TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

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1. 

   Key green light for California high-speed rail

   BY JULIET WILLIAMS The Associated Press

   Thursday, Jun 13 2013 08:48 PM

   SACRAMENTO -- The California High-Speed Rail Authority won approval Thursday from a federal railroad oversight board to start construction this summer on the first leg of what would be the nation's first bullet train.

   The ruling removes an important hurdle for the rail authority to start construction of the $68 billion system in the Central Valley. A ruling against the state could have caused substantial delays and cost overruns for the project, which is under tight federal construction deadlines to collect billions of dollars in federal matching grants.

   In a 67-page decision issued Thursday, the Surface Transportation Board ruled 2-1 that the state could begin work on the first 65 miles of the project from Merced to Fresno, as long as...

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2. 

   Judge to hear lawsuit over high-speed rail bonds

   SACRAMENTO -- State officials on Thursday agreed to drop a request to consolidate all lawsuits challenging California's use of voter-approved high-speed rail bonds, allowing a trial seeking to stop their sale to begin later this month....
3. 

   Valley farmers reach key settlement with bullet train agency

   SACRAMENTO -- A group representing Central Valley farmers said Thursday it reached a settlement with the California High-Speed Rail Authority in a lawsuit that was one of the biggest obstacles to the state's $68 billion bullet train...
4. 

   Engineers suggest west-of-Hanford route for high-speed trains

   The high-speed rail report released Tuesday that recommended a so-called purple route through Bakersfield also recommended that the track alignment skirt Hanford's western edge through Kings County. The authority's board will receive a...
5. 

   Bullet train draws a bull's eye on downtown Bakersfield

   California High Speed Rail officials have released a preliminary track alignment through Bakersfield that would steer clear of several notable local sites but would require the bulldozing of others. Properties and areas that would be...

6. New CA rail plan to make major improvements in valley Amtrak

   While many are chattering about high-speed rail these days, state transportation leaders are quietly planning to drop more than $15 billion into California's existing Amtrak train service -- including a big chunk here in the valley....

7. Madera Co. leader suggests new bullet-train route

   It may be a little late in the game, but a Madera County supervisor is floating a last-ditch alternative for a high-speed train route between Merced and Fresno. Supervisor David Rogers, who represents the Chowchilla area, wants to convince...
9. 

   Calif. lawmakers review high-speed rail plans

   SACRAMENTO — State senators grilled officials who oversee California’s $68 billion high-speed rail project during a hearing Tuesday intended to investigate whether the project has sufficient staff and resources to actually build the nation...

10. Landowners drop lawsuit against high-speed rail

    A collection of landowners whose properties are in the path of proposed high-speed trains in Madera and Fresno counties have dropped their lawsuit against the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The rail authority announced Friday that it...

11. Brawl over unions divides contractors vying for piece of rail project

    In a bitter dispute that threatens to divide support for California high-speed rail, union and non-union contractors are fighting over a draft plan for setting aside some of the project's jobs for Central Valley minorities and small...

12. Rail authority gets OK to solicit 356 valley parcels

    The state's Public Works Board on Monday cleared the way for the California High-Speed Rail Authority to begin negotiating for property in Fresno and Madera counties needed for high-speed train tracks. In a meeting that lasted less than 10...

13. Landowners air concerns about high-speed rail

    MADERA -- About 100 property owners packed an open house Wednesday to learn how their farms, homes or businesses could be affected by California's proposed high-speed train system. But rain throughout the day dampened a planned tractor...

14. From the blogs: There's no fast-track likely for Valley high-speed rail hiring

    FRESNO -- The prospect of California's high-speed train project, and construction that could start as soon as next summer in the central San Joaquin Valley, seems to shine like a light at the end of the tunnel for many unemployed workers....