Diana Aguilera

A few weeks ago we brought you a report about how rare maps are shedding new light on the history of racial discrimination in Fresno. In the 1930’s many neighborhoods with high minority populations were frozen out of government backed home loans by the federal government, in a practice called redlining. But that wasn’t the only government backed segregation that happened in the San Joaquin Valley. In fact, decades ago, in some prestigious Fresno neighborhoods being white was a requirement. FM89’s Diana Aguilera visits one of them with this special report. 

Residents at the Summerset Village in Fresno are finally getting some answers about fixes to their troubled apartment complex. FM89’s Diana Aguilera reports on today’s announcement.

Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin says that apartment owner Chris Henry has hired Regency Property Management to make repairs to the complex. Up to 1,800 residents have been without hot water or natural gas for almost three weeks after gas leaks were discovered at the complex.

FM89's series My Valley, My Story features first person accounts from the lives of people throughout the San Joaquin Valley. This week reporter Diana Aguilera brings us the story of transgender activist Zoyer Zyndel. He talks about the struggles he's faced and his hopes for the valley's LGBTQ community. 

"I was assigned female at birth but I live my life as male. and so my sex did not correspond with my gender. Gender is a function of the brain and I've always saw myself in my brain as a male."

It’s been more than two weeks since residents at a Fresno apartment complex have been living without heat. FM89’s Diana Aguilera visits the site and learns how residents are coping with the cold temperatures.

Ever since November 13 Amelia Padre and her 22-year-old daughter have been living in a nightmare. No hot water, no heat, and no natural gas to cook with.

Today marks the kickoff of “A Day With HIV” photo exhibit at the Fresno Art Museum. FM89’s Diana Aguilera visits the display.

The gallery shows 19 posters of people from around the nation that are living with HIV. It’s a snapshot of their lives and it's part of a campaign hoping to reduce the stigma related to HIV and AIDS.

Jena Adams with the Fresno County Department of Public Health helped organize this event.

A new state law means some California farmworkers are now entitled to back pay. FM89’s Diana Aguilera reports a local union is working to spread the word among workers.  

The law says workers who weren’t paid accurately from July 2012 to December 2015 have the right to back pay for rest periods and unproductive time. This includes time for training, traveling, and moving from and to fields.

The United Farm Workers union is currently reaching out to farm laborers to let them know about the law before it goes into effect January 1st.

UPDATED: 5:56 PM - FM89's Diana Aguilera reports on what law enforcement officials know about the suspect.

Southwest Fresno has had a long history battling poverty, poor planning and lack of investments. But why is that? FM89’s Diana Aguilera reports how a set of 80-year-old government maps sheds new light on Fresno's troubling and often overlooked history of segregation.

Mary Curry moved to West Fresno in 1956. Over the years she’s seen the neighborhood transform but not in a good light.

“There was a lot of businesses in the community when we moved here. Grocery stores, retail, and we don’t see any of that anymore it’s all gone.”

Working outside in the heat is something many people in the Central Valley have to do on a daily basis. The hot weather is a concern especially for those who work in the valley’s fields. From 2000 to 2012 nearly 7,000 people were hospitalized in California for heat related illnesses and around 600 died. California now has the toughest workplace regulations when it comes to heat but there’s still a problem- accurately measuring internal body temperature.

It’s a typical Sunday in the town of Mendota, west of Fresno. Here, in the cantaloupe capital of the world, the majority of residents are farmworkers. As they unwind from working all day the Westside pool hall starts filling up. 

City councilmember Joseph Riofrio owns the pool hall. This place serves as a distraction and entertainment for many men farmworkers, who are often far away from family. But Riofrio says the isolation some people feel opens the door for another type of business.

Today state health officials arrived in Fresno for a four day meeting to tackle what local leaders are calling a chlamydia epidemic.

In a rare occasion, the state department of public health sent a team of experts to Fresno. They’re meeting with local health providers in hopes of reducing the alarming rates of chlamydia, especially in teens and young adults.

“Fresno County is a hot spot for chlamydia and for reproductive and sexual health in general,” says Heidi Bauer, a doctor with the Department of Public Health.

A local group is putting pressure on Fresno Unified School District to unlock school gates after hours and on weekends. As FM89’s Diana Aguilera reports, they say every child no matter what zip code they live in should have a place to play.

The Fresno-based organization Cultiva La Salud, which means “cultivate health” is asking the district to keep school gates unlocked in south Fresno. They say in an area with high rates of obesity and lack of green spaces, kids need a place where they can play and be physically active after hours.

The smoke from the Rough Fire near Hume Lake has now spread throughout communities in the San Joaquin Valley. As FM89’s Diana Aguilera reports, this is causing the Valley’s air pollution to spike to potentially dangerous levels.

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District issued a health alert for the rest of the week for several counties including Fresno, Madera and the valley portion of Kern County. They’re recommending people to limit their outdoor activities.