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 handover of a huge key as has been pictured in thousands of newspaper photos over […]
History
Should A Citizens’ Police Review Board Be Established In Modesto?
The death of George Floyd at the hands of four officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, sparked a protest movement advocating a thorough examination of police department policies and practices throughout the United States. Now is an appropriate time to take stock of the performance of the Modesto Police Department to determine whether changes need to be made. There has been talk about establishing a Citizens’ Review Board, but thus far, no […]
$100,000 Donation from Pot Dispensary in Modesto Mayor’s Race
Modesto City Councilmember Kristi Ah You said Thursday that the $100,000 donation to her campaign for mayor came about, “Because I was the only one who listened and tried to help,” during a dispute between the Modesto Police Department, City Hall, and a co-owner of Phenos Cannabis Dispensary on McHenry Avenue in Modesto. The contribution is listed under the name of Angilbert Sarkis, of Oakdale, Co-owner, Phenos. Ah You said […]
Homeless: Amputee Alan Davis is Safe Inside
Alan Davis, the wheelchair-bound double amputee who has haunted the streets of Modesto for the last few years is safe inside — at least for now. Homeless outreach worker Randy Limburg found Davis near 9th and J Streets in downtown Modesto early in July, badly soiled and ravenously hungry. It wasn’t long after Davis’s friend and advocate Frank Ploof had found him across town and taken him for a shower […]
Hard Road to Redemption: Part II
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 […]
Michael Baldwin Senior: Hard Road to Redemption
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 […]
The Wisdom of Patterson’s Pioneering PhD: Dr. Pearl Alice Marsh
With a Master’s Degree in Public Health and a PhD in Political Science, Pearl Alice Marsh is one of our most learned Valley citizens. A pioneer and trailblazer all her life, she was the first African-American female to achieve a PhD in Berkeley’s Political Science Department. She is retired in the city of Patterson after a decades-long service in the United States Congress in Washington D.C. Her father was a […]
Deputy Blamed for Fatal Crash: Fair or Not?
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 Central Division of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) released a 219 page final report fulfilling […]
Homeless: When the System Fails
Last Tuesday, while he was pushing a wheelchair-bound, double-amputee along the shady sidewalks of Modesto’s La Loma Avenue, Frank Ploof had plenty of time to think how he’d gotten there. It was circuitous story, one that always seemed to begin and end in the same place. Just the day before, after Ploof had learned Alan Davis was badly soiled and in dire need of a shower, he had paid Davis […]
Defund? These Cops are Already Defunded
Bernie Sanders, who understood underfunding of social services in America long before most other people, was incredulous when talk started about defunding police departments. Like most close observers, Sanders understands how law enforcement has changed over the years. “I think we want to redefine what police departments do, [and] give them the support they need to make their jobs better defined. So I do believe that we need well-trained, well-educated, […]