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Israel said Tuesday it had bombed more than 350 military sites in Syria during the previous 48 hours, targeting “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in the country. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the wave of airstrikes in neighboring Syria was necessary to keep the weapons from being used against Israel following the Syrian government’s stunning collapse . Israel also acknowledged its troops were pushing into a border buffer zone inside Syria, which was established after the 1973 Mideast war. However, Israel denied its forces were advancing Tuesday toward the Syrian capital of Damascus. Life in the capital was slowly returning to normal after jihadi-led Syrian insurgents ousted President Bashar Assad over the weekend. People celebrated for a third day in a main square, and shops and banks reopened. The United States said Tuesday it would recognize and support a new Syrian government that renounces terrorism, destroys chemical weapons stocks and protects the rights of minorities and women. Syria's nearly 14-year civil war killed nearly half a million people and displaced half of the country’s prewar population of 23 million, becoming a proxy battlefield for regional and international powers. Here's the Latest: SAYDNAYA, Syria — Tens of thousands came to Saydnaya Prison from all over Syria after the fall of former President Bashar Assad to search for their loved ones. The place so notorious for its horrors was long known as “the slaughterhouse.” For the past two days, all have been looking for signs of loved ones who disappeared years or even decades ago into the secretive, sprawling prison just outside Damascus. But hope gave way to despair Monday. People opened the heavy iron doors lining the hallways to find cells inside empty. With sledgehammers, shovels and drills, men pounded holes in floors and walls, looking for what they believed were secret dungeons, or chasing sounds they thought they heard from underground. They found nothing. Insurgents freed dozens of people from the Saydnaya military prison on Sunday when Damascus fell. Since then, almost no one has been found. “Where is everyone? Where are everyone’s children? Where are they?” said Ghada Assad, breaking down in tears. An estimated 150,000 people were detained or went missing in Syria since 2011 — and tens of thousands of them are believed to have gone through Saydnaya. WASHINGTON — The top U.S. military commander for the Middle East was on the ground in Syria on Tuesday, meeting with a Kurish-led, U.S.-allied force at several bases in the country's east, U.S. Central Command said. Army Gen. Erik Kurilla visited with U.S. military commanders and troops as well as the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. It wasn’t clear if he met with SDF leader Mazloum Abdi, and U.S. Central Command did not respond to a request for details about his visit or with whom he met. U.S. officials said they did not know what his message to the SDF was. The U.S has about 900 troops in Syria, including forces working with Kurdish allies in the northeast to prevent any resurgence of the Islamic State group. In a press release, Central Command said Kurilla received an “assessment of force protection measures, the rapidly evolving situation, and ongoing efforts to prevent ISIS from exploiting the current situation.” Kurilla then went on to Iraq where he met with leaders in Baghdad. UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations says it still getting reports about the looting of warehouses with humanitarian aid in a number of areas in Syria, including around the capital Damascus. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Tuesday that U.N. agencies and their partners are working to identify the extent of looting at the warehouses, including those of U.N. agencies and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. Dujarric said U.N. aid officials report that “the humanitarian situation remains volatile across Syria, with reports of people continuing to be displaced.” Humanitarian officials reported that 25 trucks carrying U.N. aid crossed from Turkey to northwest Syria, which the situation is now relatively calm, the U.N. spokesman said. All 11 receptions opened in Idlib in the northwest to host newly displaced families were empty as of Monday, Dujarric said. In the northeast, he said, authorities report that as of Tuesday 100,000 people have been displaced due to fighting in Tal Rifaat and other parts of Aleppo governorate. Dujarric said the U.N.’s partners report that “reception centers in Tabqa and Raqqa have reached full capacity, and more than 200 sites – including municipal buildings, schools, mosques, and stadiums – are being used to accommodate newly displaced people.” BEIRUT — The Lebanese army said Tuesday that “unidentified gunmen” crossed the border from Syria into eastern Lebanon's Bekaa province and approached a Lebanese border post. In a statement, the army said the gunmen fired into the air and seized equipment from an evacuated Syrian army post in the outskirts of Kfar Fouq, near Rashaya al-Wadi, in the western part of Bekaa province. Lebanese army personnel responded with warning shots, forcing the group to retreat back into Syrian territory. The Lebanese army did not report any injuries or provide further details about the identity of the gunmen. WASHINGTON — Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched multiple drones and a missile at three commercial ships being escorted in the Gulf of Aden by U.S. Navy ships, a U.S. official said Tuesday. There was no damage and no injuries. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations, said U.S. Navy destroyers, and Navy helicopter and a French Air Force aircraft shot down four of the drones and the missile. The three U.S. affiliated flagged ships were sailing east toward Djibouti. The Iran-backed Houthis have targeted shipping through the key waterway for more than a year, attacks they say are meant to force an end to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. JERUSALEM — Israel’s military said it bombed more than 350 sites in Syria during the previous 48 hours, targeting “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in the country. There is concern that, with the sudden collapse of the Syrian government, weapons stockpiles could be seized by jihadi militants. Warplanes hit what Israel said were Syrian air defense systems, military airfields, missile depots, and dozens of weapons production sites in the cities of Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Latakia, and Palmyra, the Israeli army statement said. In naval operations overnight Monday, Israeli missile ships struck two Syrian navy facilities simultaneously — Al-Bayda port and Latakia port — where the army said 15 Syrian naval vessels were docked. Israeli did not specify how many Syrian naval vessels were hit. The private security firm Ambrey said it had seen evidence that at least six Soviet-era Syrian navy missile ships were hit. Israeli officials said earlier that Israel also targeted alleged chemical weapons sites. JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Tuesday that his country’s military launched a wave of airstrikes across Syria to destroy the toppled government’s leftover “military capabilities,” and said Israel wants relations with the new government emerging Syria. Hours after Israeli warplanes pounded Syria, Netanyahu said Israeli doesn’t want to meddle in Syria’s internal affairs, but would take necessary steps to protect Israel's security and prevent jihadi militants from seizing the Syrian army assets. He warned that if the new Syrian government “allows Iran to re-establish itself in Syria or allows the transfer of Iranian weapons or any other weapons to Hezbollah, or attacks us -- we will respond forcefully and we will exact a heavy price from it.” He spoke in a video statement recorded at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, after his first day of testimony in his corruption trial. DAMASCUS, Syria — In Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syrians celebrated the fall of President Bashar Assad for the third day on Tuesday despite Israeli airstrikes across the country. Insurgents who recently took control of the capital city tried to impose a new rule banning the celebratory gunfire. There were a few violators, and much less deafening gunfire. Protesters climbed the square's central monument to wave the Syrian revolutionary flag. On the ground, crowds chanted: “Out with Bashar! Out with Bashar!” Assad fled to Russia over the weekend after a lightning rebel offensive toppled his brutal police state. Demonstrators from different provinces marched in the square in groups, celebrating Assad's fall. Men on motorcycles and horses paraded into the square. One woman from Idlib province shouted that the Israeli strikes ruined the joy of ousting Assad. “Why are you striking us? We just deposed a tyrant,” she said. “Give us peace. Leave us alone,” said Ahmed Jreida, 22, a dentist student, when asked about the Israeli airstrikes. Hamzeh Hamada, 22, said this was the first time he had gone out to a demonstration. “We want the country to get better, to live in dignity and be like other countries that respect citizens’ rights and where there are no bribes,” he said. “We have suffered a lot from bribes. ... We had to bribe people for very minor things; things that should be our right.” Abdul-Jalil Diab was taking a stroll with his brothers in another square in western Damascus. He said he came back from Jordan the day Damascus fell. He was there studying German to prepare to move to Germany and said he is now reconsidering his plans. He was ecstatic, saying words can’t describe how he feels. “We are happy to get rid of the corrupt regime that was based on bribes. The whole country feels better. Everyone is happy and celebrating,” Abdul-Jalil Diab said. QAMISHLI, Syria — Residents of northeast Syria in the area around Qamishli airport said Tuesday they heard explosions overnight after an airstrike hit trucks loaded with rockets and ammunition that were heading to a military base in Tartab. “We don’t know the story. It was only in the morning when we realized they are trucks loaded with ammunition, leftovers of the former army, the regime,” said Ibrahim al-Thalaj, who lives near the base. He said residents assumed that the strikes were