveling promotional events she called “Milagrosa” tours, targeting underserved Latino communities throughout the Central Valley and beyond, said Carolina Castaneda, senior staff attorney with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.

Rather than explaining that clients would be seeking immigration relief through VAWA, Castaneda said the firm marketed itself as uniquely capable of obtaining legal status because it supposedly understood the law better than other attorneys.

Even Lozano’s name, Castaneda pointed out, takes advantage of the Latino surname from her husband, Manuel Lozano Rodriguez, whom she is legally separated from. Lozano’s birth name is Alexandra Kennedy, according to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court.

“What we’re telling people is to go with somebody who is trusted within the community,” Castaneda said. “Make sure that whoever you speak to is licensed, so ask for their bar card and that they’re in good standing.”

Castaneda also warned former Lozano clients not to withdraw their immigration applications before consulting an attorney. She said some immigrants have received messages from USCIS encouraging them to withdraw applications without explaining the potential consequences.

“The concern there is that if folks are withdrawing their application, they might think that they’re safe, but in reality, what’s going to happen is that USCIS is going to issue them a notice to appear,” Castaneda said. “Now they’re going to be placed in removal proceedings with the immigration court.”

For former clients, Castaneda said the ILRC published a guide on obtaining complete copies of both their law firm file and the records submitted to USCIS as well as other steps for people to take.

Castaneda said people should next consult an immigration attorney or Department of Justice-accredited representative before making any decisions about their cases and should immediately update their mailing address with USCIS so they do not miss important immigration notices.

What’s next for the case?

The federal civil lawsuit has now expanded to include 34 plaintiffs, a request to freeze her assets including her private jet, and a broader investigation into her shuttered firm.

Fresno attorneys say they are frustrated by what they see as a lack of action from government agencies and are unaware of any efforts specifically aimed at helping affected clients in Fresno. Attorneys encourage former Lozano clients to file complaints with the California attorney general and the State Bar of California.

Former Lozano clients can also learn more about next steps for their immigration cases and sign up for the class action lawsuit through The Lozano Civil Action.

This story was originally published by The Intersection.

West Nile virus, a disease that is typically transmitted to people by mosquitos that have fed on blood from infected birds, has infected six people in California so far in 2026, including the San Joaquin Valley’s first three human cases of the year in Tulare, Kings and Fresno counties..

By this time last year, the California Department of Public Health had confirmed only three human cases of the virus statewide. The five-year average for this point in the mosquito season is 2.4 cases among humans in the state.

In an announcement issued July 24, the Kings County Department of Public Health said its lone confirmed case of 2026 comes about two weeks later than last year’s first case.

Fresno County’s Department of Public Health also issued a statement on July 24 about its first confirmed case of 2026, detected through routine testing of a blood donor. “The number of human WNV cases is expected to increase, as it is still peak mosquito season in Fresno County,” the agency said.

“We need to stay vigilant as mosquitoes may continue to cause many severe illnesses, including West Nile virus infection, which can require hospitalization and intensive care,” Fresno County Health Officer Dr. Trinidad Solis said in the prepared statement.

None of the three Valley counties released details on where the cases had occurred or information on those who have been infected.

The other California counties to report human cases of West Nile were Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Diego counties, each with one incidence of the disease.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports that so far in 2026, 91 instances of human West Nile infections have been confirmed in 20 states as of July 21.

As part of a West Nile surveillance program, counties and the state trap mosquitoes, chickens and dead birds to monitor the spread of the virus. As of July 24, the virus has been identified in 670 mosquito samples, 251 dead birds, two chickens and one horse in addition to the six human cases statewide.

In 2025, the California Department of Public Health confirmed 117 human cases of West Nile virus in the state – the third-lowest total in more than 20 years – of which 11 proved fatal.

Health officials report that most people who become infected by West Nile experience no symptoms at all. About 20% have mild symptoms that can include fever, headache, body aches, nausea and vomiting.

But for some people, including the elderly or those with compromised immune systems, the virus can cause severe neurological illness and death.

West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne illness in the U.S. The CDC estimates that about 2,000 people are diagnosed each year, but most cases are believed to go unreported because the victims either experience no symptoms or think their symptoms are related to some other cause.

