Central Valley Daily

Feb. 11: An Embezzlement Investigation Rocks The Fresno Arts Community

By Elizabeth Arakelian,

Published February 11, 2026 at 4:45 AM PST

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The City of Fresno has terminated its contract with the Fresno Arts Council. This comes as local and federal law enforcement investigate a former employee who allegedly embezzled $1.5 million. On today’s episode, Omar Rashad, with our news partner Fresnoland, breaks down what we know so far.

Plus, the latest news headlines: Clovis considers adding “In God We Trust” in city council chambers, and the World Ag Expo is in full swing in Tulare.

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.

See stories by Jonathan Linden