Detectives with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office and the Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium say the suspects — all residents of Mendota — were involved in four separate robberies that occurred over a two-week span in August.

Those arrested and booked into the Fresno County Jail include Anderson Vega Laya, 31; Helan Lopez Sanchez, 29; Aaron Sojo Moreno, 25; Yan Garcia-Heredia, 22; and Albert Hinegues, 19.

All five face felony charges that include robbery and illegal firearms possession. Detectives believe Vega Laya, Lopez Sanchez, Sojo Moreno and Garcia-Heredia may have ties to Tren de Aragua, a notorious Venezuelan gang.

August 2025 Crime Spree

The crime spree began around 10 p.m. on Aug. 4, when three masked men robbed a taco stand off Highway 33 near Mendota. They stole cash, a Jeep, and personal items from customers. Ten minutes later, they ambushed a man nearby, stealing his Honda Accord and abandoning the previously stolen Jeep. The Honda was later found abandoned.

On Aug. 9, three armed suspects robbed the Shasta Market west of Kerman, fleeing in a 2014 Ford C-Max. A week later, the same vehicle was used in a robbery at Buhler Country Store in Mendota, where four masked gunmen stole cash from the register.

Deputies found the C-Max torched in a rural area outside Mendota on Aug. 20. The discovery helped detectives identify individuals connected to the car, and in September, several search warrants yielded evidence linking the suspects to the crimes.

Arrests followed over several months. Hinegues and Vega Laya were taken into custody in early January. Later that month, SWAT officers arrested Lopez Sanchez at a Motel 6 in Fresno.

Investigators say he pointed an AR-15-style rifle toward the door and pulled the trigger multiple times, but the weapon malfunctioned and did not fire. He was taken into custody without further incident.

Sojo Moreno was arrested in Colorado and extradited to Fresno County, where he was booked on April 11. Garcia-Heredia was arrested during a separate search in Mendota.

Got a Tip?

Anyone with information about the suspects or related cases is urged to call the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office at (559) 600-3111 or Valley Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-7867. Anonymous tips may be eligible for a cash reward. Reference case number 25-9390.

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The post Five Arrested in Fresno County Robbery Spree. Some Linked to Venezuelan Gang appeared first on GV Wire.

The new $150 million terminal at the airport is set to fully open in November. Already, a new passenger screening area is in operation. Airport officials provided elected officials and media a sneak preview Wednesday.

“Fresno truly is a destination city and it’s time that we had an airport that reflected that,” said Councilmember Tyler Maxwell, whose District 4 includes the airport.

The project includes a new terminal, baggage handling area, an international arrival and screening area, and an already opened 900-space parking garage.

The security screening area now features five machines, with a sixth to be added — up from four — and more spacious lines.

Several new restaurants will open, including Los Amigos. Ike’s Love & Sandwiches also has a “coming soon” sign in the terminal.

Goal: Add Direct Flights to Cabo San Lucas, Other Beach Cities

Henry Thompson, Fresno’s airport director, is optimistic the airport expansion will lead to more flights.

The new international flight screening area will allow the airport to process three times more passengers per hour, Thompson said.

“We’re in ongoing conversations with the airlines, and so we’re talking with airlines about increasing international capacity out of here. That’s increasing service to existing destinations, increasing service or adding service to new destinations, and then new airlines that don’t currently serve,” Thompson said.

What is the top destination that passengers want to travel to?

“Any beach destination. We don’t have a direct flight to a beach destination, so that’s where we’re working hard to fill that gap,” Thompson said.

The wish list includes Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, and Hawaii.

Thompson said it is hard to pin down how many more flights the airport will see. Currently, FYI processes 2.6 million passengers a year. With expansion, he is hoping that could add another half-million.

First Mural Unveiled

The terminal will feature 15 new art projects, the first unveiled during a tour that airport officials gave media and elected officials on Wednesday.

The 47.5′-by-12.5′ foot mural greets passengers after security screening. It features such images as a jet from the 144th Fighter Wing next door; the Pacific Southwest Building; an agricultural field; and a scene depicting the national parks.

“The center is based on community and diversity. Everyone’s coming together to grow up their communities,” said Kelsey Gilles, who partnered with Colleen Mitchell-Veyna to paint the mural.

The Central Valley women said they spent three months on the project before transferring it piece by piece to the airport.

Gilles and Mitchell-Veyna have partnered on murals in Exeter, Hanford, and Madera.

The terminal will feature a terrazzo floor resembling a flowing river. A Polish-made sculpture is also scheduled.

The post Artfully Staged for Takeoff: Fresno Airport Expansion Nears Finish appeared first on GV Wire.

The National Weather Service is predicting lows in the upper 40s and a below-normal high of 64 degrees on Saturday.

