Few things excite birders more than seeing a new bird for their “Life List.” It’s even more exciting when the new bird is also a “first” for a given region, often the birder’s home county. When the bird is exceptionally rare and out of range, the excitement builds even more, so when Ralph Baker found a bird that normally occurs in the tropics and southern United States from Texas east, […]
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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 […]
Local Leaders to Essential Workers: “You are Expendable”
It was only a few months ago that Donald Trump thought he could ride a strong economy into a second term as President of the United States. Having avoided removal from office during an impeachment that Senator Mitch McConnell nullified before it started, Trump was confident he would cruise into the November election buoyed by a booming stock market and rising employment numbers. When news came in January that a […]
Stanislaus Supervisors’ Covid Fail: Worst Ever?
The old lesson that, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” is not in the memories of the Stanislaus County Supervisors. As a result, they’ve made decisions that indirectly resulted in loss of life and illnesses that might have been prevented. On May 7, 2020, the Board of Supervisors deliberately sought to override California Governor Gavin Newsom’s recommendations for controlling the Corona pandemic by applying for 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 […]
Poor and Homeless: The Plague after Corona
And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand Our New Normal Just a little over eleven years after George W Bush signed the $700 billion Emergency Economic Stabilization Act to save banks and financial institutions from defaulting on mortgage backed securities, the Trump administration is into a second round […]
Stanislaus Mayors! STOP: “It’s still too soon to open up!”
Ceres resident James Costello is a Pediatric Physician’s Assistant with over 40 years’ experience caring for children. His emphasis is on vaccines and vaccinations. As of April 25, Modesto is opening parks and golf courses under specific guidelines. Bathrooms will be cleaned twice a week. Playground equipment cleansing is up to parents. If you feel reassured, you should not be. The recent Stanislaus County mayors’ letter to Governor Gavin Newsom […]
Before Corona, there was Homelessness
The pandemic isn’t the biggest news everywhere, no matter what people think. Out in the streets it’s still about who died, who’s in jail, who’s got a cigarette, and where the next deal’s coming from. Self-isolation is nothing new for the most desolate of homeless people, and those lucky enough to have formed small communities and camps aren’t about to give up the comfort and safety of friends for a […]
Lawsuit Forces Reckoning on Groundwater Authorities
In a suit listing dozens of defendants, including Groundwater Sustainability Agencies for the Oakdale Irrigation District, Stanislaus County, and the cities of Stockton, Lodi, and Manteca, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) has alleged that in adopting their Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP), the various agencies and authorities involved failed to follow procedures required by California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) which was signed into law September 16, 2014. More critically, […]
Coronavirus? Just Chase it Around Town
Imagine some of the most vulnerable residents in your town being chased from place to place during a pandemic. Imagine that their only access to hygiene is public restrooms, back alleys, and the great outdoors. Fanciful as it may sound, that’s exactly the case with members of Modesto’s homeless population who didn’t make it into the county’s new 182 bed shelter on 9th and D Streets in Modesto. When the […]