Israeli. Israel has carried out a heavy wave of airstrikes across Syria targeting military infrastructure after Syrian insurgents toppled the government of Bashar Assad. However, Turkish security officials said Tuesday that the strike in Qamishli was carried out by Turkey, targeting weapons and ammunition that were abandoned by the Syrian army and seized by Syrian Kurdish militants. The explosions lasted for over 20 minutes after the strike, and many houses in the surrounding area were damaged as a result, residents of the area said. “We just felt a strike hitting. It hit the first one (truck) and we saw the other trucks retreating back, and from there rockets and shells started flying over,” said Hamid al-Asaad, an eyewitness from Qub al-Zeki village in Qamishli. “We were sitting when these explosions started to hit the house,” said Mahmoud Hamza of Tartab. “It was hitting randomly and we didn’t know where it was coming from. ... Once we got out of our house, a rocket hit the house.” There were no details released by the local Kurdish administration regarding the explosions, but members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces blocked the road to the base. BRUSSELS — The European Union’s top diplomat is concerned that Syria might violently fall apart like neighboring Iraq, or Libya and Afghanistan if its territorial integrity and the rights of minorities are not protected. “The transition will present huge challenges in Syria and in the region,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told European lawmakers on Tuesday during a special hearing. “There are legitimate concerns about the risks of sectarian violence, extremist resurgence and the governance vacuum, all of which must be averted. We must avoid a repeat of the horrific scenarios of Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan,” she said. “The rights of all Syrians, including those of many minority groups, must be protected,” she said. “It is crucial to preserve the territorial integrity of Syria, and to respect its independence, its sovereignty, as well as the state institutions.” Kallas also said the collapse of the government has shown that Assad’s backers in Russia and Iran “could neither afford to do it any longer, nor had any interest of being present in the aftermath.” “They are weakened, distracted and overstretched in other theaters in the broader Middle East, but also in Ukraine,” she said. ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s intelligence agency, MIT, has attacked a convoy of trucks that was allegedly carrying missiles, heavy weapons and ammunition that were abandoned by the Syrian government and reportedly seized by Syrian Kurdish militias, Turkish security officials said Tuesday. The officials said 12 trucks, two tanks and two ammunition depots were “destroyed” in aerial strikes in the city of Qamishli, near the border with Turkey in northeast Syria. The officials provided the information on condition of anonymity in line with Turkish regulations. They did not say when the attack occurred. The officials said the intelligence agency detected that weapons left by the Syrian government forces were being moved to warehouses belonging to the Syrian Kurdish People’s Defense Units, or YPG. Turkey views the group as a terrorist organization because of its links to the banned Kurdish militants that have led a decadeslong insurgency in Turkey. According to the officials, he group was allegedly planning to use the equipment and supplies against Turkish security forces. By Suzan Fraser WASHINGTON — The White House is signaling its approval of Israel’s strikes against Syrian military and alleged chemical weapons targets and the seizure of a buffer zone in the Syrian Golan Heights after the fall of the Assad government. “These are exigent operations to eliminate what they believe are imminent threats to their national security,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday, saying the U.S. would leave it up to the Israelis to discuss details of their operations. “They have as always the right to defend themselves,” Kirby said. He declined to detail and U.S. intelligence cooperation with the Israelis that went into the strikes. Kirby said the White House was reasserting its support of the 1974 Golan Heights disengagement agreement, but didn’t criticize the Israeli seizure of the demilitarized zone. Israel has a long history of seizing territory during wars with its neighbors and occupying it indefinitely , citing security concerns. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a move not recognized internationally, except by the United States. WASHINGTON — The Biden administration says it will recognize and support a new Syrian government that renounces terrorism, destroys chemical weapons stocks and protects the rights of minorities and women. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Tuesday that the U.S. would work with groups in Syria and regional partners to ensure that the transition from President Bashar Assad’s deposed government runs smoothly. He was not specific about which groups the U.S. would work with. Blinken says Syrians should decide their future and that other countries should “support an inclusive and transparent process” and not interfere. “The United States will recognize and fully support a future Syria government that results from this process,” he said. “We stand prepared to lend all appropriate support to all of Syria’s diverse communities and constituencies.” DAMASCUS, Syria — Jihad Mustafa Shibani was taking his new motorcycle for a spin with a friend around the house of the deposed Syrian president in western Damascus on Tuesday. Shibani was released from prison a week before the capital Damascus fell, after he served two years on charges of buying his motorcycle using foreign currency on accusations he was dealing in dollars. He was tortured for 15 days and and given a quick trial where he was sentenced for two years, he said. He was released the day Aleppo fell to the insurgents. “Everything was banned in Syria. The (Assad loyalists) only could use it,” Shibani said. He said he has never been to this neighborhood, because it was taken over by Assad, his family and supporters. “For 50 years, my family’s house is near here, and we don’t know anything about it. ... The Syrian people had been oppressed, you can’t imagine.” Shibani said he has no fear of the rebel newcomers who have taken control of the country. “We are not afraid. There can be no one more unjust than Bashar. Impossible.” BEIRUT — Lebanon’s prime minister is in contact with security and judicial officials to follow up on reports that senior members of President Bashar Assad’s government have fled to Lebanon. Najib Mikati’s office quoted him as saying that Lebanon abides by international laws regarding people who cross its borders. Rami Abdurrahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said that several top security officials have entered Lebanon over the past two days. Abdurrahman added that Syria’s former intelligence chief Ali Mamlouk, who is wanted in Lebanon over two bombings in 2012 in the northern city of Tripoli that killed dozens, was allegedly brought to Lebanon by the Hezbollah militant group and was staying in a southern suburb of Beirut where the group has deep support. Lebanon’s Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi, whose ministry is in charge of border crossings, told reporters Tuesday that no person who is wanted in Lebanon entered the country through legal border crossings. There are dozens of illegal border crossings between Lebanon and Syria where people are usually smuggled in and out of Lebanon, but it was not possible to independently confirm whether Mamlouk had entered Lebanon. GENEVA — The United Nations says humanitarian operations in two major areas in northwestern Syria have resumed, deploying food, medical supplies, fuel and other needed services and supplies. Spokesman Jens Laerke of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that some health facilities were “overwhelmed” – in part due to staff shortages – and many border crossings have been closed, disrupting supply chains. OCHA said humanitarian operations in some parts of northwestern Syria were put on hold in the early days of the recent escalation, and resumed on Monday. “As of yesterday, all humanitarian organizations in Idlib and northern Aleppo have resumed operations,” Laerke told reporters at a U.N. briefing in Geneva. He said the three border crossings from Turkey used by the U.N. to deliver assistance into Syria remain open and “we are providing assistance in the northwest, including to those who have been newly displaced.” Even before the latest escalation, which led President Bashar Assad to flee the country, nearly 17 million people in Syria needed humanitarian assistance. More than 1 million have been displaced across Idlib, Aleppo, Hama and Homs since the escalation. JERUSALEM — Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that Israel's military destroyed Syria’s fleet overnight and intends to establish a demilitarized zone “in southern Syria” to prevent attacks on Israel. He also issued a warning to Syria’s rebels, saying that “whoever follows Assad’s path will end up like Assad — we will not allow an extremist Islamic terrorist entity to act against Israel across its border while putting its citizens at risk.” Speaking at a naval base in Haifa, Katz said the Israeli navy “operated last night to destroy the Syrian fleet and with great success.” Video showing the smoking wreckage of what appeared to be small Syrian naval ships in the port at Latakia was broadcast by Saudi-owned television station Al-Hadath on Tuesday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has closely tracked the conflict since the civil war erupted in 2011, said Israel targeted Syrian warships, military warehouses and an air-defense facility on the coast. Katz added that he had instructed the army to establish a “defense zone free of weapons and terrorist threats in southern Syria, without a permanent Israeli presence, in order to prevent terrorism in Syria from taking root and organizing.” It was unclear if the demilitarized zone would reach beyond the buffer zone that Israel has taken over in the border area. Israel has a long history of seizing territory during wars with its neighbors and occupying it indefinitely , citing security concerns. