Fear, rumors and resistance rippled through Beard Brook Village prior to this week’s scheduled relocation to a site just a few hundred yards away. The […]
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Visions of the Homeless: A Cop’s View
One day a few weeks ago, volunteer homeless worker Jeri Lynn Matoza was watching Modesto Police Sergeant Mike Hammond cruise slowly through Beard Brook Village, Modesto’ s permitted homeless encampment. Every few yards, Hammond had to stop because someone wanted to talk. “Look at that,” said Matoza, “How often do you see homeless people voluntarily […]
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The Raven
Jim Gain is one of the San Joaquin Valley’s most accomplished naturalists and photographers. We’re pleased to publish one of his most recent posts. Find more of Jim’s fine work here. “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, …” This post was supposed to be about Short-eared Owls, not about the […]
Farmer Applies Brown Act as Water Torture
Most public officials would probably rather step on a nail than see someone like rice farmer Bob Frobose show up at a public meeting. Depending on your point of view, Frobose can be seen as a crank, activist, watch dog, concerned citizen, public advocate, and most everything in between and beyond. With a persistence that […]
Storm Clouds over the Irrigation District
Modesto Irrigation District (MID) Board members Larry Byrd and John Mensinger agree that flash points for their escalating war of words include terminating MID General Counsel Ronda Lewis and an investigation sponsored by Byrd and Nick Blom into supposed illegal activities by fellow board members Mensinger, Stu Gilman, and Paul Campbell. Mensinger, Gilman and Campbell […]
Faces of the Homeless: Alvaro
“I want to work, but my hands hurt all the time. They hurt real bad,” says Alvaro Gayton, who’s been at Beard Brook Village in Modesto’s Beard Brook Park since last September. Gayton’s last job was at a Modesto Restaurant specializing in barbecue and smoked meats. “I cooked all day and washed dishes at night,” […]