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The Valley Citizen

Pursuing truth toward justice

The Valley Citizen

Pursuing truth toward justice
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Tom Portwood

Leng Power: Award-Winning Community Advocate & Volunteer

November 21, 2020 By Tom Portwood 3 Comments

Leng Power (Nou)

Thailand is over eight thousand miles away from the Valley — just about a third of the way across the globe — but that’s where this inspiring local success story begins. The Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia had fallen the year before, leaving in its wake a legacy of terror and genocide. But as volatile and traumatic as the situation must have been for thousands of refugees displaced by all […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Leng Nou, Leng Power, Salida Mac

Lindsey Bird – Award-Winning Educator, Advocate, Candidate

October 12, 2020 By Tom Portwood 1 Comment

Lindsey Bird

When Language Institute Co-Founder Lindsey Bird decided to leave her fledging career as a banker to become a teacher in her hometown of Modesto, she could not have imagined the profound impact that decision would ultimately have on the lives of the students who would enter her classroom. She only knew she wanted to make a difference. But within a few short years, Ms. Bird would find her calling as […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Lindsey Bird, Lindsey Bird for District Board, Lindsey Bird Yosemite Community College District 6, Lindsey Guinn Bird

Hard Road to Redemption: Part II

August 15, 2020 By Tom Portwood 6 Comments

Michael Baldwin Senior June 2020

A Community Advocate and Paralegal, Michael Baldwin Sr. moved to Modesto in November, 2018, following a stint of almost 27 years as an inmate of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). While in the CDCR system, he resided at Corcoran State Prison and San Quentin State Prison, among others. Mr. Baldwin readily admits he was guilty of the crimes for which he was sentenced, but his story does […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Michael Baldwin Senior

Michael Baldwin Senior: Hard Road to Redemption

August 13, 2020 By Tom Portwood 21 Comments

Michael Baldwin Senior and mother

A Community Advocate and Paralegal, Michael Baldwin Sr. moved to Modesto in November, 2018, following a stint of almost 27 years as an inmate of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). While in the CDCR system, he resided at Corcoran State Prison and San Quentin State Prison, among others. Mr. Baldwin readily admits he was guilty of the crimes for which he was sentenced, but his story does […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Michael Baldwin Senior

Award-winning Patty Castillo Davis: A Voice for Social Justice

June 20, 2020 By Tom Portwood 1 Comment

Patty Castillo-Davis

MAMA award-winning singer/songwriter Patty Castillo Davis is quick to admit that, even as a little girl, she was all about the words, the music, and the beat as she sat in front of the television watching Nancy Sinatra power through the lyrics of “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.” “I loved Nancy, and I wanted those white boots, and that blonde mop top – I wanted to be her.” Ms. […]

Filed Under: Arts Tagged With: Patty Castillo-Davis, Peer Recovery Art Project, Tom Portwood

Modesto Poet, Writer, & Activist Tina Curiel-Allen

May 24, 2020 By Tom Portwood 1 Comment

exist(ir) cover

In sharp, powerful images from her poem “The Things I Stole,” the fine Xicana/Boricua poet, writer, and activist Tina Curiel-Allen recalls one of the most painful but transformative experiences of her life: It wasn’t until jail that I found a place that could steal from me, /I found walls that ate time and tears like money, /And offered no form of recompense. /I felt the extent of my debt in […]

Filed Under: Arts

Community Profile: Modesto Poet Laureate Stella Beratlis

April 26, 2020 By Tom Portwood 2 Comments

Stella Beratlis

When Modesto Poet Laureate and MJC librarian Stella Beratlis heard that her first book of poetry (Alkali Sink, Sixteen Rivers Press, 2015) had been nominated for that year’s Northern California Book Awards, she admitted recently that she was, “totally floored— because in my wildest dreams where I allowed myself to imagine how my book was received, a Northern California Book nomination was the pinnacle. So it was surreal when I […]

Filed Under: Arts Tagged With: Alkali Sink, Stella Beratlis, Stella Beratlis Poet Laureate Modesto

Covid-19 Brings New Challenges for Haven Emergency Shelter

April 5, 2020 By Tom Portwood 1 Comment

May Rico Haven Women's Emergency Center

While many of us are making often radical adjustments to our lives during this tragic time, those people living in an abusive environment at home can find themselves even more isolated than ever. May Rico, the Executive Director at the Haven Women’s Center of Stanislaus, shared her thoughts on that issue in a telephone interview the other day: “If someone is living in a violent relationship, they have few safe […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Coronavirus Modesto, Covid-19 Stanislaus County