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a move not recognized internationally, except by the United States. DAMASCUS, Syria — Members of the Syrian government under ousted President Bashar Assad will gradually transfer power to a new transitional cabinet headed by Mohammed al-Bashir. The departing government met with al-Bashir for the first time since Assad fled Damascus over the weekend. Al-Bashir had previously led the “salvation government” running the rebel stronghold in northwest Syria. Al-Bashir told reporters after the meeting that the ministers discussed transferring the portfolios to the interim government during the transitional period until the beginning of March. He said that in the coming days the new government will decide on each ministry. DAMASCUS, Syria — Banks and shops are reopening in Damascus after the chaos and confusion of the first two days following the ouster of President Bashar Assad. Sadi Ahmad, manager of Syria Gulf Bank, said life is returning to normal. A customer who came to withdraw money from an ATM was surprised to see it functioning. At the historic Hamadiyeh market, fighters who seized power were still standing guard but shops had reopened — even an ice cream stand. Resident Maysoun Al-Qurabi said she was initially “against what happened,” referring to the insurgency, but changed her mind after seeing footage of rebels releasing inmates from the notorious Saydnaya prison. “People are at ease and secure now,” she said. “Before, people were hungry and scared.” DAMASCUS, Syria — Minority Christians in Syria have been living in a state of uneasy anticipation since insurgents headed by the Islamic militant group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham took control after ousting President Bashar Assad. Mazen Kalash, a resident of Bab Touma, a Christian neighborhood in Damascus, said he wants to know the plans of the new government that will be formed by the rebels. “The important thing is to feel safe, bring order, law and respect to the citizens,” he said. “We need to be able to work whatever we want and do whatever we want without any interference from anyone.” The insurgents have so far attempted to reassure minorities that they will be protected. Large numbers of Syrian Christians, who made up 10% of the population, fled after the civil war erupted in 2011. Many of those who stayed supported Assad out of fear they might be targeted by Islamist insurgents. TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at media during testimony at his corruption trial, which involves media moguls. “There has never been such a biased media in any democracy ... as there is in Israel,” Netanyahu told the court, describing his testy relationship with the press. He is accused of exchanging regulatory favors with media bosses for more positive coverage of himself and his family. He has denied wrongdoing. GENEVA — The U.N. envoy for Syria says armed groups that drove out President Bashar Assad have “been sending good messages” about national unity and inclusiveness but acknowledges that a Security Council resolution still counts the leading one as a terrorist group. With Syria’s future and stability still very much in flux since Assad’s departure over the weekend, Geir Pedersen suggested that the international community needs to help the country get through this turbulent moment. “We are still in what I would call a very fluid period. Things are not settled,” Pedersen told reporters at U.N. offices in Geneva on Tuesday. “There is a real opportunity for change, but this opportunity needs to be grasped by the Syrians themselves and supported by the U.N. and the international community.” Referring to Israeli military strikes in Syria, Pedersen said it was “extremely important that we now don’t see any action from any international country that destroys the possibility for this transformation in Syria to take place.” The insurgents are led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which grew out of an al-Qaida-affiliate called the Nusra Front that the Security Council listed as a terror group in a 2015 resolution. “This is obviously a complicating factor for all of us,” Pedersen said. “But we also have to be honest, we have to look at the facts and to see what has happened during the last nine years.” “The reality so far is that the HTS and also the other armed groups have been sending good messages to the Syrian people,” he said. “They have been sending messages of unity, of inclusiveness, and frankly speaking, also, we have seen in (the captured cities of) Aleppo and in Hama ... reassuring things on the ground." Ahmad al-Sharaa, previously known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the insurgency and the founder of both groups Nusra and HTS, cut ties with al-Qaida in 2016 and says he is committed to pluralism and religious tolerance. ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey has “strongly” condemned Israel’s advance into Syrian territory, saying it was in violation of a 1974 agreement on a buffer zone inside Syria. “We strongly condemn Israel’s violation of the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement, its entry into the separation zone between Israel and Syria, and its advance into Syrian territory,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry accused Israel of “displaying a mentality of an occupier” at a time when the possibility of peace and stability had emerged in Syria. The statement also reiterated Turkey’s support to Syria’s “sovereignty, political unity, and territorial integrity.” Israeli troops on Sunday entered the buffer zone that had been established after the 1973 Mideast war and the military said it would deploy in “several other places necessary for (Israel’s’) defense.” TEL AVIV, Israel — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he works 17 to 18 hours a day and that he is engulfed in meetings, especially during the past year that Israel has been fighting wars. Netanyahu was testifying in his long-running corruption trial. He has denied charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases. “If only I could steal away five minutes to enjoy some time with my wife,” he told the court Tuesday. TEL AVIV, Israel — An Israeli military official says troops plan to seize a buffer zone inside Syria as well as “a few more points that have strategic meaning.” The official spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. The official dismissed reports of a larger Israeli invasion as “rumors.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israeli forces were moving to control a roughly 400-square-kilometer (155-square-mile) demilitarized buffer zone in Syrian territory. The buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights was created by the U.N. after the 1973 Mideast war. Following the overthrow of President Bashar Assad, Israel sent troops into the buffer zone. It said the move was temporary and was aimed at preventing attacks. It said the 1974 agreement establishing the zone had collapsed and that Syrian troops had withdrawn from their positions. Israel has also carried out airstrikes across Syria in recent days targeting what it says are suspected chemical weapons and long-range rockets. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have condemned Israel’s incursion, accusing it of exploiting the disarray in Syria and violating international law. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a move not recognized by the international community, except for the United States. The rest of the world views the strategic plateau as occupied Syrian territory. — By Joseph Krauss DAMASCUS, Syria — Israel’s air force has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in different parts of Syria as its ground forces move north of the Golan Heights along the border with Lebanon, according to an opposition war monitor. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday that since the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government, Israel’s air force has carried out more than 300 airstrikes against research centers, arms depots and military infrastructure across Syria, as well as a naval base along the Mediterranean coast. Associated Press journalists in Damascus witnessed intense airstrikes on the city and its suburbs overnight into Tuesday morning. Photographs posted online by activists showed destroyed missile launchers, helicopters and warplanes. Meanwhile, Israeli troops marched along the border with Lebanon and now control a long stretch on the Syrian side facing Lebanon’s Rashaya region, according to the war monitor's head, Rami Abdurrahman, and the Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV, which has reporters in Syria. Israeli troops are now about 25 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Damascus, according to the monitor. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia has condemned Israel’s incursion into a buffer zone in Syria and a wave of Israeli airstrikes launched after the overthrow of President Bashar Assad. The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that “the assaults carried out by the Israeli occupation government, including the seizure of the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, and the targeting of Syrian territory confirm Israel’s continued violation of the principles of international law and its determination to sabotage Syria’s chances of restoring its security, stability and territorial integrity.” Israel sent troops into a buffer zone inside Syria that had been established after the 1973 Mideast war. It said the move was temporary and was taken to prevent any cross-border attacks after Syrian troops withdrew. Israel has also carried out heavy airstrikes that it says are aimed at preventing suspected chemical weapons and long-range rockets from falling into the hands of extremists. Saudi Arabia has been in talks with the United States in recent years over normalizing relations with Israel in exchange for a U.S. defense pact, American assistance in establishing a civilian nuclear program and a pathway to the establishment of a Palestinian state. But the kingdom has also repeatedly condemned Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip, where it is at war with the Hamas militant group. Last month, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and day-to-day ruler Mohammed bin Salman accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza , allegations Israel adamantly rejects.CHS Inc stock hits 52-week low at $28.75 amid market shifts

