Thursday’s top stories from The Fresno Bee cover a range of high-interest news across the Central Valley, from a grand jury probe into a Fresno Unified severance payment to pretrial arguments in a Clovis teen murder case and a behind-the-scenes look at the region’s dominant role in America’s garlic supply chain.

Here are Thursday’s top stories Stephen Quick, the father of Caleb Quick, speaks to media outside the Fresno County Courthouse on Friday, May 15, 2026, after a judge decided one of the two teens accused of killing his son will remain in the juvenile justice system. Stephen Quick, the father of Caleb Quick, speaks to media outside the Fresno County Courthouse on Friday, May 15, 2026, after a judge decided one of the two teens accused of killing his son will remain in the juvenile justice system. THADDEUS MILLER tmiller@fresonbee.com Grand jury investigation into Fresno Unified focused on payment to former employee: The Fresno County Civil Grand Jury investigated Fresno Unified’s severance payments to non-certified, non-union employees, including a $162,000 payout to former communications chief Nikki Henry in 2025. The jury found the Board of Education followed correct procedure and dismissed Brown Act violation claims. However, the report noted that outdated job descriptions and inconsistent personnel evaluations may have contributed to the payout situation.How much about Caleb Quick alleged sex assault will be allowed at Clovis murder trial?: A Fresno County judge on Thursday declined to restrict pretrial questioning about an alleged sexual assault prosecutors say motivated the killing of 18-year-old Caleb Quick. Cassie Michael, the alleged getaway driver in the April 23, 2025, shooting in a Clovis McDonald’s parking lot, faces a juvenile trial beginning Monday. As a juvenile, Michael faces up to seven years of confinement or until she turns 25.‘Garlic everywhere.’ Follow pungent plant’s path from Central Valley to U.S. kitchens: Spice World, a 75-year-old national garlic producer, oversees nearly 4,000 acres of San Joaquin Valley farmland and a 200,000-square-foot processing facility in Coalinga. While Gilroy has the garlic reputation, the majority of California’s garlic growth and production happens in the Central Valley and Fresno County. The company processes 28,000 wooden bins per season, with product distributed to Walmart, Aldi, Costco, Sam’s Club and Save Mart.

Original stories by Joshua Tehee, Nick Fenley and Thaddeus Miller

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