More than 1,300 people each year develop a serious case of West Nile affecting the central nervous system, with about 130 deaths per year. There are no licensed vaccines or medicines to prevent or treat West Nile disease in humans, the CDC reports.

Health officials warn that to protect against West Nile or other illnesses carried by mosquitos, residents can:

• Use an insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon, eucalyptus or Insect Repellant 3535 to keep mosquitoes from biting.
• Wear long sleeves and long pants, as well as using mosquito repellent, during the early morning and evening hours when mosquitoes are most active.
• Make sure that screen doors and window screens are tight-fitting to keep mosquitoes outside, and to repair damaged or torn screens.
• Eliminate or drain sources of standing water where mosquitoes can lay their eggs. This includes flower pots, buckets, old car tires and other containers. Swimming pools that are not properly maintained and have green or stagnant water can also be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Tim Sheehan is the Health Care Reporting Fellow at the nonprofit Central Valley Journalism Collaborative. The fellowship is supported by a grant from the Fresno State Institute for Media and Public Trust.

AVENAL, Calif. – On a triple-digit afternoon, the drive to Avenal feels like a smaller version of a journey through the Central Valley itself.

The highway stretches past fields baked beige by the summer sun. Dust hangs in the air. Orchards give way to cattle ranches.

Arriving in Avenal, known as the "Pistachio Capital of the World," nothing seems out of the ordinary at first.

The streets are quiet. Residents are going about their daily routines, stopping at local businesses or chatting with neighbors.

The loudest sounds come from birds perched in the trees, and large pickup trucks that roll through.

But behind its small-town charm, Avenal has become the center of one of the most unusual political disputes unfolding anywhere in California. It’s a battle over city leadership that has divided residents, drawn legal scrutiny and raised questions about how local government should function.

Turmoil in Avenal

The town of about 13,000 — the population includes the inmates housed at a nearby prison — is going through a lot of turmoil.

It all started last year when elected officials in Avenal wanted to establish their own fire department.

At one point, the city was paying Kings County $425,000 each year for fire services.

But last year, the county informed the city that the annual fee would increase to nearly $1.1 million.

Avenal officials, feeling the pinch of rising costs for fire services, ultimately pushed the city to consider creating its own fire department.

Kings County ended fire services for Avenal on March 28. Avenal Fire Chief Jacob McAfee said the city’s fire department officially began operating this year on June 1.

But the fire service decisions led many residents to say city leaders did not offer much transparency over the matter.

McAfee said the department is run by a combination of using two paid staff positions — an engineer and a captain — plus reserve members, volunteers and interns.

"While they're volunteers, we treat them exactly the same," McAfee said. "They're required to do the same things within their scope."

But some residents in Avenal have been concerned that volunteer firefighters would not be as qualified for the job as professionals. Others just wanted more input in the decisions.

Kings County even sued the City of Avenal for alleged Brown Act violations involving decisions made over the department.

The Kings County Registrar of Voters certified the results in May. Not all residents cast a vote, but of those who did, more than 75% voted to oust Mayor Alvaro Preciado and Councilmembers Leticia Gamez, David Reynosa and Pablo Hernandez.

The officials who were recalled have contested the election results, saying the election wasn’t valid because it wasn’t ordered by the city.

This has raised questions about who is actually running the city. Avenal City Manager Antony V. Lopez said the public officials still have local power.

"The council is still in place, all five council members. Nobody has resigned," Lopez said.

Lopez said an ongoing court case in the Kings County Superior Court is still trying to decide whether the recall was valid or not.

Ricardo Verdugo, another Avenal council member who was not recalled, held a special public meeting in early July, where he motioned, seconded and approved himself as mayor of the city.

But Lopez, the active city manager, said at least three council members must be present to pass such motion.

"It wasn't a valid meeting," Lopez said. "You would still have needed the quorum even if let's suppose that there is a vacancy or seats were recalled, that doesn't change the count or the makeup of the council."

KVPR reached out to Verdugo for comment, but he was advised by his attorney not to speak about the matter.

Another topic that no officials can speak about in Avenal is a possible criminal investigation. In early July, the Kings County District Attorney's Office executed search warrants for seven locations within the city, including the city manager’s residence.

The details of that investigation have not been clear.

