Valley Public Radio

It was a bittersweet homecoming that many, including his family, never believed would happen.

KVPR's Amaire Alvarez attended the funeral services.

It's a sunny Friday morning.

The American flag sways from a firetruck crane, and over two hundred locals, service members, veterans, and family have gathered in the Exeter Cemetery.

Let's see.

This is one from KVPR.

It's easy to start your life again in Fresno.

That's for my housing.

New research on valley fever shows that the fungal disease endemic to parts of central and southern California is not just coming from dust particles in rural areas.

KVPR's Crescencio Rodriguez Delgado reports on two studies that show the risk of valley fever may be on the rise.

Valley fever is caused by inhaling fungal spores from dust that is disturbed in places like farms.

But this new research, one published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology and the other one published in The Lancet, points to the potential spread of the disease.

Researchers are also looking into a possible link between oil and gas wells and the transmission of the disease.

Given that hundreds of thousands live within these sites, researchers say valley fever exposure could be larger than we think.

That was KVPR's Crescencio Rodriguez Delgado.

Now, we're going to bring you something special this week, a three-part investigation I've been working on for the last two years.

But what's less known is a connection in the San Joaquin Valley that began almost a century ago.

As KVPR's Rachel Livinal reports, billboards and signs of the once flourishing valley industry have enticed historians for years.

It's a bustling afternoon in the heart of downtown Merced and Kern County historian Mike McCoy is craning his neck to syrup at a billboard with faded red paint and neon casings.

That is a big sign and it is neon too.

It's less than a month away from when ballots will hit Merced County residents' mailboxes, and officials are urging voters to drop off their ballot in person.

As KVPR's Rachel Livenall reports, the county is providing more ballot drop boxes to avoid using mail delivery.

The move comes after changes last year in the U.S.

Postal Service delayed mail delivery.

Earlier this year, an analysis by KVPR found nearly 3% of returned mail-in ballots from Merced County were late during the special election in 2025.

Melvin Levy, the Merced County Registrar of Voters, urged voters to get their ballots directly to a ballot drop box.

As a result, Levy said the county is providing more than double the required number of 10 drop boxes.

We want to make sure that we're giving voters as many options as possible to have a dropbox, a secure dropbox, directly to Merced County elections, close by to them.

He told residents he's been in touch with agencies that can help.

KVPR's Samantha Rangel.

And that's the California Report for Thursday, September 17th.

We're a production of KQED News.