Quebec premier wants to put a stop to prayer in parks and public placesAverage Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage in the US Rises to Highest Level Since JulyTHOUSAND OAKS, Calif. , Dec. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) today announced that its Board of Directors declared a $2.38 per share dividend for the first quarter of 2025. The dividend will be paid on March 7, 2025 , to all stockholders of record as of the close of business on February 14, 2025 . About Amgen Amgen discovers, develops, manufactures and delivers innovative medicines to help millions of patients in their fight against some of the world's toughest diseases. More than 40 years ago, Amgen helped to establish the biotechnology industry and remains on the cutting-edge of innovation, using technology and human genetic data to push beyond what's known today. Amgen is advancing a broad and deep pipeline that builds on its existing portfolio of medicines to treat cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, inflammatory diseases and rare diseases. In 2024, Amgen was named one of the "World's Most Innovative Companies" by Fast Company and one of "America's Best Large Employers" by Forbes, among other external recognitions . Amgen is one of the 30 companies that comprise the Dow Jones Industrial Average ® , and it is also part of the Nasdaq-100 Index ® , which includes the largest and most innovative non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market based on market capitalization. For more information, visit Amgen.com and follow Amgen on X , LinkedIn , Instagram , TikTok , YouTube and Threads . Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on the current expectations and beliefs of Amgen. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including any statements on the outcome, benefits and synergies of collaborations, or potential collaborations, with any other company (including BeiGene, Ltd. or Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd.), the performance of Otezla® (apremilast) (including anticipated Otezla sales growth and the timing of non-GAAP EPS accretion), our acquisitions of Teneobio, Inc., ChemoCentryx, Inc., or Horizon Therapeutics plc (including the prospective performance and outlook of Horizon's business, performance and opportunities, any potential strategic benefits, synergies or opportunities expected as a result of such acquisition, and any projected impacts from the Horizon acquisition on our acquisition-related expenses going forward), as well as estimates of revenues, operating margins, capital expenditures, cash, other financial metrics, expected legal, arbitration, political, regulatory or clinical results or practices, customer and prescriber patterns or practices, reimbursement activities and outcomes, effects of pandemics or other widespread health problems on our business, outcomes, progress, and other such estimates and results. 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Our results may be affected by our ability to successfully market both new and existing products domestically and internationally, clinical and regulatory developments involving current and future products, sales growth of recently launched products, competition from other products including biosimilars, difficulties or delays in manufacturing our products and global economic conditions. In addition, sales of our products are affected by pricing pressure, political and public scrutiny and reimbursement policies imposed by third-party payers, including governments, private insurance plans and managed care providers and may be affected by regulatory, clinical and guideline developments and domestic and international trends toward managed care and healthcare cost containment. Furthermore, our research, testing, pricing, marketing and other operations are subject to extensive regulation by domestic and foreign government regulatory authorities. 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We perform a substantial amount of our commercial manufacturing activities at a few key facilities, including in Puerto Rico , and also depend on third parties for a portion of our manufacturing activities, and limits on supply may constrain sales of certain of our current products and product candidate development. An outbreak of disease or similar public health threat, such as COVID-19, and the public and governmental effort to mitigate against the spread of such disease, could have a significant adverse effect on the supply of materials for our manufacturing activities, the distribution of our products, the commercialization of our product candidates, and our clinical trial operations, and any such events may have a material adverse effect on our product development, product sales, business and results of operations. 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Two of the biggest challenges facing our city are domestic violence and the decades-long struggles to improve student achievement in Fresno Unified School District. Fortunately, we have Marjaree Mason Center CEO Nicole Linder leading the charge to educate the community about domestic violence and provide life-saving services for victims. We are equally fortunate to have School Board Trustee Susan Wittrup sticking her neck out and fighting the Fresno Unified bureaucracy to make the necessary changes so that all students graduate prepared to succeed in the workforce or in college. For these accomplishments, Linder and Wittrup are the GV Wire/Unfiltered Difference Makers of the Year. In 2024, Linder and her Marjaree Mason team capped off a $21 million fundraising drive to complete renovations and open a campus in northwest Fresno. The new center will house an around-the-clock drop-in center, programs supporting domestic violence survivors, and the nonprofit’s administrative offices. “It’s been, quite honestly, nothing short of a miracle. I’m definitely a person of faith, and I believe there’s been so much coordination to make all of this happen,” said Linder of the fundraising effort and praising her team. “The goal is to say this is a critical community investment, to say we’re not going to stand for this anymore.” We’re not going to stand for this anymore is Wittrup’s mantra, too. A majority of the School Board sent a message to the community that it would be business-as-usual after Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson announced his retirement. Those trustees wanted to limit the search for his successor to in-house candidates. Seeking the best for students and realizing that more of the same wouldn’t move the needle, Wittrup rallied the community in protest. And, in the face of the responding public outcry, she flipped the board majority to require a national search for Nelson’s replacement. In addition, interim Superintendent Misty Herr — a candidate to take over the top spot — appears focused on improving literacy, attendance, and learning. That might not seem like a big deal, but it is given that past superintendents spent more time excusing Fresno Unified’s woeful performance and cheerleading for the accomplishments of the districts’ top students than they did changing the system so that it works for those who need the most support. For that, we can thank Wittrup, who spent her professional career as a Fresno Unified psychologist. “We’re doing really important work now with transforming Fresno Unified,” says Wittrup. “My heart is in this work and I will continue to persist.” Many readers will recognize some of the names on our 2024 Difference Makers list. However, we hope that many will come as a surprise because I asked the GV Wire staff to go beyond the names that regularly appear in Fresno media. The list is by no means complete. While Fresno and the greater Valley have big challenges, we’re blessed with legions of residents who go out of their way to help others succeed and communities sparkle. Stan and Carrie Zulewski: Fresno’s Unforgettable Charity Christmas Light Show Have you heard of Fresno’s hidden gem during the holiday season? It is without a doubt the North Winchester Light Show in northwest Fresno. Stan Zulewski and his wife, Carrie, are the creators of the 15,000 LED Christmas light show at 6047 N. Winchester Ave. The rockin’ free lightshow has been open to the public for 17 years. What makes this 20-minute experience unique is that people can drive up to the house, tune into a radio frequency posted in the yard, and hear the accompanying music in the comfort of their car. The Zulewskis’ generosity extends to lifting up Fresno. There’s a donation box in the center of their yard and all the proceeds go to a local charity. The couple chooses a different nonprofit every year. This year, it’s Fresno Mission’s City Center. The light show runs nightly until Dec. 26. Hours are dark to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. To learn more about the show and its history, Related Story: Nick Richardson: Political Novice Shocks the Establishment A political novice, Nick Richardson ran for an open seat to represent northeast Fresno on the city council. In the primary, he battled against a prominent attorney, a banker who served on the planning commission, and nonprofit fundraiser. Richardson, a Marine reservist and safety consultant in his civilian life, finished a distant second — but that was enough to force a runoff against Roger Bonakdar, the attorney who represented Bitwise Industries employees owed money by the bankrupt company. Despite being outraised 8-to-1 and not having nearly the prominent endorsement list as Bonakdar, Richardson won the election and will take his seat on the dais next month. Election watchers call this one of the biggest upsets in Fresno election history. How did he do it? Hard work for one. Richardson established a reputation of walking and knocking, and holding decently-attended community meetings in parks. He was willing to communicate with groups that he may not politically agree with — like a pro-Palestinian group and LGBT advocates. Filling out an LGBT’s group survey may have cost Richardson the local Republican endorsement. Nevertheless, he is set to become the new District 6 councilmember. Kuma Family: Embracing One and All While Preserving Polynesian Culture When the Kuma family came to Fresno, they wanted a way to preserve their Polynesian roots. Despite their Tongan roots, they