Paragraph 1: The Fair, the Fear, and the Rumor There’s a certain magic that settles over Fresno each October when the Big Fresno Fair opens its gates. The smell of corn dogs and kettle corn drifts through the air, the bright lights of the midway spin against the evening sky, and families from all over the Central Valley come together to celebrate a tradition that has been woven into the community’s heart for well over a century. It’s a place where childhood memories are made, where high schoolers share their prize-winning livestock, where neighbors run into old friends and strangers…

For many Reno residents, the sight of a camera mounted on a pole above a city street had become a quiet source of unease long before they knew the name of the company behind it. That unease turned into relief this week when city officials decided to end Reno’s contract with Flock Safety, the automated license plate reader company that has drawn sharp criticism from civil liberties advocates across the country. City Manager Jackie Bryant told the mayor and city council on Thursday that the city would not renew its Flock agreement, and that it would not continue working with…