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History

Homeless: The Harsh Realities of Help

January 17, 2021 By Eric Caine 13 Comments

Salvation Army Berberian Shelter

“We have a disconnect with our citizens about what services are available for homeless people and how easy it is to access them,” said Modesto businessman Steven Finch recently. “People are comforted when they see large buildings and lots of staff workers dealing with homelessness, poverty, and mental illness.  They read about $22,000,000 coming to Stanislaus County for homelessness and they think, ‘That should do it; all fixed.’” In fact, […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Homelessness and Poverty in Stanislaus County, Homelessness in Modesto, Homelessness in the San Joaquin Valley, Modesto Homelessness

Homeless: Coming Soon to a Park Near You

January 5, 2021 By Eric Caine 8 Comments

South 7th Street, Modesto, 4 Jan 2021

It took a couple dozen specialists in hazardous waste removal, several Caltrans officials and workers, and three or four Highway Patrol Officers to remove a homeless camp along Highway 99 on Monday, January 4. That’s in addition to the 18-wheel trucking rig that was needed to haul off the tents, lean-tos, and accumulated trash. Most of the campers along the strip had moved across south Seventh Street in Modesto from […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Homelessness and Poverty in Stanislaus County, Homelessness in Modesto, Homelessness in Stanislaus County, Homelessness in the San Joaquin Valley

Forget Affordable — it’s Time for Tiered Housing Options

December 20, 2020 By Eric Caine 3 Comments

Well over six years after Stanislaus County launched its “Focus on Prevention” program to reduce homelessness, local streets, parks, riversides, freeway margins and the undersides of bridges are full of people with nowhere to go. The situation is the same throughout the San Joaquin Valley. Statewide, efforts to place homeless people in shelters, hotels, and repurposed motels have been met with resistance from nearby businesses and residents who complain of […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Homelessness and Poverty in Stanislaus County, Homelessness in Modesto, Homelessness in the San Joaquin Valley, Modesto homeless

Homeless: The Covid Correction

December 7, 2020 By Eric Caine 11 Comments

Under the 9th Street Bridge, Modesto

For many of us, the cause of homelessness is simple: “It’s the drugs.” Not far behind drugs as a cause of homelessness is the belief that, “They’d rather be homeless than work for a living.” This explanation goes back to Ronald Reagan’s declaration in 1982 that, “the people who are sleeping on the grates — the homeless who are homeless, you might say — by choice.” Neither explanation is going […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Beard Brook Park, Beard Brook Village, Homelessness and Poverty in Stanislaus County, Homelessness in Modesto, Homelessness in the San Joaquin Valley, Modesto Outdoor Emergency Shelter

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

Who Was the Homeless Man Shot by Stanislaus Deputies?

November 12, 2020 By Steve Ringhoff 5 Comments

Body-worn camera image in Eloy Gonzalez case

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 once they die, even if not true? How would she know these things? Well, she […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Eloy Gonzalez, Eloy Gonzalez Jr., Jr.

Questions Remain in Shooting Death of Homeless Man

October 26, 2020 By Steve Ringhoff 21 Comments

Eloy Mares Gonzalez Jr.

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 is that Eloy Mares Gonzalez Jr. was hit by several bullets fired by two deputies […]

Filed Under: History

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

Can the Valley Survive Without Gas-Powered Vehicles?