wanted a group for all Polynesians. And now, that has turned into an award-winning dance club with more than 300 members of all ages and backgrounds. All of the dances performed at the Polynesian Club of Fresno tell a story, says Linda Kuma, wife of the group’s founder. In fact, the group’s performance in 2023 earned them the top prize at a worldwide competition in San Jose. “They heard we were from Fresno and they’re trying to figure out what island was near Fresno,” Kuma said. “We had a great laugh about that.” The group has classes for every generation. One family has four generations dancing, from a great-granddaughter to a great-grandmother. Beyond dancing, the group also has drumming and fire knife classes. Kuma makes costumes for every dancer, representative of the different cultures within the Polynesian sphere. Samoan dress has subtle differences from that of Tahitian or Hawaiian, and vice versa. “I love this group, and that’s probably the reason that at 75, I still am here working because I love what I’m able to do and what’s able to happen for the people in this group,” Kuma said. “Not only the children, but the adults.” There’s not much that will compel most teenagers to get up before the crack of dawn, but Roosevelt High teacher Mike Spencer has found the key — and it’s fishing. Spencer, who has taught English at the southeast Fresno high school for 22 years, is the adviser for the school’s fishing club. Club members do more than fish — they volunteer for a variety of community service activities such as a Halloween trunk or treats event, clean-up opportunities with Beautify Fresno, and dropping old Christmas trees into lakes for fish habitats. But the main fun event is fishing, and that includes tournaments at Millerton Lake and overnight camping trips at places like San Luis Reservoir. Roosevelt’s fishing club members joins with other high schoolers in the region to participate in the Big Valley High School Anglers, a high school tournament bass fishing group that operates as part of the California High School Anglers Tournament Trail and hosts sanctioned tournaments. The core group of Roosevelt’s club is about 16 students, more juniors and seniors and more girls than boys this year, Spencer says. The fishing outings depend on an army of adult volunteers, including boat captains who take students out onto the water. “When I started, some people told me I was crazy, that bass fishermen would never let a kid on their boat like what I was asking for, which is basically, ‘Hey, I need two kids to be on your boat for seven hours. I don’t know how much experience they have. Would you do it?’ “Fresno Bass Club was my first call, a guy by the name of Ron Armstrong. And I’ll be honest, had he said no, it probably would have died right there. But he said yes. And he got his friends, the Fresno Bass Club guys, to be a part of it.” Members of other area fishing groups subsequently signed on, he says. “It’s almost humbling to be able to make one phone call and have five boats show up to take kids. But that’s sort of the beauty of what we’ve been able to do, is bring a lot of different people together, all for one purpose — to share the value of outdoor recreation with kids. The kids love it, and the adults love it. It’s been fantastic.” Fishing is in Spencer’s blood — like his father, he’s a longtime fly fisherman (ironically, neither of them cares much for eating fish). Before his teaching career began Spencer was a guide in Alaska and Montana after he graduated from Fresno State. Roosevelt had previously had a fishing club that had “fizzled out,” he says. While watching ESPN coverage of college fishing that included a Fresno State team, Spencer saw coverage of high school teams and realized that Roosevelt’s team could be reborn. It got off to a rocky start. About 80 students showed up at the first meeting. After he announced that members would have to pay a $25 fee to cover costs such as liability insurance, only a half dozen showed up for the next meeting. “And I realized immediately that, OK, I have to figure out ways to do this that doesn’t cost money. Or if the kids don’t have it, we can supplement. That’s been one of the biggest challenges, obviously, is how it gets funded.” The club’s community service requirement is a way for students to give back in appreciation of the support their club receives, Spencer says. “I don’t believe that you give people things for free. Like, there has to be some skin in the game, and it’s not the kids’ fault that they don’t have money. But if they can show up to fish, they can show up to do community service. And so that’s the price that most of them pay. If you want this, then you’ll show up for these things that we’re giving back. And that’s been really, I think, one of the best parts of the club, is getting the kids out there.” In addition to fishing at Millerton and Pine Lakes, the Roosevelt anglers get some out-of-town camping trips, including the central coast and San Luis Reservoir. Many have never set up tents or cooked on grills. But they soon get the hang of it, and they also learn from Spencer about the importance of cleaning up their campsite before they depart. “I don’t care if we didn’t put it there. It’s coming out, because you want to leave things better than you found it. I’m a ‘see a problem, solve a problem’ kind of person. And so I try to instill that in the kids. And I think it lands, for the most part.” The students also learn other lessons, such as the importance of expressing gratitude. After each expedition, the fishing club members write thank-you notes to their boat captains. Their appreciation is genuine, Spencer says: “The other great thing about my kids versus a lot of other kids who have access to boats and good fishing all the time is, my kids are used to fishing from the bank when they go fishing, which means they’re used to not catching anything because that’s usually what happens when you fish from the bank. So you put them in a boat, they catch a couple of fish, they think it was a fantastic day, while everybody else is complaining that they only got a couple of fish.” Demetrius Porter: Basketball Star Turned Mentor and Vintner In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Demetrius “Dee” Porter was making three-pointers and dishing assists for the Fresno State men’s basketball team. Now, he’s in the wine game while also mentoring Valley youth. Porter owns Center Cork Wine, where his goal is to “bring a representation of success, resilience, courage, and prestige to the Valley” via the wine brand. He was inspired to pursue wine while playing pro basketball in France. Fittingly, his wine line includes “Corkside,” ‘‘Pre-Game,” “Crossover,” “Tip-Off,” and “One and Done.” It wasn’t an easy road for the Washington Union graduate. Less than 1% of the 11,000 U.S. wineries are Black owned. In the industry “typicity” means the degree in which a wine tastes like the region where it was grown. He wants the world to know about local wine. Profits from the business support the nonprofit Exposure Sports, which puts on basketball scrimmages, camps and clinics for local boys and girls. “I focus on teaching high-level game skills and instilling the mindset of an elite athlete, emphasizing how hard work on the court can translate to success off the court,” said Porter. He hosts the annual The Heart of California Basketball Classic where the best players from the Central Valley scrimmage against top talent from across the country at the Save Mart Center. His organization has helped send 70 athletes to Division 1 schools. Four players have made it to the NBA: Jalen Green (San Joaquin Memorial, Houston Rockets), Jaime Jaquez and Keshad Johnson (Miami Heat), and AJ Johnson (Fresno native/2024 Milwaukee Bucks first-round draft pick). He has a pipeline to the UNLV women’s program as four of them have either played, are playing, or will play for the Rebels: Meadow Roland and Macie James (SJM), Rodjane Wade (Edison), and Alexis Willis (Clovis West). Savannah Tucker from Clovis North is playing at Long Beach State. Whether if it’s sending talent to college and the pros or becoming the first local wine company to be featured in Safeway, Porter does it by “thinking outside the box, defying naysayers, and inspiring youth to believe that anything is possible.” Related Story: Marie Slater: 40 Years as a Fresno Chaffee Zoo Docent Most Sunday mornings you’ll find Marie Slater hanging round the flamingo habitat at Fresno Chaffee Zoo. She loves the birds, and she also loves talking to visitors about them and other birds who live at the zoo. And she’s been doing it for a long time. Slater has been a docent for 40 years, the zoo’s longest-serving docent. She’s also served on the zoo board, twice as president. “My class of docents was the first one, in 1984,” she said. “They evidently had a group of docents in the early’ 70s, but they somehow disbanded. So my class was the first class after that. And it just has grown from there, obviously.” When she first started volunteering, the zoo was mostly small enclosures and a lot of concrete, Slater recalls. “It was still a nice little zoo, but probably not attractive,” she says. ”And now it’s a wonderful place for animals.” The passage of Measure Z by Fresno County voters, first in 2004 and then again in 2014 and 2023, has enabled the zoo inside Roeding Park to convert the concrete and small enclosures into habitats, including Sea Lion Cove, African Adventure, and Kingdoms of Asia. Slater has a hard time when she’s asked about her favorite animals, but she confesses that the big cats and elephants — and their babies — are at the top of her list. She “inherited” the bird cart after another longtime docent passed away. “She was always the bird person. So I sort of ventured out and thought, ‘Well, I can’t let her down. Let’s see what I can do here.’ So that’s when I started working at the bird cart.” Slater makes sure that there will be plenty of future generations of docents by helping to run the annual docent-training class each January. Why did she decide to become a docent 40 years ago? “I was a retired teacher and had time. My kids no longer wanted to come to the zoo, but I wanted to come to the zoo,” she says. “I love the zoo. It’s a peaceful place. It just worked for me.” Rodney Casillas: Guiding Youth and Fathers to Better Futures Rodney Casillas, an Easton resident, has dedicated the past 20 years of his life to guiding at-risk youth and young adults as they navigate challenges in entering the workforce. His journey began when he was hired at Workforce Connection, located at Shaw and Marks avenues, where he discovered his true passion for helping others. Casillas faced similar struggles during his youth, experiencing difficulties with no one to turn to for guidance. This personal connection fuels his drive to support others who find themselves in similar situations. As a special grants supervisor, Casillas, along with his team, works to secure grants and run workshops aimed at providing essential resources to those in need. What keeps Casillas motivated is the impact he has on people’s lives, helping them achieve success. One particular moment stands out for Casillas: During a workshop he facilitated, a couple participated and benefited from the tools and resources provided. Eighteen years later, they returned to the center with their child, specifically requesting Casillas. “I’ve been blessed in that way to help others and to see my own participants over the years and their successes that they’ve had and the families they’ve created and how well they are doing,” Casillas said. “That’s my thanks, and I’m grateful and thankful to be connected to that.” Last year, Casillas and his team secured a grant with a five-year lifespan, resulting in $1.1 million being distributed and impacting 397 young adults. Judge Raj Singh Badhesha has a heavy caseload, burning through more than 100 misdemeanor cases on a day following a holiday break. For one case, he orders a petty theft suspect to write a one- page essay on why crime does not pay. The new jurist is working his way up at the Fresno County Superior Court. Literally. His courtroom is two floors below the main entrance. “It’s kind of cool to be in Department 1 and to be able to someday be in a different department and to literally say I worked my way up,” Badhesha joked. Badhesha is a trailblazer as the first Sikh in the county to be named and the first turban-wearing judge ever in the state after Gov. Gavin Newsom nominated him to the bench earlier this year. The community celebrated his enrobing ceremony this past July at Fresno City Hall. “Members of (the Sikh) community are also very happy to see somebody that looks like them on the bench. But regardless of what I look like, I try to do a good job,” Badhesha said. “I do get a lot of smiles from people who look like me, who sometimes appear in court. They’re not always here for the best reasons. But I think that part of the benefit of having such a diverse judicial structure is that the judiciary doesn’t look like any single person,” Badhesha said. Diversity also comes from having previously worked in the Fresno City Attorney’s Office. He believes he is the first city attorney office worker to join the bench in four decades. “In my prior role at the city of Fresno, we were in a very fast-paced environment. And so I think from from that perspective, having that experience, I definitely was able to have benefited from that, coming into a misdemeanor department,” Badhesha said. Moving from City Hall contracts and public meetings to criminal law meant more learning and training. Badhesha said he also seeks help from fellow judges and the attorneys he interacts with. Stephen Vogt: From Player to AL Manger of the Year in Two Seasons Few gave the Cleveland Guardians and their new manager, Stephen Vogt, a chance. the 20th best team in Spring Training. had them as a fourth-place team. That didn’t matter to Visalia-native Vogt. Defying expectations, Vogt led the Guardians to a American League Central division title, and battled the Yankees for the AL pennant. Baseball writers rewarded Vogt, naming him the AL Manager of the Year. “I got way more excited when any one of our guys hit a home run then I ever did myself or a big play or a strikeout,” said Vogt, who starred in baseball at Central Valley Christian High School. “I think that’s the beauty of this role and this job — it’s not about you. It’s about your players and it’s about their successes.” During an interview at a Guardians game in August, Vogt told GV Wire his local roots still run deep. “Growing up in Visalia really gives you the perspective that you have to work hard for everything that you want. It’s a hard-working area. A lot of my friends grew up on dairy farms and going out and working the fields with them, working the cows and things like that, you just learn ... the dedication of hard work,” Vogt said. “And, to me, it’s a tough area. You have to be tough. I don’t really put my thumb on it, but I just feel like growing up where I did it really helped mold me into the competitor that I am.” Brett and Deborah Bayley were new transplants to Fresno looking for ways to get to know the community while helping to make it a better place. The Bayleys moved to Fresno from San Diego in 2017 to be closer to their son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. Their daughter later uprooted and moved north, and “we’re all right in the in the same ‘box,’ in the same block of houses here in Fresno. And it’s worked out perfectly. This will be where we spend the rest of our days,” Brett says. Soon after moving here, the Bayleys began looking for things to do. Brett, a retired real estate broker, and Deborah, a retired teacher, were drawn to the Beautify Fresno campaign that Mayor Jerry Dyer started as a community cleanup opportunity during his first campaign for mayor in 2020. “It was an opportunity for us to just give back. And we felt that we had the time, and we wanted to do it,” Brett says. The first event they signed up for was a litter removal project along the San Joaquin River. Picking up litter goes to Brett and Deborah’s roots. “We hate litter with a passion,” Brett says. “Deborah and I are in our 70s, and we go back to one of the first public relations campaigns that the country ever put on, which was ‘Don’t Be a Litter Bug’. And from our grade school years and on, our parents — both sets of parents really — drilled it in us that ‘hey, don’t be a litter bug.’ So we kind of grew up with that.” After that event, “we kind of got kind of got the bug and said, well, this will be a great opportunity for us to do a little something to give back. We call it doing our bit, you know, just doing our bit,” he says. They sign up often for Beautify Fresno events, which not only satisfies their desire to “do their bit” but also has introduced them to people they might not have met and neighborhoods they might not have visited otherwise. “I started keeping a list because I wanted to remember everybody’s names, so I’d carry around a piece of paper and, you know, just jot down, ‘starting a trucking company with his brothers,’ so I could remember the names and a little bit of background, and that paper’s grown into five sheets now on either side,” Deborah says. In addition to being steady Fresno beautifiers, the Bayleys also volunteer on Mondays to help out at the Fresno Animal Center, where they take care of behind-the-scenes chores like doing laundry and washing dishes. Brett says he and Deborah attended an open house at the center in its early days and after taking a tour, “it’s like a little light bulb going off where we want to do what we can to help you.” Volunteering gives them a chance to get to know the center’s staffers, most of whom are “considerably younger,” Brett says. “We think the relationship works both ways. They get to talk to some old dogs like us who’ve been around the block once or twice. And in turn, we keep in touch with younger people and some of the issues that they’re facing. And we’ve been able to help some of them over the couple of years. We’ve been there with just some advice and counsel and, you know, in a very small way more direct assistance. And so it’s been really, really good for us.” Ryan Indart: Keeping the Valley’s Sheep Industry Alive There was a time when there were more than 300,000 sheep in Fresno County, says rancher Ryan Indart. A majority of the 10,000 remaining sheep belong to him, a third-generation Basque sheep rancher. Making a living from selling lamb and wool can be difficult for many ranchers, he said. Several years of drought from 2009 to 2018 almost bankrupted him. But it was a phone call in 2018 from a solar developer that opened his eyes to a new market opportunity. The developer needed overgrown grass cleared out on his solar development in western Fresno County, Indart said. He wanted sheep to do the work. “My jaw dropped. That’s one of those quintessential light bulb moments and that has since been a really game changing moment for us,” Indart said. With the dramatic growth of solar throughout the San Joaquin Valley, Indart has likewise grown a list of clientele who need the same services. “We built our business and we went from like 2,000 acres to now we’re grazing almost 25,000 acres between two states,” Indart said. Overgrown vegetation can be a major fire hazard, threatening solar assets worth well into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Sheep present a more environmentally friendly way to clear out brush, often getting to areas a mower can’t reach. A good sheepherder can get 85% of the vegetation in an area, Indart said. Basque sheepherders were a critical piece of the sheep industry in the western U.S. Now, Australia and New Zealand have taken a significant portion of market share. In addition to trade imbalances, Indart says the association of lamb meat to the tough mutton U.S. soldiers got during World War II turned them off in the years following the war. But clearing out brush opens new opportunities for Indart’s business, and one he says can sustain them into the future. Lilia Chavez: Champion of Local Arts Fresno art lovers have 9.4 million new reasons to love Lilia Gonzales-Chávez. Long considered a leader in the Fresno art scene, Gonzales-Chávez took on a new role this year — dispensing millions of dollars in art grants. As the city of Fresno collected sales tax from Measure P — the sales tax dedicated to parks and arts — the Fresno Arts Council had the task of dispensing grant money. Chavez, president of the Fresno Arts Council, recommended which nonprofits should receive a share of $9.4 million. At a ceremony in September, Chavez proudly dispensed awards to 112 organizations — museums, artists, instructors and more. “We know that the arts are cathartic and just by participating in the arts we do improve our