Briefs

HHS grad night ticket deadline

HANFORD -- The deadline for Hanford High School seniors to pay their deposits for Disneyland Grad Nite trip on May 15 has been extended.

Payments will be taken in the high school's ASB Student Store during Snack and Lunch on March 27 and 28. A minimum, non-refundable deposit of $60 is required to hold a spot. All fees will still need to be paid in full by April 15.

Total cost is $140, and all students must have eligible grades and citizenship to participate.

Air officials want to hike wood burn ban

FRESNO -- San Joaquin Valley air officials are seeking to triple the number of days residents in the most polluted counties are banned from burning wood in their fireplaces.

Officials say increasing the number of no-burn days will help bring the region in line with federal standards for fine particle pollution.

Some residents who use their fireplaces to warm their homes are opposing the plan, which would ban burning on 25 to 30 percent of the days -- up from about 10 percent -- from November to the end of February.

The district will take public comment on the stricter fireplace rule next month.

Police arrest 260 in Fresno gang sweep

FRESNO -- Fresno police say 260 people are facing charges after a weeklong crackdown on gangs.

Investigators say after a 15-year-old boy was shot to death earlier this month, they discovered a feud was under way between two criminal street gangs.

In a sweep that began March 9 and ended Sunday, police say officers from multiple units made 124 felony arrests and 136 misdemeanor arrests.

Highway 41 roadwork continues

FRESNO -- Construction and traffic restrictions continue during the spring vacation holiday week along Highway 41 in southern Kings County.

Caltrans announced that travelers heading to and from the coast along 41 continue to face partial road closures and one-way traffic control through Thursday from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m., as well as Friday from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. The affected area is from just south of the Highway 41/Highway 33 junction to just south of the Kern County-San Luis Obispo County line.

Travelers will experience up to 20-minute delays due to the roadwork. Due to the holiday weekend, no traffic restrictions will be in place Saturday or Sunday.

From Staff, Wire Reports

(March 18, 2008)