The normal high temperature for this time of year in Fresno is 75 degrees, NWS Hanford meteorologist Carlos Molina said Wednesday.

Rainy weather arriving late Friday and continuing into Saturday could bring a few hundredths of an inch of rain to the Valley — enough to wet but not soak the ground — a quarter-inch to a half-inch of rain at lower Central Sierra elevations, and a couple inches of snow above 6,000 feet, Molina said.

Cool Now, Hot Later

A weak disturbance over Northern California is allowing cooler air from the coast to push inland over Central California, lowering the highs in Fresno this week. The weekend’s weather will be the result of a stronger disturbance that’s pushing southward, Molina said.

Typically such storms at this time of year track toward the Pacific Northwest and Northern California, he said.

The highs will gradually warm up next week. May 1 could be Fresno’s first 90-degree day in 2025, followed by cooler weather for a week or two, Molina said.

“Hopefully, we can hold off on reaching 100 until closer to June,” he said.

The record for the earliest day of 90-degree weather in Fresno was March 15, 2015, Molina said.

Here are the highs and lows for Fresno for the next eight days: Wednesday, a high of 81, low of 49; Thursday, high of 76, low of 50; Friday, high of 69, low of 48; Saturday, high of 64, low of 47; Sunday, high of 70, low of 50; Monday, high of 76, low of 53; Tuesday, high of 82, low of 58; and April 30, high of 86, low of 58.

The post Get Ready for a Weather Rollercoaster. When Will Fresno See Its First 90-Degree Day? appeared first on GV Wire.

Assemi breaks down the importance of this role and the huge impact it has on the community.

The interim superintendent, Misty Her, is favored to take on the full-time position. However, others are pushing back and saying that the candidate should come externally.

FUSD is expected to make an announcement Wednesday night.

Related Story: Will Fresno Unified Sacrifice Another Generation of Students? The Choice Is

The post Wired Wednesday: What’s the Future of Fresno Unified and the Superintendent Position? appeared first on GV Wire.

Assembly Bill 942, introduced by Southern California Democrat Lisa Calderon, would trim compensation agreements from 20 years to 10 years for customers with NEM 1.0 and 2.0 contracts, and also would eliminate the carryover of such contracts after home sales.

Calderon previously worked for Southern California Edison’s parent company.

On Tuesday, Dyer sent a letter of opposition to Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, chair of the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy. The committee has scheduled a hearing on the bill on April 30.

Dyer said the city is halfway into the deployment of more than 34 megawatts of solar energy, with expected savings of more than $154 million in electricity costs over the next 20 years. AB 942 would jeopardize more than 50% of the city’s utility bill savings, which would result in uncertain costs for city residents and uncertain funding for public safety jobs, he wrote.

“Retroactive policymaking is a detrimental practice that undermines responsible city planning. While the state is entitled to reassess the future of solar policy, altering established regulations regarding long ago procurement decisions is inappropriate. It is alarming to see the Legislature contemplate such actions during this time of uncertainty on the federal level for municipal revenues and clean energy efforts,” Dyer wrote.

Mayor Dyer’s Letter

Outrage Spurs Other Legislation

He joins a growing chorus of opponents that includes the Fresno City Council, which is scheduled Thursday to consider a resolution in opposition of AB 942, school districts, and advocates for the environment and the solar industry.

Clovis Unified officials are worried about the potential impacts on the district’s finances, spokeswoman Kelly Avants said Wednesday.

“We have concerns about the negative impact of AB942 on solar customers and are currently analyzing details of the proposed bill to determine the scale of the negative financial impact it would have on our budget,” she said in an email.

AB 942 in an outlier in the current legislative session that has a number of bills addressing utility costs on the docket, including one that would limit annual rate increases to the consumer price index.

Related Story: Outrage Grows to Assembly Bill That Would Slash Solar Contract Benefits

That’s the result of growing pressure on legislators by their constituents to rein in skyrocketing utility cost and focus their attention on the regulators in the California Public Utilities Commission.

Former PUC Chair Loretta Lynch, now one of the agency’s biggest critics, said in an opinion piece published Wednesday that the PUC has not rejected any rate increase requests from the investor-owned utilities for the past 10 years, and Californians now pay the nation’s second-highest residential rates and highest business rates for electricity.

Lynch said the PUC is failing in its duty as a watchdog for the state’s residents by ignoring audits about the utilities’ wildfire mitigation spending and also by allowing interim rate increases without requiring the utilities to document how the money would be spent and whether such spending is justified.

“What’s surprising is why, for so long, we have tolerated the commission’s abdication of its central duty: To protect us while making sure that needed and reasonable investments are made to keep the lights on. When will we require our elected officials to stop the gravy train and make the state utilities commission do its job?” Lynch wrote.

The post Fresno Mayor Says AB 942 Anti-Solar Bill Poses ‘Significant Threat’ to City, Residents appeared first on GV Wire.

