Big Valley News
Central Valley's Independent News Source
FRESNO - On Wednesday, November 15 Detectives from the Career Criminal Auto Theft Team (CCATT) of the Fresno Police Department located a 2001 Chevrolet Malibu parked in the area of Broadway and Nevada. The Chevrolet was a reported stolen vehicle out of Central Fresno. Detectives began surveillance.
The Chevrolet later became occupied and drove from the area. Detectives followed it to the area of First and Ashlan where the driver was taken into custody.
MADERA – Sheriff Jay Varney announced today that one of the suspects from the robbery and murder at the Tackle Box Bait & Mini-Mart in Madera has been arrested. Armitraj Singh Athwal (22) of Modesto, was arrested by Fresno County Sheriff Deputies on an unrelated offense, near Kerman, just 40 minutes after the robbery and murder at the Tackle Box in Madera.
A Fresno County Deputy Sheriff saw media coverage of the incident on Tuesday and recognized some similarities between the suspects from the Tackle Box incident and the suspect they arrested on Tuesday morning. Madera County Detectives were contacted and follow up investigation revealed that Athwal is likely the suspect who shot the victim during the robbery.
FOWLER - David Lawrence Elias (56, of Fowler) has been charged in a Felony Complaint with thirteen (13) counts of Misappropriation of Public Moneys by a Public Officer, the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office announced today.
Mr. Elias was arrested by the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigations for allegedly using public funds for personal use. The DA's office says Elias purchased steaks, car tires, Disney tickets, Grizzlies tickets, pizza, SF Giants gear, tickets to see Garth Brooks, Blake Shelton, Paul McCartney, Keith Urban with the city's credit card.
FRESNO - U.S. District Judge Anthony W. Ishii sentenced former Fresno deputy police chief Keith Foster, 53, today to four years in prison for drug trafficking activity with family and friends, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
Keith Foster resigned from his position on April 3, 2015, one week after his arrest. On May 23, 2017, a federal jury in Fresno found Foster guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana. Co-defendant Ricky Reynolds was sentenced today to 24 months of probation and six months of home detention.
MADERA - The Madera Police Department conducted a DUI/Driver License checkpoint last Friday in the City of Madera. During the check point Madera PD contacted 272 drivers and made 2 arrests for DUI.
In an effort to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol involved crashes, DUI checkpoints are conducted to identify offenders and get them off the street, as well as educate the public on the dangers of impaired driving.
KINGSBURG - On November 8th, Selma-Kingsburg-Fowler County Sanitation District (SKFCSD) celebrated a major milestone in the implementation of its new energy program with two ENGIE North America companies, Op Terra Energy Services and Green Charge. During a groundbreaking event on Wednesday, District stakeholders, project engineers and contractors, and local elected officials commemorated the beginning of the clean energy generation and storage program that will help power treatment facilities across all 550 acres of S-K-F CSD service territory. As a result of the integrated solar, battery storage, and other conservation technology upgrades across the District, S-K-F CSD will save $14.7 million in energy and maintenance costs over the span of the program.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Home prices have returned to the boom levels of a decade ago -- which foreshadowed the bursting of the real estate "bubble" and the onset of The Great Recession -- but today's housing market is starkly different, according to data released today from realtor.com®, a leading online real estate destination. Backed by tighter lending standards and more solid economic fundamentals, current price appreciation is being driven by strong supply-and-demand dynamics with no signs of boom era flipping or over-construction.
On the surface, today's housing market looks suspiciously similar to the pre-recession years with rising home prices and feverish buyer demand. However, a deeper analytical assessment reveals material differences -- historically low inventory levels, much tighter lending standards and significant job and household growth -- and a strong housing market backed by economic fundamentals.
