Fresno St. Graduates 101st Class

California State University, Fresno’s 101st Commencement was a lively, joyous celebration today (May 19, 2012) as graduates received bachelor’s, master’s anddoctoral degrees at the Save Mart Center on campus.

PresidentJohn D. Welty conferred degrees on nearly 5,000 candidates during theUniversity’s Commencement ceremony. He said the 101st Commencement begins anew century of achievements for Fresno State.

“It’s animportant dayfor our university because this is the first commencement ceremony of FresnoState’s second century,” Welty told the graduates, their family and friends. “There’ssomething special about being the first graduating class of a new century, andI hope you enjoy the recognition.

“Lastyear, we celebrated the conclusion of Fresno State’s first 100 years. Today wecelebrate that first century as the cornerstone on which we will build for oursecond,” Welty said.

Welty awarded the 2012 President’s Medal, the highest honor Fresno State presents to [...]

Traffic Alert: Eye Q Classic Underway

Large crowds are expected in the City for the Eye-Q California Classic Weekend activities on Saturday and Sunday, resulting in the closing of a number of city streets.

The California Classic will include bicycles rides of varying distances on Saturday and a half-marathon on Sunday.   Tulare Avenue between H Street and Van Ness will be closed to vehicular traffic both days beginning at 6:30 a.m., as will Inyo between H and Van Ness.

Here are the other road closures:

Saturday:
The Century Ride, Metric Century and Mini Metric all will start along Inyo at H Street at 7 a.m.  The Fresno Police Department will use a rolling closure to escort cyclists through the downtown area to Highway 168 at McKinley Avenue, causing only momentary disruption to motorists.

At 8:30 a.m., police will close Inyo to L Street for the kids race, which will take place solely on Inyo and in Chukchansi Park.  Van Ness will open to through traffic as soon as that race ends.

At 2 p.m., westbound Tulare to and including Tuolumne and P and O streets will  be  closed for the Criterium.  The closure will last until approximately 11 p.m.

Sunday:
Numerous closures in the downtown and Tower Districts will be in effect.  The roads will be closed at 6:30 a.m. and reopen at approximately noon.   The route is very complicated, and police will attempt to assist motorists where possible, but access to the downtown area during that time frame will be very limited and may require traveling on foot.

FAX customers should refer to FAX for pick-up locations, but basically the hubs will be Fresno and E and Fresno and R.  Police will systematically open roads as the racers finish.

More information on the event is available at www.californiaclassicweekend.com.

Arrrr! Pirate Festival Today

Get your “booty” over to Roeding Park for the 2012 Fresno Pirate Festival for some family fun

Voter Deadline is Monday

If you haven’t registered to vote or you want to change your party affiliation, you must do so by Monday’s deadline. Fill out your registration form at the Fresno Co. Elections office at 2221 Kern St. before close of business Monday.

Informational Meetings Set In Visalia For District Election

Is it time for district elections in Visalia?

A Charter Amendment asking voters that question will go before them in November, 2012. While State law mandates district elections in certain circumstances, a Charter Amendment is required for the City Council to implement district elections.

Be a part of the discussion and share your views at one of two community meetings set for Wednesday and Thursday, May 23 and 24. City Council and Election Process Task Force members will lead the discussion. The schedule is as follows:
· Wednesday, May 23, 6 to 7 p.m., Linwood Elementary School Cafeteria, 3129 S.
Linwood.
· Thursday, May 24, 6 to 7 p.m., Oak Grove Elementary School Cafeteria, 4445 W.
Ferguson Ave.

You can also contact the Visalia City Council with your comments by calling (559) 713-  4310 and leaving a voicemail or by emailing them at visaliacitycouncil@gmail.com.

PG&E Warns Customers Of Nationwide Utility Scam

Claims That President Obama Will Pay Utility Bills Are False

 Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is alerting customers to be aware of a scam that has impacted other utility customers across the country. The scam, which has beenreportedly taking place in person, through social media, through posted fliers and through text messages, claims that President Barack Obama is providing a credit or directly paying utility bills. In some cases, customers have been asked for social security numbers to apply payments to customers’ utility bills, presenting an identity-theft risk.

PG&E wants to remind customers that PG&E representatives would not ask for personal or banking information over the phone.

PG&E offers the following tips to help protect customers from scams:

·       Customers should always ask to see identification before allowing anyone claiming to be a PG&E representative inside their home. PG&E employees always carry their identification and are always willing to show it to you.

·       If a person claiming to be a PG&E employee has identification and you still feel uncomfortable, call PG&E’s customer service line at 1-800-PGE-5000 to verify an appointment and/or PG&E’s presence in the community.  If you feel threatened in any way, you should notify local law enforcement immediately.

·       Customers who have an appointment with PG&E will receive an automated call back within 48 hours prior to a scheduled visit, or they will receive a personal call from a PG&E gas service representative prior to a scheduled visit.

·       PG&E’s Credit Department will not ask for personal information or a credit card number over the phone.  Anyone who has received such a phone call and provided credit card or checking account information should report it immediately to the credit card company or bank and law enforcement.

·       Customers with concerns about the legitimacy of a call abouta past due bill, a service request or a request for personal information are encouraged to call PG&E at 1-800-PGE-5000.

PG&E takes security seriously and will actively work with law enforcement to help stop any scam impacting customers. Anyone who has received a call or visit similar to the one described above can report it immediately by calling PG&E at 1-800-PGE-5000.

Customers seeking financial assistance can visitwww.pge.com/financialassistance to sign up for pay plans and participate in programs that help them pay their bills.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary ofPG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to 15 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/.

Costa Urges Bipartisanship to Protect Women and Children

Rep. Jim Costa called on House Republicans to abandon legislation that put politics above protections for women and children who are victims of domestic violence during consideration of H.R. 4970, a bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The law was originally enacted in 1994 and offers a wide range of services and support to victims of domestic abuse. Costa called on the House to pass the Senate legislation that won bipartisan support and provides greater protections for victims. [...]

Disaster Shelter Training Will Take Place At A Local High School

Members of the Fresno Unified School District’s Safety Team will participate in a shelter  training/drill by the American Red Cross. All of Fresno Unified’s comprehensive high schools are  aligned in a Memorandum of Understand with the Red Cross to be used as shelters in the case of a  disaster in the community.

WHEN:      Thursday, May 17  8 a.m. to noon – training Session.

1 p.m. to 4 p.m. – setting up a shelter

WHERE:    Sunnyside High School  1019 S. Peach

FIREFALL Movie director Matt Sconce Will Be Live Answering Your Questions

FIREFALL Movie director Matt Sconce will be on today Wednesday at 2pm (WED) on Central Valley Talk live at the following  website: http://www.centralvalleytalk.com/ with Cathy Wilcox.

Type in questions and comments!  He will be on a full hour AND showing a never released clip of FIREFALL!  Don’t miss it today.

STEDMAN GRAHAM SPEAKS TO MEN’S AND WOMEN’S ALLIANCES

Fresno High students who participate in the Men’s and Women’s Alliance programs will be inspired this week by special guest speaker Stedman Graham. The mission of the Men’s and Women’s Alliances is to help students develop personal behavior and academic skills that will lead to success in the classroom, career and in their adult lives. The programs are a key component of Fresno Unified’s expanded mentoring program.

Stedman Graham is currently on tour promoting his latest book “Identity, Your Passport to Success.” He is a New York Times best-selling author, educator, businessmen and speaker to Fortune 500 companies, universities and non-profit organizations. He is committed to helping students discover their passions, connect them to their values and become successful.

Thursday, May 17 Noon

Fresno High School – Library 1839 N. Echo