Garcia was convicted in 2011 for his role in the shooting death of 18-year-old Arturo Bello, who was walking along a rural Orosi road.

Related Story: Three Children Test Positive for Cocaine in Tulare County, Couple Arrested

Prosecutors said Garcia and three fellow gang members were searching for rivals when they spotted Bello wearing a blue shirt — gang-affiliated attire. After stopping their car, a co-defendant exited and opened fire, killing the teen and injuring another.

Garcia admitted he knew his associate was armed and that the group was actively looking for rival gang members, the DA’s office said.

Related Story: Tulare County Man Arrested After Firing at Deputies During Eviction Attempt

A jury found him guilty of second-degree murder, conspiracy, and gang-related firearm enhancements.

He was originally sentenced to 50 years to life in prison. That sentence was later reduced to 40 years to life due to a trial error regarding jury instructions.

Since his conviction, Garcia has unsuccessfully petitioned three times for re-sentencing. Newsom took no action when Garcia filed for clemency in 2023.

Related Story: Tulare County Man Found Guilty in Violent 2020 Sexual Assault

“With the swipe of a pen, the governor voided the decision of the jury and the multiple decisions of Tulare County judges, jurists who presided where the crime took place, heard witness testimony, and understood the impact to the community,” said District Attorney Tim Ward.

“The defendant is only one third of the way into a 40 year-to-life sentence for a cold-blooded violent crime. By his own admission, he and his co-defendants went looking to inflict violence that evening in 2009. They were literally hunting other human beings.”

Garcia is housed at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility in Corcoran. He is now immediately eligible for a parole hearing and potential release.

Anyone wishing to contact the state Board of Parole to address Garcia’s release can do so at this link.

You can view all of the governor’s recent pardon letters at this link.
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The post Newsom Commutes Sentence in 2009 Tulare County Gang Killing appeared first on GV Wire.

Suspect Name: Jonathon Velasco

Suspects Date of Birth: October 17, 1991

Physical Description: Hispanic Male, 6’ 1, 215 lbs., Black Hair, Brown Eyes.

Charges: Stolen vehicle

Warrant Number: F24904503

Synopsis of the Case: Jonathon Velasco is wanted on a felon, no-bail warrant of stolen vehicle.

If you know where Jonathon Velasco is hiding, call Crime Stoppers at 498-STOP or go to www.valleycrimestoppers.org and click on submit a tip.

ALL TIPS ARE ANONYMOUS. Get cash if your tip leads to an arrest.

The post Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Jonathon Velasco appeared first on GV Wire.

Related Story: Woman in Fresno Mansion Fraud Case Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion

Miguel Alonso Garcia, 30 at the time of his disappearance, was last heard from on Sept. 11, 2020. He was reported missing two days later.

On April 15, sheriff’s detectives executed a search warrant at a property in the 400 block of 6th Avenue Drive in Kingsburg, commonly known to locals as “The Peach Pit.”

Related Story: Fresno Woman, Tied to Fentanyl ‘M30 King,’ Sentenced to Federal ...

Acting on a tip that Garcia’s body may be buried there, detectives — with the help of Fresno County Public Works — used heavy equipment to dig through areas of dirt and eventually uncovered human remains.

The Fresno County Coroner’s Office later confirmed the remains as Garcia’s.

Related Story: Fresno Police Arrest 11 for DUI During Weekend Enforcement

Got a Tip?

Detectives are working to identify the person or people responsible for Garcia’s death.

Anyone with information is urged to contact sheriff’s detective Jesse Gloria at  (559) 600-8217 or Valley Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-7867. Anonymous tips may also be submitted online at www.valleycrimestoppers.org. Tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward. Reference case #25-1059.

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Connect with Anthony W. Haddad on social media. Got a tip? Send an email. 

The post Fresno County Detectives Uncover Remains of Man Missing Since 2020 appeared first on GV Wire.

After pausing two months to consider other plans and bids, the Clovis City Council on Monday voted 3-2 to award MVD a $5.5 million, 10-year contract.

Vong Mouanoutoua, Diane Pearce and Drew Bessinger voted in favor; Lynne Ashbeck and Matt Basgall voted against.

The council considered the contract in February, but delayed any vote to consider splitting the contracts for residential and commercial services. Although MVD was the lowest among three providers — current contract holder Republic Services, and Caglia Environmental also bid — the cost is still 20% more than the current contract.

Mouanoutoua said the bidders engaged in a fair process.

“Tell (us) what our staff did wrong in that ranking. Please, just tell me. Give me something to question them,” Mouanoutoua said. “I owe it to the city, the residents and the commercial users, to give them the best price.”

Ashbeck criticized the process on awarding the contract. She supported waiting, with an interim contract with Republic Services at a higher rate of $1.2 million for three years.

