Press Room

Central California Blood Center starts experimental treatment to fight COVID-19

The Central California Blood Center announced that they will be the first blood center in the United States to produce pathogen-reduced plasma from patients who have successfully recovered from the Coronavirus. The Blood Center said people who recover from the Coronavirus infection have developed antibodies to the virus that remain in the plasma portion of their blood. The experimental treatment is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be used on an emergency basis.

https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/local-news/central-california-blood-center-starts-experimental-treatment-to-fight-covid-19/

BITWISE CEO SEEKS TO HIRE 100-PLUS FOR DATA ENTRY

The CEO of Bitwise is putting out a call to hire more than 100 temporary data entry contractors who will work from home. Irma L. Olguin Jr. said in a Facebook post Friday afternoon that the workers would support efforts of Bitwise Industries, its web development arm Shift3 Technologies and mobile restaurant ordering app Ordrslip in “building things to help feed the elderly, save restaurants from going out of business and to help folks who’ve lost jobs regain employment.” The temporary (“could be days or weeks”) positions would be 40 hours a week and pay $15 per hour. Employment would be on a contract basis. Applicants must have their own computer, reliable Internet access and be able to type at reasonable speed, Olguin said.

https://thebusinessjournal.com/virus-diaries-bitwise-ceo-seeks-to-hire-100-plus-for-data-entry/#:~:text=The%20CEO%20of%20Bitwise%20is,who%20will%20work%20from%20home.&text=Employment%20would%20be%20on%20a%20contract%20basis.

State Economies Most Exposed to Coronavirus

Coronavirus isn’t just a danger to Americans’ health. It’s also a menace to our wallets. It’s led to the closing of scores of non-essential events and businesses, hurting the livelihood of many people. The U.S. stock market has lost over 20 percent of its value, and the U.S. government was forced to pass a $2 trillion stimulus package. Some of the main features of the plan include sending checks to Americans, giving loans to businesses and providing extra funding for hospitals. Hopefully, this aid will start to turn the economic downturn around in a time when the number of unemployment insurance claims being filed is rising sharply.

VALLEY VENTURES COMPANY RAISES $6M IN NEW FUNDING

SELF-DRIVING BUS BEING BUILT PARTLY IN PORTERVILLE

Report: Visalia’s Kaweah Delta hospital generates $1 billion a year locally

Kaweah Delta medical center in Visalia does more than provide healthcare services to the region and the Central Valley — it also infuses nearly $1 billion into the local economy each year, according to a new study. Kaweah Delta makes an estimated $973 million annual economic impact and accounts for $550.4 million or 3.2 percent of Tulare County’s economy, says an economic impact analysis commissioned by the Tulare County Economic Development Corporation and prepared by Impact DataSource of Austin, Texas.

https://thesungazette.com/article/health/2020/04/01/kaweah-delta-generates-1b-in-local-economy/

COVID-19 virus spurs hiring atsupermarket chains

Modesto-based privately held Save Mart Companies are hiring, due to the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease.
There are openings for close to 1,000 employees in their FoodMaxx, Lucky and Save Mart stores located throughout California and Northern Nevada, as well as their warehouses in Roseville and Merced, thre company says. This includes in-store positions, drivers, and warehouse workers.

https://files.constantcontact.com/2cb20f61601/cdbea38d-b122-467b-b987-e4838c36e663.pdf

Port of Stockton operations not crimped by COVID-19 pandemic

California’s largest inland seaport, the Port of Stockton, is open and operating normally, officials say, although some measures are in place to prevent the spread of the virus that causes the COVID-19 illness. “The Port of Stockton’s priority is to ensure the health and safety of all Port stakeholders; to date, the Port of Stockton’s ability to support our business partners has not been impacted by COVID-19,” says Port Director Richard Aschieris.

https://files.constantcontact.com/2cb20f61601/2f931797-fd73-4394-b999-f3037480f26c.pdf

Amazon, Save Mart hiring in Patterson, Modesto amid coronavirus pandemic

Amazon plans to hire 800 workers for its Patterson and Tracy warehouses, a spokesperson said Tuesday, to help meet increased demand during the coronavirus pandemic. The temporary jobs are among the 100,000 nationwide openings Amazon announced Monday, the same day Modesto-based Save Mart Cos. said it expects to hire nearly 1,000 employees in California and Nevada.

https://www.modbee.com/news/coronavirus/article241275246.html?

Westlands Solar Park begins construction

CIM Group announced recently that it is advancing the development of Westlands Solar Park in Kings County, one of the largest permitted solar parks in the world. The solar park could grow to more than 2,700-megawatts (2.7 gigawatts) of renewable energy potential at full build out, which could provide clean energy to more than 1.2 million homes, said a press release from CIM Group. The master-planned energy park encompasses more than 20,000 acres in the Central Valley in western Fresno County and Kings County, southwest of Lemoore, and is designed to open in phases to meet the needs of public and private utilities and other energy consumers.

https://hanfordsentinel.com/news/westlands-solar-park-begins-construction/article_10d4e8a6-e0fc-585f-b7f1-39dd45cafaf8.html