News NOT about the Creek Fire
Things still happening around Fresno such as Monarch project breaking ground in Chinatown and FCC renaming a baseball stadium named after a KKK member.
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☀️Good morning, Fresno! It is Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020.
ID: The sun hazy with smoke on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020.
First of all, thank you to the brave firefighters fighting multiple wildfires in California and the West Coast. Our hearts go out to the evacuees and hopefully our past posts have helped in some way. Thank you also to the countless community members in Fresno/Madera County banding together to assist Creek Fire evacuees.
And to you, dear reader, I hope you are taking care of yourself. Disaster fatigue is real. We are, daily, inhaling the smoke from some of the most powerful wildfires on record, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to disrupt every facet of our lives. We are facing an unprecedented amount of disaster fatigue. If you’re reading this and you are sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, I advise you right now to unplug for at least an hour.
Stop doomscrolling. Stop reading Twitter. Stop reading this newsletter.
And if you need help, there are resources available for you, these are numbers for confidential crisis support services:
English: 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746
Spanish: 1-800-985-5990 and press “2” or text Hablanos to 66746
Not all of us have the resources to seek mental health services. But that’s why we need everyone to keep healthy and keep pressure for Medicare 4 All, a Green New Deal and… yeah all that. But please at the end of the day, I just want you to be okay.
Take care of yourself.
You deserve it.
-Ram 🧡
Fresno By Five
🚒 I lied: Just some Creek Fire Updates
Okay, I lied, I’m gonna tell you about some Creek Fire news updates since Wednesday.
The fire has grown to 196,667 acres, as of Sept. 12. The fire is still 6% contained.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2147, which allows certain former inmates who worked on crews fighting wildfires through California’s Conservation Camp program to let them have their criminal records cleared, making it easier for them to get hired as firefighters after their release.
If you want to know how to help, head over to our Instagram Highlight.
Watch this video of Rube Navarette, a 14-year-old who drove himself and his brother away from the Creek Fire:
⚖️ Immanuel Can’t: California Supreme Court rules against Immanuel School
The California Supreme Court ruled against a petition to keep schools open and override the state’s emergency orders on Wednesday. The school has since filed a cross-complaint to continue litigating it through the superior courts. Immanuel had been allowed to stay open by a Fresno County Superior Court judge until the California Supreme Court had made a decision.
🏥 Fresno’s CRMC will still be a Level I Trauma Center
With the arrival of two neurosurgeons, Community Regional Medical Center will not lose its designation as a Level I Trauma Center. This is, however, temporary as the neurosurgeons are just there to fill in the absence of Central California Faculty Medical Group neurosurgeons due to contract negotiations that are still on-going.
⚾ Fresno City College to rename baseball field named after a KKK member
Fresno City College President Carole Goldsmith says that the college is planning on renaming John Euless Ballpark after a column by Bee writer Marek Warszawski wrote about how John Euless was a leader of the Ku Klux Klan chapter in Fresno, according to a report in 1922. The State Center Community College District Board of Trustees will vote on the new name once it’s been created.
🐝 City of Fresno looking to buy former Fresno Bee Building
The city of Fresno is considering buying the former Fresno Bee building located at 1626 E Street. Fresno City Council President Miguel Arias says that the city is considering using the space to potentially house the department of public utility operations, instead of constructing a new $87 million facility. Simply renovating the old building might be the cheaper option. A decision is likely to be made within the next 30 days.
🏗️ Groundbreaking for Chinatown Monarch Project
A “virtual” groundbreaking was held on Wednesday as the Monarch project in Chinatown starts construction at F and Mariposa streets. As part of the Transform Fresno initiative, it provides $66.5 million in cap-and-trade proceeds from the State of California. The project will have three floors of 56 affordable housing units with retail and business spaces on the bottom floor.
💵 Advance Peace receives State Grant
Advance Peace, the violence reduction program that’s coming soon to Fresno has received an additional $900,000 in state funding. The funds will go to offering mentorship, resources and training, according to Fresno EOC CEO Emilia Reyes. The $900,000 is in addition to the $300,000 approved by the Fresno City Council.
