Fresno has long struggled with deep-rooted poverty. In 2005, a report by the nonprofit think-tank Brookings Institution broke this out in the open, revealing that Fresno had the highest concentration of poverty of any U.S. city. The study showed that a significant number of Fresno's census tracts had at least 40 percent of residents living at or below the poverty line.
Over the years, I've worked as a consultant on numerous federal grant projects from the US Department of Agriculture and elsewhere that focused on local economic development and were granted to nonprofits serving their communities. But since the 2024 elections, the focus of my work-and that of the small New Mexico-based consulting firm, Prospera Partners, that I lead-has shifted to help nonprofits develop strategies to sustain themselves despite federal cuts in funding and to programs that once supported their work.
La Placita in East San Jose's Mayfair neighborhood was one of those projects. When we acquired the long-neglected, 28,000-square-foot building three years ago, it stood as a symbol of disinvestment along the Alum Rock corridor. What we saw instead was possibility - a future cultural anchor that could hold space for arts and culture, a community health clinic and opportunities for local businesses to grow and thrive.
the Chamber elevated Taste of Los Gatos into a premier regional food and wine street festival with family-friendly features. In 2026, our focus is to strengthen the local economy and harness the energy of Super Bowl and FIFA visitors. We want to engage residents and introduce new audiences to the range of experiences that make Los Gatos a distinctive destination.
Editor's note: People are asking questions about the new Local Love Los Alamos & White Rock Initiatiive by Places and Spaces Los Alamos. Photos and publicity connecting local businesses to the community, commuters and vsitors are appearing online, drawing attention to local commerce opportunities. With the holiday shopping season in full swing, readers are excited to learn about opportunities to make purchases locally that they hadn't even realized were an option.
Bradshaw is the founder and executive director of Dreaming Out Loud, a food justice nonprofit he began in 2008 to increase food equity east of the Anacostia River. The organization serves as a food access hub for local farmers, an incubator for food entrepreneurs, and a source of fresh and cooked food for the community through their farms and farmer's markets.
In traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture works through strategically placed needles that trigger healing throughout the entire body. Urban planner Jaime Lerner's concept around targeted architectural interventions find success in China as well as neighboring countries in Asia, where localities are revitalized through simple interventions. Libraries, specifically, are bringing in social, cultural, and economic transformation to the continent. Necessity drives innovation. Rapid urbanization, limited public funding, and diverse geographic and cultural contexts have forced architects and communities to think beyond traditional library models.
"The new esplanade is a cornerstone of our vision for Halletts Point. This space opens up a stretch of Astoria's shoreline that has been inaccessible for decades, while offering a meaningful, immersive connection to the natural landscape."
Boyd's career as an influential political figure began in 1958 when she became the first African American to work in the county commissioner's office, where she later helped others gain employment.
The residents living near the planned construction sites have faced confusion and fear due to poor communication about timing and logistics concerning their housing situations.
The $200 million redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory aims to transform the building into a regional destination with various facilities, including a 17,000-seat event center.
Richards emphasized the need for involvement of local residents and stated that just 2% of residents in the nearby Ravenswood and Queensbridge Houses are employed locally, highlighting a significant opportunity for economic improvement through the transformation of the plant.
Jack Dorsey and a team of collaborators have invested $10 million to fund experimental open source projects that aim to transform the social media landscape.