Kings County Supervisor Richard Valle, who represents Avenal in District 2, also did not respond in time for this story to questions about the county’s involvement in the matters.

Tension in city business

The schedule for Avenal City Council meetings remains in flux amid the political battles.

On Thursday, an announcement for a "special city council meeting" in Avenal was circulated on social media. The meeting was scheduled for that same day.

The agenda for the meeting — which featured a logo for the City of Avenal on it — stated that the only roll call would be for Verdugo, and that he would conduct business regarding letters of interest for four vacant council seats.

The meeting was held at the Avenal Elementary School, according to a recording on Facebook.

But Lopez, the city manager, said the meeting was not an official city meeting and the city itself never announced it on its official platforms. Official agendas by the city look different than the agenda that was circulated on Thursday.

Lopez said the next "official" city council meeting in Avenal is scheduled for Aug. 13, at the Avenal Theater. Two other meetings scheduled for July were cancelled due to the city’s “summer schedule.”

Residents watch from afar

Some residents in Avenal are watching the political drama unfold but say they don’t want any part of it.

At Taqueria El Vecino, which translates to "The Neighbor," life marches on.

46-year-old Claudia Castillo is the owner of the restaurant and has lived in Avenal for 10 years.

“I just see the gossip they post on Facebook, but that's it . . . We don't get too involved in it,” she said in Spanish. "It doesn't affect me.”

Maria Ventura, 57, a worker at the same restaurant who has lived in Avenal for three years, said that everything is very confusing.

She has heard about city council members not wanting to leave office, and that there have been changes with the fire department. But beyond that, she doesn’t know who is right or who is wrong.

CLOVIS, Calif. — Mac McIntosh started singing when he was 8 years old. He’s 77 now, but his glory days are far from over.

“Performing is everything when you've done it as long as I have,” McIntosh said.

McIntosh competed as part of a barbershop quartet for most of his life. A barbershop quartet is an acapella group of four singers. He won awards performing songs such as “If You Were the Only Girl in the World” by Clifford Grey and Nat Ayer, and he still performs today.

Singing isn’t McIntosh’s livelihood, but he said it keeps him feeling alive.

“You get that one person with one tear when you do that ballad that says, ‘I affected them,’” he said. “That's what counts.”

McIntosh said he seems healthier than many people his age, and some studies seem to back up that observation. Researchers from University College in London found people who regularly do art, including music, age slower than those who don’t.

Older adults also often have trouble recognizing voices in crowded areas, however a neurological study from China and Canada found trained musicians had brains that resembled those of young people. Their brains also didn’t need to work as hard to make up for age-related declines, the study found.

Older adults in Fresno County, including McIntosh, say there are benefits to socializing with other performers, and the audience too.

“I feel sometimes it's a lifeblood,” McIntosh said. “It keeps me moving. It keeps me aware…It makes me a better person.”

Training the brain

McIntosh’s enjoyment of singing developed as a youth coming up in Taft and later Fresno.

“I was the middle son of five,” he said. “My stepfather was a mechanic, and we had the worst running car on the block. Nine times out of 10, the radios did not work. So we'd go places like camping or the mountains, or whatever, and we'd sing most of the stuff.”

As a young man, McIntosh joined the glee club. Later in the U.S. Navy, he became part of a church choir and a trio of guys who would sing around their base on the Japanese island of Okinawa.

McIntosh even tried making a living out of his voice, but after marriage and the birth of his son, he transitioned to a job at the railroad and took up the barbershop quartet as a hobby. He calls singing an “avocation,” and it also helps with his wellbeing.

Performers like McIntosh and Julie Saldana, 69, say being on stage does wonders for their social and emotional health. Saldana has framed photos of many of her performances around her home in Madera. She performs with McIntosh in a senior musical variety show in Fresno called New Wrinkles.

Saldana is a self-described ham — “a person who has an innate part of them that has to get out there and perform.”

“There's something in their soul that says, ‘I have to get out there,’” Saldana said. “It's part of my DNA!”

For many years, Saldana worked as a consultant for California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing. Most of her career jobs, she said, didn't have “a lot of opportunity for creativity.”

But singing was always in her, she said. Before starting her career, she sang at weddings and in choirs starting in fourth grade. Later in life, she sang for a blues band.

