{"id":386216,"date":"2026-07-04T18:11:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T18:11:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/386216\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T18:11:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T18:11:12","slug":"top-june-stories-in-fresno-foundation-shakeup-county-pay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/386216\/","title":{"rendered":"Top June stories in Fresno: foundation shakeup, county pay"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fresno Bee subscribers gravitated toward accountability journalism and local business news last month. The best-read stories among subscribers tracked a governance overhaul at Fresno State\u2019s $315 million foundation, revealed which county employees earned the biggest paychecks, and followed a celebrated chef\u2019s abrupt restaurant closure. Readers also explored plans for a north Fresno sports complex and fresh patio dining options in Fresno and Clovis.<\/p>\n

Here are June\u2019s top stories among subscribers \"Fresno Fresno State President Sa\u00fal Jim\u00e9nez-Sandoval, right, thanks chairperson Vinci Ricchiuti for her work with the foundation as she ends her term during the final full board meeting for the Fresno State Foundation Tuesday afternoon, June 30, 2026, in Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com Fresno State president ousts longtime board members of embattled $315M foundation President Sa\u00fal Jim\u00e9nez-Sandoval declined to reappoint five longstanding board members, including 32-year chairperson Vinci Ricchiuti, as their four-year terms ended Tuesday. The foundation manages more than $315 million in university endowments<\/a>. A CSU chancellor\u2019s office review identified 46 governance and operational deficiencies but found no evidence of malfeasance.Highest paid Fresno County employees rack up OT and benefits. The top 50 list CAO Paul Nerland topped the county compensation list at $534,191<\/a>, including $334,076 in pay plus benefits. Several deputies earned more in overtime than regular pay: Deputy Darren Bounlutay made $152,157 in overtime versus $104,074 in regular pay. The county\u2019s median household income was $74,201 in 2024.Famous chef came home to open BBQ joint. His Fresno restaurant closed within months Horn Barbecue in Fresno, opened in January by James Beard-nominated chef Matt Horn, closed with a notice to vacate posted on the door<\/a>. Unpaid wage claims in the Fresno area climbed from two to 12. Horn\u2019s Bay Area troubles included an arson-investigated fire at the Oakland location and multiple closures.Major sports complex coming to north Fresno neighborhood. See the plans Clovis Community College broke ground on the $14.9 million ISE Diamond L.I.F.E. Sports Complex<\/a> near Willow and Behymer avenues on Oct. 8. The facility will feature a competition soccer field, all-weather track, bleachers and press box. Nine of the college\u2019s 11 intercollegiate teams currently compete off campus. Occupancy is planned for spring 2027.5 new restaurant patios to try in Fresno, Clovis. It\u2019s their first summer open Five Fresno-area restaurants are opening their patios for a first summer season<\/a>. Italian spots Il Caff\u00e8 and Willow Osteria at The Avenue at Heritage Grove in Clovis offer olive tree views. Moses McQueen\u2019s provides a downtown backyard with a food truck, while Starving Artist Bistro and Strada round out the list.<\/p>\n

Original stories by Robert Kuwada, Thaddeus Miller, Bethany Clough and Hana Tilksew<\/p>\n

This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence based on our own originally reported, written and published content. Before publishing, journalists reviewed this content in compliance with McClatchy Media\u2019s AI policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published July 3, 2026 at 8:52 AM.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fresno Bee subscribers gravitated toward accountability journalism and local business news last month. The best-read stories among subscribers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":386217,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[112,114,113],"class_list":["post-386216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fresno","tag-fresno","tag-fresno-headlines","tag-fresno-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=386216"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386216\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/386217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=386216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=386216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=386216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}