Insanity is often described as doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results. It’s an apt description of what happens when Californians keep expecting different results from their (mis)use of water. Most Valley citizens were surprised to read that parts of Merced County are sinking as much as a foot a year. The cause is subsidence—the collapse of land that occurs when too much water is pumped […]
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Higher One: Busted Again?
On November 6, Inside Higher Education reported that Higher One, the provider of debit cards on hundreds of college campuses, including Modesto Junior College and Merced College, is in trouble again. As we reported here, Higher One paid $11 million last year as part of deal with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to provide restitution to students who were wrongfully charged for overdraft fees. Now Higher One is in trouble […]
Bee Says No to Modesto, Yes to Developers
The tipoff that the Modesto Bee was going to oppose Measure X came when the Bee suddenly decided to cover the Ridenour administration. Modesto Mayor Jim Ridenour’s term ended in 2012. He enjoyed eight years in office that were remarkably free from scrutiny. It was only at the tail-end of his tenure that Ridenour’s administration received any criticism, and that involved the SCAP scandal. And just weeks ago, the Bee […]
Bee Endorsements: Is Judy Sly’s (Freudian) Slip Showing?
One of the more amusing pastimes when reading Modesto Bee political endorsements involves spotting the tortured attempts at “objectivity” and the consistent employment of double standards. When both elements combine, the dedicated reader is rewarded with a “twofer.” And every once in a while, the elements combine for a trifecta, which includes an additional laugh bonus. This season’s trifecta came about with the Bee’s endorsement of Bill Zoslocki, candidate for City Council in District […]
Merced College Students Study Outsourcing Financial Aid
Despite their popularity with college and university administrators, institutions that have been hired to disburse financial aid for students continue to come under scrutiny from federal and state government overseers. On September 6, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 595 (SB 595). The bill stipulates, among other things, b) (1) Each campus of the California Community Colleges and the California State University shall offer a student the option of […]
Higher One: Setting the Record Straight?
After The Valley Citizen published two articles about local colleges outsourcing financial aid disbursements to Higher One, we received a letter from Higher One’s Lauren Perry saying that Higher One wished to “set the record straight so students know the truth.” The Valley Citizen is pleased to publish the letter in its entirety. Incidentally, a recent report from Bloomberg claims Higher One is for sale. Does that mean Higher One […]
Higher One: Just Another Corporate Tentacle in Higher Education
When Fresno State student Jeremiah Henry received his Higher One card back in 2012, he tried to activate it immediately. He then got embroiled in a bureaucratic nightmare that lasted days. It was while trying to activate the Higher One card that Henry began wondering how Fresno State had come to the decision to outsource financial aid to a company that was at that time involved in a class action […]
Is Your College Betting Against Students with Higher One?
Editor’s note: The earliest version of this story did not explain the difference between the budget “reserve” and a budget “surplus.” A sharp-eyed reader caught the error, and we have added a parenthetical explanation below. Thanks to our vigilant readers for the help, always. At Merced College, the trouble with Higher One began during the second week of the fall semester. That’s when the College administration learned many students would […]
Farmland and Growth in Stanislaus County
In 1995, Beyond Sprawl sent shock waves through planners and developers throughout the entire state. The Bank of America sponsored study of the costs of sprawl immediately became a primary reference for those who favor smart growth. Almost twenty years later, sprawl remains a major detriment to quality of life, especially in the San Joaquin Valley. Nonetheless, just as the foreclosure crisis is easing, Valley movers and shakers are ramping […]
Marsh and Kieta: First Year Reviews
Roughly a year ago, Garrad Marsh and Joe Kieta took the helms of two of our most cherished institutions, the City itself and the City’s only newspaper. Faced with similar challenges in the form of falling revenue, reduced staffs, and a struggling economy, Marsh and Kieta have had only a year to turn things around. While neither has succeeded, it’s too early to count either man out. Here’s our review […]