Saldana has performed in New Wrinkles for eight seasons, and she told KVPR she’s not surprised about the research that points to longevity in musicians. She sees people in their 90s on stage with her, learning the music and the choreography.

“You're forcing yourself to use maybe part of your brain that you haven't used in a long time, if at all,” she said.

The variety show is offered through Fresno City College, and anyone age 55 and older is eligible to take song and dance classes and practice practically the whole academic year-long. All the hours culminate into several showcases.

Saldana says the preparation and the show end up defying stereotypes, and even her own preconceived notions about her age.

“That spark in you all of a sudden gets ignited once again, and you go, ‘Holy cripes, I can sing, and I can dance,’” she exclaimed. “It doesn't matter if I'm in my 60s, 70s, or 80s, 50s. I can do this, and how fun is this?"

No time like the present

When McIntosh isn’t singing, he hits the road in a U.S. Navy leather jacket — on his motorcycle, which has “about 38,000 miles on her,” and he’s even part of a couple “biker groups.”

“I used to ride two wheels, and then I turned 70,” he said. “I said. ‘It's just time to go to three wheels,’ so now I [ride] what they call a reverse trike.”

He recently rode his bike to Peace Lutheran Church in Fresno to meet his friend and duet partner, Jane Parsons. They were rehearsing for a musical comedy act – named “Mac ‘n’ Jane,” — like mac 'n' cheese – performed at local retirement homes.

The show features solos and duets with a bit of comedy mixed in. Parsons’ spunky personality jives with McIntosh’s everlasting end notes.

Many of their audiences are made up of people their age or younger.

“We're so blessed that we are able to do this,” Parsons, 70, said. “That we can get up in the morning, and we can sing and move.”

Parsons said her friendship with McIntosh is like having a sibling, and that’s something she enjoys in her life.

She believes it’s also the thrill of the audience that drives her at 70 years old — so much so, it’s like time doesn’t exist.

“They do more for me than I think I ever do for them, and that's just the power of music. Even if we end up in a rest home someday…” she said.

“We'll sing for each other,” McIntosh said, finishing Parsons’ sentence.

This story was originally published by The Merced FOCUS.

Chowchilla residents in the upscale gated community of Greenhills Estates may soon see a change, following a year of watching lake levels fall, fish die and algae spread.

John Campbell, president of the Greenhills Master Association (HOA), said the board voted unanimously on June 30 to resume paying outstanding water delivery, lake maintenance and licensing fees. Plus it will continue paying monthly lake-related charges when they are due.

Campbell called the decision a “good faith effort” to get water flowing again while the homeowner association’s legal dispute with the Water Resource Council (WRC), which manages the lakes, continues.

The payment process will be worked out at an upcoming board meeting, Campbell said. He did not provide meeting minutes or other documentation confirming the reported June 30 vote when requested by The Merced FOCUS.

WRC attorney Matthew Backowski said the council had not yet received confirmation that Greenhills had approved the payments or that any money had been paid.

“If Greenhills has in fact voted to pay the outstanding amounts and resume monthly payments going forward, that would be a positive and overdue step,” Backowski said in an email to The Merced FOCUS.

“However, the WRC would need to confirm what was actually approved, what amounts are being paid, and whether Greenhills intends to fully comply with its obligations under the governing agreements,” Backowski said. “Merely saying payment will be made does not resolve the issue. What matters is actual payment, confirmation of the amounts being paid, and continued timely performance going forward.”

Separately, Sierra Golf Management (SGM), which is also being sued by the HOA, announced it will no longer provide lake maintenance and administrative services under a new agreement.

In a statement, SGM cited ongoing litigation and alleged contractual breaches by Greenhills, saying it will no longer provide lake maintenance and administrative services to Greenhills Estates, Pheasant Run Golf, The Villas and The Lakes RV Park, requiring the four entities to find a new service provider.

“SGM simply cannot – and will not – continue under a framework in which Greenhills reaps the benefits of the water system while refusing to bear the corresponding responsibilities,” SGM officials said in the statement.

The ongoing lawsuit centers on a contract dispute between the Greenhills HOA and the WRC over cost-sharing for the community’s shared water system.