overall wellness. We know that with the arts we strengthen economic vitality,” Chavez was by the Munro Review — a grant recipient itself. Last year, in an interview for an article in , Gonzales-Chávez harkened back to the moment that the arts made a difference in her life. She was in third grade and her teacher announced that three in her third-grade class would be in the school’s talent show. Gonzales-Chávez did a quick calculation and deduced that a classmate who took ballet lessons and another who was taking piano lessons had been chosen. “But then the teacher said I was going to be in the talent show,” said Gonzales-Chávez. “And I didn’t know what talent I had!” Her teacher told her that voice was her talent and she would sing “Do-Re-Mi” from the Sound of Music. “We often don’t know what talents we have until someone points them out for us,” she said. In 1987, Gonzales-Chávez co-founded the Latino cultural arts center, , and served as executive director for 10 years. “When I looked around our community, there weren’t a lot of places for Latino children to see beautiful images of themselves. We had two major art institutions at that time: the Fresno Metropolitan Museum and the Fresno Art Museum. But they maybe did an annual exhibition that would touch on the Mexican community in Fresno County. “When I go to Arte Américas, I see people from all walks of life present.” Helen Attarian: Blood Bank Volunteer and 15 Gallon Donor If you’ve spent any time at the Jenny Eller Blood Donation Center on Herndon Avenue, you’ve probably bumped into Helen Attarian, a longtime volunteer and an even longer-time blood donor. Helen, 83, has been giving up pints of her O+ blood for decades. She’s up to 122 pints, or more than 15 gallons. As much as she’s glad to roll up her sleeve for a blood donation, she’s equally happy to roll up her sleeves and help out the blood center as a volunteer on Wednesday and Friday afternoons, and some Saturdays, and anytime there is a big blood drive at an area high school or other location. Why does she do it? “I love people and watching over and taking care of the donors and making sure they’re well and healthy and helping them when they’re not. That’s my favorite part (of volunteering),” she says. Her duties include keeping the canteen stocked with snacks. It’s probably no surprise that Helen is a people person — before she retired she worked in sales, selling everything from cars to eyeglass frames. She finally retired during the COVID pandemic when her job doing food demos at stores was curtailed. By then she was already spending part of her week at the blood bank as a volunteer. Donating blood is a family thing: two of her daughters donate, and her grandson began when he turned 16 (he’s now in his late 20s and living in Georgia). Helen says she had thought for years while donating about volunteering. It looked like fun, and she’d get to spend time doing her favorite thing — talking with and helping people. But it wasn’t until one of her daughters started a job there that Helen agreed to come along and speak with the volunteer coordinator. Her tasks include the aforementioned canteen time, making sure that donors are doing well and getting a snack. But she takes on other tasks, such as stapling the coupon books that each donor received or helping out the marketing team with its work. Helen’s also a kind of walking billboard for the blood center. She wears the many T-shirts that donors receive while out in the community and frequently gets recognized by donors. “So I have that on all the time. I’m always advertising the blood bank, and when I talk to people they tell me ‘oh, I saw you at the blood bank.’ ” Allysun Walker: Advancing Homeownership in Southwest Fresno Advancing historically neglected southwest Fresno is a major goal for city officials, numerous nonprofits, and many concerned citizens. Allysunn Walker, CEO of the Southwest Fresno Development Corporation pushes for responsible home ownership. As the area gets developed with new homes and businesses, she wants residents to be a part of that growth. She and her organization do that through ongoing classes to help people understand finances, fix their credit, and in some cases, when they’re ready, helping them make the leap to homeownership. “After two years, we’ve served over 650 people, and we’ve repaired credit for a couple hundred families. We’ve gotten housing counseling for several hundred families, and we’ve got 10 people who are new homeowners. We just closed last week,” Walker said. “It takes that volume of people. Homeownership is a long process, especially for people who’ve never done it before.” The organization’s work is now expanding. With help from the Westside Church of God, Southwest Development Corp. is building 12 tiny homes behind the church’s property. Those homes will go to seniors who live below the poverty line. Walker is also negotiating with Mechanics Bank to secure financing to buy distressed homes in the area. The group can then rehabilitate those homes and sell them below market value, helping increase access to affordable housing. A similar program in Richmond from Mechanics Bank brought 30 homes onto the market over nine years. A couple million dollars can turn over two-to-three times, Walker said. The key to revitalization, Walker says, is slow, steady progress. “My hope is that (the community sees) a partner in southwest Frenso, that they see someone who is committed to the mission of building community wealth and power through homeownership, through supporting entrepreneurs, through creating affordable rental housing, and through community revitalization,” Walker said. Kelsie Igasan: Suicide Survivor to Mental Health Advocate In 2017, Kelsie Igasan attempted suicide. She survived and restarted her life with a newfound purpose. Through her advocacy and speaking service, “The Butterfly Inside,” she specializes in trauma and mental health education, addiction recovery, and suicide prevention. The mission: “There is a butterfly inside of us all waiting to emerge from the darkness trauma can leave us in. Your life is worth saving. You are worth it.” She also uses her platform to raise awareness on youth concussions in sports, including cheerleading. And, at Clovis Hills Church, she educates students (grades 9-12) on recovery through the power of faith. It’s a twelve-step program for those struggling with mental health, anxiety, low self-esteem, eating disorders, substance abuse, and depression. “Being in the church, working with the youth, them being the same age I was when I struggled, in the same community, has been life changing,” said Igasan. The wife and mother of four was a former cheerleader at Buchanan High School in the mid 2000s. The traumatic brain injuries and undiagnosed concussions she sustained in the sport kickstarted a downward spiral. Turning to drugs, becoming a juvenile delinquent, and a full addict. After a stint in rehab and juvenile hall, she got sober, became a mother, and sought therapy. In 2017 a concussion she suffered from a minor car accident amongst other events led to a relapse. That’s when she tried to take her life. After healing in the Trauma Facility Community Regional Medical Center, her recovery and career journey started when she was named the Ambassador for the Central Valley Concussion Consortium. As a trauma peer visitor, she conversed with patients to encourage them to pursue life. From that point, she became one of the leading go-to advocates in the Central Valley to do speaking engagements on those subjects. She’s shared her story on multiple media platforms even getting national attention on “Inside Edition.” Igasan credits her faith for recovering and her pursuit to help people. “That mentorship is the most special. When I was a teenager struggling, I didn’t have a young person in my life to help me,” said Igasan. “It was lonely for me, so it’s been a gift from God to be able to be one-on-one with an adolescent girl and provide encouragement to show they’re not alone.” Perry and Ree Coy have been familiar faces around the Clovis Botanical Garden for nearly 20 years and have played a large part in its present-day appearance. Ree is a retired teacher and Perry a retired state biologist who previously worked for the Department of Fish and Game, Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health Services and Vector Control, and finally Caltrans. Anne Clemons, president of the Botanical Garden nonprofit, jokes that Perry takes on those jobs that no one else wants to do. Perry says he’s used to it: “We have other people that are here earlier in the week and they say, ‘Uh-oh, the tree fell down.’ Great. Well, I know what I’ll be doing, tree-trimming, or I’ll have a massive irrigation leak that the contractor ran over. And then I usually make a tour of the garden when I get here (on Tuesdays).” Working with plants is in his blood — his grandparents owned a nursery in Ventura where Perry spent a fair amount of time as a kid growing up and where he learned all about landscaping and propagation. So his background gives him the perfect set of skills to make sure all the plants at the Botanical Garden— trees, grasses, cacti, etc. — are getting the loving care they need to stay healthy. Clovis Botanical Garden specializes in low-water vegetation, with a variety of garden scenarios that homeowners can use as inspiration for their own gardens as well as enjoying a stroll throughout all the garden’s habitats. The plants are chosen because they will grow well in the Valley’s climates — blazing hot in summer, cold in winter. On a recent tour, Perry points out some of the garden’s distinctions, including how the crape myrtles are not “stubbed,” as many crape myrtles are at Fresno and Clovis homes. “You won’t see many crape myrtles like this. These are all trimmed for their high wildlife value,” he says. “We’re a national wildlife-friendly garden.” Ree is a volunteer supervisor on Thursdays, working with a crew that works as hard as they socialize. Volunteer Kitty is in charge of the cookies — her specialty is the apricot almond bar. The couple started volunteering at the botanical garden after Ree retired as a Fresno Unified elementary school teacher. She clutches a handful of books as she heads to the little lending library, a colorful box on a post near the site of the new visitor center that’s now under construction. That’s one of her favorite spots in the Botanical Garden. Perry’s