Today at 3:30pm: Mr. Michael Eggman is running for the Congressional seat presently held by Jeff Denham. Mr. Eggman has worked in farming all of his life, specializing in beekeeping and growing almonds. He was raised locally and knows extremely well the district he seeks to represent. Farming Background and Climate Change Michael Eggman runs a thriving beekeeping business. His business has taken him all over California with bee hives for crop pollination. He […]
Brush Fire Undermines Caltrans’ Credibility
News Item: On Friday May 16, a brush fire within the toxic waste piles of Modesto’s 132 Freeway right-of-way spread out of control during a late afternoon wind storm, gutting four homes adjacent to property maintained by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The vegetation around and on the toxic waste piles caught fire. The preliminary report says the blaze originated with an illegal open pit fire. Toxic Waste Piles […]
Will Modesto Boundaries Protect Enough Farmland?
News item: 1.5 Million Square Feet Warehouse To Be Built Near Patterson For over 10 years, the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors has been trying to develop a business park at the former Crows Landing Naval Air Station. The location is only a few miles from Patterson. In 10 years, nothing has been accomplished at Crows Landing. Instead of having a 1.5 million square feet warehouse located at Crows Landing, […]
Target Bird: Bushtit
Little brown birds (lbbs) are often impediments to beginning birders’ ascent up the learning curve of bird identification. Many lbbs are sparrows, and too many sparrows look alike, especially in immature plumages. Other lbbs are simply non-descript, as much gray as brown, and difficult to identify chiefly because they lack distinguishing marks or bold colors. Those who learn to recognize these inconspicuous little creatures are rewarded by the opportunity to enjoy […]
Supervisor’s Race: Frohman Interviews Calkins
Mr. Scott Calkins is running for Supervisor of District 3 in Stanislaus County, serving the northwest part of the county, including Salida, West Modesto, and the Wood Colony community. He is an instructor in Economics, Government, and United States History at Modesto High School. During an afternoon interview, Mr. Calkins gave a detailed outline of policies and improvements he will pursue upon assuming office. Regardless of who wins the District 3 seat, the […]
MID Water Policy Unfair to Farmers
Editor’s note: Please note a correction below this article; we apologize for the error. If you were a farmer during a drought, wouldn’t you like to have an unlimited supply of water? Wouldn’t you also like access to river water and have the privilege of selling it? In Stanislaus County, some farmers have special privileges given to them by the Board of Directors of the Modesto Irrigation District (MID). In order […]
Supervisor’s Race: Frohman Interviews Withrow
Stanislaus County Supervisor Terry Withrow, a Certified Public Accountant, is running for reelection. His challenger is Scott Calkins, a high school teacher in Modesto. This article is a summary of an hour long conversation with Mr. Withrow. The viewpoints of Mr. Calkins will be the subject of another article. The election is scheduled for Tuesday, June 3, 2014. Supervisor Withrow was asked to summarize his proudest accomplishments of the past four years. He mentioned the […]
Denham: “All Form and No Substance,” says Frohman
Ever since Congressman Jeff Denham helped to shut down the government last year, he has campaigned hard for reelection. Apparently, he received a low approval rating from the voters in his district. With Congress showing single digit approval ratings in poll after poll, Mr. Denham may have realized that his constituents might be unhappy with him, too. Given the pattern of his activities, he appears to be using professional political advisors. Advisors are great […]
Merced Gang Numbers Frighten Senior Citizens
At the April 23rd general meeting of Merced AARP, Merced County District Attorney Larry Morse II deviated from his planned talk on scams of seniors to express concern for last year’s 29 deaths by murder in Merced County. The District Attorney noted that while 29 murders is fewer than the 53 recorded in Fresno County in 2013, the per capita rate of murders for Merced County’s population of 260,000 is much […]
Leadership Vacuum Growing At Modesto City Hall
“If I had known that Modesto would become like it is, I would never have moved here.”—Casual comment from an elderly lady walking her dog. Modesto residents who have lived in the community for many years are wondering when the city will hit bottom. The number of citizens contemplating a move to a better community can’t be determined, but the lack of population growth during the last ten years is an indicator. […]