According to the 2021 agreement, Greenhills is responsible for 66.77% of operating and maintenance costs, a percentage calculated using the lakes’ surface area at full capacity. According to documents posted on the WRC’s website, the parties discussed resolving the dispute through non-binding mediation on Aug. 1, 2025, but the HOA did not respond to the offer.

However, the HOA filed suit, and the case remains active in Madera County Superior Court. The HOA recently filed an amended complaint and a case management conference is scheduled for Aug. 10.

For residents such as Chris Elias, the lakes’ decline has meant months of frustration and unanswered questions.

Elias once took pride in showing friends his lakefront home. Now, he says he’s embarrassed to invite people over.

“I’ve had a couple people come over and say, ‘Damn, what’s going on?’” Elias said. “I tell them, ‘We’re in a water fight,’ and then I have to explain why everything looks so bad.”

Residents question where the money is going

For Elias, the numbers no longer make sense. Month after month, he and his neighbors pay for lake upkeep and shared amenities, yet water levels continue to fall, trash collects along the shoreline and once‑green common areas of land continue to deteriorate.

“For a year and a half, everybody here has been paying lake maintenance fees,” Elias said. “They haven’t put any water in it, haven’t done anything.

Another resident, Matthew Thiel, said he’s asking the same questions.

“Where are those cost shares going? Why is the board not being transparent about where they’re going,” Thiel said.

Elias said he believes the HOA is stockpiling lake maintenance fees to cover mounting legal bills, rather than spending the money on the lakes themselves.

Brad, who lives along the decaying lakes and asked to be identified only by his first name because of tensions in the community, said he sees it too.

Board members told residents the money is there, Brad said, and will be used if the HOA loses in court. But he said the community is already “so far behind” on water bills and still isn’t getting clear answers about how those funds are being used.

“If we lose, then we definitely lose, because we’re gonna have to have a special assessment on every home just to pay what we owe,” Brad said, referring to an extra fee billed to homeowners when the HOA runs out of money.

When asked if the board is considering a special assessment related to unpaid water bills or the lawsuit, Campbell said any decision would be made later as part of budget talks and would depend on how the court case plays out, calling it “too early” to say whether homeowners will face an extra charge.

The dispute has also strained relationships in the neighborhood, residents said, with arguments spilling onto Nextdoor, a social media app meant to connect neighbors. Many residents are hesitant to speak publicly about the case, fearing backlash from neighbors or board supporters.

HOA president says board will now pay overdue bills and resume payment

Campbell disputed that the HOA is stockpiling fees and hoarding money for legal costs instead of spending it on the lakes, calling that allegation inaccurate. The board decided to pay what it believes it owes for lake water and related costs, he said, including some charges it still disputes, in hopes of getting the water turned back on.

“Given the condition of the lakes, and given the fact that it’s not being addressed, the board has elected to pay the outstanding water delivery costs, pay the outstanding lake maintenance cost, pay the outstanding licensing fees, and pay the Kona Court installment for that well and continue to pay the monthly fees as they come due,” Campbell said.

Some of those payments will be made “under protest,” he said, but added it’s nonetheless a sincere action for the sake of the community and environment.

“We’re going to go ahead and pay them as a good faith effort to get the water flowing again with no necessary guarantee that the other side will turn the faucet on, but that’s how seriously we take our residents and their environmental concerns,” he said.

At the same time, Campbell said the HOA will continue its lawsuit against the WRC.

“We’re going to pay and continue to pay the monthly fees as they come due,” Campbell said. “At the same time, we will continue to pursue the litigation.”

Attorneys are gathering evidence and taking depositions with an eye toward how the dispute might be presented to a jury if it goes to trial, he said, but he declined to predict whether the case will ultimately be settled or decided by a jury.

Residents worry the dispute is hurting home values

On top of the visible deterioration, Elias said he’s concerned the ongoing dispute could affect the value of his home.

“I worked my whole life to provide for my family, and I bought this house three years ago at the high end,” Elias said. “Now, even if I had to sell, I couldn’t without taking a loss.”

Brad shares that concern.

“My house is only as worth it as the water that’s behind it,” he said. “The algae is blooming. Fish are dying. Nobody wants to live there.”

Those concerns are echoed by local real estate agent Scott Messing, who has sold homes in Greenhills for about 14 years and also lives in the area.

