From reporter Matt Leedy:

Fresno City Hall is preparing to invite the presidential candidates to visit the city -- and hoping they will come.
Council Member Brian Calhoun floated the idea last month to have Fresno host a town hall meeting of White House hopefuls, and city officials are now trying to figure out dates that would work for Democrat Hillary Clinton, Republican Rudy Giuliani and all the rest.

City Manager Andy Souza told the council he'd give a progress report in about two weeks.

Even if the candidates don't put Fresno on their speaking schedules this year, Calhoun wants city officials to learn from the recruiting process and maybe some day lure the nation's high-powered politicians to the area.

"Maybe this will just be a learning process. But I hope this will be something that can continue on and we can be a player on the national scene," Calhoun said.

Several presidential hopefuls have stopped by the Valley, including Giuliani, Republican John McCain and Democrat John Edwards, but only Republican Mitt Romney has made a visit that wasn't a fundraiser.