Steve Ringhoff | The Valley Citizen

28 POSTS 0 COMMENTS

Former Bee reporter Steve Ringhoff was also a career attorney. After he retired, he combined his love for journalism and law, writing about how our local governments do and do not serve the people.

Environment

Is San Joaquin River Groundwater Allstate’s Orchard Insurance?

Steve Ringhoff -

August 5, 2021

YOU tell Allstate they can’t draw from the San Joaquin River to water the almonds they planted in the last couple of years west of Modesto — a modest little project — modest if you have a basket of billions. Though some think $28,000,000 is more than modest. If you use Highway 132 to go […]

History

Stanislaus Sheriff’s Office Sued on Shooting of Teenager

Steve Ringhoff -

July 21, 2021

The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office has been sued in federal court because one of its deputies shot and killed someone. Again. This action, filed Monday, July 19, in US Court in Fresno, stems from the shooting of 16-year-old Xander Mann. That lawsuit follows by eight days the filing of a similar action based upon the […]

History

How Many Free Shovels on Turlock’s Amazon Gift Card?

Steve Ringhoff -

June 27, 2021

While Turlock officials and Amazon flacks were still unwilling to confirm that a huge warehouse was going to be a fulfillment center for the internet giant, a burning question remained unanswered: Just how many shiny, commemorative shovels was Amazon going to provide for the groundbreaking ceremony? Several examples of those shovels were presented to City […]

History

The Back End of Amazon’s Gift Horse for Turlock

Steve Ringhoff -

April 27, 2021

Steve Ringoff is a freelance journalist. See more of his work here. City of Turlock officials were about ready to polish the ceremonial groundbreaking shovels before it was publicly revealed that Amazon planned a 1,000,000 plus square foot warehouse facility in their southern Stanislaus County municipality. In an article April 21, bearing the bylines of […]

Body-worn camera image in Eloy Gonzalez case

History

Who Was the Homeless Man Shot by Stanislaus Deputies?

Steve Ringhoff -

November 12, 2020

The man shot to death by Stanislaus Sheriff’s deputies in late September was once a star high school athlete, a doting father and a solid wage earner who was brought down by drugs, says the woman who was his girlfriend for about a dozen years. Are these just the nice things we say about everyone […]

History

Questions Remain in Shooting Death of Homeless Man

Steve Ringhoff -

October 26, 2020

Was this guy a burglar or just some homeless man sleeping rough in the bushes alongside a commercial building? That question apparently was not answered before he was shot to death by Stanislaus County Sheriff’s deputies just about a month ago. Still, that question, and others, have not been publicly answered. All we really know […]

Stanislaus County Supervisor Jim DeMartini

Politics

The Supervisor’s Guide to Living Large by Avoiding Taxes

Steve Ringhoff -

September 28, 2020

“I’ve had it with California. It’s the hostile business climate, the politics and high taxes,” said Stanislaus County Supervisor James R. DeMartini, explaining why he was moving to Nevada instead of running again for his board seat. If he was trying to sound like a victim, some aren’t buying it. Mr. DeMartini has been living […]

History

Will McClatchy/Bee Sale to Vulture Hedge Fund Disturb the Force?

Steve Ringhoff -

September 6, 2020

Steve Ringhoff is a freelance writer. View more of his work at A Little Long Form Journalism. Did you “sense” it, like Obi Wan recognizing the great disturbance in the force, as McClatchy, that family owned newspaper chain whose 30 newsrooms included the Modesto Bee, changed hands Friday? There was no big ceremony like a symbolic […]

History

Deputy Blamed for Fatal Crash: Fair or Not?

Steve Ringhoff -

July 22, 2020

Steve Ringhoff is an independent investigative journalist. See more of his stories here. Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Deputy Antonio Hinostroza was killed when his patrol car slammed into a signal pole at Claribel and Terminal south of Riverbank on November 25, 2018 while speeding to join in the pursuit of a drunk driver. This week, the […]

History

After a Horrible Accident: Was Justice Served?

Steve Ringhoff -

February 6, 2020

Always combining his experience as an attorney and journalist, Steve Ringhoff has an ongoing interest in law and justice. Below, while investigating a horrible accident, he looks closely at LaGrange Road, transecting parts of western Tuolumne County and eastern Stanislaus County, the primary feeder route for drivers between foothill communities and Southern California. It was […]

12 3 Page 1 of 3