Legend has it that Ed Mape used to herd cattle from behind the wheel of his Cadillac car. Maybe he spelled Cadillac with two “Ts.” Today, the Mapes Ranch is more famous for its billboard sign reading “Breed the Best and Forget the Rest” than for its former owner, but it’s still a major feature in the unique character of the land along Highway 132. In fact, in the fifteen […]
History
City Workers Rock the Neighborhood
By the time they showed up, most everyone in the neighborhood had given up on the streets. They were cracked down to the dirt. Cars and trucks routinely turned over asphalt clods, which then became part of the general rubble. Then the water guys came. They replaced the water pipes, which some said were going on seventy years old. No one was surprised—the city has a long history of overlooking […]
Is the MID on the Road to Bankruptcy?
Public utilities are known for financial stability. Without competition, they generally don’t have to worry about remaining financially solvent. However, in the last few decades, technological changes have undermined the bottom line of some public utilities. When American Telephone and Telegraph was exposed to competition via deregulation, it tried to adapt in order to survive. Eventually, because of its weak financial condition and poor competitive structure, the company sold out to Southwestern Bell, […]
Firefighter Shortage Costs Modesto
In the week prior to Memorial Day weekend, Modesto experienced two fires that consumed multiple single family residential units. One fire consumed four homes adjacent to the 132 Freeway right-of-way toxic waste piles. The fire started in brush and spread to the nearby homes. Every Modesto firefighter that was on duty at the time had to be called in to fight the blaze. Then, mutual aid had to be requested from other nearby […]
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 […]
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 […]
Loss of Monopoly on News Leaves Bee Writer Livid
Modesto Bee columnist Jeff Jardine took on City Hall last Saturday. Unfortunately, he did little to improve our local political climate and a lot to harm it. Jardine was agitated about a City of Modesto policy for dealing with media inquiries. The policy requires city employees to notify superiors when they’ve been interviewed by members of the media. Then the interview has to be vetted by higher ups in the […]
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. […]
More Trouble Ahead for Modesto Flight Services?
News Item: SkyWest, a subsidiary of United Airlines, announces that it will cease serving the Modesto airport in July, 2014, citing declining numbers of passengers. With a population of over half a million citizens, Stanislaus County has a sufficient population base to support the service of at least one airline. So what is the problem? A History of Mediocre Service and Schedules If one wants a case study on how not to run […]
Valley Schools Have Child Safety Problems
On March 26th, a child died in front of a Modesto school when he ran in front of a bus. A few years ago, another child was hit in front of a school when he was run over by his own father’s car. At another school, a child on a bicycle was hit by a car. These accidents should not be happening.Every school day in valley communities, a mad rush of traffic occurs before and after each session. Large numbers of parents ferry their children as close […]