favorite is the Children’s Garden that the couple sponsors, with mosaic-tile hopscotch squares and other kid-friendly features like a large snail that kids can hop onto. Getting the snail and other critters in place took some effort, Perry recalls. “My grandfather had a degree in horticulture, but he also was a Swiss engineer. And he taught me how to move stuff for landscaping. So I got to move all these little rascals in place.” Ree says she’s gotten an education in horticulture and has passed along some key tips to her volunteers, such as, if you think it’s a weed but you’re not sure, don’t pull it up. Ree says she’s applied that rule at home as well. “I even had a plant that grew up in my backyard. And I went and looked at it and I went, ‘I don’t know what you are. You look kind of weedy,’ but it was about this big, it was tiny. ... It turned out to be a forget-me-not.” Dora Westerlund: Helping Small Businesses and Growing the Economy When a small business opens in the Central Valley, chances are that Dora Westerlund, president and CEO of the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation, had a hand in it. The organization is the most experienced small-business technical assistance provider for Hispanic and minority communities in the San Joaquin Valley. It provides one-on-one consulting, financial education workshops, and small-business financing. Those businesses include mom-and-pop shops, restaurants, food trucks, and street vendors. “I am passionate about fostering entrepreneurship to drive economic growth in our region, strengthening the ecosystem, and positioning the San Joaquin Valley as a beacon for small businesses across the state,” said Westerlund. This year alone, the foundation has served over 4,000 small businesses and delivered more than 5,000 hours of one-on-one technical assistance in business planning, licenses/permits, and procurement. They also hosted 119 workshops and webinars. FAHF also deployed over $1 million in capital to small businesses, supported 17 rural communities, and provided more than $3.1 million in grants to small businesses in Fresno County. All this was made possible through collaborations with the city and county of Fresno, and the involvement of corporate and nonprofit partners. They go above and beyond for their clients like facilitating ribbon cutting opening ceremonies for their businesses. One highlight: “The Night of Champions” gala at Table Mountain Casino with boxing superstar Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez as the guest speaker. “The most rewarding part of my work is witnessing how the entrepreneurs we serve are able to provide better opportunities for their families and build generational wealth,” said Westerlund. “Ultimately, we’re not just helping small businesses start or grow — we’re helping people achieve dreams of business ownership, create stability for their families, and give back to their communities.” Now in his 80s, Ephraim Hadjis still fights for the issues important to the Jewish community. Officially, Hadjis is 81. But, because his birth records were lost in World War II-torn Greece, he believes he is 84. A Holocaust survivor and Vietnam veteran, Hadjis of Madera serves as president of Congregation Beth Jacob. When the Kerman City Council debated about calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, Hadjis spoke up. Hamas held several Israeli and American hostages in Gaza, following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. Israel responded by bombing Gaza, killing more than 45,000 Palestinians and displacing 80% of the population. Kerman became the second Central Valley city to approve a proclamation supported by pro-Palestinian groups. Madera was the first. Several in the Jewish community, including Hadjis and Rabbi Rick Winer of Temple Beth Israel, opposed, calling the proclamation one-sided. “I am a veteran and my main concern is Americans are being held hostage. Before we could talk about anything about a release or a peace or anything, the veterans of the Americans have to come home. That’s all. We are taught a basic training that you leave no American behind,” Hadjis said on March 13. Andrew Zonneveld: His Rare Baseball Card Will Pay for College Andrew Zonneveld found a hobby he could enjoy with his father — collect sports cards. One particular card will help pay for his college education. Inspired by the Olympic basketball team, eight-year-old Andrew and his father Andy Zonneveld ordered custom-made cards from Topps. One of those cards included a “1 of 1” featuring legends Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. The sports card world buzzed at the rare find for the Zonnevelds, who farm in Laton. The $50 pack of cards yielded more than $50,000 at an auction. What does the Zonneveld family plan to do with the proceeds? Save for college for Andrew and his siblings for one. Buy more cards of course! How does finding a rare sports card qualify someone to be called a difference-maker? The Zonnevelds provide us all with a reminder that family activities provide a lifetime of good memories and lessons learned.

NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s recent dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in policy and diplomacy. They were also prime trolling opportunities for Trump. Throughout his first term in the White House and during his campaign to return, Trump has spun out countless provocative, antagonizing and mocking statements. There were his belittling nicknames for political opponents, his impressions of other political figures and the plentiful memes he shared on social media. Now that's he's preparing to return to the Oval Office, Trump is back at it, and his trolling is attracting more attention — and eyerolls. On Sunday, Trump turned a photo of himself seated near a smiling first lady Jill Biden at the Notre Dame ceremony into a social media promo for his new perfume and cologne line, with the tag line, “A fragrance your enemies can’t resist!” The first lady’s office declined to comment. When Trudeau hastily flew to Florida to meet with Trump last month over the president-elect's threat to impose a 25% tax on all Canadian products entering the U.S., the Republican tossed out the idea that Canada become the 51st U.S. state. The Canadians passed off the comment as a joke, but Trump has continued to play up the dig, including in a post Tuesday morning on his social media network referring to the prime minister as “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.” After decades as an entertainer and tabloid fixture, Trump has a flair for the provocative that is aimed at attracting attention and, in his most recent incarnation as a politician, mobilizing fans. He has long relished poking at his opponents, both to demean and minimize them and to delight supporters who share his irreverent comments and posts widely online and cheer for them in person. Trump, to the joy of his fans, first publicly needled Canada on his social media network a week ago when he posted an AI-generated image that showed him standing on a mountain with a Canadian flag next to him and the caption “Oh Canada!” After his latest post, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Tuesday: “It sounds like we’re living in a episode of South Park." Trudeau said earlier this week that when it comes to Trump, “his approach will often be to challenge people, to destabilize a negotiating partner, to offer uncertainty and even sometimes a bit of chaos into the well established hallways of democracies and institutions and one of the most important things for us to do is not to freak out, not to panic.” Even Thanksgiving dinner isn't a trolling-free zone for Trump's adversaries. On Thanksgiving Day, Trump posted a movie clip from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” with President Joe Biden and other Democrats’ faces superimposed on the characters in a spoof of the turkey-carving scene. The video shows Trump appearing to explode out of the turkey in a swirl of purple sparks, with the former president stiffly dancing to one of his favorite songs, Village People’s “Y.M.C.A." In his most recent presidential campaign, Trump mocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, refusing to call his GOP primary opponent by his real name and instead dubbing him “Ron DeSanctimonious.” He added, for good measure, in a post on his Truth Social network: “I will never call Ron DeSanctimonious ‘Meatball’ Ron, as the Fake News is insisting I will.” As he campaigned against Biden, Trump taunted him in online posts and with comments and impressions at his rallies, deriding the president over his intellect, his walk, his golf game and even his beach body. After Vice President Kamala Harris took over Biden's spot as the Democratic nominee, Trump repeatedly suggested she never worked at McDonalds while in college. Trump, true to form, turned his mocking into a spectacle by appearing at a Pennsylvania McDonalds in October, when he manned the fries station and held an impromptu news conference from the restaurant drive-thru. Trump’s team thinks people should get a sense of humor. “President Trump is a master at messaging and he’s always relatable to the average person, whereas many media members take themselves too seriously and have no concept of anything else other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome,” said Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director. “President Trump will Make America Great Again and we are getting back to a sense of optimism after a tumultuous four years.” Though both the Biden and Harris campaigns created and shared memes and launched other stunts to respond to Trump's taunts, so far America’s neighbors to the north are not taking the bait. “I don’t think we should necessarily look on Truth Social for public policy,” Miller said. Gerald Butts, a former top adviser to Trudeau and a close friend, said Trump brought up the 51st state line to Trudeau repeatedly during Trump’s first term in office. “Oh God,” Butts said Tuesday, “At least a half dozen times.” “This is who he is and what he does. He’s trying to destabilize everybody and make people anxious,” Butts said. “He’s trying to get people on the defensive and anxious and therefore willing to do things they wouldn’t otherwise entertain if they had their wits about them. I don’t know why anybody is surprised by it.” Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.