🚓 DA Smittcamp Refuses to File Charges on Restaurants
The Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcampt has decided not to file criminal charges against restaurants that failed to comply with the state-mandated orders. The restaurants in question are the House of JuJu, Pismo’s Coastal Grill, Culichi Town and Luna’s Pizzaria.
Smittcamp said that the “ever-changing, and sometimes confusing regulations set out by the state” and lack of evidence is how she made the decision not to pursue criminal charges. She said that there are other administrative ways to sort the issue.
Speaking to GV Wire, Smittcamp also sent a message to Gov. Newsom saying:
“I think the message to the governor would be, what is the collateral damage that you’re doing? What is the collateral damage of the choices you are making? The decisions you’re making — people don’t have this kind of money to survive.”
🧂 New Restaurants Opening
Despite the pandemic, new restaurants are still opening up soon.
Lime ‘N Basil, a Vietnamese restaurant, will be opening its doors by the end of October in the Pavillion West Shopping center at Bullard and West avenues. The restaurant will serve pho, banh mi sandwiches and handmade Vietnamese coffee.
La Boulangerie is nearing completion for its walk-up Downtown Fresno location. It is expected to open in two weeks at the Pacific Southwest Building on Fulton and Mariposa streets.
👨⚕️ Face Off: Fresno Plastic Surgeon Facing Several Lawsuits from Former Patients
Dr. Kevin Ciresi of Athenix Body Sculpting Institute in northeast Fresno has been sued at least 10 times over the past four years by patients alleging misconduct and malpractice that left them scarred, according to the Fresno Bee.
He is currently on probation and cannot practice plastic surgery. One of the malpractice lawsuits he’s accused of is that during a face and neck lift in October 2016, the patient’s heart stopped. Paramedics were able to stabilize her and she recovered but not after suffering brain damage due to the loss of oxygen to her brain.
🏥 Coronavirus Updates
As of Sept. 5, the most recent data available at the time of writing, there have been a total of 26,917 total confirmed (+939) cases and 337 (+74) deaths in Fresno County. Currently, there are 112 (-44) hospitalized. A total of 15,307 people have recovered.
Testing is available around Fresno. Visit lhi.care to set up an appointment. It’s free even without insurance. If you have insurance, you can also try these other testing sites here.
The Department of Defense's military support team from Travis Air Force Base has left the Community Regional Medical Center after six weeks. They had been sent to support CRMC during its staffing troubles earlier this year.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said that things won’t likely look “normal” until the end of 2021. 😔
Fresno senior citizens can get assistance for food through Fresno’s new pilot program.1,500 food boxes a week are available for delivery or pickup as part of the Fresno City Council’s initiative to help seniors. Call 311 for information on delivery or pickup.
If you would like something added to the Community Board, email us at contact@fivebyfivenine.com or DM us on social media @fivebyfivenine
📌Community Board
Last Days to Help the Fresno Police Reform Commission
The Fresno State Sociology Department is seeking community input on how to reform the Fresno Police Department. Take the survey here. Complete this by Sept. 15.
Funeral Cost Help for Zaira & Armando
Loriana Mora is asking for help with the funeral cost for his sister and niece, Zaira and Armando. They were involved in a fatal car accident that took both their lives on September 10. Please help in any way you can by donating to the GoFundMe.
Don’t Forget to Register to Vote
If you haven’t already, register to vote! The last day to register online to vote is Monday, October 19, 2020. Everyone registered to vote by that date should be getting a mail-in ballot in early October.
🎧 On the pod this week
The anti-cancel culturistas sit down with Emily Cameron to discuss her sudden removal from the Fresno County Democratic Central Committee over some spicy tweets. Cameron says it has more to do with her stance against taking money from cops and we go over the document listing all of her Facebook posts and tweets cited as the reasons for her removal.
The resolution to remove Emily: https://bit.ly/35eE4L0
Follow Emily on Twitter @emilyfresno and check out her website https://www.whotakescopmoney.com/
Listen to the episode on these other podcasting platforms:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Anchor | Google Podcasts
This newsletter was written by Ram Reyes (@vibesradiator) and edited by Tommy Tribble (@tomiiwrites) | Follow Five By Five Nine on Instagram & Twitter