Messing told The Merced Focus that home values in Greenhills have already taken a hit, which he links to both the ongoing lake dispute and the wider market slowdown.

Homes that sold in the upper $500,000s and $600,000s about a year ago are now selling in the low $500,000s and high $400,000s, he said. Lakefront properties have been especially difficult to sell as buyers worry about low water levels, algae growth and the potential for higher HOA dues.

“There’s a lot of fear out there, and you’re limiting buyers through fear and through litigation,” Messing said.

Messing worries the potential for the court case to stretch into 2027 will only deepen the damage.

“The HOA has a right to know where every penny is going,” he said. “But if this goes on another year or more, I think the lakes will look worse, and values will decline even further, especially on the water.”

Campbell, however, declined comment when asked whether the legal dispute is hurting home values. It’s difficult to tie any price drops directly to the lawsuit without a formal analysis, he said.

“Without statistical review, I don’t know,” Campbell said. “We are in a real estate market that’s suffering for reasons beyond Greenhills’ water woes, and anytime water is involved, it’s always going to be an issue.”

This story was originally published by The Intersection.

Health insurance coverage under Covered California was terminated for almost 27,000 San Joaquin Valley residents over the first three months of 2026, mirroring a nationwide trend triggered in large part by big increases in the cost of monthly premiums.

The terminations come in the wake of the expiration of expanded COVID-era tax credits that helped middle-income families pay for their health insurance premiums under Covered California – California’s incarnation of the Affordable Care Act insurance exchange.

Those credits were cut off at the end of 2025 after the Republican-controlled Congress allowed them to lapse. Statewide, the number of terminations in the first quarter of 2025 was about 278,600.

The enhanced subsidies were enacted in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic to increase the affordability of the health plans for middle-income members – those whose incomes came in at 400% or more of the federal poverty level. The inability of Democrats and Republicans in Congress to agree to extend the availability of the subsidies was one of the key factors in a protracted shutdown of the federal government last fall.

For a family of four, the federal poverty level for 2026 is income of $33,000 or less per year.

The impact of the expiration of the credits was compounded by rate increases imposed by health insurance companies that took effect in January. The result: many people either chose to cancel their coverage because of the increased cost, or were unable to afford the higher monthly premiums and had their coverage terminated.

The number of terminations reported by Covered California in the San Joaquin Valley from January through March represents a 31% increase over the first three months of 2025.

Over the same three-month period of 2026, new coverage “effectuations” of health insurance under Covered California were down by about 30% compared to 2025. If a person enrolls in a health plan and pays their initial premium, their coverage becomes effective – an effectuation.

If they enroll but fail to pay their premium, however, the coverage does not take effect. Coverage can also be terminated later on for nonpayment of premiums.

Almost 2 million California residents purchased health insurance through Covered California in 2025. The vast majority of those are people whose employers don’t provide health coverage to employees, self-employed business owners, freelance “gig economy” workers and people who make too much money to qualify for Medi-Cal, the state’s incarnation of the federal Medicaid program for low-income residents.

Under Covered California, people can purchase health insurance at different levels of coverage from an array of companies.

What the Valley is experiencing in enrollments and terminations aligns with similar national ACA enrollment trends, according to KFF. an independent health policy and news organization.

“New federal data released [on June 26] shows ACA Marketplace Enrollment dropped 13% following the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits at the beginning of this year,” reported Cynthia Cox, a KFF senior vice president and director of KFF’s Program on the Affordable Care Act. “Enrollment fell from a high of 22.1 million people (nationwide) in 2025 to 19.2 million people in February 2026.”

“While the Trump administration attributes this drop enrollment to their attempts to address fraud, this coverage loss happened at the same time millions of people faced steep increases in their premium payments – often in the double or even triple digits – with the expiration of enhanced tax credits,” Cox wrote.

The federal Department of Health and Human Services reported that ACA exchanges “experienced unprecedented enrollment growth from 2021 to 2024, nearly half of which was suspected to be improper, phantom or fraudulent.”

HHS reported that the administration’s 2025 Marketplace and Integrity and Affordability Rule sought to strengthen income verification and took other steps to reduce potentially fraudulent or improper enrollment. While the June 2026 HHS analysis discussed the effects of rooting out fraud on lower ACA enrollment, it did not address the impact of higher premiums and greater out-of-pocket costs associated with the expiration of the enhanced tax credits.