“We are in such muddy water here. I don’t feel like it’s a responsible thing to issue any contract,” Ashbeck said. She called a 10-year contract “insanity.”

Pearce said she based her vote on the cost.

Challengers Make Final Pitch

The other bidders made a final appeal.

Ashlee Cawley with Republic Services and Richard Caglia with Caglia Environmental insisted if the bids were truly evaluated “apples to apples,” each would be the lowest.

Cawley said evaluating the bids took on too many assumptions, such as how many carts per commercial property. She added that her company truly provides the “Clovis Way of Life,” by a fair compensation package for its drivers.

Caglia called  the process “frustrating,” and said he was “deeply disappointed” that he could not have additional meetings with staff.

Caglia Environmental General Manager Keith Hester called MVD’s bid “nonresponsive” and “irresponsible” because he said it did not properly estimate vehicle safety and maintenance and would “provide pathetic benefits.”

Joe Heisdorf with MVD defended their numbers to the council.

Caglia Concerned About Conflict of Interest

Nathan George, an attorney representing Caglia Environmental, questioned the fairness of the bidding process.

He mentioned conflicts of interest, with consultant HF&H that helped develop the original bid, and the Kalpakoff family — owners of MVD — hosting a fundraiser for Pearce last year.

“Those are all things that give me very serious pause, and I think should give all of you very serious pause to go back and look at this all and say, you know are we doing what we need to do for the people of Clovis?” George said.

Pearce reported $250 of in-kind contributions from Joe Kalpakoff and Wendy Kalpakoff for hosting a June 2024 fundraiser. That is the cap — within a 12 month period under state campaign finance law — before a recusal or return of the money is triggered.

Related Story: Clovis Reconsiders Recycling Vote. Will a Campaign Contribution Matter?

“I’m up here to do the best interest of the ratepayers of this community. And so the rest of it doesn’t factor in,” Pearce said in response.

Electric Motor Shop, under the Caglia group of companies, contributed $250 to Pearce in June 2024. Caglia Environmental also provided Ashbeck with an in-kind contribution of $1,862, but outside the 12-month window in November 2023.

City Attorney Scott Cross said one interpretation of the law may exempt a contract, like the recycling bid, from the fundraising cap.

Scott Redelfs, Clovis public utilities director, clarified that the consultant had no conflict. Redelfs created confusion during the February discussion using language that implied a conflict.

Bessinger said George’s complaints “irritated” him. He said any ethics complaints should be made to an investigating agency like the District Attorney’s office.

Meanwhile, Basgall said he is concerned about potential litigation.

School Board Member Considering Council Run

A second school board member could be running for a southwest Fresno City Council seat.

Sources say Fernando Alvarez, an elected board member on the West Park School District, plans to run for District 3. Alvarez is also a government affairs specialist with the Fresno Chamber of Commerce. An announcement could come in a few weeks.

Fresno Unified school board member Keshia Thomas is the only candidate to formally file. State Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula also said he intends to run for the seat representing southwest Fresno and downtown.

Alvarez currently lives outside the district, and would have to move to run.

Thomas and Arambula are Democrats; Alvarez is registered no party preference.

Miguel Arias, the current D3 councilmember, terms out after the 2026 election.

City Employee Union Gives to Vang

One week after taking his seat on the Fresno City Council, an employee union contributed to his campaign.

The Fresno City Employees Association PAC gave $5,500 on April 18, campaign records show. Vang took the oath of office on April 10.

The union represents non-supervisory white collar city employees.

The council will discuss in closed session negotiations with the union at Thursday’s meeting. Campaign finance law exempts personnel negotiations from forcing a recusal of elected officials.

The post Clovis Awards Recycling Contract Amid Controversy appeared first on GV Wire.

The Fresno County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office identified the man as Gurminder Singh, 31, of Reedley. 

Original Story

A Reedley man died after being struck by two vehicles while walking along Manning Avenue Monday night, authorities said.

The California Highway Patrol said the crash happened around 8:35 p.m. east of Englehart Avenue.

A 31-year-old man was walking in the eastbound lane when he was hit by a Hyundai Elantra driven by a 22-year-old woman, also heading eastbound.

CHP officials said darkness on the roadway likely contributed to the driver being unable to see the pedestrian in time.

After the initial collision, the man was left lying in the roadway and was struck again by a Honda Accord driven by a 27-year-old woman, who also could not avoid hitting him, investigators said.

Emergency crews responded to the scene, and the man was airlifted by Skylife Helicopter to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno with major injuries. He later died at the hospital.

CHP said neither drugs nor alcohol appear to be factors in the crash, though toxicology results for the pedestrian are pending.

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The post Identified: Reedley Man Dies After Being Hit Twice While Walking on Manning Avenue appeared first on GV Wire.