Adjoa Aikins

Writing Samples

KMPH •

New California bill seeks to ban former ICE workers from teaching and policing

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (FOX26) — A new bill at the California Capitol could block former ICE employees from ever working as teachers or police officers in the state.Assembly Bill 1627 was introduced this week by Assemblymember Anamarie Ávila Farías, a Democrat from Martinez, California.The proposed bill would permanently disqualify anyone who worked for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the Trump administration from holding a wide range of jobs in the state.That includes jobs in public...
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Fresno CEO charged with defrauding VA of $7 million in care funds meant for veterans

FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — The CEO of a Fresno-area home health care company is facing federal charges after investigators say he stole millions of dollars meant to care for American veterans.According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 66-year-old Cashmir Chinedu Luke was arrested at San Francisco International Airport while trying to board a flight to Nigeria.Federal prosecutors say Luke ran Four Corners Health LLC, a company that provided in-home, non-medical care for elderly veterans through the V...
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Illinois Attorney General sues State Farm over homeowners insurance

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (FOX26) — Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is suing State Farm, accusing the Bloomington-based insurance giant of refusing to turn over key data about its homeowners insurance business, information the state says is needed to ensure fairness for consumers.The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Illinois Department of Insurance Director Ann Gillespie, claims State Farm has not complied with a regulatory examination that began in late 2024. The department launched the review amid co...
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Californians to voice concerns on PG&E's proposed 2027 rate hike at upcoming CPUC forums

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (FOX26) — Californians will soon have a chance to speak up about Pacific Gas and Electric's proposed rate increases for 2027. FOX26 reached out to the California Public Utilities Commission about how they will determine if PG&E makes a good enough case to justify their proposed 2027 rate increase.In a statement, a spokesperson for the CPUC tells FOX26, "A General Rate Case (GRC) is a highly transparent public process. The CPUC receives input during this process from a dive...
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Former Fresno detective arrested, accused of stealing over $60,000 in evidence money

FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — A former Fresno police detective has been arrested following a federal and state investigation into allegations that he stole tens of thousands of dollars in cash from the department’s evidence room.According to the California Department of Justice, 37-year-old Rey Ariel Medeles, a former detective with the department’s Major Narcotics Team, is facing two counts of grand theft and two counts of preparing false documentary evidence.Officials say that in May, of 2024, the...
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Congressman Jim Costa says Central Valley Father's ICE detention is "Wrong"

FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — Congressman Jim Costa isn't holding back when it comes to the case of Pslam Behpoor, a longtime Central Valley resident who's been locked up in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Bakersfield. The congressman has been following the case of Pslam Behpoor, a Fresno restaurant owner currently being held in ICE detention in Bakersfield, depite living in the United States for more than four decades. Officials recently extended his detention by another 90 days.F...
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New High-Speed Rail proposal raises concerns about Merced’s role in the project

MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (FOX26) — A new proposal from the California High-Speed Rail Authority is raising questions about the future of the project in the Central Valley, particularly in Merced County.At a board meeting last week, county management analyst Dalia Costa confronted authority members after learning of reports suggesting Merced might be excluded from the initial operating segment.“We are disappointed learning that Merced County is not being consistently included in the discussions tha...
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Fresno City Council pushes forward with prohousing application to address housing crisis

FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — Fresno is taking another step toward tackling its housing crisis after City Council voted unanimously to move forward with reapplying for the Prohousing Designation Program.The program, run by the state, rewards cities that actively work toward meeting California’s housing goals. If approved, it would make Fresno eligible for competitive state funding and grants that could accelerate the development of affordable housing.“Without this designation, Fresno stands to miss...
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Fresno joins legal fight against federal grant changes to protect local project funds

FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — The City of Fresno and several other California cities and counties are taking legal action to block new federal conditions on grant funding, saying the rules could put hundreds of millions of dollars in local projects at risk.The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, seeks a temporary restraining order to halt enforcement of Executive Orders the cities say change the rules on grants they rely on for housing, transportation, roads, and public safety. Other jurisdictions joining Fres...
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Former Visalia teacher convicted of attempted murder granted parole

VISALIA, Calif. (FOX26) — A former Visalia teacher convicted of attempted murder will soon be released from prison after a California parole board found her eligible for parole Wednesday, despite objections from Tulare County prosecutors.71-year-old Donna Andrews, has been behind bars since 2006, serving a sentence of 32 years to life at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla. She was found guilty of shooting her daughter-in-law twice and hurting her husband during a family dinner...
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Agriculture giant AGCO expands to Visalia, boosting support for Western farmers

VISALIA, Calif. (FOX26) — A global leader in agricultural machinery and technology, AGCO, announced plans to open a new, expanded parts distribution center in Visalia as part of a multimillion-dollar investment to support farmers across the Western U.S.The new 115,000-square-foot facility, located less than three miles from the current center, will replace the existing site and feature advanced warehouse automation and increased stocking capacity. It aims to improve parts availability and delive...
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Fresno man charged for sexually exploiting minors

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (FOX26) — A federal grand jury has indicted 28-year-old Miguel Dorantes, also known as Miguel Castro on multiple charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors. Dorantes faces three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of transferring obscene material to a minor. According to court documents, between November 2021 and May 2025, Dorantes used three minors to create sexually explicit material. [RELATED] Fresno man sentenced to 53 years to life for sex...
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Kings County ordered to pay $1.9 million in sexual harassment case involving former DA

