Fresno reacts: Local leaders weigh in on the capture of Venezuela\u2019s president on federal criminal charges. KVPR<\/a><\/p>\n Protests: Dozens of Fresno residents protested the US invasion of Venezuela. ABC30<\/a><\/p>\n Zoo prices: The Fresno Chaffee Zoo is changing its prices. KSEE24<\/a><\/p>\n Child safety: The Fresno County Department of Public Health received a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety to educate parents and caregivers about the importance of child safety seats and to ensure that all children travel safely. For more information on the Child Passenger Safety Program, call 559-600-3330.<\/p>\n Hotline app: Natalie Bonilla, a Selma High student, won the 2025 Congressional App Challenge for District 21 with her Community Support<\/a> app, which compiles critical hotline numbers and community resources into one centrally located place. The Business Journal<\/a><\/p>\n 1. \u2018I can\u2019t breathe\u2019<\/p>\n The family of a 41-year-old Fresno man who died in 2017 \u2014 after Fresno law enforcement restrained him facedown on the ground \u2014 expects to get their day in court later this month after nearly nine long years, Fresnoland\u2019s Rob Parsons reports this morning<\/a>.<\/p>\n Joseph Perez died May 10, 2017, while struggling with police and high on methamphetamine.<\/p>\n In court filings and previous arguments, authorities have said the officers should be considered immune from liability in connection with Perez\u2019s death, essentially arguing that Perez caused the episode by being under the influence of methamphetamine and arguing and fighting with the officers instead of following legal commands.<\/p>\n Attorneys for the Perez family have countered that officers should be liable because they detained and restrained Perez supposedly for his own safety and protection but ultimately killed him.<\/p>\n While the coroner\u2019s office classified the death as a homicide, they also noted Perez\u2019s methamphetamine intoxication was \u201c10 times\u201d above a typically lethal dose.<\/p>\n 2. Bobby Salazar stops contracting with city police<\/p>\n Last year was a tough one for embattled Fresno restaurant owner Bobby Salazar, who has pleaded not guilty to fraud-related arson charges.<\/p>\n Salazar landed back in the headlines during the earliest hours of 2026, too, when a New Year\u2019s confrontation at Salazar\u2019s Tower District bar turned violent. Two people were stabbed when an argument at the bar spilled out into the streets, The Fresno Bee reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n In years since, Salazar has paid out thousands of dollars to hire off-duty Fresno city cops to police his bars and restaurants on the weekends \u2014 but not on New Year\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n The Bee reports that Salazar last contracted with city police in the fall of 2023.<\/p>\n Contract police work is common in Fresno, The Bee says, at places like Walmart or the Fresno Fairgrounds, among other examples.<\/p>\n 3. Fresno\u2019s poverty rate is improving<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/perez1.jpg\")
<\/a>Joseph Perez memorial. Credit: Rob Parsons\/Fresnoland<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/police-lights.jpg\")
Pexels<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0899.jpg\")
Ashley Swearengin, CEO of the Central Valley Community Foundation. Pablo Orihuela | Fresnoland<\/p>\n