Salvation Army Berberian Shelter: Safe Harbor for those in Need

March 22, 2020 By Tom Portwood 2 Comments

Salvation Army Captain Sam Snyder

The stark reality of the Coronavirus Pandemic has brought new hardships to one of our community’s most vulnerable populations—our fellow residents who are homeless. But while the pandemic presents a fresh set of terrifying challenges to those living on the street, the staff at Modesto’s Salvation Army Berberian Shelter, on the corner of 9th and D streets, is vigorously responding to the health crisis in this time of “all hands […]

Filed Under: History

Community Profile: Award-winning Poet & KCBP Radio Programmer Linda Scheller

February 17, 2020 By Tom Portwood 5 Comments

Linda Scheller’s Fierce Light has recently received accolades from outside our area, earning prizes in the National League of American Pen Women’s 2020 Catherine Cushman Leach Poetry Award competition. “The Ballad of Dr. James Barry” received 2nd place, and “Hill Top” earned 3rd place. The awards will be given in Washington, D.C. in April. Stanislaus County is home to an exceptionally vibrant and prolific poetry community, nurturing, a rich diversity […]

Filed Under: Arts Tagged With: Linda Scheller, Modesto Poets

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Off The Wire

Biden restores roadless protection to the Tongass, North America's largest rainforest
Biden restores roadless protection to the Tongass, North America’s largest rainforest
The Tongass National Forest in Alaska, a focus of political battles over old-growth logging and road-building in forests for decades, has received new protection from the Biden administration.
theconversation.com
As California?s climate heats up, Valley fever spikes ? especially on Central Coast
As California’s climate heats up, Valley fever spikes, especially on Central Coast
Because the fungus that causes the disease spreads easily in hot, arid conditions, the number of cases will grow, UC Berkeley study says
www.mercurynews.com
Activists sue to block Newsom's homeless mental illness treatment program
Activists sue to block Newsom’s homeless mental illness treatment program
Gov. Gavin Newsom championed compelled mental health treatment for homeless Californians. Now, activists are trying to stop it before it gets off the ground.
sjvsun.com
The Rise of Spirit Warriors on the Christian Right
The Rise of Spirit Warriors on the Christian Right
How an extreme transformation in American religion poses an existential threat to our democracy
newrepublic.com
Gimme Shelter: Mayor Karen Bass on homelessness and the California housing crisis
Gimme Shelter: Mayor Karen Bass on homelessness and the California housing crisis
Liam Dillon and Ben Oreskes of the L.A. Times interview Mayor Karen Bass about homelessness and housing problems in California.
calmatters.org
A Water War Is Brewing Over the Dwindling Colorado River
A Water War Is Brewing Over the Dwindling Colorado River
This story first appeared at ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative…
talkingpointsmemo.com
At Last, a Real Possibility to Avoid Catastrophic Climate Change
At Last, a Real Possibility to Avoid Catastrophic Climate Change
After decades of minimal action, Congress passed the largest and most comprehensive piece of climate legislation in U.S. history. Will we make the most of this opportunity?
www.audubon.org
ACLU sues Phoenix over homeless sweeps, citations
ACLU sues Phoenix over homeless sweeps, citations
The ACLU of Arizona has filed a lawsuit against the city of Phoenix over cleanup sweeps of homeless encampments.
www.azcentral.com
'Full-on crisis': Groundwater in California's Central Valley disappearing at alarming rate
‘Full-on crisis’: Groundwater in California’s Central Valley disappearing at alarming rate
Excessive groundwater pumping has long been depleting aquifers in California’s Central Valley. Now, scientists say the depletion is accelerating.
www.latimes.com
San Francisco?s homeless sweeps are unlawful ? and the city will pay for it
San Francisco’s homeless sweeps are unlawful and the city will pay for it
San Francisco’s campaign to remove homeless people from the streets clearly violates…
www.sfchronicle.com
A year after opening 600 rooms to L.A.'s unhoused, the Cecil Hotel is still mostly empty. Here's why
A year after opening 600 rooms to L.A.’s unhoused, the Cecil Hotel is still mostly empty. Here’s why
The Cecil Hotel was supposed to be an innovative new model for permanent supportive housing in L.A. Why is it struggling to fill rooms?
news.yahoo.com
Fentanyl on campus: One Bay Area school saved a student?s life. Another missed the signs of an overdose. Is your school ready?
Fentanyl on campus: One Bay Area school saved a student’s life. Another missed the signs of an overdose. Is your school ready?
Suddenly, Bay Area schools are playing a critical role in combating the alarming rise of fentanyl that is spilling onto high school campuses. But a Bay Area News Group survey found most may not be….
www.mercurynews.com

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PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
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