Central Valley Daily

Feb. 3: Sierra Nevada Skier Takes On The Alps In The 2026 Winter Olympics

By Elizabeth Arakelian,

Published February 3, 2026 at 4:45 AM PST

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Keely “Big Country” Cashman, a skier with Team USA, is set to compete in the upcoming 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. On today’s episode, she discusses how her upbringing in the small Sierra town of Strawberry shaped her athleticism, and what her hopes are for Italy.

Plus, the latest news headlines: A biological lab in Las Vegas may have links to the Valley, and a Fresno study puts a spotlight on Southeast Asian-run businesses.

Central Valley Daily

Elizabeth Arakelian

A Valley native, Elizabeth earned her bachelor's degree in English Language Literatures from the University of California, Santa Cruz and her master's degree in journalism from New York University. She has covered a range of beats. Her agriculture reporting for the Turlock Journal earned her a first place award from the California Newspaper Publishers Association.

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Jonathan Linden

Jonathan Linden is a podcast producer at KVPR. Born and raised in Riverside, he's a Southern California native. Jonathan's passion for public radio began at a young age when his brother would play NPR while driving him home from middle school. He earned his B.A. in journalism from Biola University in 2019.

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