To minimize the effects of the lost subsidy, California adopted its own limited subsidy program.

“With Congress failing to pass an extension of the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits for 2026, we knew consumers above certain income levels would be losing all subsidy assistance and thus likely to drop coverage this year,” said Jessica Altman, Covered California’s executive director, in a written statement provided last week to the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative.

“The data shows us that now, as cancellation rates more than doubled for middle income consumers who lost all eligibility for tax credits in 2026, rising to 24.3% in 2026 from 11.9% in 2025,” Altman said.

California’s subsidy program was aimed at lower-income customers – those with incomes between 150% and 165% of the federal poverty level.

“The latest data from the federal government shows ACA marketplace enrollment nationally is down over 13%, while in California – because of the state subsidy program – enrollment declined by 6.3%,” Altman said.

Earlier this year, an analysis by the the Public Policy Institute of California estimated that the average annual premium for low-income Covered California enrollees in the San Joaquin Valley increased by between $385 in Merced County to almost $1,200 in Kings County.

For middle-income Covered California enrollees, the PPIC analysis estimated the increase in annual premiums ranged from more than $5,200 per person in Fresno County to more than $10,000 per person in Merced County.

During open enrollment that continued through February, as the affordability of insurance premiums declined with the expiration of the enhanced tax credits, a marked shift took place statewide among new enrollees, as well as renewing members, who are selecting health plans that come with lower monthly premiums, but higher deductibles.

Tim Sheehan is the Health Care Reporting Fellow at the nonprofit Central Valley Journalism Collaborative. The fellowship is supported by a grant from the Fresno State Institute for Media and Public Trust.

The Trump administration on Tuesday said it was deferring more than $1 billion in Medicaid payments to Minnesota and California because of “suspected fraud and noncompliance,” the latest in a series of punitive steps it has linked to allegations of fraud in mostly Democratic-led states.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the new actions — which come after previously announced Medicaid funding deferrals in those states — are part of the administration's strategy to “stop the fraud before it happens” rather than claw back problematic spending after bad actors are prosecuted, as previous administrations had done.

“We have a duty to stop the payments, demand answers and then follow the evidence wherever it leads,” Kennedy told a news conference.

The tactic is part of the administration’s sweeping campaign to show it’s cracking down on fraud and saving taxpayers money when rising healthcare costs and other economic stressors have made affordability a top voter concern in November’s midterm elections.

In March, Vice President JD Vance launched a new anti-fraud task force at the request of President Donald Trump, bringing together officials from various departments to use data and technology to identify and investigate suspected wrongful use of federal dollars.

But the federal government hasn't provided “data or explanation on how the deferral amount was calculated or what it was based on” to Minnesota, said John Connolly, the temporary commissioner and state Medicaid director for Minnesota's Department of Human Services.

“Today's actions show that the federal government is acting again in unprecedented and punitive ways as part of their war on Medicaid and its recipients,” he said in a statement. “Partnership — not politics — is required to stop criminals and protect services for the people who need them.”

Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz suggested the Republican administration was deferring the funds to pay for Trump’s tax cuts to wealthy Americans. California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom accused the administration of targeting it for political reasons.

The Trump administration intensified anti-immigration efforts in Minnesota earlier this year, sending in a robust force of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers whose actions there caused weeks of counterprotests and included the shooting deaths of two civilians. Trump himself has frequently denounced California as a badly governed state.

States are facing obstacles because of the actions

The strategy has led to some false starts and headaches for states.

In April, for example, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services acknowledged to The Associated Press it made a significant error in figures it used to help justify a fraud probe in New York. Last month, California's Medicaid director told a congressional committee that CMS had not yet provided “any instances of fraud, waste or abuse” to the state in its justification of a $1.3 billion Medicaid funding deferral announced in May.

And in Minnesota, state officials have been executing a thorough corrective action plan to defray CMS concerns that have led the agency to defer some $260 million in federal money and to threaten future cuts.

“We have cooperated in good faith and proactively engaged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to first raise the alarm on fraud in Minnesota’s Medicaid program, to effectively investigate fraud and to institute further safeguards against future misuse of funds,” Connolly said.