KINGS COUNTY, Calif. (FOX26) — A Kings County jury has awarded $1.9 million to Alexandra Smith, a longtime secretary in the District Attorney’s Office, after finding the county liable in a sexual harassment and retaliation case involving former DA Keith Fagundes.The jury reached its verdict Wednesday, ruling in Smith’s favor on nearly all 16 counts. The award includes damages for past non-economic suffering.Smith said the outcome was not just for herself, but for “all of the women who felt oppr...
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California mother, 8-month-old daughter missing for more than 10 days

FRESNO, Cali. (KMPH) — A California mother and her 8-month-old daughter have been missing for more than 10 days, and their loved ones are pleading for the public’s help in finding them.Whisper Owen, 36, and her baby, Sandra, were last seen in Fresno on Tuesday, July 15, after a doctor’s appointment. Her family said she left the city around 5 p.m. that evening.Hours later, her silver 2006 Chevy Trailblazer—already damaged on the front driver’s side—was captured on surveillance cameras in Atwater....
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Iranian-American restaurant owner in Clovis fears for his family amid war

CLOVIS, Calif. (FOX26) — As war intensifies between Israel and Iran, an Iranian-American business owner in Clovis says the conflict hits close to home. Abdi Ghafari, owner of Tah Deeg Persian Cuisine, says the violence unfolding in the Middle East has him constantly worried for the safety of his loved ones still in Iran.While he stays in contact with them through social media, he says communication has become increasingly limited due to the political climate and media restrictions in the region...
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Superintendent Misty Her leads transformative push for Fresno Unified's academic success

FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — The Fresno Unified School District now says it has launched itself into a comprehensive, new program designed to dramatically and measurably increase student academic performance over the next five years.There is no doubt the goals for the district's new goals and guardrails program are very ambitious, something that everyone would love to see the district achieve for its students and their parents.“We all decided that our district needed to go in a different, more trans...
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Man sentenced for 2023 DUI crash that killed 80-year-old man

FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — A man will now spend the next 15 years to life in state prison for a crash that killed an 80-year-old man in Fresno. Thursday, 57-year-old Shawn Davari, from Clovis, was sentenced for once county of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and two counts of felony DUI causing great bodily injury to elderly victims. the Fresno Police Department says on July 4, 2023, just after 5:00 p.m., Davari was driving his Ford Fusion southbound on Armstrong Avenue approaching...
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Man arrested for deadly hit-and-run in Fresno

FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — A man was arrested after hitting and killing a cyclist in Fresno. The victim was hit on May 11, just before 6:00 p.m., at Belmont Avenue and Thesta Street, and left lying on the roadway.Officers say the victim was taken to Community Regional Medical Center, where they died. During an investigation, detectives received a tip about a person who had told a witness that he had hit someone in Fresno. The tip included a description of the vehicle the man left in, which matche...
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Huron Police asking for help solving 2017 murder

HURON, Calif. (FOX26) — Homicide detectives with Fresno County Sheriff's Office are asking for the public's help solving the 2017 murder of 68-year-old Francisco Acosta, who was shot and killed in Huron. Detectives say on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017, around 9:40 a.m., officers were called to a drive by shooting at a home on 14th Street, near O Street. Officers found Acosta inside the living room with a gunshot wound. He died at the scene. [RELATED] Clovis police investigate Fairmount shooting; homes...
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Three arrested after stabbing two men during a drug deal in Fresno

FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — Three people have been arrested, accused of stabbing two men in central Fresno.The Fresno Police Department says on May 21, around 2:10 p.m., officers were called to Community Regional Medical Center for two men who were stabbed.Officers learned that the victims were meeting the suspects to buy marijuana, in the area of Hammond Avenue and Mariposa Street, when one of the suspects, Julian Carrillo approached one of the victims and stabbed him.Officers say Carrillo’s moth...
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Correctional officer attacked by inmate at California Medical Facility in Vacaville

SOLANO COUNTY, Calif. (FOX26) — An inmate at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville is now facing additional charges after being accused of attacking a correctional officer. 38-year-old Dannunzio Patron, is accused of attacking a correctional officer with an improved weapon during a cell cell extraction, on Wednesday, May 21, around 10:10 a.m. When nearby officers tried helping, one officer suffered cuts to his left arm from the weapon, and two responding staff members reported knee pain....
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Congressman Valadao reintroduces bill to improve Central Valley roads

KERN COUNTY, Calif. (FOX26) — Congressman David Valadao (CA-22) is reintroducing the Farm to Market Road Improvement Act, in hopes of improving Central Valley Roads. Congressman Valadao led Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Vince Fong (CA-20), and Jim Costa (CA-21) in reintroducing the Act. He says in major regions like the Central Valley, local roads and bridges are traveled often by heavy trucks hauling up to 80,000 pounds of agricultural freight. This constant strain leads to serious...
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Fresno County Sheriff's office reminds boaters of ID Card requirement to avoid fines

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (FOX26) — The Fresno County Sheriff's Office is sending out a reminder that community members are required to have a California Boater Card when operating a motorized vessel. Officials say if you are stopped by law enforcement on a a waterway and do not have a card, you may get an infraction citation. If convicted, you may face a fine of up to $100. Further violations can could lead to fines up to $500.Beginning in 2018, California required Boater ID Cards for specific age...
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