September 28, 2020 By Bruce Frohman 2 Comments

Lightyear One

September 24, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California will eliminate the internal combustion engine from all new vehicles sold in the state by 2035. The announcement was bold, gutsy, and appears doable. Due to fiscal considerations, the Valley will probably lag urban regions in effecting the change. However, the rules outlined by Governor Newsom will not create undue hardship if the transition is adequately planned.           […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Bruce Frohman, electric vehicles in California

Johnny Hernandez: Tejano Legend on Music, Picking Cotton, and the Pachuco Within

September 6, 2020 By Eric Caine 5 Comments

Johnny Hernandez, September 5, 2020

October 10 will mark the 25th year since Johnny Hernandez crawled out of a sweat lodge near Organ, New Mexico, free of the drugs and alcohol that had tormented him almost as long as he could remember. “Drinking was part of the ‘machismo’ idea I grew up of with, along with fighting,” said Hernandez recently. “And drugs were part of being a musician. They were always free, and still are, […]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Congressman Josh Harder, Johnny Hernandez, Tejano music

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Off The Wire

David Brooks column: Trump ignites a war within the church
David Brooks column: Trump ignites a war within the church
“Over the last 72 hours, I have received multiple death threats and thousands upon thousands of emails from Christians saying the nastiest and most vulgar things I have ever heard toward my family and ministry. I have been labeled a coward, sellout, a traitor to the Holy Spirit, and cussed out at least 500 times.”
www.courant.com
Here are the companies suspending political contributions following the Capitol riots
Here are the companies suspending political contributions following the Capitol riots
thehill.com
How the Capitol Riot Thrust Big American Companies Deeper Into Politics
How the Capitol Riot Thrust Big American Companies Deeper Into Politics
“Words alone are not enough.” Corporate moves to halt political funding and decry the forces behind the Jan. 6 riot have accelerated a broader movement in business to address social and political issues.
www.wsj.com
I've hesitated to call Donald Trump a fascist. Until now | Opinion
I’ve hesitated to call Donald Trump a fascist. Until now | Opinion
After last week the label seems not just acceptable, but necessary.
www.newsweek.com
The Cheney-McCarthy rift busts open
The Cheney-McCarthy rift busts open
The Republican leaders’ split on impeachment presages a bigger battle over Trump and the GOP.
www.politico.com
Beaten, sprayed with mace and hit with stun guns: police describe injuries to dozens of officers during assault on U.S. Capitol
Beaten, sprayed with mace and hit with stun guns: police describe injuries to dozens of officers during assault on U.S. Capitol
Authorities say many officers face long recovery following riot
www.washingtonpost.com
Trump Authoritarianism Denial Is Over Now
Trump Authoritarianism Denial Is Over Now
Just weeks, ago, conservatives insisted Trump would concede if he lost the election.
nymag.com
Fact check: Men who stormed Capitol identified by Reuters are not undercover Antifa as posts claim
Fact check: Men who stormed Capitol identified by Reuters are not undercover Antifa as posts claim
Social media users have been sharing content online that suggests those who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 were Antifa, not Trump supporters. Many have been using compilations of pictures as purported evidence, but examination of these images shows they do not support…
www.reuters.com
Who Funded the Putsch of January 6, 2021?
Who Funded the Putsch of January 6, 2021?
We must investigate the riots and find out who was behind it, who organized and financed it.
billmoyers.com

Senior Trump Official: “We Were Wrong, He’s a Fascist”

“The legacy of the Trump administration is going to be that the president sparked an insurrection and people died.”
nymag.com
35 times Capitol Police arrested more demonstrators than the 14 insurgents arrested Wednesday
35 times Capitol Police arrested more demonstrators than the 14 insurgents arrested Wednesday
They have arrested more than 3,600 demonstrators since 2016.
www.motherjones.com
Perspective | The pro-Trump media world peddled the lies that fueled the Capitol mob. Fox News led the way.
Perspective | The pro-Trump media world peddled the lies that fueled the Capitol mob. Fox News led the way.
Even today, they are still at it.
www.washingtonpost.com
Joe Scarborough Drops F-Bomb on MSNBC, Calls for Arrest of Donald Trump After Capitol Raid
Joe Scarborough Drops F-Bomb on MSNBC, Calls for Arrest of Donald Trump After Capitol Raid
“If they are not arrested and brought to justice today, then we are no longer a nation of laws and we only tell people they can do this again,”
Morning Joe host says, referring to the…
www.rollingstone.com

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