Kennedy didn't specify in Tuesday's announcement whether the new deferrals — $867.5 million in federal Medicaid payments to California and $199 million to Minnesota — are in addition to, or overlap with, earlier deferrals announced this year.

CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz didn't provide concrete examples of fraud in the two states in justifying the deferrals. He did mention some patterns the agency noticed that it found questionable, including that some providers were billing for four or more patients at the same time, or billing after the date of a Medicaid beneficiary's death.

Oz also highlighted a fast rate of growth in California's home care program as a reason for concern. California officials have disputed that idea, explaining that the state's home care program has grown because of an intentional strategy to keep people out of more expensive nursing homes.

Flow of money could be restored — with documentation

Kennedy and Oz said states could restart the flow of federal funding by providing documentation proving the payments in question were legitimate.

A representative for California's Medicaid program didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Officials in the state have previously acknowledged they are working with the federal government to provide the requested information.

Oz said Minnesota had already returned documents to the federal government and they were being “reevaluated very carefully.”

Kennedy also suggested Tuesday that he would extend the power to exclude providers from Medicaid, Medicare and other federal health programs to CMS. In the past, that authority has rested solely with his department’s Office of the Inspector General.

“This is going to be a full force multiplier,” HHS Inspector General Thomas March Bell told a news conference. “It's going to create additional momentum, and it's going to exclude additional bad actors.”

RIVERDALE, Calif. – Earlier this spring, Joe Coelho’s pistachio orchard in Fresno County seemed to be headed for a strong season.

Then came an unexpected stretch of heat.

It “took place right in the middle of bloom,” Coelho said.

Temperatures rose into the 90s at one of the critical points of the pistachio blooming process. Recently, as Coelho walked through rows of pistachio trees, he was in a waiting period to see how much of the crop would actually fully develop this year.

He carefully examined pistachio shells, looking for “a blank,” which is a shell without a pistachio kernel inside – a sign of the climate’s toll on a sensitive crop. He found some.

The uncertainty over the climate’s impact comes as the global pistachio demand continues to grow. This boom is fueled by viral food trends like Dubai-style chocolate and pistachio-filled desserts that fill internet algorithms.

Scott Fryer, vice president of global marketing for American Pistachio Growers, said that in 2024, there were about 54 products on grocery store shelves across the U.S. that mentioned “Dubai-style chocolate.” In 2025, that number nearly tripled.

The trend has added to demand that was already growing before this year’s pistachio season.

Fryer said it could turn out that the 2026 harvest is so low that it can’t meet demand.

And much of the pressure of such demand would be on California, which produces 99% of U.S. pistachios, according to Gurreet Brar, an associate professor of pomology at Fresno State who focuses on pistachio physiology and horticulture.

“Pistachio is a really economically important crop in California,” Brar said.

On a global scale, California is responsible for roughly 40 to 45% of the total pistachio supply.

But pistachio farmers don’t seem to be in a position to increase production to meet a growing demand. Pistachio trees, like many others, take years to produce enough nuts for a typical commercial harvest. This means that each orchard is a long-term investment with no guarantee that it will offer the crop that growers – and consumers – expect each season.

But when they do have a normal blooming season, pistachios are a durable crop.

"Pistachios are usually taken as a much more resilient crop than almonds or other crops grown in the Valley,” Brar said. “They're more drought-tolerant, they're more salt-tolerant, and we have adapted pistachios to California conditions really well."

For farmers like Coelho, a small harvest translates to a significant drop in revenue.

He estimates that it costs roughly $4,000 per acre each year to farm a pistachio orchard. He needs to produce about 1,400 pounds of pistachios per acre at an average price to break even.

“You have to be really thoughtful about your profitability when you’re right on the margin of potentially making money,” Coelho said.

Major losses aren’t typical for a tree nut like pistachios. And farmers are taking lessons from the at-times volatile almond market to make sure it stays that way.

Growers are trying to balance producing enough supply of pistachios to support the demand without over-planting the crop either.

There are still ways to go to know how the pistachio crop will fare this year, but Coelho is already looking past this year’s challenges and looking ahead at the next season.

“If all the stars align next year, well, then these things will have stored up a lot of energy, and they should produce a record crop next year,” Coelho said.